Located near Dumfries, Dunbar Race Engineering was established in 2018 by Duncan Dunbar to design and supply prototype motorcycle parts and small batches of components for the motorsport market. The company also reverse engineers and remanufactures parts that are no longer available, especially for historic and emerging classic racing motorbikes. Today, the firm provides engineering and manufacturing services to other sectors as well, including parts for internal combustion engines targeting the hydrogen market.

At the outset, the company outsourced production. However, Duncan realised that to increase flexibility, reduce lead-times and ensure consistent quality, it would be necessary to progress from a home workshop and move to manufacturing in-house. So in spring 2022, he moved the company into an industrial unit and purchased a Hurco VM10i three-axis vertical machining centre with a 4th-axis rotary table.

Describing his experience of dealing with Hurco, Dunbar says: “They’re nice people to work with and the VM10i is a cracking machine. It has a large working area for its footprint and fitted neatly into the space we had available.”

To make high-quality parts to fine tolerances, sometimes as tight as ±10 µm, the manufacturer takes full advantage of both the Hurco machine’s build quality and the conversational programming of the WinMax control, which Dunbar says is easy and intuitive to use. Most work, including complex jobs requiring 3+1-axis machining, is programmed directly at the control. Tool-path simulation and verification graphics help to avoid any potential input mistakes.

“What you see on the screen is what you get on the part,” confirms Dunbar.

More information www.hurco.com

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Rotherham is enhancing its machining capabilities with the installation of a Heller F6000 five-axis horizontal machining centre. Located at the AMRC’s Advanced Manufacturing Park, the machine supports subtractive machining activities.

As an industrial research organisation, the AMRC benchmarks the machine tool market on behalf of its membership to identify the most effective production equipment and techniques. Across its sites, the AMRC operates more than 60 CNC machine tools, including several horizontal-spindle platforms.

Installing the Heller machine strengthens the AMRC’s efforts to secure high-value manufacturing jobs in the UK, many in the aerospace sector. A key aim is to transfer Heller’s reputation for high reliability and uptime – proven in automotive production – into aerospace applications.

The mill-turn F6000 will also play an integral role in the AMRC’s new autonomous toolroom demonstrator, part of its Factory of the Future. More broadly, it will contribute to projects tackling supply chain resilience, skills gaps, the integration of digital technologies, production automation, real-time process analysis and ecological sustainability.

Tom McCready, engineering and operations manager of the AMRC Machining Group, says: “The exceptional capabilities of Heller horizontal machining centres make them ideal for processing hard metals like titanium, which is required for structural aircraft parts and aero engine components. The F6000 will be the first machine in our Factory of the Future to use the Siemens Sinumerik One control system. Combined with Heller software, the control will be a valuable platform for research into connectivity and manufacturing traceability.”

He adds: “Beyond its high chip removal capacity, the twin-pallet machine is automation-ready, allowing the retrofit of various pallet storage systems and paving the way for potential autonomous production cells.”

More information www.heller.biz