Aerospace subcontractor benefits from shop floor programming

Citation

(2003), "Aerospace subcontractor benefits from shop floor programming", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 75 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2003.12775aab.001

Aerospace subcontractor benefits from shop floor programming

Keywords: Aerospace, Machining, CAD/CAM

Despite the complexity of much of the work it carries out for numerous aerospace customers, subcontractor John Huddleston Engineering GB, Blackpool, UK, programs as much as 60 per cent of its vertical machining centre work on the shop floor, thanks to the twin-screen Ultimax control systems fitted to its 14 Hurco machines (Plate 1).

While more and more CAD files are being received for processing in JHE GB’s programming department, which operates CAD/CAM manufacturing software from Catia and MasterCam, a large proportion of work is still received as drawings. It is often easier to program the latter jobs at the control, leaving the off-line facility to concentrate on components with 3D surfaces.

Plate 1 The line of Hurco vertical machining centres in use at the new Blackpool facility of subcontractor John Huddleston Engineering GB

Established in 1959 and until recently known as Sycamore, the subcontractor was bought in 1997 by JHE, based in Greyabbey, Northern Ireland. The Blackpool subsidiary has been granted preferred supplier status by many of its customers, which currently include BAE Systems, GKN Westland, undercarriage manufacturer AP Precision and aero sheet metal assembly specialist, Belfhouse Hartwell. Aerospace contracts account for over 98 per cent of JHE GB’s work.

The company’s association with Hurco dates back to the late 1970s when the first machine was installed to supplement manual copy mills. These were well suited to 2D, profiting but were inadequate for machining surfaces. As an increasing amount of 3D work was coming in, the company bought its first Hurco on the advice of a nearby user. A succession of progressively more modern Hurco machines has been installed, 11 over the last 5 years, the latest being a BMC30HTM, a BMC2416, and a BMC6434 on which components over a metre and a half long can be clamped. Although the oldest machine on site dates from 1988, all 14 Hurcos are fitted with the Ultimax control, albeit of different generations. Two machines are equipped to accept rotary indexing heads for four-axis work.

In the early days the capability of the control system was even more important to the subcontractor, as the off-line programming department did not exist. All parts had to be programmed and proved out on the shop floor, the high quality graphic representation of the part on the second screen being a valuable asset in this respect, particularly as the image may be rotated and zoomed rather like a CAD image.

Said Machine Shop manager, Andy Wadsworth, “The Hurco VMCs are ideal for everything from job shop work, like the one-off Tornado spare we have just manufactured in titanium, to the medium batch run of electrical boxes currently in production for the Eurofighter Typhoon (Plate 2). These boxes are machined from a solid aluminium billet and despite the complexity were programmed on the Ultimax. We train our own staff to use the control, which all the operators find very user friendly.”

Plate 2 These electrical boxes for the Eurofighter Typhoon are machined from solid aluminium billets by JHE. Despite its complexity, the part was programmed on the Hurco Ultimax control

When asked why his company repeatedly bought Hurco machines to the exclusion of all other makes of VMC, Andy Wadsworth replied that they have no reason to change and every reason not to. “We have purchased all of our machines new from Hurco and they have provided excellent support over the years. In addition, the manufacturer keeps up to date with new machine design and specifications,” he said. “The latest models have higher speeds and feeds, and flood coolant combined with a spiral auger is efficient at removing large quantities of swarf from the working area, which is ideal for us as we machine a lot of aluminium. Also, the Ultimax control has proven to be outstanding for machine shop programming.”

He went on to point out that they have literally thousands of part programs filed, many for scheduled monthly jobs, and virtually all can be run on any of the Hurco machines, subject only to size constraints of any given model. The flexibility that this gives is essential for a busy subcontract shop.

Details available from: Hurco Europe Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1 494 442222; Fax: +44 (0) 1 494 443350; E-mail: sales@hurco.co.u; Web site: www.hurco.co.uk