Success Story From a ‘budget’ to a high profile CAM package Diversifying into new markets is never easy, particularly ones as demanding as aerospace and defence. However, over the course of the past 2-3 years, Norfolkbased Tml Precision Engineering Ltd has taken its first steps in this high profile… About Tml At Tml they are passionate about quality precision engineering. They are consistently investing in the very best available state-of-the-art plant and computer aided engineering equipment and they strive to only employ the very best talented and enthusiastic engineers, in a time where short lead times and quality products are essential. Combining this, with a down to earth partner approach with our customers to meeting and exceeding their expectations has positioned Tml as a consistently top performer in the precision engineering field. Tml can deliver straight to your door machined parts from single prototypes to high volume production in your choice of materials ranging from soft plastics like PTFE and acetyl onto aluminium through to the most exotic stainless steels and titanium’s. > www.tmlcnc.com © OPEN MIND Technologies AG. ...industry and hasn’t looked back. Already fully accredited, the company has since landed a number of high profile, long term contracts for leading aerospace customers, including becoming an approved Tier 1 machinist to one of the world’s fastest growing aircraft manufacturers. Central to the company’s early success and pivotal to its ongoing growth and investment plans, is the award winning hyperMILL CAM package from OPEN MIND Technologies. company achieved AS9100 accreditation in 2009 and has since been re-certified by BSI to the latest AS9100 Rev C aerospace quality management standard, and headhunted Technical Sales Director, Andrew Yates, a man with the credentials and experience to spearhead Tml’s penetration into aerospace markets. Today, the company employs 17 people and is still recruiting. Neil Dyer, Tml’s Managing Director, is something of an entrepreneur. He acquired the business in 2003 when it was run from a barn with two people and three ageing CNC machines. At this time, 80% of revenue was generated by the motorsport sector. Not content with owning just a run-of-themill Formula one and motorsport-orientated engineering company, Mr Dyer was keen to expand and diversify into high end, high precision commercial and military a erospace work. Immediately, he relocated the company to its existing facility adjacent to the emerging technology hotspot of Hethel – home to Group Lotus and the Hethel Engineering Centre – five miles southeast of Norwich. Since then, he has acquired a further six engineering businesses, amalgamating them all into Tml. What’s more, the Reverse engineering from an old, rusty impeller to generate a CAD model which to import into hyperCAD®. From here, optimised hyperMILL® toolpaths were produced before

“We preferred hyperMILL , particularly for its ease-of-use and superior support, but at the time hat to concentrate our investment efforts on machine toools.” ® Neil Dyer, Tml’s Managing Director A suitable CAM package Tml’s investment in the latest machine tools such as a high specification Matsuura MAM72-35V (image above) simulta neous five-axis machining centre is supported by multi-tasking machining centres among a comprehensive array of 15 CNC machines in total. Providing the all-important link between the CAD models and optimised toolpaths for machining, the company set about sourcing a...

sensible cycle time would have been a struggle. As it goes, we cut the original cycle time of 24 hours by three-quarters using Multiblade, while at the same time improving the quality of the finish-machined components. Now it looks like we might get additional work relating to the Spitfire at North Weald, such as replacement wheels and brake drums.” Specialising in simultaneous five-axis prismatic milling Using the Multiblade package within hyperMILL 5AXIS, impellers and blisks can be programmed without any special knowledge. Integrated, automated functions reduce the number of input-parameters...