Steel Metal

Horizontal machining centre incorporates linear motors on its tilting axis which allows all the 5-axis movements to operate at full speed and greatly increasing the machine’s overall performance

For the FIA Formula One World Championship season, Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, Brixworth, Northants, UK, designs and manufactures F1 engines for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. These support two cars for 17 races as well as an extensive development and testing programme. Many of the high precision engine components have different life expectancies and are replaced regularly throughout the season.

Mori Seiki’s relationship with Mercedes-Benz HPE goes back to its early days.

Shortly after the company (then known as Ilmor Engineering) was formed in 1984, two out of the first five machines purchased were Mori Seiki, and were destined for the manufacture of cylinder heads, connecting rods and engine blocks.

Now Mercedes-Benz HPE has 30 Mori Seiki machines and employs over 400 people.

The requirements of Formula One led the company to further develop the level of in-house machining in order to obtain the required quality, achieve rapid turnaround times, and also maintain confidentiality.

Adam Labudek, plant manager, said, ‘It is not unusual for us to work through the night to meet deadlines.
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Our current machining capacity gives us maximum flexibility.’ The company originally chose Mori Seiki based on its reputation for reliability and accuracy.

The first Mori Seiki bought, a ZL25, is still machining crankshafts on its original spindle.

A MV40 machine purchased in 1989 worked reliably until recently, and is now waiting to be re-installed for the manufacture of jigs and fixtures.

Labudek said, ‘We carry out regular inspections, and these machines are within their original specification even after 18 years of use.

A number of our machines run 24/7 so the high standards of service and support we get from Mori Seiki are essential.’.

* Cell manufacture - the factory is arranged for cell manufacture with four or five machines per cell, each one dedicated to making particular components such as cylinder heads or camshafts.

The development machine shop is the exception.

This uses a MT203 mill/turn centre to provide the necessary flexibility for the wide variety of components, the rapid response, and batch sizes of one, which are required in this fast moving environment.

The company is an early adopter of new technology and uses the latest developments from Mori Seiki.

These allow it to implement new tooling and fixturing packages which optimise the benefits to be gained from the high spindle speeds and feed rates now available on the machines.

Labudek said, ‘Faster machines have enabled us to significantly cut machining times, while mill/turn machines have allowed us to reduce the number of operations, contributing to our ongoing high quality.’ Mercedes-Benz HPE and Mori Seiki have established a technical partnership in which the two companies work closely together to develop new machine designs to match the exacting demands of motorsport.

Labudek explained, ‘We have collaborated on a number of machine designs, including the NH8000 5-axis horizontal machining centre.

Mori Seiki engineers presented us with an initial scheme and invited us to comment.

For this machine we were concerned about the speed of the tipping axis compared with the speed of the other axes, which were extremely fast.

The new design incorporates linear motors on this axis which allows all the 5-axis movements to operate at full speed, greatly increasing the overall performance of the machine.

It is incredibly quick.’ From the initial concept to the final delivery of the first NH8000 it was just nine months - the company now has four of these machines.

Both Mori Seiki and Mercedes-Benz HPE benefit from the relationship by sharing technological expertise and practical experience in the most demanding machining environment.

Labudek concluded, ‘The high profile link to Formula One is undoubtedly a great benefit for Mori Seiki, while the leading edge machine tools which they supply, give us the capability to machine high precision parts quickly, reliably and to the highest quality standards.

It is a very valuable partnership for both parties.’.

* About Mori Seiki (UK) - Mori Seiki UK, the UK arm of Mori Seiki Co, Japan, services and supports Mori Seiki and Hitachi Seiki machines in the UK market.

Mori Seiki is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of metal cutting machines.

With its head office in Nagoya Japan, it employs 3,300 people, and is committed to innovation, quality, and service, with a range of machines to cover all industry sectors.