For the past 40 years,
Milltek Sport has been at the forefront of the design and manufacture of after-market performance exhaust systems, and to maintain this position has recently constructed a £3 million Advanced Manufacturing Centre, adjacent to its Derby headquarters. At the heart of this investment are three machines from
BLM Group that incorporate the very latest in fibre laser, robotics and bending technology.
While Milltek Sport’s core products will be in demand for many years to come, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) influenced the company’s decision to invest, a move that is broadening its appeal in new markets, such as heat shield manufacture for EVs. The three machines supplied by BLM Group include a BLM ELECT 102 all-electric CNC tube bender, a BLM LC5 combination flat sheet and tube laser cutting system,and a ‘state of the art’ BLM LT FREE Hi-Flex five-axis, twin-robot, fibre laser cutting cell.
With no previous history of working with BLM Group, Milltek Sport was not only attracted by the wide the choice of machines but also the combination of capability, processes, quality, support, and technical back-up. Having carried out a detailed market review, it was decided that BLM was the best choice as it could provide the complete package that the company required, and the level of support from BLM in the UK and Italy was seen to provide the ‘best fit’.
Steve Pound, Milltek Sport managing director, said: “Having made the choice of BLM Group as our supplier we were initially looking at the BLM LC5 combination flat sheet and tube laser cell, but Covid-19 restrictions delayed the order being placed. As soon as the travel restrictions were lifted, we visited BLM Group in Italy and convinced ourselves to take all three investment steps at the same time.”
The BLM machines allowed Milltek Sport to bring laser cutting in-house, which in turn led to greater efficiencies as the company can now produce all the parts its needs as required, and this just-in-time approach is generating improved cashflow through the elimination of work in progress.
These efficiencies are illustrated by the BLM LC5, which integrates separate modules for tube and flat sheet processing to enable a switch from tube processing to flat sheet instantly, without any need to reconfigure the machine. Milltek chose the 4kW (12kW optional) fibre laser machine, a choice that gives it the capability to cut stainless steel up to 15mm thick. Adding to this versatility is the electric sheet pallet change system with dual shelves for automatic loading of flat sheet up to 3 x 1.5m and tube up to 120mm diameter x 6.5m long, making the BLM LC5 a highly efficient asset. The LC5 optimally integrates two systems — a dedicated module for sheet metal cutting and a dedicated module for tube cutting.
Similarly, the BLM LT FREE Hi-Flex five-axis robot cell features twin robot arms that can be operated individually, with a divider allowing one part to be cut by the 2kW fibre laser, while another is being set up; or, if the part demands it both robots can work in tandem.
Mr Pound continued: “As we are developing parts to suit the new laser technology, we are seeing efficiency improve dramatically, up to 40% gains on some components. For example, with the BLM LT FREE Hi-Flex we can achieve cuts on bends that previously would have been done by hand using a plasma torch. We can now get multiple parts from a single tube, making use of micro joints which is delivering major time and material cost savings. One exhaust system section features six separate parts, that previously had to be cut manually, now the pre-bent tube is cut automatically in one operation, saving over 1m of tube and 28min faster.”
He added: “While we were familiar with tube bending the move to laser cutting was a steep learning curve for us. In the sectors we operate in, batch sizes tend to be small, between 10 and 100-off, so we needed machines that can adapt quickly to our changing requirements. We have found that the combination of the versatility of the BLM laser machines, along with the intuitive BLM ArtCut software have been invaluable.
“We can now design and develop parts around the machines’ capabilities, which in turn leads to a reduction in scrap or waste material and consistent quality — this, in tandem with the support we received from BLM Group, makes us confident that we can meet whatever the future puts our way.”