Taking manufacturing to another dimension

In a Q&A session, Tim Wybrow, managing director of pattern & mould CNC machining specialists, 5th Dimension Composites showcases the company’s innovations in the world of manufacturing patterns and moulds.

5th Dimension Composites has grown on the back of 5th Dimension Tooling, which was established in 2009. The business has long been known for tooling, jigs and fixtures, but today is increasingly involved in component manufacture as well. 5th Dimension Composites’ combined experience allows it to obtain a good understanding of its customers’ requirements whereby it manages projects from the initial designs to the finished product with the minimum of fuss.

Q) What is the breakdown of your pattern & mould making services and solutions, i.e. how much do you do of each?

Today the majority of our work is within tooling, which includes patterns and moulds. Typically around 60% of our work is focused upon patterns and moulds, with other tooling making up around 30%, and components around 10% of our work. However, this is constantly changing based upon customer demand.

Q) Give me a feel for the types of industries you supply into, i.e. aero, marine, automotive?

We cover all markets, with a particular focus upon aerospace, automotive and motorsport. The lead-times vary from job to job, with projects within the Formula 1 sector being turned around in hours or days, whereas larger or more complex aerospace projects may extend to several months or more. We are increasingly seeing interest from other emerging industries, such as infrastructure and architectural.

Q) What are the types of performance demands placed on your company by today’s customers?

Our customers expect quality and timeliness in our projects. They place trust in 5th Dimension Composites to deliver their project within the agreed time schedule and without jeopardising the quality of the project. Pricing is always an important factor, and with some customers, price is their primary focus, but most recognise that price should always be balanced with the speed and quality of delivery. We strive to achieve the right balance on each for our customers.

Q) Tell me more about your CNC machining tool equipment?

We use a mixture of machines, which includes both 5-axis and 3-axis capability. For the majority of our composite work, we rely upon our Saphos 5-axis machining centres, which we have found offer the perfect compromise between machining speed and accuracy. We are constantly looking to the future, at upgrades or additions to the current capability. Certainly the use of robotic machining looks attractive for certain customers and projects, and we are also working alongside the other companies in the QML Holdings group, to make use of the broader capabilities available.

Q) What do you feel are the most important assets of a company?

Our team is what makes our business so special. Over a number of years, we have developed skills and competencies which we rely upon for future projects. As a small business, every one of the team recognises the need to adapt and overcome challenges within our projects, whether technical or otherwise. We have developed a number of practices that allow us to maintain a competitive edge with regard to cost and turnaround of our projects, without jeopardising quality. We take great pride in what we do and this is reflected in the way we work.

Q) What kinds of productivity benefits can customers enjoy from the use of robotic automation technology?

Automation is no longer a speciality; it is a reality. Looking for synergies from across different sectors is allowing businesses to break into new market areas, and to deploy technologies in one sector which have been developed in another sector. The use of robotics and automation technologies is very well-established within the automotive and aerospace sectors, but they are not so well developed and adopted in other sectors, such as motorsport. The challenge for our industry is to recognise that robotics and automation are part of a toolbox which can be deployed. But not every application or project will benefit from such tools.

Q) What are the main focus areas of your current R&D efforts?

We are increasingly engaged on higher volume applications for composite materials and how technologies can be deployed to reduce the cost for composite materials adoption by our customers. The team at 5th Dimension Composites are exploring new technologies, such as press moulding and additive manufacturing, both of which have the potential to be disruptive technologies within the tooling and composites sectors.

Q) Do you find the current UK composites manufacturing industry an easy industry in which to keep pace with changing trends?

For a long time now, those operating within the composites sector have needed to adhere to ever evolving standards and requirements, which change when working across different industries. Requirements also change from customer to customer, so as a sector we are very accustomed to navigating through complex regulatory and certification requirements. With the UK exiting the EU, it remains to be seen whether we can expect a simpler or more complex regulatory landscape, but no doubt as an industry we will adapt to the prevailing conditions.

Q) What differentiates your company from the competition and why should a customer use you over your nearest rival?

We treat each project with the same care and consideration, irrespective of the customer or market. We take great pride in our work and we know that our customers place great trust in us to deliver their projects. The team at 5th Dimension Composites works very hard to identify efficient working practices or ways to improve upon the way we work. This means we can be faster and lower cost than our competitors, without compromising upon quality.

Q) What kinds of tool manufacturing developments will we be seeing in the future?

Whilst tool development will continue, perhaps the area where we will see the greatest gains is within software and programming. Increasingly, software packages are developed for improved cross-platform compatibility, or improved tool path generation. As we move into an increasingly digital world, the ability to design, fault find and optimise a process virtually is bringing major benefits in reducing the machining time and cost, and this trend is set to continue.

www.5dtooling.co.uk