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Rodmatic Limited has restructured towards a global business
strategy to grow the subcontract precision machining
company in order to provide an international service to
its network of customers, many of whom have subsidiary
operations and supply chain networks overseas.
Separated into two divisions both based in Reading,
Rodmatic Multico is geared to volume production having
38 Wickman multi-spindle automatic lathes, and Rodmatic
Hytek is dedicated to automated one-hit machining
strategies. This separate high technology operation enables
higher value complex multi feature components to be
produced in single cycle operations ensuring high quality,
cost-efficient production against short lead time deliveries.
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Brian Steatham,
managing director of Rodmatic,
is laying plans to
upgrade the business to a global subcontract company
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Explains managing director Brian Steatham: "As a modern
subcontract business we forward plan, put everything into place
and look very closely where IT and business management could
improve the effectiveness of the company. Only then do we put
the strategy into operation enabling the right investment to
achieve the objectives laid down."
Brian Steatham is co-ordinating the strategy drawing on his
extensive experience of developing operations in America,
Japan, Singapore, China and Brazil.
Brian Steatham expands his views on the business potential:
"There are too few subcontractors in the UK willing to pursue
global business and invest to achieve their aims. We can now
supply batch quantities from 20 or so to continuous production
and have a capacity for part sizes between 2 mm to 400 mm
diameter," he says.
Rodmatic currently has sales of over £5 million and employs
55 people. It was set up in 1963 and initially focused on high
volume, fluid power component production. Adds Brian
Steatham: "Manufacturing technology, automation and IT
systems are providing us with the capability to go from strength
to strength ensuring the company maintains price, quality and
delivery."
COMPRESSOR BLADES IN 'ONE-HIT'
Pre-production samples of a 50 blade compressor
turbine blade for a customer in the oil and gas sector
were recently run off at Rodmatic Hytek involving fouraxis
profiling in 'one-hit' cycles on its Daewoo Puma MS
2000 ST.
Explains Jonathan Imm production manager: "What
was important to the customer was that we could
produce the 330 mm compressor blade in a single
machining cycle using automatic transfer between
main and subspindle to ensure the relationship of
critical features and high levels of concentricity were
maintained on the part."
The T6 aluminium compressor blade was machined
out of a solid billet with the machine programmed
off-line using Pathtrace EdgeCAM Solid Machinist
software. The cycle included extensive roughing and
finish machining of bores, faces and spigot diameters
plus a wide groove behind the vanes to give clearance
for the profile milling of each blade.
The Puma was then used in four-axis mode to rough
mill slots for the 50 vanes and then each slot was semi-
finish and finish profiled using a solid carbide ballnose
endmill to accommodate the complicated twisted
vane profile required by the customer.
Programming took less than two hours to accomplish
while the complete machining cycle was just under
4.5 hours for each part. Says Brian Steatham: "This is
the type of work we are gearing up to handle on the
international market and are willing to invest in the
high technology equipment to achieve the standard
of quality required and we work closely with
customers providing a full turnkey solution."
£400,000 MILL TURN INVESTMENT
Rodmatic Hytec has invested a further £400,000 in new
machine tools to include the first move into CNC sliding
head technology. The investment also includes a mill/
turn centre and a two-axis lathe to accommodate batch
sizes of between 100 and 2,000 parts.
Says Brian Steatham: "The high technology machining side
of the business is expanding well and we are also looking
at switching some work from our multi-spindle autos in
the Rodmatic Multico operation so we can more efficiently
produce smaller batches on demand."
The move into sliding head technology sees a Star
SV32, nine-axis subspindle machine providing a turn/
mill capacity of 32 mm and the installation of a Doosan
Lynx 220 LM three-axis lathe provides a fixed head bar
capacity of 50 mm and a 250 mm turning diameter with
12 driven tools. Alongside the Lynx 220 LM is a two-axis
Doosan Lynx 220 LC with a 12-station turret, a turning
diameter of 320 mm and 65 mm bar capacity.
Turnkey winner
An important turnkey project to
produce special development
marine valve blocks out of
316 stainless steel with a three
micron final bore tolerance and a
complex network of intersecting
compound angle holes for oil
feed has been completed by
Rodmatic Hytek.
As Jonathan Imm production
manager outlines: "We were able
to combine eight operations
into one single cycle on our Daewoo Puma MX 2000ST mill/
turn centre and produce burr free components straight from
the machine. Also as part of the turnkey we had to take
responsibility for heat treatment and arrange micro finishing of
the bore with a specialist contractor."
The 70 mm by 70 mm by 100 mm valve blocks turned and
milled from 150 mm diameter x 130 mm long billets of 316
stainless steel were solid modelled from a PDF drawing using
Pathtrace EdgeCAM Part Modeller and programmed via
EdgeCAM Solid Machinist. There were numerous cut outs
to be milled in the 18 mm high tolerance bore, a host of
compound oil feed holes that had to accurately intersect in
order to maintain maximum oil flow, and sharp edges had to
be maintained on critical areas of the component. The whole
operation had to be completely burr free.
Once proven, each part required
2 hours machining time to
complete. The lead time for the
batch, which was produced using
mostly standard tooling, was also
far shorter than could be achieved
with normal multi-operational
methods that would require
extensive fixturing, work queues
and inspection.
GOING GREEN
Brian Steatham, MD, Rodmatic was invited by Andy
Allcock, editor of Machinery magazine, to air his views
on the advantages of taking on-board the 'Green'
initiative.
At Rodmatic with a little attention to environmental issues
we have added £11,800 to our bottom line this year and
contributed a saving of some 77 tonnes of CO2. We have
also enjoyed other spin-offs from the formation of an
energy saving team such as improved health and safety
and, in particular, improved communications with the
workforce.
There is so much hype today over green issues.
The problem for any business — especially
small to medium size companies — is that
management has to seek a return for any
investment and be very aware that people do
not commit valuable time chasing rainbows
and lose sight of the original objective of being
a business.
Our management team is very aware of environmental
issues but, like most companies, time is premium. So we
called in the Carbon Trust to carry out a full environmental
survey of our 18,000 ft2 premises and the results proved to
be highly beneficial and thought provoking. For instance,
while we have always been aware to switch-off office
equipment out of hours, the survey revealed that a more
rigorous regime would only save 0.7 tonne CO2 and around
£100 in a year. That would not even pay for time switches!
But where the Carbon Trust survey came into its own
was the replacement of our air compressor generating a
massive £4,900 saving in the first year and reducing our
CO2 footprint by 32.6 tonnes. It will pay for itself in two
years, is quieter in operation and only runs on demand.
We now have very clean dry air that reduces maintenance,
saving a further £1,400 a year, and we have ducted the
exhaust to provide a warm air curtain over the doors of the
loading bay.
As we are moving through Phase 2 we are collating and
analysing electrical data to determine patterns of usage
with a potential saving of £2,600 in a year for an investment
of £2,000. Following the advice given, we have now set
an attainable target to reduce our carbon footprint by a
further 20 per cent.
NEW BROCHURE AND WEBSITE
Part of Rodmatic Limited's plans to expand from
a volume orientated precision subcontractor into
a global business, focusing on the advantages
offered by the use of the latest technology and
business systems, is depicted in a new website
and six page glossy brochure.
Already the customer base, that spans leading
international names in the hydraulic, off-shore,
automotive related and aerospace sectors, is
showing new interest in the global plans of the
business and especially the willingness of the
company to invest and build on its capability to
be a technology-led business.
BOB TODD SALES MANAGER
Having spent some 10 years in the fastener
business Bob Todd's extensive 'continental
experience' fits precisely into the progression
plans to build a global supply philosophy for
Rodmatic subcontract machining operations.
Bob Todd has worked on both sides of the supply chain
business covering component sourcing, as well as sales and has
been involved in the setting up of in-depth logistics strategies
and operating divisions in France as well as being a key player
in other western and eastern European fastener business
operations.
TERRY O'SULLIVAN WORKS MANAGER
Terry O'Sullivan has extensive expertise in
supply chain management, volume production
for Tier 1 automotive industry suppliers
and short batch machining for OEMs in the
mechanical handling sector.
He has a track record of justification, installation and
commissioning flexible manufacturing technology, material
handling, implementing MRP systems and has extensive
assembly line experience. He has also been heavily involved
with many aspects of new product introduction.
JONATHAN IMM PRODUCTION MANAGER
Bringing nearly 20 years of 3-D, CADCAM
experience on lathes and machining centres
and a strong background of precision
machining, purchasing, manufacturing
logistics and business development in the
plastics and aerospace industry, Jonathan Imm
has been appointed as production manager.
Jonathan Imm, who previously held a technical director
position, implemented systems to reduce lead times and
improve process control and has extensive experience
in improving shopfloor support implementing modern
management practices through IT skills. He has a wealth of
experience in the manufacture of complex components and
has specialised in five-axis machining technology.
MULTI REFURBISHMENT
Following an in-depth quality and machine reliability survey,
Rodmatic Multico has initiated a programme of on-site overhaul
and refurbishment of its 38 Wickman multi-spindle automatic
lathes.
Said Brian Steatham: "We believe our autoshop is one of the
biggest in the UK. The multi-auto is still the fastest and most
economical way of producing volume turned parts and while
many of these part types have been subcontracted offshore,
our competitiveness has kept all our machines fully employed
24 hours/day, 7 days a week." He follows on to explain why
customers prefer local sourcing. "They do not want to risk
supply or quality problems and by upgrading our processes to
meet their criteria, we can win and maintain contracts," he said.
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