Along with the new brand appearing in print and on digital promotional materials created for the event, a scale model of the brand, which comprises a tail fin replica of a modern jet aircraft, embossed with three embracing arms, has also been created as a marketing tool.
The tail fin model was machined by fourth-year Seco technician apprentice Roberts on a Hermle C32 5-axis machining centre.
“The part was machined from a solid aluminium billet (200 by 200 by 30 mm) in a total cycle time of two hours,” she says. “As well as the Hermle 5-axis machine, other technical partner technologies used to produce the part included Siemens [NX software], CG Tech [Vericut simulation and verification software], Thame Workholding [Lang work-holding systems] and Houghton [cutting fluids].
“Roughing operations, where over 60% of the material was removed, were performed using Seco face mills and took 8 minutes to complete,” adds Roberts. “The majority of machining time was spent on finishing operations and, in particular, on scanning the curved surface of the fin using small diameter ball-nose cutters. This was quite a painstaking operation as it was important that we didn’t create any step marks on the part and that a good surface finish was realised.
With just 12 weeks to go before the start of Inspiration through Innovation 2019, Seco’s pre-event promotions are in full swing. The tail fin model machined by Roberts is a core element of these efforts.
