Despite having no formal engineering qualifications, powered paraglider enthusiast Gilo Cardozo MBE created Parajet in 2001. This business is now seen as a world leader in the design and manufacture of paramotors, or powered paragliders. The success of Parajet was helped along the way by Cardozo’s sense of adventure: he partnered with explorer Bear Grylls, a kindred spirit, taking on the challenge of paramotoring over Mount Everest, a feat they accomplished in 2009, achieving what was said to be the impossible by flying at an altitude of 29,494 ft. To do so, Cardozo had to design a new 95 hp engine to deal with the radical changes in atmospheric pressure. This engine was to be the catalyst for the second group company, Rotron Power.
“In the early days, we had looked around for suitable machine tools and XYZ Machine Tools (01823 674200) impressed us with their overall performance and delivery,” says Gilo Cardozo, founder of Gilo Industries. “As a result, we have used XYZs now for several years and they have proved excellent workhorses, producing high quality work day in and day out.”
With the development of the Zenith Paramotor in May 2012, Gilo Industries had created the world’s first paramotor made entirely by CNC-controlled machines. Engines produced by the Rotron division are now widely used not only for recreational activities, but are also the first choice for many unmanned aeronautical vehicle (UAV) applications in use by military and commercial customers.
Gilo Industries’ main machine shop benefits from two XYZ 710 VMC vertical machining centres alongside an XYZ Mini Mill 560, all with Siemens controls. These three VMCs are supplemented by an XYZ ProTURN SLX355 lathe equipped with the ProtoTRAK control. All are used for day-to-day production of Parajet and Rotron products.
Two design and manufacturing businesses were apparently not enough for Cardozo, who has also acted on his childhood dream of building a flying car; that became reality with SkyQuad, a combined paraglider and off-road buggy. In 2009, the first incarnation completed an endurance feat, travelling 7,000 km from London, via Europe and the Straits of Gibraltar, before arriving in Timbuktu. Having proven the concept, the next step is to ensure there is a sound commercial proposition, and he says: “Designing and engineering a practical flying car is a challenging process and we are continuing to hone the details and design of the SkyQuad, and the next pre-production prototype is currently in development.”
Further development of the SkyCar has led to the setting up a research and development facility, and the purchase of more XYZ machine tools: first an XYZ ProTURN SLX 425 and, more recently, a second XYZ Mini Mill 560.
The latter will be used to make prototype parts for a project that won a National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) grant to extend the flight duration of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engines.This article was originally published in the March 2016 Machinery aerospace supplement.
