MSP enables Pentaxia to eliminate composite part concessions, reduce production time by 50%

Source (All Images) | MSP

Advanced tooling and composite components manufacturer Pentaxia (Derby, U.K.) has changed how it approaches the machining of complex components after introducing Metrology Software Products’ (MSP, Northumberland, U.K.) PerfectPart suite of CNC metrology products into its process.

This introduction generated optimal results for one project alone, reducing production time for a set of parts from 40 to 20 hours and eliminating a 100% concession rate, with 50 sets delivered without a single part requiring rework.

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MSP PerfectPart was initially introduced during a challenging project involving the machining of composite components made from multiple materials, where variability and distortion made accurate setup difficult using conventional methods. Previously, Pentaxia had relied on a manual setup process that required significant decision-making, along with manually shimming and clocking features on components, often taking multiple shifts to set up a single part.

“We didn’t have a good way of checking our setup, and the process didn’t account for all six degrees of freedom,” says Lucian Lazar, lead technical engineer at Pentaxia. “I don’t think there was a single part that was set up 100% correctly — each one had a concession raised against it.”

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Pentaxia also lacked visibility of machine performance, meaning any issues were only identified after machining had taken place. “We were essentially machining blind, which created a stressful environment,” adds Lucian. “These parts were worth tens of thousands of pounds. None of the operators wanted to take part in this project because the pressure and risk were so high.”

MSP’s senior applications engineer, Stefan Hafner (right) during the installation of MSP PerfectPart at Pentaxia.

Determined to make the project a success, Pentaxia invested in a new CMS machine and introduced MSP’s PerfectPart suite of products to address problems at different stages of the CNC machining process. This included NC-Checker for assessing CNC machine performance and NC-PartLocator for automating the part alignment process.

NC-Checker has proven so valuable at identifying machine issues that no part is machined unless the machine has first been assessed using the software, even if that means running it multiple times a day.

Likewise, NC-PartLocator has transformed Pentaxia’s part setup routine and removed many of the stressful decisions. “The contrast between before and now is extraordinary,” Lazar says. “We can generate the alignment in a single operation and start machining almost immediately.”

While the technology was initially introduced as a “leap of faith” to support a specific contract, its impact has extended far beyond the original requirement, influencing a broader machining strategy and fostering a more confident, controlled shopfloor culture.

“A complex project no longer has the fear factor and is seen as a positive challenge. The process is reliable and repeatable, and confidence across the shopfloor has soared,” Lucian adds. “At the end of the day, it is the natural progression for CNC manufacturing. We used to machine parts by hand, then five-axis CNC machines were created. This is the logical next step. People don’t need to be setting up parts by hand anymore when MSP can do it automatically.”