Goodman Precision Engineering is targeting F1 customers with its latest CNC machine investment
The Milton Keynes company says that quality and precision performance are helping it expand its sales of parts and prototypes to the the ultra-competitive world of F1.
The company has grown dramatically in the last few years, almost doubling its workforce to 25, as founder Mark Goodman has seen the workload ‘grow massively’, with turnover now around £2 million a year.
It has now decided to install a new Quaser MV184PH milling machine, equipped with Heidenhain CNC control, supplied by the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).
“We needed to replace our old Hardinge Bridgepoint and spoke to ETG about what we needed,” said Mark, who has 30 years’ experience in Formula 1 and subcontract machining.
“Since we started this business in 2011, we have built up a range of machines, including three Quasers. They are great, high quality machines and excellent value for money, especially operating them with Heidenhain controls as we do.
“We don’t really do mass production. Instead, we use them for prototyping, so it is all about quality and the Quaser delivers that in abundance.”
He continued: “Because of our particular needs, we are fitting the Kitagawa five-axis table we used with our old Hardinge Bridgeport to the new machine.”
“This investment is going to help us cater for our growing workload. While the budgets for firms haven’t grown hugely, the fall in the value of the pound against the dollar and euro has given them a big benefit when it comes to project spending. And, there are of course lots of new teams coming into Formula 1.”
Goodman Precision Engineering operates to the highest technical levels and this is reflected in its close partnership with Integral Powertrain, also based in the Milton Keynes area and an industry leader in developing new vehicle technology.
The firm, which is located on Potters Lane, is also involved in the latest work on KERS – the kinetic energy recovery systems that allow F1 cars to capture waste energy created under braking and transform it into electrical energy and stored to give the car an extra boost later in the race.