Shannon McGarry
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of connecting with Luke Sayer, Director of Lumax Precision Engineering. Luke was kind enought to share his story about how Fusion 360 has helped Lumax to acheive greater run times and flexibiltiy with programming and setup, as well as the ability to offer a wider range of services in machined parts. Hear more from Luke about how Lumax is using Fusion 360 to get further in the industry and what the future holds.
Established in 2014, Lumax Precision Engineering quickly built up a reputation for producing high quality component’s to support the everyday needs of the general public and other hobbyists with the same passion for all things mechanical. This may include anything from a broken component that requires re machining, to helping to design a new component ready to go into the prototype or production stage.
We started off with a Tom Senior manual milling machine alongside a Colchester Student lathe in which we established our place in the market, being a reliable and friendly shop with the attitude of no job is too small and every challenge can be accomplished.
Within the first few months of operating we found a great need for a CAD/CAM package to help us with customer designs and moving us forward to meet our customer’s needs.This is where, we are pleased to say, Autodesk Fusion 360 came to be an integral part of our shop. With the ability to produce fast and detailed models,then switch to the CAM side to generate toolpaths this gave us the ability to offer a wider range of services in complex machined components.
After much success with Fusion 360 we then looked into how we could offer more using this excellent product in our shop. With the help and support of the Fusion 360 team, we then decided to combine Fusion 360 with our converted CNC Mill/Drill. For us this is where the fun really began, this now gave us the ability to create and repeat produce more complex parts leading us into other market areas in which we started to produce components for the restoration of the Automotive and Motorcycle industry/ hobby groups.
With every day bringing new challenges and new ideas we pride ourselves on working hard and learning new skills to one day be alongside some of the leading precision manufacturing companies in the market today. Knowing every day there is always something new to bring to the table we will continue to manufacture and re-invest to bring in new equipment and machine tools.
By the use of Fusion 360 we were able to model up this component at the time of the client meeting, to discuss the component requirements and any changes that were required to suit their needs.
By having the flexibility of the CAD software and it being so user friendly we were able to show the process in which we
go through to start the production of this component. By doing this we provided a service where the customer felt confident in the work we produce and the procedure we carry out to make sure we always provide the best service possible.
This component was requested on a rapid prototype basis with the requirement of a fast turnaround to complete a mock-up of a retrofitted sub frame component for a vintage car. We were provided a detailed drawing in which we used Fusion 360 to model in the component and generate the toolpaths with ease to complete the full component, delivered to the customer on the day.
Since we have been using Fusion 360 within our shop we have be able to achieve over and beyond what we have previously have been able to offer. The ability to quickly model and generate tool paths, has given us the opportunity to prove and provide products with a service which has been recognised throughout our customers. With the fast recognition of the achievements we have made in such a short period of time, utilising the equipment we currently have, we have been lucky enough to secure an investor to fund our new machine tool. We will be keeping a log and updating when possible with the journey we follow from obtaining the machine, to the delivery of the machine and the first component manufactured.
We have a number of projects we are working on which are currently in the design and prototype stage, some of which are set to become regular components manufactured for our customers in large quantities, others being bespoke components for hobbyists and enthusiasts like myself. We like to work closely with all of our customers no matter how big or small the job.
A big thank you to the team who have supported us from the start of our ongoing journey which has only been made possible thanks to the great support and product at Fusion 360.
