This year’s Inspiration through innovation brand identity has been machined from solid on a Hermle 5-axis machine by technician apprentice, Emma Roberts.


Seco’s ever-popular Inspiration through Innovation manufacturing best-practice event is taking place at the company’s Innovation Hub facility on 9th and 10th October.

Because this year’s event is focused exclusively on the aerospace segment, the event’s longstanding brand logo has been slightly modified and redesigned to reflect the new focus.

As well as 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 (coloured) embracing arms, has also been created as a marketing tool to help promote the event.

The tail fin model was machined from solid by fourth year Seco technician apprentice, Emma Roberts, on a Hermle C32 5-axis machining centre.

Explains Emma Roberts:

“The part was machined from a solid aluminium billet (200mmx 200mmx 30mm) and the total cycle time was two hours.

“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 workholding systems) and Houghton (cutting fluids).

Says Emma Roberts:

“Roughing operations, where over 60% of the material was removed, were performed using Seco face milling cutters and took 8 minutes to complete.

“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.

“Another time-consuming operation involved the creation of the three-armed logo detail using ball nose cutters.

“Machining the fin was an interesting challenge and I am pleased with the result.”

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 Emma is a core element of these promotions.