On the right track with hyperMILL

Established in 1947, Howells Railway Products Ltd is one of the UK rail industry's leading manufacturers. The Manchester-based company has evolved over almost 80 years into a precision specialist, supplying over 1,000 product lines to major rail operators, OEMs, and infrastructure owners across six continents. Customers such as Network Rail, Alstom, Siemens, Thales, Bombardier, and Hitachi rely on Howells for CNC-machined components – all programmed with hyperMILL CAD/CAM software from OPEN MIND Technologies.

To support ongoing growth and an increasingly complex order book, the company invested in hyperMILL just over 18 months ago to streamline manufacturing processes. The decision has significantly enhanced Howells' CNC machine shop productivity, precision, and competitive position – and the transformation is only just beginning.

Director David Howells traces the business from its humble beginnings. "The company was formed by my grandfather, Edward Stanley. He came out of the RAF with £70 in his pocket, his demob suit, and the one trade he knew. He was a wireless engineer in the RAF, so he started a business fixing TVs and radios - that's how the company began."

The company now designs and manufactures its own established product range that includes signals, rail indicators, light engines, AWS inductors, transformers, flasher relays, AWS and APC receivers whilst simultaneously running a busy CNC machine shop. The company holds Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) approval and ISO:9001 certification, reflecting the exacting standards its customers demand.

Investing in CNC Capability
In recent years, Howells has made substantial investments in its CNC machine shop, which now houses 26 machines ranging from 3 to 5-axis machining and turning centres. The addition of a new 40,000sq/ft CNC workshop has provided the capacity and environment to undertake increasingly complex, high-value work alongside the company's core rail product manufacturing.

As the Machine Shop Manager at Howells, Justin Johnson has been at the forefront of driving this expansion. With over 20 years of experience in CNC programming and manufacturing, he has been instrumental in identifying where technology investment can deliver the greatest return.

"We've got a wide range of products from trackside through to maintenance, and we're always looking to invest in the best technologies. Since increasing our inventory of 5-axis machines, we’ve found a lot of dead cycle time with tool paths. It just didn't look right compared to what we were seeing at exhibitions and across the industry - our existing software wasn't keeping pace with the machines' potential.”

The decision to invest in new CAD/CAM software was made carefully. Justin and his team compared hyperMILL with several other leading providers. Drawing on his extensive programming background, Justin quickly recognised that hyperMILL offered something beyond what he had encountered before. "I've had over 20 years in programming software, and hyperMILL really, really surprised me with how good it is. The Virtual Machine technology has been second to none."

For Howells, the combination of user-friendliness, processing speed and advanced 5-axis capability proved decisive. "It's really user-friendly, and programming and machining times have been compressed significantly. We had a vacuum forming tool come through the workshop, and we wouldn't have been able to do it with our existing software. We've had two software systems over the years, but with hyperMILL, parts like this aren’t an issue. We were able to do the part, get it out, and it looked amazing."

The Virtual Machine: Confidence on the Shop Floor
One of the most significant improvements since adopting hyperMILL has been the step-change in simulation capability. For Howells' CNC Programmer Alexander Barnes, who works directly with the software on a daily basis, Virtual Machine has fundamentally changed how jobs are prepared and verified before they reach the machine tool.

Alexander says: "hyperMILL makes it easy to go from rough to finish parts because it uses the model to drive the tool path, so I know it's not going to gouge anywhere along the workpiece. From there, it generates the stock model straight away, so if I need to do some rest roughing, I can easily work to that stock model. For the finishing, it works in the same way, driving up to the surface of the model."

For 5-axis machining in particular, where multi-axis movements create a complex collision environment that potentially involves the cutting tool, spindle, workholding and the machine structure, simulation is a necessity. Alexander explains how hyperMILL's Virtual Machine addresses this challenge head-on. "The simulation on our 5-axis machines is very important for collision checking and to prevent gouging on the parts. Within Virtual Machine, collisions are automatically recognised, and the system will not let you post the code. I can confidently post the code and know that with every B and C-axis movement that we're going to have, I'm not going to gouge into the machine itself."

Justin has observed the downstream impact of this elevated confidence directly on the shop floor. The days of cautious, incremental checking at the machine are giving way to a more streamlined, efficient process. "I've noticed a big difference in the simulation. Alex is able to simulate the machining process a lot more reliably and a lot more slickly. When we are bringing the job onto the shop floor, we're not having to check ourselves as much. We can go straight into machining the part, and there are no issues – and no bangs whatsoever. It's a much slicker process with hyperMILL."

Optimised Tool Paths
Beyond simulation, the quality and efficiency of the tool paths generated by hyperMILL have delivered measurable improvements. Justin reports that the software has raised standards at every stage of the process. "We're noticing big improvements, especially when we are trying to machine complex workpieces. With hyperMILL, we're optimising the tool paths and eliminating any dead time in the machine."

The benefits also extend to surface quality and the amount of post-machining work required. For a manufacturing business where components must consistently meet stringent rail industry standards, the ability to produce a superior finish directly off the machine is particularly valuable.

"We do a lot of repeat work, and since changing to hyperMILL, I've noticed the improvement in part quality, especially the deburring side of things. It has been much better. You pick the part up, and it's a lot shinier. The tool paths are a lot easier on the eye, and it just looks a more professional part."

An additional and perhaps less immediately obvious benefit has been improved tool life. By generating smoother, more consistent tool paths, hyperMILL reduces the stress placed on cutting tools, extending their working life even as cycle times decrease. As Justin adds: "I'm also noticing the longevity of the tool life is increasing with hyperMILL. Even though we're speeding up the process, we're extending the life of our tools."

Commercial and Strategic Impact
Reflecting on hyperMILL's impact on Howells' competitive positioning, Justin continues: "We're definitely more competitive now, especially on the higher-end work that we do on the 5-axis machines. We're reducing our machining times and being more competitive. In manufacturing, prices are going up across the board. If hyperMILL can make us more competitive and keep our prices the same – despite tooling prices and material prices going up, then that's a huge benefit."

Perhaps the most telling indicator of hyperMILL's impact on Howells's confidence and ambition is the way Justin now views the machine shop's capabilities. "Now we've got hyperMILL, I think we can take on pretty much any part that will fit on our machines."

Looking Ahead
With hyperMILL now embedded in its workflow for almost 18 months, Howells Railway Products has already seen significant gains in simulation reliability, tool path efficiency, surface quality, tool life and throughput. The ongoing development of hyperMILL adds to the confidence of the team. "I've been really impressed with hyperMILL and OPEN MIND Technologies as a business. The support is excellent, and the software is ever evolving. We've noticed product upgrades have come through and proven beneficial for our team. I see the future looking bright with Howells and hyperMILL moving forward. Across the board, from roughing to finishing, I feel like we've levelled up with hyperMILL."