The promise of increased throughput, reduced energy costs and lower service and tool costs with Heckert's new cost-competitive Focus line of horizontal machining centres – as well as the ability to remove aluminium at up to 10 litres a minute with the Starrag 800X five-axis machining centre - will prove attractive to aerospace OEMs and their multi-Tier suppliers visiting the Starrag UK stand at this year's Farnborough International Airshow.

Heckert is one of nine established and world-leading machine brands within the Starrag Group, which includes the TTL software division that has an unrivalled reputation in multi-axis CAM applications, automated CNC machining systems and adaptive machining software. The result is a comprehensive array of machining solutions for every aspect of aerospace and aircraft manufacture.

The new three-machine Heckert Focus line – which align perfectly with the Starrag Group's philosophy of 'Engineering precisely what you value' – offer up to 10 per cent increases in throughput via reduced machining times, up to 20 per cent savings in energy costs via the adoption of Blue Competence policies, and up to 10 per cent savings in service and tool costs.

The new machines complement the Starrag Group's expertise in the heavy machining of large gear casings, as well as the production of primary structural components for fuselage, tail unit and wing areas. Starrag is also especially adept at providing solutions for turbine blade, blisk, casing and fuel system machining, as well as gyroscope components, electrical connections, sensor parts and gear components.

The Starrag range, for example, includes the 800X which boasts a 30,000 revs/min 120 kW spindle for fast and effective machining. The machine also features an A axis range of -110 deg/+60 deg, so no angle heads are required for completing a range of complex features in a single set-up.

In addition, the machine – which has feed rates of 60 m/min in X, Y and Z, a maximum workpiece swing diameter of 1.400 mm and pallets of 800 mm by 1,000 mm to handle loads of 2,000 kgs - can accommodate up to 465 tools.

Visitors to the stand will be able to gain details of all Starrag solutions, including Droop + Rein machines for landing gear applications, Berthiez engine casing boring/grinding, Starrag five-axis blade machining centres and well as Ecospeed high-speed machining centres which, on aluminium workpieces, can achieve floor-to-floor time savings of 60 per cent by transforming a four-tonne billet into a 120 kgs complex structural part in less than 20 hours.