ULTRATECH
ULTRATECH
“I HAD A DREAM”
Marek Bujny relies on a Makino D500 for ultra-high precision in machining aerospace parts.
When Marek Bujny co-founded ULTRATECH in 2000, it was a “dream come true”, as he now says. Today, this family business is one of the leading firms in the Polish aerospace industry, machining parts and sub-assemblies for customers of global repute.
Aerospace companies, scientific research centres and pilot training facilities fill “Aviation Valley”, the aerospace cluster centred on the town of Rzeszów in SE Poland where 90% of the Polish aerospace industry’s output is generated. With 100 years of aviation history and 70 years of aircraft production to build on, “Aviation Valley” boasts a highly skilled workforce and a strong academic tradition in aerospace. Marek Bujny had already worked for many years in the aerospace industry when he began dreaming of setting up his own business in Rzeszów. After failing to persuade any other company that his “Aviation Valley” start-up had real potential, he and his brother-in-law decided to go it alone. Their family business now employs some 70 people, manufacturing components and sub-assemblies for the aviation industry and steam turbine blades for the power industry. Marek’s dream has come true in a big way.
High standards
When ULTRATECH was founded, Marek invested in Japanese CNC and German measuring technology to ensure he could meet the aerospace industry’s high quality standards. His first contact with Makino came in 2007 when Daniel Kustrzepa, Makino’s representative in Poland, introduced him to the Viper grinding technology Makino had developed with Rolls-Royce. “That really fascinated me, as did the Makino MAG3 I saw in 2008,” Marek recalls. “But the time wasn’t right for that kind of investment.” Makino’s time finally arrived early in 2011.
Ultra-high precision
For several years, ULTRATECH had been closely collaborating with scientists on a variety of research assignments. One of these innovative projects supported by the European Regional Development Fund involved the development of a scroll compressor required for constructing artificial hearts. So Marek was looking for a machine to series-produce these scroll compressors with an accuracy of <5μ. After initially considering a 3-axis Makino V33i, Marek decided 5-axis technology would be more suitable for this job as well as for machining other parts. So he chose a Makino D500 vertical machining centre because “it delivers even better accuracy than 3-axis machines from other manufacturers”. He purchased the D500 at the end of January 2011 and by March it was up and running at his plant in Rzeszów. “I was very pleased with the technical support from Makino technicians in stabilising the machine and obtaining the accuracy we required.”
Product portfolio
ULTRATECH’s product portfolio includes aluminium lock links and torsion links and bronze bushings for aircraft landing gear, aluminium crankcases and stainless-steel gas generator busses for aircraft engines, and turbine blades made from special grade steel – for customers such as Goodrich Krosno, WSK PZLRzeszów, TSL, Hispano-Suiza, Sikorsky and Honeywell. ULTRATECH is also collaborating with scientists in “Aviation Valley” to develop blisks for experimental turbines and in other aviation projects with global players such as Pratt & Whitney. A high-tech machine base, skilled employees and strict quality standards are driving the company forward. “Our turnover in 2012 will be twice what it was in 2010,” Marek predicts.
Still dreaming
Marek Bujny has a clear vision for his company’s future: “I want to use the D500 to make more complex aviation parts like casings or impellers – the more complicated, the better! I specifically ordered a version of the D500 that is ready for a future investment in a VIP robot system with 21 pallets. We are already machining titanium and I’m hoping to realise my dream of buying a Makino MAG3 to produce big structural parts for an aviation customer.” Up to now, Marek’s dreams have all come true.