MonsterCAM is the company that operates the UK’s largest 5-axis CNC milling facility specifically aimed for manufacturing master plug and therefore tool moulds, for the marine and wind energy industry. The machining envelope of this machine is 45m x 7m x 4m, making a huge 1260 cubic metre maximum capacity. The location at the HMS Daedalus site in Lee-on-Solent makes perfect sense as MonsterCAM’s facility has direct access to its own slipway. This means that very large, single piece parts can be easily loaded and shipped by sea going barge, to the many coastally located clients within the UK, or transferred to a ship at one of the local ports for overseas delivery. So there is virtually no upper size limit to the size of patterns that can be generated. A 40m hull mould has already been transported by sea to a prestigious UK client. The above negates the need for any compromises to design as the logistical advantages for MonsterCAM are clear.

MonsterCAM use a gantry mill made in Germany by EEW Protec GmbH. The MonsterCAM machine is an HSM-Modal 5-axis high speed processing centre. MonsterCAM’s machine is equipped with the very latest generation of EEW’s machining head along with market leading Heidenhain control equipment and Delcam software. The performance of the machine is notable in that it can achieve milling speeds of up to 180 m/min, depending on factors such as the composition of the material to be milled and the desired surface quality. The lightweight components, in particular the bridge, the interpolation capabilities of the CNC control unit, and the processing velocity are the main reason for the machine’s excellent accuracy (± 0.2 mm) even when operating at high speed.

MonsterCAM are machining the main master plug mould tool for the Torpedalo. This 8-metre long mould will be machined directly in to SikaBlock M440 foam from John Burn Ltd, and be transported by flat-bed truck from MonsterCAM to Norco GRP when completed.