A New Helicopter Model Built with OMAX Innovation

A New Helicopter Model
Built with OMAX Innovation
Frank Robinson has had a long history with helicopters.
Fresh out of college, Robinson worked at Cessna on their
Skyhook helicopter in the late 1950s, then spent time
with Kaman Aircraft and Bell Helicopter before ending up
at Hughes Helicopter, where he worked on their highly
successful Hughes 500 design. In the early 1970s,
though, Robinson saw a market for a small, inexpensive
helicopter. When no one at Hughes shared his vision,
Robinson decided to do it himself, and in 1973, Robinson
Helicopter Company was born.
For decades, Robinson Helicopter produced their R22 and
R44 helicopters through traditional machining processes.
In 2004, as production began to skyrocket, Robinson
purchased their first abrasive waterjet, an OMAX 55100
JetMachining® Center that was brought in to cut sheet
metal. “Our abrasive waterjets have really helped us
expand production yet minimize out-sourcing” says Paul
Johnson. As head of Robinson Helicopter Company Tooling
Department, Paul has watched Robinson production grow.
In 2010, with a new turbine-powered 5-place helicopter
coming into production, Robinson added 133,000
square feet to their production facility. This new model,
plus continuing high demand for the R22 and R44, saw
production rates in 2012 reach 45% over 2011.
Abrasive waterjet machining has played an important part
in this growth through its precision and versatility. “In the
beginning, we hand-cut sheet metal, one sheet at a time.
Then, we used CNCs.” That sped things up, Paul says,
since the sheets could be stacked to 250-thousands of an
inch. But the abrasive waterjet made cutting even faster,
and with the advanced taper-removal Tilt-A-Jet® cutting
head, cutting remains high tolerance without sacrificing
Paul Johnson says he continually finds new ways to save
money and time by using an abrasivejet instead of a
CNC. For instance, until recently, the jig set used to bond
helicopter rotor blades was cut on a CNC, a process that
took a week. Now, the jig set is cut on a waterjet in one
afternoon, using more durable stainless steel. Each jig set
lasts longer yet takes less time to machine, a savings that
adds up quickly on the fast-paced Robinson production
line.
Another OMAX time-saver is the powerful Intelli-MAX®
Software Suite. “The software is wonderful,” says Paul.
“Anybody can learn it in half a day. It was a big selling
point.”
speed. “With the Tilt-A-Jet, we can cut multiple sheets,
stacked to a thickness of 400-thousandths of an inch, and
do it within tolerances.”
Robinson’s production line currently includes six OMAX
JetMachining Centers. Each of the waterjets operates
eleven hours a day cutting helicopter hulls and parts, plus
tools, fixtures, and jigs for use on the production line.
That first 55100 has been joined by five more machining
centers: two additional 55100s, a 5555, an 80160,
and large-format 80X-1. The large format 80X-1 was
ideal for cutting rotor blade skins, as it had the length
needed for these long parts. A change in blade design
resulted in a more complex shape, but with the advanced
JETCAM nesting software, the abrasive waterjet is able to
cut multiple skins with perfectly straight edges. Paul sees
additional OMAX machines in Robinson’s future, and
would like to add another large format waterjet to meet
demand.
The Intelli-MAX software flexibility and ease-of-use played a
central role in Robinson’s helicopter R & D. When the new
5-seat R66 Turbine helicopter was on the drawing board,
the Robinson engineering team took advantage of the
Intelli-MAX software. Before, when developing the earlier
R22 and R44 models, templates for parts were hand-made
and any changes in design often meant days of additional
work. Now, as engineers design, test, then re-design
parts, the software makes it easy. An hour after getting
new specifications, Paul and his crew were in production.
Within the day they were able to deliver re-designed parts
to the engineers. This versatility helped bring the R66 to
production in 2010. The abrasive waterjet continues to
play an important role in the production of the R66, as
no dies are used: everything is cut on the waterjet. This
simplification in production has improved manufacturing
times, and the 100th R66 rolling off the production line a
year later.
“OMAX has been a life-saver,” Paul explains. “Between
R&D and our production rates, we just couldn’t have done
it without an OMAX waterjet.”
ROBINSON HELICOPTER
FOUNDED: 1973
LOCATION: Torrance, California
FOUNDER: Frank Robinson
SPECIALIZES IN: Manufacturing small civil helicopters, with over
10,000 built. Their newest, the R66 Turbine, was developed and built
utilizing OMAX abrasive waterjet technology.
OMAX CORPORATION
21409 72nd Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
TEL 1-253-872-2300 / 1-800-838-0343
FAX 1-253-872-6190
600118B
WWW.OMAX.COM