Established in December 2017, Sheeram Aerospace & Defence LLP has grown at a phenomenal pace since its inception with significant investment in the very latest technology. With a multitude of 3 to 5-axis machining centres and associated technologies, the company has already expanded its facilities to more than 34,000sq/ft to support its high-profile client list. To streamline productivity and enable the company to manufacture a diverse range of components, the company has invested in the industry-leading hyperMILL CAM solution from OPEN MIND Technologies. Located on the outskirts of Rajkot in the Gujarat province of India, Sheeram Aerospace & Defence LLP specialises in the production of wing structures, engine components and jigs and fixtures for the aerospace industry as well as serving customers in the space, renewable energy, die and mould, transport, oil and gas and medical industry sectors. To succeed in such demanding sectors, the company has a string of OEM supplier accreditations and is currently supplying many of the world’s leading aerospace primes. With dedicated machining, assembly and measurement departments, high-end machine tools and inspection equipment, the 50-employee business needed an equally high-end CAM system – this is where OPEN MIND came into the equation. Where it all began Most manufacturing companies start with general subcontract work on a couple of turning and machining centres and build their business gradually, not Sheeram Aerospace. Whilst the company may have started with a few lathes and 3-axis machining centres, that is where the similarities to other businesses end. Sheeram always had a vision of becoming a leading supplier to the aerospace industry in India and thanks to OPEN MIND Technologies, the company is compressing a typical 10-year journey to becoming a key aerospace supplier into just three to four years. Sheeram has three generations of expertise in managing successful businesses and this experience identified that large-sized aerospace component manufacturing is not widely available in India. This is because the sector involves a very high capital outlay, a gestation period of 3 to 5 years before reaping returns, a very real challenge of suitable manpower availability, skillset and quality management system implementation. Furthermore, there is a significant cost associated with the production of large-sized components. With a clear vision of entering this niche area of critical aerospace component machining, the management team invested in proven large bed 5-axis machining centres from its inception. The first machine installed was KX-200 from the French machine tool manufacturer Huron. As the management was previously associated with the manufacturing of large-sized multi-axes machines and was aware of the capability of hyperMILL along with the proven case studies, they chose hyperMILL as the CAM platform suitable for their requirements. Making Way for hyperMILL In 2020, the company received Request For Quote (RFQs) from two government departments for critical impeller and first-time developed Tera Hz frequency Antenna reflector panels. Shreeram immediately approached OPEN MIND and released the PO for hyperMILL in October 2020. With 5-axis machines, a seat of hyperMILL and a demonstrable example of its ability to machine impellers, Sheeram then targeted ISO: 9001 and AS9100 D certifications as well as supply chain certification with the key primes. With the foundation blocks in place, the company started to receive an increasing number of RFQs. The tender process for the operation of critical structural aluminium 6061-T651 parts continued for 8 months with numerous machining and inspection trials undertaken. With a 6µm root mean square over the 850 by 850mm parabolic surface area on one side and the other side having a 91% material removal with multiple pockets with wall thicknesses of 2mm – the machining was significant with the 150kg billet being machined to just 10.5kg. Add stress relief into the equation, and it was little wonder that Sheeram was the only Indian manufacturer that technically qualified for this extremely complex job. Since winning the ongoing order in 2022, Sheeram has machined more than 66 of these high-value complex space antenna reflector panels.
