Machining centre McLaren Racing gets ready for new season with rapid 5-axis installation

UK — With the help of Yamazaki Mazak, McLaren Formula 1 team could step up its preparations for the 2021 season. The team purchased a brand new fully-simultaneous 5-axis machining centre that was supplied and commissioned in just four weeks.

The new machine acquired by McLaren, an Integrex i-100S Multi-Tasking machining centre, was ordered in December 2020 and became fully operational at their Technology Centre in Surrey at the end of the same month. The installation is the latest step in the Formula 1 team’s partnership with Mazak, which now stands at in excess of twenty years, and takes the total number of Mazak machines currently used by McLaren to 28.

The compact i-100S is capable of machining both round and square workpieces up to ⌀500 mm and 854 mm in length from raw material with just one set-up, one machine and one operator. The machine can be used for the manufacture of a variety of parts including those used within the suspension, transmission and engine systems, as well as general car system components.

Malcolm Jones, Manager, Machining & Fabrication at McLaren Racing, commented: “At the end of 2020 we acknowledged the need to increase the versatility of our in-house machining to help improve our competitiveness on the track. However, with just a small window of opportunity ahead of our 2021 team launch, we needed to act fast.” Having broached the challenge with Mazak, the team identified the i-100S as an appropriate solution. Crucially, the team at Mazak was able to source a machine and arrange for it to be shipped, installed and commissioned in just four weeks.

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