‘The CMM is well built by LK and they
even reduced its height so that it would fit in our
inspection room. The firm has a small-company
feel, despite having a global customer base, and
provides good after-sales support.’
Ray Harris, Owner, Driven Engineering
Much of subcontractor Driven Engineering’s
turnover comes from F1, although the cost
cap imposed on teams over the past couple
of years has reduced it somewhat, leading to
a greater focus on aerospace, automotive and
general engineering work. Owner Ray Harris has
historically machined mainly jigs, fixtures and
moulds for F1 teams, which were telling him that
to break into the supply of parts for race cars, he
would have to improve his component inspection
procedures and quality reports
British coordinate measuring machine (CMM)
manufacturer LK Metrology was a beneficiary of
those conversations, as Mr Harris placed an order
for one of the company’s Altera 10.7.7 CMMs.
During its build at the Castle Donington factory,
the machine was reduced in height by about 100
mm so that it would fit through the entrance
to Driven Engineering’s latest factory unit in
Havant and sit comfortably within a new quality
room that was being added. As part of the deal,
a single licence of PolyWorks Inspector software
was supplied, which is swappable between the
CMM and an articulated arm bought in 2020
when Mr Harris worked in a previous location in
Portsmouth.
He said, “LK seems to be one of the metrology
industry’s best-kept secrets. I had not come across
them before, but our local calibration company and
inspection equipment supplier Mech Metrology
& Power Tools introduced me. Although LK is a
sizeable operation that is celebrating its 60th
anniversary this year, with a factory in Derbyshire
and a worldwide customer base, it has a small company feel. I got the impression that I would
receive good support and back-up, which so far
has been the case.
