GEARS & GEARBOXES
“Our focus is on producing extremely high-quality components while retaining the flexibility to optimise designs when required,” Lawrence adds.
CLOSING THE LOOP
Every spiral bevel gear begins life as a digital design within KIMoS. The resulting production file contains all the information required to manufacture and finish- grind both the crown wheel and pinion. Each project receives a unique reference number and is stored within a central database, creating complete traceability throughout the manufacturing process. Once grinding is complete, the gear is transferred to the Klingelnberg P65 precision measuring centre for validation against the original design model. The component is mounted in a precision chuck before a probe measures multiple characteristics, including tooth spacing, indexing accuracy and profile geometry. Engineers can then compare the manufactured part directly against the intended design. “The measurement system is effectively checking the real part against the digital definition,” explains Lawrence. “If everything was totally perfect, the traces would sit directly on top of one another. In reality, you’re looking to remain within very tightly controlled tolerances.” The inspection process typically takes around ten minutes and forms a vital part of a structured quality assurance programme that continually validates manufacturing performance and ensures Hewlands “right first time, everytime” philosophy is maintained. For Lawrence, accurate measurement is fundamental. “In my view, what happens on the measuring machine is more important than what happens on the grinder. If you can’t accurately verify the component you’ve produced, you don’t really know how close you are to the design intent.” Just as importantly, the inspection data feeds back directly into the design process, enabling continuous refinement and long-term process improvement.
MOTORSPORT PROVEN PERFORMANCE The effectiveness of this methodology has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout Hewland’s motorsport programmes.
Lawrence recalls one transmission application where a newly developed motorsport gear set experienced premature failures after approximately 700 kilometres of testing.
Because engineers had complete visibility of both the original design data and the components as manufactured, they were able to analyse the returned parts, identify the root cause of the issue and rapidly implement targeted improvements.
“We measured the components, analysed the wear patterns and made adjustments to the tooth form,” he says. “After a single development iteration, we increased service life from around 700 kilometres to approximately 25,000 kilometres of on track usage”. “That’s the advantage of having accurate nominal data and a complete digital record. You can compare what you designed against what happened in reality and make very targeted improvements.”
UKManufacturing Summer 2026
This ability to move quickly from problem identification to validated engineering solutions has long been a hallmark of motorsport. Increasingly, however, the same capability is proving invaluable in aerospace and defence applications, where reliability, documentation and risk reduction are critical.
FROM MOTORSPORT TO AEROSPACE While motorsport still accounts for a large proportion of Hewland’s business, the company has significant new customers in both the aerospace and defence markets. The same characteristics that have made its manufacturing approach successful in motor racing - precision, repeatability, rapid development and complete traceability - align closely with the requirements of highly regulated industries like aerospace. Every design revision, manufacturing operation and inspection result can be linked back to the original digital model, creating a comprehensive record of a component’s history.
That capability is particularly important in environments governed by standards such as AS9100, where evidence-based quality management and process control are essential. Mark Ingram, technical director at Hewland, believes the company’s manufacturing methodology provides a strong platform for expansion. “Motorsport has always been an incredibly demanding proving ground,” he says. “Our customers expect absolute precision, rapid development and complete confidence in the performance of every component we produce”. “The systems and processes we’ve developed over many years to support those requirements are directly transferable into aerospace and defence applications.” For Ingram, the significance extends beyond manufacturing technology alone.
“What we’re really talking about is confidence in the entire engineering process. We can demonstrate how a component was designed, how it was produced, how it was measured and therefore how compliance was verified”.
“That level of traceability is increasingly important within defence and aerospace programmes, and it’s an area where our investment in digital manufacturing and closed-loop quality control gives us a strong foundation for future growth.”
TOTAL TRANSMISSION VALIDATION Hewland’s ambitions within the aerospace sector as an example, extend beyond just supplying precision- engineered gears and transmission components. The company has also invested significantly in its advanced research, development and validation facilities in Warwickshire, enabling all customers to benefit from a complete engineering and testing capability. Traditionally, transmission development programmes often involve multiple iterations between design, manufacture and testing before a final solution is approved. By bringing these capabilities together under one roof, Hewland can validate designs earlier in the development cycle and provide customers with proven
performance data before products enter service. The investment allows complete transmission systems to be tested under representative operating conditions, generating detailed information on durability, efficiency, thermal performance and load capacity. Combined with the company’s closed-loop manufacturing approach, this creates a powerful development environment in which lessons learned during testing can be rapidly incorporated into design updates. For aerospace and defence customers, these benefits are significant. Development programmes can be accelerated, technical risk reduced and costly late- stage redesigns avoided. By validating performance earlier and more comprehensively, Hewland helps customers achieve the highest levels of quality to reduce overall programme costs while improving reliability and shortening their time to market.
The capability also reflects a broader shift in Hewland’s offering. Rather than simply supplying high- performance transmission components, the company is increasingly positioned as a development partner capable of delivering fully validated transmission solutions supported by robust engineering evidence.
VALUABLE ENGINEERING ASSET As aerospace and defence manufacturers seek supply chain partners capable of delivering both engineering excellence and rigorous quality assurance, Hewland’s motorsport heritage is proving to be a valuable asset.
The company’s investment in advanced grinding technology, digital manufacturing and validation capability has created an integrated engineering environment in which design, production, testing and verification operate as a single connected process. By combining the flexibility of grinding with comprehensive digital traceability, precision inspection and advanced validation facilities, Hewland has developed a capability that is equally at home producing championship-winning race transmissions as it is supporting mission-critical aerospace applications. For a company whose reputation was built on performance at the highest levels of motorsport, that evolution represents a natural next step. The racetrack may remain Hewland’s proving ground, but the technologies, processes and validation expertise refined there are increasingly opening doors far beyond it.
Hewland Engineering
www.hewland.com
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
