CONTROL & AUTOMATION
ZEEKO MACHINE
FANUC
HIGHLY POLISHED PERFORMANCE
The UK was once one of the major players
in the tool-making world, but the number
of British OEMs still in operation has rapidly
diminished over time. Yet, in a quiet corner
of the East Midlands, Zeeko Ltd has bucked
the trend and established itself as the go-to
global supplier for ultra-precision polishing
and metrology machines.
“It all started in 2000,” begins Zeeko’s
Managing Director, Dr Christopher King, who
joined the company in 2010 as Metrology
R&D Manager. “The initial concept spun
out of a post-doctoral research project at
University College London, which looked
at ways to produce mirrors used as part
of astronomical research. What ultimately
emerged was a tool which provided ultra-
precise control over a polishing process. It
was only a short step for company founders,
Professor David Walker and Richard Freeman,
to commercialise the concept, which
ultimately led to Zeeko being formed.”
Fast-forward 18 years and Zeeko is now
a 35-strong company, with a burgeoning
apprentice scheme. As well as its Coalville
head office, the company has R&D facilities at
Glyndwr University in North Wales, and Kyoto
University in Japan.
The technology centres on the highly precise
control of spinning tools covered with a
rubber polishing pad, which use state-of-
the-art software to position and orientate
the tool, adjusting the position, speed and
pressure of the polishing head as required
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to achieve the desired finish. This enables
the machines to produce ultra-smooth and
nanometre-accurate surfaces on a variety
of materials, from glass and stainless steel
through to tungsten carbide and silicon
carbide.
Notable projects that have used optics,
processed using a Zeeko machine, include the
NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission
in 2009; while the company was also part
of a consortium to develop manufacturing
technologies for the fabrication of the primary
mirror segments for the European Extremely
Large Telescope.
As well as being used for the polishing of high
precision optics, Zeeko machines can also
process orthopaedic joints, semi-conductor
applications, camera lenses, along with
various parts for consumer electronics, and
even turbine blades.
Zeeko currently offers eight different
polishing machines in its Intelligent Robotic
Polishers (IRP) series, which are able to
process parts from 50mm x 50mm, through
to 1600mm x 1600mm. All machines in the
IRP series can be used for pre-polishing and
fine figuring work, as well as hybrid ‘grolishing’
applications, which can significantly reduce
process time when tackling mid-spacial-
frequency errors in subaperture polishing
technologies. The multi-use nature of the IRP
series can therefore remove the need for end-
users to purchase multiple machines for each
part of the polishing process.
Chris continues: “We build all of our
machines to order, with the lead time very
much dependant on the size of machine.
Some of our smaller machines can be ready
in as little as two months, while our larger
machines can take up to eight months to
manufacture.”
Despite being a 100% export business, with
Zeeko having sold machines into 18 different
countries, including China, Japan, and the
USA, the company has remained true to its
British roots by cultivating a predominantly
UK-based supply chain. Chris continues:
“Where possible, we source the majority
of raw parts from local suppliers, many of
whom are located within a 50 mile radius.
However, there are some elements in which
we need to work with partners with a wealth
of global experience. When you need to
control the surface finish to within a few
wavelengths of light, one critical element is
the CNC.”