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With the bright glint of the sun ricocheting off the wide expanse of an aircraft’s wing, it’s easy to marvel at modern aerospace engineering. But behind every flawless component that keeps a jet aloft lies a world of dedication, innovation, and precision-driven partnerships. Nowhere is this more true than at Omni Aerospace, nestled in the aerospace capital of the United States, in Wichita, Kansas.
Founded over 25 years ago by CEO John J. O’Neill, Omni Aerospace has built its reputation on producing complex structural metal components for some of the world’s leading aerospace OEMs, like Boeing, Bombardier, Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin, Textron Aviation, and the Department of Defence, to name a few. But as the demands for tighter tolerances, lighter materials, and faster turnaround times grew more intense, Omni faced a critical decision: either evolve or fall behind. And evolve they did with the help of Starrag’s ECOSPEED F 1540 machining technology.
An old leap: the first Starrag ECOSPEED changes the game
In 2017, Omni Aerospace made a strategic investment in its first Starrag ECOSPEED F 1540, a high-speed, high-precision machining centre explicitly engineered for large aluminium structural aerospace parts. It wasn’t just a new machine; it was the beginning of a new chapter. “We took our company to the next level by investing in technology that can do things other people can’t do with their equipment,” said CEO John J. O’Neill. “The ECOSPEED was a game changer. It’s a unique piece of machinery that is unmatched for speed and accuracy.”
That machine didn’t just meet expectations, it exceeded them. It enabled Omni to cut more precisely, reduce setup times, and eliminate costly match drilling on final assembly components. And most importantly, it unlocked the ability to consistently deliver close-tolerance, true-position fastener holes, a non-negotiable requirement for determinant assembly parts in commercial, business, and military aviation.
Omni’s first ECOSPEED marked a turning point. Not long after installation, revenue doubled. New customers arrived. Production expanded. A new plateau was reached.
Scaling up
Riding the momentum of this success, Omni soon invested in a second ECOSPEED F 1540, integrating both machines into a palletised automated Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). This innovative system enabled continuous, around-the-clock operation, even with Omni’s high-mix, low-volume manufacturing model.
The ECOSPEEDs took on highly demanding parts such as wing ribs, machined from aluminium or aluminium-lithium billets weighing up to 2,700kg, with dimensions approaching 4m by 1.5m by 152mm. Some components required up to 95% material removal, a level of material transformation that demands not only brute speed but surgical precision. “While roughing, we can fill a 250-litre drum with chips in less than a minute,” one Omni technician noted. “Yet the tolerances remain perfectly tight. That’s the ECOSPEED difference.”
At the heart of this performance lies Starrag’s Sprint Z3 parallel kinematic machining head. Using three radially mounted linear drives, the head enables five-axis/five-sided machining, ±45° spindle articulation, and lightning-fast motion, allowing the spindle to move within a spherical cone at speeds of up to 80° per second. The result? Precision cuts, complex geometries, and faster part completion, even with small batch sizes. And through it all, the ECOSPEEDs never slowed down. In fact, they became more reliable with age. “I’m almost embarrassed to admit how many spindle hours we have on our first ECOSPEED without a spindle replacement,” one engineer said. “We run them at 30,000rpm every day, over multiple shifts, and they just keep humming.”
A new expansion: the third ECOSPEED and beyond
In 2025, Omni Aerospace is once again charting a bold new course and rearranging their existing production floor to accommodate its third Starrag ECOSPEED F 1540, a clear signal of continued trust and a growing partnership.
This third machine will further boost capacity for aluminium parts while allowing the company to reconfigure its existing layout for more efficient workflows. But Omni’s ambitions don’t stop with aluminium. The team is also preparing to expand into hard metal machining, a move that will open the door to an even broader range of aerospace components and deeper vertical integration. “As a fast-growing company, we’re always looking to take the next step. We required a new paradigm for high-speed, medium-to-large, six-axis machining. Starrag’s solution checked every single box.”
Starrag’s philosophy in action: “Engineering precisely what you value”
The guiding philosophy “Engineering precisely what you value” is more than just a motto. It’s a reality lived every day at Omni. By offering exactly what the customer needs and nothing superfluous Starrag has helped Omni unlock new levels of efficiency, growth, and competitive advantage. And the numbers tell the story: Omni Aerospace has doubled its revenue since installing its first ECOSPEED. And if not for the pandemic freezing capital investment for a time, the company would be even further ahead today. “No matter what the challenge. No matter the part. No matter the complexity,” O’Neill concludes: “Starrag has helped us not just meet expectations, but exceed them for ourselves and for our customers.”
A partnership built to soar
The relationship between Omni Aerospace and Starrag is more than transactional: it’s transformational. It’s a case study in what happens when a manufacturer with a clear vision partner with a machine builder that understands both the technical demands and the strategic ambitions of its customer. Together, they’ve not only built aircraft components, but they’ve also built a path to sustainable growth, unmatched capability, and enduring innovation.
