From its origins as a World War II job shop to its position as a specialist in high-speed structural aerospace machining, Notthoff Engineering has long recognised that the right equipment turns potential into performance. That mindset led the California manufacturer to invest in its first Starrag Ecospeed F 2060 horizontal machining centre in 2013. More than a decade later, it has added a second Ecospeed F, the more compact F 1540, to reinforce its commitment to precision and growth.
Founded in 1941, the family-owned business has grown over eight decades into a highly specialised aerospace subcontractor. As CEO Kelly Kaller explains: “Notthoff Engineering is a small, family-owned machine shop that has grown over the years, and we produce high-speed, monolithic structural aeroplane parts as well as helicopter components.”
Production is about 80% aluminium, with titanium, Inconel and other hard metals making up the balance. The parts range from ribs, stringers and formers to fuselage sections. As COO Arnie Juarez illustrates: “We recently had a billet that weighed about 6,800lbs, but when we shipped the part out, it weighed 190 lbs. That is 95% material removal, and that is common for us.”
Operating from a 65,000sq/ft facility in Huntington Beach, the company supports some of the most significant U.S. defence aircraft of recent generations, including the F-35, F-47, F-18 and F-16. As a next-generation fighter, the F-47 highlights Notthoff’s expanding role in cutting-edge defence manufacturing.
A Decision Based on Evidence
When assessing horizontal machining centres in the early 2010s, Juarez visited reference customers across Europe. “The Starrag sales team invited me to Ireland to see another company where some of their machines were in operation. We spoke to everyone, and they all praised Starrag — they were even installing two more machines,” he recalls. A competing French manufacturer’s machine, by contrast, was undergoing maintenance, and its users reported numerous problems.
The deciding factor was the patented Sprint Z3 parallel-kinematic head. “Most of the big horizontals from other manufacturers have large, heavy rotating heads, and they’re really slow. With the Z3 Sprint head, it goes from zero to 40 in a split second. The acceleration and deceleration are excellent, so we can produce parts much faster than with any other machine on the market.”
The Technology Behind the Performance
The Ecospeed F Series is Starrag’s solution for high-speed milling of aluminium structural parts. Both models feature the Z3 Sprint head, delivering 1G acceleration across all five axes with jerk values up to 200m/s³. The spindle runs at 30,000 rpm with 161 horsepower and a 13,800 rpm base speed.
Tim Mooney, Starrag’s National Sales Manager, puts it directly: “It’s the fastest, most powerful machine out there — 30 to 40% more efficient than every other machine because of the Z3 head.” The head’s low mass — around 200kg, against two to three tons for a traditional fork-head spindle — is decisive for thin-walled work: “thin walls don’t become a problem because we can accelerate through them, eliminating vibration.”
When a right-angle head is loaded via the automatic tool changer, the machine becomes a 6-axis platform, enabling undercuts and side drilling in a single setup.
Two Machines, One Strategy
The 2060, with its 2m by 6m envelope, still holds tolerances to within a thousandth of an inch after 13 years. “We haven’t had any major overhauls,” says Juarez. The newer 1540 (1.5m by 4m) complements rather than duplicates it, freeing the larger machine from smaller work. The 2060 uses minimum-quantity lubrication; the 1540 uses flood coolant, letting Notthoff optimise each for different parts. Both run 24/7 on Siemens 840D controls, with dual pallets, 120-second pallet changes, and every programme validated in Vericut.
Quality, Service and Growth
For Juarez, the payoff is speed: “The machine allows us to deliver on time with excellent quality, and customers get parts at a really good price because we can machine parts much faster than our competitors.” Self-calibration further reduces operator dependence, while the 90° head supports Boeing’s single-setup requirements.
After-sales support sealed the repeat order. “There’s nothing worse than buying a machine and finding out afterwards that there’s no service support. Starrag has always stood behind their product.” Remote diagnostics from Germany resolve many issues by phone, and on-site technicians arrive within 24 to 48 hours. Starrag has more than 850 machines installed across the U.S., backed by some US$2 million in spares at its Hebron facility.
As Mooney concludes: “When Starrag sells a machine, it’s not just about selling a machine. It’s about building relationships and supporting each other over the years — we’re in it for the long haul.”
