NH Micro was founded by Nicholas Hacko in 2020, in Sydney, Australia. He started his own watchmaking company, Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker (NHW), in 2011, which has been producing up to 80 percent of its watch components in-house since 2016. In 2018, Hacko began work as a contract manufacturer, supplying precision parts to companies in other industries. Today, the two small companies, NHW and NH Micro, employ six and three people, respectively.
The Australian company NH Micro manufactures high-precision parts for watchmaking and many other industries. Key to the company’s success are its five-axis CNC machining centres, the Kern Micro HD and Kern Pyramid Nano.
High-precision manufacturing is the mainstay for successful watchmaking, so why not use this knowledge for other industries? is the question Nicholas Hacko found he kept asking himself. After founding Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker (NHW) in Sydney, Australia, in 2011, he launched another company, NH Micro, in 2020. Here, he works for many parallel precision industries, from aerospace to medical technology. Investments in exceptional milling technology, most recently the Kern Micro HD five-axis CNC machining centre from Germany-based Kern Microtechnik, have been decisive for the company’s success.
Watchmaking and high precision engineering is in the Hacko family’s blood. When Nicholas emigrated from Europe to Australia in 1992, he was already working in the industry as a third-generation watchmaker. Since his son Josh was also learning the profession, he decided to create his own brand, NHW, in 2011. The focus of NHW was to become an independent watchmaker in Australia, manufacturing high-quality timepieces.
Exceptional quality demands exceptional precision and so the small company invested in a used Kern Pyramid Nano five-axis CNC machining centre in 2017. Nicholas recalled, “It was a big investment for us, but it paid off extremely quickly. The machine reliably mills gears, bridges, mainplates, levers and other small parts with the highest level of accuracy, with very high efficiency.”
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The parts from NH Micro require manufacturing accuracies in the micrometre range and surfaces up to Ra ≤15 nanometres.
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The parts from NH Micro require manufacturing accuracies in the micrometre range and surfaces up to Ra ≤15 nanometres.
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The parts from NH Micro require manufacturing accuracies in the micrometre range and surfaces up to Ra ≤15 nanometres.
Branching into new industries
Internal watch production grew quickly, and NHW released five models within five years. This rapid growth begged the question: What other industries require unique parts manufactured with such high precision? Nicholas and Josh concluded that aerospace and medical technology, for example, would have significant demands as growing markets. So, it seemed a no-brainer to use existing knowledge and capacities and expand the field. Could, should, would; it was necessary to overcome the subjunctive and act.
That's exactly what the Hacko’s did for the first time at the end of 2018. “Our first non-watchmaking-industry part was for a Formula 1 racing team,” said Nicholas. “We were commissioned to produce sample parts. These were never used in serial production, but our client was satisfied and that was an eye-opener for us. We suddenly saw the enormous field of precision parts applications.”
Orders from medical technology, mould-making and scientific instrumentation companies followed a short time later, and so the new business picked up speed, prompting the founding of NH Micro in 2020. News of the high quality of precision parts produced by NH Micro spread quickly, causing sales from 2020 to 2021 to double, despite the COVID-19 crisis.
Investing in a top-spec machine
Accordingly, the capacities of the Kern Pyramid Nano soon reached their limits. At the beginning of 2021, Nicholas asked Udo Reinwald, Kern Asia Pacific director, which solution he would recommend. With the rapid development and potential future of the two NH operations in mind, Udo suggested the company’s best five-axis machining centre, the Kern Micro HD.
Nicholas and Josh recognised the potential afforded by the Kern Micro HD and made a rather conservative return on investment (ROI) calculation. Josh explained, “It was a big investment for our small companies with nine employees. However, seeing the potential that would be enabled with the new machining centre, it should have paid for itself in around five years, our decision was quickly made, and we ordered the Kern Micro HD.”
The machine was put into operation in March 2022 and was in use soon after. With full order books, the Kern Micro HD now runs every day, without any problems. The company’s range of customers keeps growing. In addition to prototypes and small series’ of up to 500 pieces for medical technology, orders are increasing for dosing pump components, fibre optic connectors, microfluidic components, optomechanical components and rocket propulsion nozzles; and this is to name but a few examples.
“There hasn't been a part for which our Micro HD hasn't achieved the required accuracy,” said Nicholas, proudly. “For our internal watch production, manufacturing accuracies of around five micrometres is quite common, but every now and then there are parts where bore positions and diameters with tolerances down to +/-2 µm must be maintained.” This is no problem for the Kern Micro HD. If required, it also achieves precision of less than 1 µm in serial production.
Nicholas and Josh Hacko, the owners of NH Micro, expect their Kern Micro HD to have paid for itself in five or less years, despite the high initial investment costs.
When it comes to surface quality, NHW and NH Micro also have very high standards. When processing different steels, you need Ra values of ≤20 nm and, in some cases, Ra ≤15 nm for non-ferrous materials. “We achieve this reliably,” continued Nicholas. “However, I believe that even better values would be possible if required.” He is right, as Reinwald confirmed, “With the Micro HD, we can also achieve Ra values in the single-digit nanometre range.”
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The Kern Micro HD is easy to operate and has extremely fast linear motors. As a result, the processing speeds are very high.
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The Kern Micro HD is easy to operate and has extremely fast linear motors. As a result, the processing speeds are very high.
The Kern Micro HD affords several technological benefits that are decisive for accuracy. One is that it has a sophisticated temperature management system that enables the Kern Micro HD to remain within a temperature range of +/-50 milli-Kelvin, even under extreme conditions. This is crucial because, according to recent research, temperature influences are responsible for around 70 percent of all accuracy errors in the high-precision area.
Another benefit is the large-scale, actively temperature-controlled linear motors. Compared with ball screw drives, they offer advantages in terms of dynamics and control accuracy. They also achieve rapid traverse speeds of up to 60 m/min. “This keeps our non-productive times very low,” said Nicholas. “We are working much more efficiently than would be possible with other machines.”
: Up to 210 slots are available in the tool changer of the Kern Micro HD. This enables NH Micro to manufacture a wide range of different precision parts without having to change tools. Pictured is an internal automation package within the tool changing cabinet.
Anticipating a bright future
The many advantages of the Kern Micro HD, the high-quality, high-precision components it reliably produces and an ever-growing order book mean Nicholas and Josh are hugely optimistic about the future. The companies’ sales doubled again in 2022, despite the difficult global situation. Moreover, in addition to Australia, orders from Europe and the US are now also increasing. Nicholas is therefore even more assured that their latest investment has been a prudent move. “Based on the experience we have gained, I believe that it will take us less than five years for the Kern Micro HD to pay for itself,” he concluded.
NH Micro
Kern Microtechnik