About Helix Flight, and our journey so far...

Who we are?

Helix Flight's team of experts consists of genuinely genius mathematicians, designers, engineers and metallurgy specialists that have a singular and dedicated aim and focus: To continuously provide ongoing innovation that revolutionises the industry of helix flight manufacturing.

Our Helix forming machines allow companies to positively move forward from what are heavily time-consuming, labourious and hard-worked manual operations, to a safe, swift and simple, automated form of manufacturing helices.

We consist of a group of entities that combine intergenerational businesses that have been established successfully in this or associated industries for well over 70 years.

Helix Flight's forming machines have achieved Finalist status in the International HERA (Heavy Engineering Research Association) Innovation Awards. And also, achieved Finalist status in two categories of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in the Innovation Award category; and the International Trade Award category due to the rapid success and ongoing expansion of the machine's sales across six continents around the world.

Helix Flight is validated and underwritten by Callaghan Innovation which is the New Zealand Government's Research & Development Agency.

Helix Flight's history...

Helix Flight Manufacturing Machines Limited was established by our founder, Daniel Coats. He saw that there were critical improvements required from identifying production quality and safety issues in the screw piling industry.

With over 20 years experiencing helix making in New Zealand and also internationally, Daniel was aware that high quality True Form helices were of paramount importance in enabling the integrity of the weld procedure, much improved installation, and far higher load capacity per pile for future improvement to the industry and to each individual application of a helix, and there are thousands of uses. It became clear through detailed research that serious problems existed with the production quality of helices and with the necessity to form them in a safe, effective and efficient manner. And so, he began the arduous work to improve and innovate on the existing technology at that time... something which is now a worldwide success story!

First Machine commissioned in Japan

Research & Development phase...

In 2012, Daniel pulled together a team of New Zealand experts in mathematics, programming, automation, linear motion, engineering, finite and fatigue analysis, hydraulics, and high cycle hydraulic cylinder manufacture. The team had the empirical knowledge of how to build durable machines, and held over 20 years’ specialist and practical experience in how to make high quality helices, at least, the best that could be made at that time.

However, solutions were needed to solve the problems seen across the global industry. Most of the existing machines were managed and operated by highly-paid, highly-skilled, artisan operators; production consisted of intense, hard work that was solely labour driven, this process created fundamental operational, business, and safety issues.

These issues needed to be eliminated to introduce improved safety and far greater efficiency in basic operational performance. Some of the many issues included the fracturing of blades, unsafe foot pedal operation causing the dangerous imbalance of the operator, a lengthy training and set-up period between each and every job. Ultimately, these old style machines have a high, whole-of-life cost per helix manufactured, they were also unsafe in operation and created unending management issues.

By the end of 2012 Helix Flight had designed and produced the first HF1 Medium Diameter series of machine to become operational and which introduced a dynamic step-change across the helix forming industry.

The first commercial machine was placed into a high-volume, high-demand, top quality production workshop in Japan in early 2013... and today, that same machine is still going strong and still exceeding the owner's expectations!

The Revolutionary phase...

An extended range of models followed, in three different Series of machines to meet the needs of differing functional or operational demands. This kept our Research & Development team constantly busy, searching for new ways to develop, improve, and implement advanced technologies and improve performance in whatever application the helix is required.

It has been a central, core focus for us to generate safer, lower whole-of-life cost, per helix produced.

Our targets have been aimed at leading the world to ensure safety, reliability and to also introduce improved simplicity in the operation of a machine that manufactures flights. We apply advanced online diagnostics, consistent quality management that consistently produces True Form helices.

It has also been important to find ways to make notable reductions in the required training, and to make significant reductions in the safety risks associated with operational error.

At the same time, Helix Flight also extended the service life of machines through new, and dynamic, technological developments. These have become an ongoing focus for continued enhancements that have been proven to directly benefit our machine owner's helix forming quality, production turn-around and overall performance.

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A bespoke, custom built approach...

By the end of 2014, with the experience of transforming global industries, Helix Flight’s interest continued to grow through finding solutions to more complex problems. These included making cold-formed helices from a wear plate, and forming ever increasing large Outer Diameter helices, and also increasing the thicknesses of helix materials.

So, Helix Flight made a substantial investment in the Research & Development to design and produce a wear plate capable machine. This came to fruition and was released into the market in mid-2015. The machine first entered into helix production in Europe, and has subsequently influenced a dedicated following of Helix Flight Manufacturing Machine owners from all around the world.

The simplicity of Helix Flight's technologies took a further step forward in 2020 when the suite of commissioning, safety, training documents, and video tutorials for our machine owners induction process were released to support our customer's production teams practical working knowledge. This development allows anyone, even novice Operators with little or no previous experience in sectional helix forming to be operationally proficient and productive in an extremely short time span of only two or three days of easy to understand instruction.

The global adoption of Helix Flight's technology has been swift, we currently have over 70 machines located in 47 global locations, on 6 continents of the world.

Our largest machine is now operating with the global leader in manufacturing Archimedes Pumps and Turbines, it can form helices up to 6 metres in diameter, with a 7.2 metre Pitch.

...Now that is impressive, to say the very least!

The Helix Flight Team...

The Helix Flight Manufacturing Machines team of expertise is made up from genuinely genius mathematicians, designers, engineers and metallurgy specialists that all work with dedication for one specific, key focus: To allow companies to move away from the recognised high-cost of artisan specialists that have previously held the industry to ransom, bringing with them the all-to-often inconsistent standards of quality with the previous cost-inefficient process that has been expensive, key-staff reliant and often observed with dangerous safety risk practices.

With the dedicated efforts of the Helix Flight Manufacturing Machine's team, we have achieved recognition by being selected as a Finalist in the International HERA (Heavy Engineering Research Association) Innovation Awards. Also, being selected as Finalist status in two categories of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in the Innovation Award category, and the International Trade Award category.

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