The EC-630PP HMC - Haas - Haas Automation, Inc.

success was often the result of both scientific analysis and
mechanical tinkering, is what shaped Stopanio’s future. It also
proved the value of analytical research and development. “In
racing, if you follow the leaders, you’ll always be behind
them,” Stopanio observes. “You have to do research and
development in order to stay ahead.” It’s a firm belief that he’s
carried over into manufacturing.
Stopanio’s in-house manufacturing began when he
discovered there were very few reliable sources for the rocker
arms his demanding engines required, so he researched the
problem and developed a way to make his own. Recognizing
this as yet another unique opportunity, Stopanio launched
Scorpion Performance in 1999. He brought over the team of
engine builders and engineers he’d groomed at Blue Thunder,
and began another determined race to contribute to the
automotive performance industry with products “Made in
America, and Proud of it.”
Smart Machine Details
Scorpion’s rocker arms start out as cut-to-length
extrusions of 7000-series aluminum. They’re milled on six
sides, drilled in two axes, CMM inspected, de-burred, mirrorpolished,
anodized and laser-etched before going to the
24 | www.HaasCNC.com
assembly area. There, steel trunnion seats, pins and rollers are
pressed in automatically. It’s work that’s either labor-intensive
or machine-intensive, depending on how you approach it.
Stopanio uses automated machines to do as much of the work
as possible.
On the shop floor, Scorpion engineer Billy Allen shows
how they do it. He points to a large, wire safety-cage
containing three 5-axis Haas VF-2SS Super Speed vertical
machining centers flanked by various tooling stations he
designed and integrated. A bright yellow FANUC M-16
robotic arm, floor-mounted in the center, serves the entire cell.
Allen says the integration between the FANUC arm and the
Haas controls was quite straightforward. “We do all the
engineering in-house,” he explains, noting that the robots
arrive as bare arms with actuators. “The interface electronics,
the solenoid valves, the special tooling, and all the stuff on top,
we design ourselves.” It’s a reliable production system that
works around the clock.
A lot happens during each of the machines’ 3-minute
cycles. First, extruded aluminum bars, loaded in quantity
through a wide slot in the cage, are cut to length by a gravityfed,
servo-controlled chop saw. Next, the robot grabs the
freshly cut piece and loads it into the first VF-2SS. Blurring
through a full 340-degree arc, the yellow arm dives into one