Most camshafts were cast solid and only later, when required, drilled through a complex and costly process. For this reason, until a few years ago, we did not consider camshaft foundries among our primary counterparts. 

The story we’re about to share changed everything, marking a pivotal moment for Vemek and, we’re proud to say, for the entire market segment. 

This is the story of a complex project—compelling precisely because it was incredibly challenging. To understand it, we need to travel far from Italy, to where a chance encounter would change the course of one of our client companies. And not only that. 

Figure 1 – Example of a camshaft 

The unexpected meeting 

This is how it began: we were abroad to deliver a technical seminar on the use of chaplets for core support. 

To our surprise, a team of engineers from one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers was waiting for us in the lobby of the hotel where we were staying. 

We headed down to the hall and welcomed them with a mix of professionalism and genuine curiosity. We soon learned the reason for the meeting: a new, fascinating challenge. They asked us to develop a custom solution that would make it possible to cast a camshaft with a through-hole, while keeping a long, slender core perfectly centered. 

Anyone in this field knows how difficult a request like this can be. Those who know Vemek, however, also know how inspiring challenges like these are to us. We accepted the project and immediately began the analysis and design work on site. 

The insight came far from home 

Right there in that hotel room—connected with our technicians in Italy—the breakthrough idea took shape: a new type of support for core centring in camshafts, designed to deliver stability, precision, and repeatability. 

The challenge we were given was even more complex than simply developing an innovative support. We had to rethink the entire production process: tooling, bending, welding, tinning, and dimensional inspections. 

Every step had to ensure reliability, tight tolerances, and controlled costs: to truly make an impact, an innovation must also be sustainable. 

Figure 2 – 3D model of core centring chaplets for camshafts 

From prototype to mass production 

In a very short time, we developed a state-of-the-art production process capable of manufacturing millions of parts per month with exceptional precision and at a competitive cost (even in the demanding Indian market). 

Today, that solution – born almost by chance during a night far from home – has become a benchmark production standard for many camshaft foundries around the world. 

Figure 3 – Different core centring chaplets for camshafts 

Innovation, passion, collaboration: the Vemek model in customer support 

The experience we’ve just shared perfectly reflects the way we work, built on a few solid value pillars: on-the-ground presence, listening closely to the needs of foundry technicians, and turning challenges into concrete projects. 

It’s through encounters like these that ideas capable of transforming an entire industry take shape.