Advanced fasteners Gawel Zaklad Produkcji Srub

more than 100 Flexform systems in operation at the plants of major aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Alenia, BAE Systems, EADS and Mitsubishi.

The aerospace industry began using fluid cell pressing more than 50 years ago as a replacement for the rubber pad forming technique that had been in use as an economical method of forming sheet metal parts since the advent of metal aircraft (multi-piece metal tooling was too expensive for the small volume of aircraft parts). The advantages offered by Flexforming include better part definition and more complex shapes thanks to the higher forming pressure, deeper and more intricate shapes, better productivity and larger parts. At high pressure, parts can also be formed to their final shape in one forming operation, eliminating the need for downstream manual corrections.

Testimony to these advantages is offered by J.J Rousse, of the French aerospace company Daher-Socata: “For many parts, hand correction of incompletely-formed shapes has been completely eliminated. Even very large parts can now be formed to tolerance in a single pressing. We have documented cost savings of 25 to 42 per cent on sampled parts thanks to fewer required cycles and reduced manual rework”.

“Ninety per cent of our sheet metal forming equipment business is concerned with the production of structural aluminium parts for the aerospace industry,” explains Mats Sjostedt. “There can be as many as 7000 different such parts in each aircraft and our Flexform systems are ideal for their costeffective low volume (2000 to 3000 units per year) production.”

The latest orders for Avure’s fluid cell presses include a hydroform deep-draw press for Kale Pratt & Whitney, the joint venture between Pratt & Whitney of the USA and Kale Holding of Turkey. The press will enable the Turkish facility to produce high quality sheet metal engine components with great accuracy, repeatability and lower costs. A new Avure high pressure fluid cell press has also just been installed at the Ohio plant of Jones Metal Products Co; it will provide JMP with economical parts-forming solutions to customers in industries such as aerospace, defence, medical, rail, lighting and power generation where there is zero margin for error.

Avure offers application support in the form of training courses and tool design consultancy services in order to help its customers get the best result from the Flexform process. This also helps them to understand where they can make improvements in their businesses, focusing on the complete process from determination of materials blank to the final pressed part.

Auto applications

Flexform is also widely used in the automotive industry for fast, low-cost prototyping, validating tools and parts and saving time in new model development. And although auto-making, unlike aerospace, typically involves very high volumes, there are parts of the industry where Flexform is the preferred method for parts production too. These include limited edition cars, buses, trucks and farm and construction equipment. Formed automotive components include bumpers, doors, bonnets, roof and floor panels, pillars and support beams. In fact in the auto industry, Flexform is considered to be economically viable for parts with production volumes up to several thousand parts per year,

Avure has supplied Flexform solutions for decades to major auto OEMs such as Ford, Daimler-Benz, Volvo, BMW, GAZ and Saab.

Total service

Over nearly six decades Avure engineers have installed high pressure systems for customers worldwide, with many of these presses

being in service for more than 40 years and with some exceeding one million cycles under high pressure. To keep all these units in peak operating condition, the company employs a full-time team to provide global technical support. These experts can identify and correct any abnormalities in the pressure system that might compromise safety or operating efficiency and ensure that customers’ systems keep working like new.

“Our service offer begins from the moment a unit is ordered,” says Mats Sjostedt. “We understand that each customer has a need to produce a specific part and so we don’t just sell them a machine but use our wealth of experience and knowledge to help them find the optimum solution; we then follow through with expert installation, machine set-up and continuous staff training as well as our equipment, services (including spare parts, service engineers, inspections and trouble shooting) and application support. This is then backed up by preventative maintenance, high quality service, efficient parts inventory and continual system improvement.

“Global leaders are defined by their track record and in the demanding business of ultra-high pressure systems, Avure’s record is second to none.” n LPL Scandinavia was established for demands from Scandinavian clients. We are a member of the LPL Group, which is a medium sized Germany based project forwarder. With our head office in Germany along with an established network of own offices and experienced international cooperation partners, which has been set up over many years, LPL Scandinavia is a competent partner for the entire range of project logistics. We are focused on traffic between Scandinavia to worldwide destinations v.v. and cross trades.

First class service through passion, dynamism, reliability and transparency in planning and implementation are the hallmarks of all products form our company. LPL Scandianvia offers: • Logistics consulting • Solution design • Route surveys • Feasibility checks • Loading surveys • Cost control • Project management • Seafreight (Chartering, H/L, FCL + LCL, Breakbulk, RoRo) • Road transportation (Standard, ODC & H/L, Barging) • Airfreight (incl. Charter) • Warehousing and distribution • Seaworthy packing, Industrial packing • Erection and installation • Customs clearance • Full documentation services

For further information, visit our new website at:

www.lplscandinavia.com

LPL Scandinavia GmbH, Contrescarpe 45, 28195 Bremen T: +49 (0)421 34978-0 | F: +49 (0)40 236481-260 | E: info@lplscandinavia.com

ADVANCED FASTENERS

Gawel Zaklad Produkcji Srub (GZPS) is Poland’s leading producer of screws. Almost all its output is based on non-standard products, manufactured according to the customers’ specification. Dariusz Balcerzyk reports.

GZPS [Gawel Screw Production Plant] is an innovative Polish company established in 1983 by Wieslaw Gawel. As a family business with a long tradition, it ensures that its products are always of the highest quality. The company’s headquarters are located in Palikówka, Poland.

The hi-tech manufacturing of fasteners such as wood, metal and plastic screws is the company’s key area of expertise. “We are focused on individual orders, which allows us to fully meet the needs of our customers,” says Tomasz Gawel, the company’s co-owner and president.

Constant development

At the very beginning of its activities in 1983, GZPS was processing metals for the construction industry. In 1991 it decided to concentrate on the production of fixing elements. In 1993, in order to extend its production capabilities and increase its range of services, a line for galvanic coatings was installed. A heat and galvanic treatment department was also created. Since then the company has seen dynamic growth and development. Over the years, it has constantly implemented new products and has become a leader in the production of items such as self-drilling screws for the assembly of window fittings with PCV profiles (1996), stainless steel screws A2 (1997), wire-collated screws (2003), and stainless steel screws covered with specialist paint for UV protection (2004). In 2004 a new warehouse-office complex was built which has extended its storage capacity by 2500 pallet places.

Today, GZPS is one of Poland’s leading producers of screws. Its annual output is estimated at 2 billion units, or 4,000 tonnes of screws. It makes fasteners with diameters from 2 to12mm. Its products are used by many international corporations in industries such as household appliances, electronics, construction, automotive and furniture.

“The construction industry is currently our biggest market, particularly its more specialised areas such as roof windows, and aluminum structures. However, in recent times we have also seen an increase in demand for our products in the automotive industry and this will soon take over in terms of sales. In the case of appliances and the construction industries, around 80 per cent of our sales goes to final producers, whilst with automotive the majority goes to Tier 1 suppliers,” says Mr Gawel.