Engineering Capacity January 2021 Digital Edition

FOR MANUFACTURERS ABOUT SUBCONTRACTORS

January 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS | HEAVY ENGINEERING | CASTING | ADDITIVE

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Additive manufacturing _and industrial 3D printing

What is additive manufacturing and how does it work?

In the case of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, components of all different shapes, sizes and structures are manufactured by the precise application of meltable material in layers in accordance with digital design data. 3D printing processes – including Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Binder Jetting – can be used, in particular, for the fast, precise and inexpensive production of workpiece prototypes or small series.

Thanks to the enormous reach of robotic units, even highly complex components measuring several meters can be made simply and inexpensively in one piece – with the proven precision and speed of robots.

FOR BUYERS OF CONTRACT MANUFACTURING SERVICES Visit our online edition for breaking news, jobs, events, features and searchable directory. www.engineeringcapacity.com Editor: Andy Sandford editor@engineeringcapacity.com Sales Manager: Arfan Qureshi sales@engineeringcapacity.com Tel: 0207 241 4627 Graphic Design: Dave Blake blakey@djbdesign.co.uk Printer: Holbrooks Printers Limited Norway Road, Portsmouth PO3 5HX Engineering Capacity is published six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November SUBSCRIPTIONS Engineering Capacity is available free of charge to UK buyers and suppliers of subcontract manufacturing services.

For non-qualifying readers, annual subscription rates are as follows for 6 issues posted to addresses in: UK £60.00; Europe £80; Rest of the World £100 You can request your copy and sign up to our free weekly email newsletter on our website or contact us via subscriptions@engineeringcapacity.com www.engineeringcapacity.com Tel: O1737 270 648 Published by: Engineering Capacity Ltd Abbey House, 25 Clarendon Road Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QZ United Kingdom Registered in England company no. 10567217 ISSN 0306-0179 COMING UP IN OUR MARCH 2021 ISSUE Turned Parts, Forming & Fabrication, Aerospace & Defence, Heat & Surface Treatments, Measurement, Inspection & Testing Services Please send editorial for consideration to editor@engineeringcapacity.com There is no charge or cost involved with having your editorial included in the magazine or on our website

Editor’s View Whatever personal, emotional and financial toll the Covid pandemic is taking, it is worth taking the time to step back and look at how this disruption could be a catalyst for doing things differently, rethinking processes, markets and supply chains, and becoming more sustainable.

This issue of Engineering Capacity is full of examples of companies that are looking beyond Covid, investing and innovating to stay competitive now and to be ready to take advantage of new opportunities for growth when the time comes – Grainger and Worrall, Sarginsons, KMF, Alucast, EC Williams and Excel Precision to highlight just a few.

Also in this issue Vendigital’s Alec Currie explains how the response of manufacturers to the Government’s ventilator challenge highlighted the speed at which some businesses were able to pivot to adapt to new market needs. Now, with the vaccine rollout underway and many supply chains back up and running, manufacturers are keen to apply the same agility to deliver a commercial advantage on the path to recovery.

Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer, believes the current situation gives manufacturers a once in a generation chance to reclaim some of the work that emigrated to low-cost countries during the early 90s and throughout the 2000s.

A lot of major OEMs have been stung by extended supply chains with Covid-19 interruptions creating a ripple effect of production stoppages and cost penalties.

He believes that UK companies will be more reluctant to place all their work in distant, lower cost economies, where they could be subject to higher tariffs, quota restrictions and shipping delays.

Rowan says: “In the UK, we are sometimes a little guilty of underselling our strengths, values and capabilities in manufacturing, but with all that is going on in the world, now is not the time to ignore the first signs of a reshoring trend.”

Andy Sandford, Editor

Member of the Engineering Industries Association

JANUARY 2021

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Contents January 2021

15 HEAVY ENGINEERING

News

Features

06 Made to measure 06 First cohort of metrology

14 Heavy Engineering 06 Tower of power When the earth moves

apprentices qualify

08 Light touch for UV equipment 06 Alanod's new coating

20 Laser Processing 23 Casting 06 Avoiding supply chain failure

improves efficiency

10 Automotive testing giant 06 The Millbrook Group is

27 ELECTRONICS

merging with French competitor UTAC CERAM

30 Machined Components 06 Growth drives EDM investment

11 EV innovation funding 06 STL develops lightweight

Preparing for post-Covid demand

busbar materials for electric vehicles

12 Paper thin advantage 06 0.1mm laminations from Brandauer for super-efficient motors

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26 Electronics 06 Leading lights in LED recycling

34 Composites 35 Automation

33 MACHINED COMPONENTS

37 Additive Manufacturing 39 BTMA Directory JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS

Volatile 2020 for subcontracting The latest Contract Manufacturing Index showed that the subcontracting market was down 46% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020 compared to the previous quarter. Year on year though the market barely moved, ending 2021 1% high than it ended 2020.

Those figures, though, conceal a volatile 12 months.

A strong start to the year was followed by a dramatic fall at the start of the March lockdown. A strong recovery followed in the summer, with activity falling back again from September.

The CMI is produced by sourcing specialist Qimtek and reflects the total purchasing budget for outsourced manufacturing of companies looking to place business in any given month.

The strongest fall in Q4 was in fabrication – dropping from 58% of the total market to just 31% – which appeared to be linked to a slowdown in construction.

From being the most important Subsea oil and gas manufacturing specialist Express Engineering has gained ISO 45001 approval covering occupational health and safety.

The company says that this demonstrates its commitment to developing effective controls and procedures for a safe working environment at its Gateshead engineering and R&D facilities.

JANUARY 2021

sector in Q3, construction was down 71% in Q4.

The biggest sectors in Q4 were Industrial Machinery, Electronics, Heavy Vehicles/Construction Equipment and Medical/Scientific.

Of these, only Heavy Vehicles/Construction Equipment and Medical/Scientific showed any significant increase in value.

Commenting on the figures, Qimtek owner Karl Wigart said: “Comparing the figures with previous years it looks very bleak

but considering we were in lockdown for a quarter of the year it looks pretty good.

“Q4 was slow to start and did well in November but reverted to a slow December again, same as last year.

“A lot of projects are being slowed down for various reasons and the most common we hear of are communication, uncertainty and material and transport shortage.”

8 qimtek.co.uk

Safety standard for Express ISO 45001, which replaces OHSAS 18001, is a global standard, covering occupational health and safety, providing a framework to improve employee safety, reduce workplace risks and create better working conditions, focusing on a proactive approach to improving safety performance.

8 express-engineering.co.uk

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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity Make UK is celebrating the first ever cohort of Metrology Technician apprentices in the UK completing their studies, at its Technology Hub in Aston, Birmingham.

The three-year course, created

by NPL and delivered by Make UK, includes both on and off-the-job training to develop the essential metrology knowledge, skills and behaviours required.

David Hollinshead, Head of External Delivery at Make UK, commented: “The success of this apprenticeship is a perfect example of how effective and strong collaborations, like ours with NPL, can yield great rewards.

“Special mention must go to the delivery team at Make UK for their hard work and dedication - in particular Neil Ellor, Pete Murray, Spencer Wigley and Andy Hunter.

I’d also like to thank Jaguar Land Rover for being early adopters of this apprenticeship.”

Stuart Kitney, Head of Training at NPL added: “We are delighted that the first ever metrology A new powder coating line at family-run sheet metal company Stratford Tools will give more capacity and improved quality.

The new equipment was supplied by TD Finishing.

The previous, 25-year-old pre-treatment and paint booth were becoming outdated so the decision was taken to replace the booth and ovens with a modern, more efficient solution.

The system includes a

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Made to measure

apprentices have completed their studies and we congratulate them on this milestone. Metrology brings impact to our everyday lives, and this cohort of Metrology Technician apprentices will now go on to use their essential metrology knowledge and skills to benefit the UK economy and international trade.

“We are also grateful for he partnership with Make UK and the work they have done to support and guide these

apprentices to success and we look forward to working together going forward.”

As well as creating the apprenticeship itself, NPL has developed a number of free e-learning courses for future metrology apprentices to sign up for, in preparation for the apprenticeship itself.

The next metrology apprenticeship programme starts on 4th February 2021.

8 makeuk.org

Better, faster finishing stainless-steel constructed 3.5 stage spray pre-treatment zone, as well as a two-pass drying and two-pass curing oven. The original monorail conveyor was replaced with a heavier duty, side-track conveyor system with continuous flight bar arrangement to give more capacity and throughput. To improve quality, TD installed a brand-new reverse osmosis Demin plant to ensure that product

receives a pure final water rinse prior to the powder application.

Stephen Cooke of Stratford Tools said: "We had operated an aged plant for many years and it became apparent that we had reached point where it needed investment and updating.

“We are extremely pleased with the performance and look of the new facility. " 8 stratfordtools.co.uk

JANUARY 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity Alanod, which specialises in coated metal surfaces, has launched an innovative reflector technology that will make UV equipment even more efficient and long-lasting.

Alanod’s MIRO® UV is said to be a unique material that has a spectral light reflectivity of 90% and an impressive operating life of at least 1,000 hours.

It is available in two versions, for use with either UV-C or UV-A/B. MIRO® UV is suitable for UV chambers, helping businesses in their battle against COVID-19 and the transmission of other viruses and bacteria, offering safe, chemical-free sterilisation and disinfection.

UV light is becoming increasingly popular as a way to disinfect shared and frequently touched devices in healthcare, industrial and retail applications.

With the introduction of MIRO® UV, a high-performance reflector material is now available for those looking to improve the operation, longevity and efficiency of ultraviolet disinfection and Salamander Fabrications has become one of 21 manufacturers in the UK to be listed on the European Committee for Welding of Railway Vehicles’ online register following EN15085 CL2 certification.

The Yorkshire-based sheet metal business joins leading firms – including Bombardier Transportation and Transcal Engineering – on the exclusive portal to further bolster its rail

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Light touch for UV equipment

sterilisation lamps and systems.

Anodised aluminium reflects more than 80% of incident light at UV wavelength. Thanks to a precisely controlled silicon oxide layer, MIRO® UV’s spectral light reflectivity is considerably greater.

This layer is around 100nm thick and is deposited onto the surface of the metal using an ‘plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition’ (PECVD) method developed by Alanod.

Due to the precision of the process, the performance of the material can be fine-tuned to suit specific UV wavelengths used most commonly in UVC

applications such as disinfection and sterilisation equipment.

MIRO® UV also has greatly enhanced durability. This is due to its low porosity that creates an effective barrier against oxygen ions. In tests, the surface demonstrated only a 1% degradation in performance throughout its 1,000-hour operating life, showing that the MIRO® UV material range has a lifetime at least double that of conventional aluminium reflectors.

Stuart Tranter, General Manager, Alanod UK comments: “UV disinfection technologies are playing a key role in the response to the coronavirus pandemic, as healthcare providers, institutions and individuals seek safe, effective ways to reduce the risk of virus transmission. With MIRO® UV it is now possible to deliver UV equipment that is even more effective, reliable and long-lasting.”

8 alanod.co.uk

Rail listing for fabricator product offering. The certification means Salamander can provide new parts for railway vehicles throughout the UK and Europe. It can also be considered for highprofile projects including HS2, Transport for London and The Underground – all of which use certified-only companies.

Michael Haskell, managing director for Salamander

Fabrications, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have achieved EN15085 status and be part of a select group of specialists that have access to some of the most globally recognised rail projects.

This certification plays a pivotal role in our company growth plans and commitment to developing our workforce’s expertise.”

8 salamanderfabs.com

JANUARY 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity The French company UTAC CERAM and the British Millbrook group are to merge to create a new automotive testing and development organisation.

Both companies are key partners to automotive customers in Europe and around the world, and the merger will create a market leading group in vehicle testing, homologation and emerging technologies for autonomous, connected and electric vehicles.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021, subject to the normal regulatory clearances. This merger would double the Group's revenues.

The companies say that the combined group will draw on significant technological assets and technical expertise to meet the rapidly changing environment facing the automotive industry. The new alliance will, they say, generate multiple synergies, creating a leader in complementary markets, combining high quality customer portfolios, developing an extended range of services and leveraging its deep technological resources, human expertise and broad geographical coverage.

Millbrook brings extensive expertise in automotive electric driveline development, in particular through its battery and electric drivetrain test centres based in the United Kingdom and the United States. These services complement UTAC CERAM’s expertise in ADAS and Euro NCAP testing and in cybersecurity, connectivity and simulation, as 10

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Automotive testing giant

deployed in its Teqmo autonomous vehicle test centre.

The group will operate several test centres throughout the world — in France at the Linas-Montlhéry and Mortefontaine facilities, in the United Kingdom in Bedford and Leyland, in the United States in Detroit and California, in Finland at a vehicle test facility with indoor and outdoor winter testing tracks, and in Morocco with a brand new test centre offering a track where vehicles are exposed to extreme heat (scheduled to open in 2021).

The group will have the capability to offer a more extensive and comprehensive range of services including: the delivery of complex certification and testing programmes; the testing of vehicles and tyres in hot and cold climates; designing and delivering bespoke customer solutions and working with global brand partners to develop the connected electric vehicles of the future. A broad international reach will be combined with deep, local understanding of clients’

operational environments and key technologies.

The new group will be headed by Laurent Benoit, the current President of UTAC CERAM. He said: “The alliance with Millbrook represents a fantastic opportunity for our teams and a decisive step that allows us to continue supporting manufacturers and equipment suppliers along their industrial, societal and technological journey, as we have done with passion and pride since 1945.”

Connor McCormack, President of Millbrook said, “The highlycomplementary skills, services and technologies of UTAC CERAM and Millbrook will enable us to extend our offering, which will benefit our customers the world over. In the year of our 50th anniversary, combining the two businesses positions us well to lead the market in technical testing, vehicle homologation and new technology.

It is an exciting adventure in which everyone at Millbrook is proud to be involved.”

8 utacceram.com JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS

fuselink applications each year.

There is a significant challenge in producing an aluminium product range, but success in this technology will assist in developing the lighter, greener vehicles of the future.

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STL’s expertise in providing specialist busbars for EV and ZEV represents a significant area of potential growth for the company.

STL already has an in-house rolling facility manufacturing silver to copper bonded bimetal, supplying many tons of strip for

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JANUARY 2021

EV innovation funding

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Samuel Taylor Limited (STL) has won funding to investigate a new way of joining copper and aluminium for busbars in zero emission vehicles.

The company was awarded the funding by Innovate UK as part of the recent ‘Catalysing Green Innovation: Securing the Future of ZEV’ competition.

EVBus is an Innovate UK collaborative project between STL and TWI Ltd, aiming to investigate an innovative copper to aluminium bonding technique for use in zero emission vehicle (ZEV) busbars.

Joining copper to aluminium would allow for light-weighting of electric vehicle (EV) busbars, while maintaining electrical properties. Busbars are an integral part of EV battery packs.

Improving the busbar can lead to lighter packs, therefore extending the range of ZEVs. Successful bonding will allow the resulting product to be laser welded to parent copper or aluminium, thereby solving the issues currently associated with laser welding dissimilar materials.

The goals of the project are to investigate the feasibility of bonding copper to aluminium directly or using interlayer materials.

This work will inform the industrial process feasibility and development being undertaken by STL. STL aims to use this process to manufacture and market busbars for electric vehicles (EVs) and ZEVs. STL Sales & Marketing Manager Carl Siviter comments: “STL are delighted to be working alongside TWI Ltd on the EVBus project”.

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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity Brandauer is using its ability to deliver motor laminations thinner than a piece of paper to help develop a new electric machine.

The company is part of the UK-ALUMOTOR consortium, led by multi-industry engineering consultancy Ricardo and partners Aspire Engineering, Global Technologies Racing, Phoenix Scientific Industries and the University of Warwick.

Brandauer will help develop the stator and rotor used in the electric motor, using its micron capable toolroom, wire electric discharge machines (WEDM) and design and engineering consultancy facilities.

Fifteen engineers will be working on the project - which is backed by the Driving Electric Revolution Challenge Fund through UK Research and Innovation - and will be involved in developing low volume parts that will be used to fine tune processes, technologies and achieve the high volume UK Heat management specialist Zircotec is working with Dolphin N2 and Brighton University to develop a near-zero emission internal combustion engine that has the potential to transform the commercial powertrain market.

Zircotec provides the advanced thermal coatings and precision, ceramically coated components, along with its patented encapsulated heatshields that meet the very high demands of this

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Paper thin advantage

manufacture of a next generation electric machine design.

“Our ability to manufacture to microns is proving a very attractive commodity to some of the major OEMs and technology partners looking to establish an electrification supply chain in the UK,” explained Mark Parsons, the recently appointed Innovation Project Manager at Brandauer.

“This project is all about working

towards an electric machine that can be built in high volumes and our role will be to produce laminations that deliver the magnetic field to power the motor.

“Our growing reputation for delivering precision tooling solutions that can be adapted to high volume stamping of 0.1 mm thick materials sets us apart from other European press workers.”

8 brandauer.co.uk

Carbon-zero truck engine recuperated split-cycle, next generation engine.

Graeme Barette, sales and marketing director said: “We’re really proud to be involved with this ground-breaking project and to be part of the carbon-zero engine revolution. This is a massive project for us to be involved in and our involvement demonstrates the trust we have earnt over many years working with some of the biggest automotive performance brands.”

The Zircotec coatings massively reduce the temperatures in the areas of the engine where heat is not wanted, reducing heat transfer, keeping the heat in the hot part of the engine. Through the retention of heat in the combustion cycle, significantly less energy is lost through the cooling system, thus a high-performance efficiency is produced.

8 zircotec.com

JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | PEOPLE

Trade Leads from the EIA The following FREE OF CHARGE trade leads for the UK engineering industry are currently appearing on the Trade Board pages of the Engineering Industries Association at www.eia.co.uk

Gareth Jones has returned to In-Comm Training after leading the integration of HK Technologies into the Engineering Technology Group. He will be responsible for operations, sales and marketing, growth strategies and product development alongside the continued expansion of the Group.

Sir Donald Spiers has announced he is to step down as chairman of the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium (FAC) after almost 20 years. The government and industry veteran who was previously head of aerospace procurement for the UK’s armed forces started his career as a graduate apprentice.

Welding distributor Russian manufacturer of aluminum welding wires enriched with scandium for automatic welding is looking for to conclude a distribution services agreement.

Reference: JV1442 Closing Date: 06/02/2021 Pipe fitting distributors A Russian company is developing a ball valve with a metal-to-metal seal, designed to operate under conditions of high thermal loads at nuclear power plants. The company is looking for reliable partners to conclude a distribution services agreement.

Reference: JV1443 Closing Date: 13/02/2021 Anodised aluminium sheets A Polish company working in animal care is looking for anodised aluminium sheets to make ID tags for pets. Sheets should be 1000mm by 500mm by 1mm in red, navy blue and purple.

Reference: JJV1445 Closing Date: 13/02/2021

Katherine Bennett currently Senior Vice President, Airbus in the UK will take over as CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult when the current CEO, Dick Elsy, retires this year. A formal recruitment process was led by HVM Catapult Chair, Allan Cook CBE. JANUARY 2021

Andy Hodgson Strategic Lead: Digitalisation at Siemens, was welcomed as MTA President at the Association’s first ever virtual AGM, taking over from Marcus Burton MBE. Mr Hodgson has played an active role in the MTA for many years as a Board Member

Heat power valves A Russian maker of enhanced performance valves for heat power systems is looking for partners for a distribution services agreement.

Reference: JV1444 Closing Date: 13/02/2021 For more information please email head.office@eia.co.uk quoting reference number.

Please remember to use due diligence in responding to Trade Leads. Engineering Capacity provides you with the above information in good faith, but is unable to accept any responsibility or legal liability arising from any use of these leads.

www.engineeringcapacity.com

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HEAVY ENGINEERING | Engineering Capacity

Nuclear business booming Birmingham-based Burcas has invested in a new large-capacity vertical machining centre to produce tooling, prototypes and high precision components for the nuclear sector.

The Doosan Mynx 9500/50 machine was supplied by Mills CNC and has also been used to machine high-precision tungsten carbide and HSS knives and blades for customers in the paper and packaging sector.

The nuclear sector has always been important to Burcas and, over the last 10 months has become even more so owing to a decline in the company’s other major business areas, such as aerospace, oil and gas, due to the effects of the pandemic.

In fact, says owner and MD Mike Burrows, it was the increase in demand for Burcas’ machining services from customers in the nuclear sector that was the catalyst behind the new Doosan machine tool investment.

“To capitalise on the growing business opportunities in the nuclear sector we, at the beginning of the year, audited our existing machining capacity and capabilities.

“The results of the audit combined with our knowledge of the sector highlighted a 14

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need for us to strengthen our milling capabilities as a matter of some urgency.

“As a consequence we specced out the type of machine we knew we required in terms of its size and capacity, spindle configuration and speed, torque rating etc., and began researching the market for the ideal machine.

“Although the new machine tool purchase was driven, almost entirely, by an increase in demand from customers in the nuclear sector we never lost sight that it would also become a major machining asset for our future aerospace and oil and gas business - when both returned to something resembling normality.”

The key criteria when selecting the machine were the ability to machine a wider range of larger and longer components, and the need for a rigid design and construction to cope with materials such as stainless steels, Hastelloy, titanium and exotics as well machining routines featuring heavy duty cutting and interrupted cuts.

The machine selected, the Mynx 9500/50, is a large-capacity

machine with a working envelope of 2500mm (X) by 950mm (Y) and 850mm (Z) and a maximum table load of 3,500kg.

It is equipped with a powerful, two-speed gear box driven (22kW/10,000rpm), high-torque (452 Nm) spindle, with a BT50 face and taper configuration that makes it ideal for heavy-duty cutting operations, long machining runs and the efficient and accurate machining of ‘difficult-to-machine’ materials. The machine has a 40-position automatic tool changer and a four row screw chip disposal system that delivers improved efficiency and process reliability.

Mike Burrows concludes: “We constantly monitor and evaluate all aspects of our business. If, and when, we identify an area that needs attention or improvement we act decisively.

“The new Mynx 9500/50 investment is another example of Burcas’ commitment to continuous improvement and of us striving to be the best we can be.”

8 burcas.co.uk JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | HEAVY ENGINEERING Fabrication is nearing completion and assembly underway on a £1 million 250kW gravity-based energy storage demonstrator at the port of Leith.

Fife fabricator AJS Production was contracted to deliver the base frame and the weight baskets for the innovative Gravitricity prototype.

The system’s lattice tower has been fabricated by ESL engineers in Hull, while custom-built winches and control modules have been made by international winch specialists Huisman at its factory in the Czech Republic and are currently being shipped to Leith.

The full 15-metre high rig will now be assembled at the gridconnected site for testing to begin in February 2021.

Commenting on the project, Steven Kirk, Senior Mechanical Engineer said: “AJS is fabricating two vital components for our demonstrator – the grillage (or base frame) will sit on the concrete plinth and will support the lattice tower, and the two weight baskets will be filled on site with high density aggregate, to create two 25-tonne weights.

“These weights will be suspended by steel cables within the tower, and in one test we’ll drop the weights together to

Tower of power

generate full power and verify our speed of response. We calculate we can go from zero to full power in less than a second – which can be extremely valuable in the d

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KEY FACTS Rig height – 15 metres Weights – 2 x 25 tonnes Weigh composition – steel vessels filled with high density aggregate Cables – steel Stroke – 7 metres Time to drop (full power – 250kW) – 14 seconds - 0.6 m/s (1.3 mph) Half power (125kW) – 28 seconds

JANUARY 2021

frequency response and back-up power markets “We’ll then run tests with the two single weights, dropping one after the other to verify smooth energy output over a longer period, alongside a programme of other tests to demonstrate and refine the full capabilities of the system.

“Our two-month test programme will begin in February and will confirm our modelling – and give us valuable data for our first full-scale 4MW project which will commence later in 2021,” Kirk concludes.

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HEAVY ENGINEERING | Engineering Capacity A Scottish supply chain collaboration is aiming to deliver a production-ready and safety certified hydrogen powered train

by November 2021.

Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the Hydrogen Accelerator, based at the University of St Andrews, have appointed Arcola Energy and a consortium of industry-leaders in hydrogen fuel cell integration, rail engineering and functional safety to deliver Scotland’s first hydrogen powered train. A key objective of the project is to create opportunities for the Scottish rail supply chain through skills development and industrialisation of the technology.

The project is supported by rail engineering and safety experts Arup and Abbott Risk Consulting to form an integrated delivery team, with AEGIS providing regulatory third-party verification.

“Hydrogen traction power offers a safe, reliable and zero-carbon alternative for Scotland’s rail network. The hydrogen train project is an excellent opportunity for industry leaders in hydrogen, rail engineering and safety to collaborate with Scottish technology providers to develop a deployment ready solution,” said Dr Ben Todd, CEO of Arcola Energy.

“We are delighted to be working with Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland and the Hydrogen Accelerator, to support Scotland’s strategy to make passenger railways emission free by 2035.”

Arcola Energy will develop the technology platform for the train’s new powertrain from its planned 16

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Hydrogen train supply chain

new Scottish base. Arcola’s existing A-Drive platform will be extended to meet rail safety and compliance requirements, thereby enabling the consortium to significantly reduce development time and cost to deliver a complete hydrogen powered solution in just 10 months.

Project partner Arup will use the learnings from the project to develop a roadmap to roll out hydrogen trains to support the decarbonisation of Scotland’s network.

“With Scotland’s focus on achieving net zero emissions by 2035 and rail playing a leading role in this, hydrogen offers a safe, reliable and zero carbon alternative to other forms of rail propulsion,” said Clare Lavelle, Scotland Energy Business Lead, Arup. “This project is not only a crucial step in helping us understand the practical challenges of using hydrogen traction power on our railways,

but an example of the type of investment Scotland needs to take advantage of the opportunity to build a secure, flexible, cost effective and zero carbon energy network.”

Based at the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, the consortium will convert a Class 314 car passenger train, made available by ScotRail, into a deployment-ready and certified platform for hydrogen powered train development.

Following demonstrations, the train will serve as a development platform for Scottish technology providers and academics as Scottish Enterprise and the Hydrogen Accelerator explore opportunities for Scotland’s hydrogen-enabled low carbon strategy.

The Consortium will demonstrate the hydrogen powered train during COP26, in Glasgow from 1 - 12 November.

8 arcolaenergy.com JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | HEAVY ENGINEERING Springs made in Cornwall are helping buildings across the world withstand the force of earthquakes.

European Springs & Pressings in Penryn, Cornwall, manufactures springs for South Brent based Vexcolt, one of the world’s leading producers of expansion joints and movement control joints.

Covering every continent across the globe, including buildings as iconic as Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia to The Shard, to Jewel Changi airport in Singapore to the O2 arena, Vexcolt design and manufacture joint systems that enable buildings to absorb up to one metre of movement, when an earthquake strikes.

Arun Kingwell, Technical Specialist at Vexcolt says: “The UK is often misrepresented for its manufacturing capabilities, let alone Devon and Cornwall.

However, here we are with two SMEs, working together, making a product that significantly contributes to the safety of infrastructures around the world.

We have technical sales offices in the UK, Europe, India, China and South-East Asia but we manufacture in the South West.

It’s great to work with European Springs & Pressings as it enables us to not only deliver a high-end quality manufacture message but also a Made in Britain status that we’re very proud of.”

Michael Gibbs, Managing Director of European Springs & Pressings concludes: “It always surprises people how much a spring is depended on for multiple JANUARY 2021

When the earth moves…

functionalities across so many diverse industries.

Vexcolt’s global influence in construction management, delivering solutions to complex building movement problems across all building types, is an engineering feat to behold.

It’s an honour working with them and it puts a huge smile on the team’s faces, knowing their spring production is at the centre of safety for so many buildings across the world.”

8 europeansprings.com

From design, sampling and technical support to manufacture, Simpson Springs & Pressings Ltd provide the complete service.

Tel: 0118 978 6573 Email: sales@simpsonsprings.co.uk

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HEAVY ENGINEERING | Engineering Capacity Corbetts, the UK’s oldest hot dip galvanizer, bounced back from Covid-19 disruption to process nearly £1m or orders in October – a record amount for the firm.

It used downtime in summer to improve productivity and modernise processes and this has now paid off.

Celebrating 160 years in business in 2020, the Telfordbased company processed 34% more volume than the same time last year for customers involved in street furniture, transport and construction.

With volumes continuing to rise and new contracts being secured, the recently strengthened management team are now planning to reopen the smaller Plant to increase capacity.

“This is a phenomenal achievement by our workforce and highlights growing optimism in our sector,” explained Sophie Williams, Finance Director and General Manager at Corbetts the Galvanizers.

“It proves that the manufacturing best practice improvements we have undertaken over the last six months are working, including throughput, how we hang work, process speed and upgrading the pre-treatment process. There’s also been considerable investment in upskilling the workforce and bringing in new team leaders.”

She went on add: “All this has led to a record month in terms of volume and sales, but, most importantly, we have done all of this whilst maintaining outstanding quality and 18

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Shining performance from galvanisers

24 to 48 hour turnaround time for existing business and 5-10 days for new clients.”

Corbetts the Galvanizers has been supplying world class hot dip galvanizing to thousands of customers across the UK and Europe for 160 years.

This process is the most effective and environmentally friendly way to protect steel from the elements and provides a longterm solution to corrosion (rust) and maintenance free protection in excess of 100 years.

From its purpose-built facility in Telford, it operates a number of galvanizing baths that give it the opportunity to process in excess of 50,000 tonnes every year and the

ability to double dip material up to a length of 14 metres.

Product is then loaded on to the company’s fleet of 13 vehicles that make up to 5000 different journeys every year, with the latest investment meaning that the oldest lorry is less than five-years-old.

Sophie, who recently oversaw the appointment of new managers for Sales and Marketing, Procurement and Operations, concluded: “2020 hasn’t been the year we were expecting to celebrate our big birthday, but what it has done is given us time to look at how move forward for the next 160 years.

“This means we are now a more efficient operation and we have been looking at new ways in which we can grow the business.

One big plan is currently in the final stages of negotiations and, if it comes off, could change the way the galvanizing sector operates forever.”

8 wcorbett.co.uk JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | HEAVY ENGINEERING

Navy oil loading contract Blackhill Engineering is fabricating large steel structures for the Navy’s new Thanckes Oil Fuel Depot Loading Facility Refuelling Jetty.

This is Blackhills’s first contract for VolkerStevin which is responsible for the £43m Defence Infrastructure Organisation project to modernise refuelling facilities for Royal Navy warships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Blackhill Engineering has a double overhead gantry crane lifting capability of 40 tonnes and 20 tonnes and this tandem lift capability allows safe loading of structures up to 25m long.

Blackhill fabricated 15 sacrificial casings measuring up to 18m long with a diameter up to 2.3m and weighing up to 23 tonnes each, which will be embedded into the rock strata of the River Tamar to form stanchions supporting the jetty head structure. Blackhill is also fabricating dolphin tops, rails, frames and access equipment.

Joe Wilcox, General Manager, Blackhill Engineering, said, “Being engaged by VolkerStevin on this major project is an achievement

Being engaged by VolkerStevin on this major project is an achievement for our highly skilled and flexible workforce

‘‘

JANUARY 2021

for our highly skilled and flexible workforce. Our BS EN 1090 Structural Steel and Aluminium capabilities project us ahead of our competition regionally, and our embrace of a Nuclear Safety Culture reflects the pride we take in our workmanship”.

The contract’s initial Scope of Works has expanded with

Blackhill building 6m wide platform structures. The feasibility of assembling the completed platforms on its Exeter site and the logistics of transporting the finished units to the customer are being assessed as they would require an escorted convoy of vehicles.

8 blackhillengineering.co.uk/

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19

LASER PROCESSING | Engineering Capacity

Laser texturing possibilities A new laser machine tool is opening up application opportunities for Fimark, a specialist subcontractor focused on laser etching, engraving, cutting and texturing.

The AgieCharmilles LASER P 400U has strengthened the company’s existing capabilities and enabled it to develop new application opportunities in the laser 3D market.

Charles Dean, Fimark’s managing director, says: “Laser texturing is a fully-digitalised surface engineering process that has huge potential.

The technology enables precise 2D and 3D textures to be machined accurately and directly onto complex parts and its application is being used by across a diverse range of industry sectors. These include automotive, aerospace, medical devices, watch making and jewellery.

Fimark was established in 1997 and in its early days was primarily focused on providing high-quality laser engraving and marking services to customers.

By late 2019 an increase in demand for high-quality laser machining services was putting pressure on the company’s existing laser resources.

Charles Dean says: “It was clear that we needed to increase our laser machining capacity and capabilities.

The new LASER P 400U is a compact and versatile 5-axis machine that can accommodate 20

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workpieces up to 600mm x 400mm x 250mm.

The machine features a dual laser head that can incorporate both an ytterbium pulsed (nanosecond) fibre laser and an ultra-short femtosecond pulsed laser.

This allows different laser operations to be undertaken on a single machine and significantly increases the range of materials that can be processed.

The machine, with its 30μm laser beam width, is ideal for machining small components with delicate and intricate shapes, features and textures- with 3D functional textures a potentially significant growth area.

Specific textures can be created, for example, to enhance the tribological properties of surfaces to improve their load bearing capacities or to reduce friction and wear.

In addition to ‘functional’ textures, surface texturing can also be used for aesthetic effect.

Typical examples of this include special editions and customised versions of luxury goods with laser texturing technology providing a cost-effective alternative to more traditional methods such as engraving and chemical etching.

Charles Dean says: “In many aesthetic and functional applications laser texturing has a number of undoubted advantages over more conventional surface etching processes. For example it is less harmful to the environment; less labour intensive; and a more reliable and repeatable process.

“This is where the future of laser machining lies and, with our latest investment, we are making sure that we are positioned at the forefront of these developments.”

8 fimark.co.uk JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | LASER PROCESSING Lincoln-based Micrometric has identified new applications for a high-precision tube laser that is predominantly used to produce medical components.

The company, which produces fine parts and precision components for a range of customers in the UK, Europe and across the world, has now added a Coherent’s StarCut Tube system to its range of cutting equipment.

The fully automated machine is designed to laser cut, drill and mark tubular or flat metal components and is traditionally used by subcontract manufacturers to produce exclusive medical instruments with extremely high precision.

Since investing in this equipment, Micrometric has found new uses for this machine; unlike most UK subcontractors, the company has been using it to produce a flexible range of tube components in large volumes as well as finer, more precise parts for a wide range of sectors other than medical.

Neil Main, Managing Director at Micrometric, said: “We invested in the StarCut Tube machine as we knew it could deliver the required performance for a wide range of projects and had a long, low-maintenance lifetime which is necessary for cost-effective operations within our working environment.

“The machine´s versatility allows us to cut thinner tubes than our other machines and has allowed us to extend our capabilities and the range of customers we can service.”

JANUARY 2021

More than medical components

Micrometric has already used the machine to cut, assemble and weld complex medical, and aerospace components for companies which produce aerospace filters, automated injection needles, endoscopy components and MRI scanning equipment.

Neil added: “Thanks to this machine, we can produce components for different types of sectors, including airflow sensors, flexible protective covers, valves used for car suspension systems,

industrial and medical endoscopy equipment, printing machines and food production.

“We’ve always tried to address difficult tasks by investing heavily in our equipment and in staff training. This machine is perfect for customers looking to produce reliable components with extremely precise design criteria, as well as those using materials which are less common than sheet steel.”

8 micrometric.co.uk

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21

LASER PROCESSING | Engineering Capacity Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE), a specialist in the design and manufacture of electron beam welding (EBW) machines, has built its very first laserwelding system for a tier one automotive customer.

The machine relies on a Trumpf TruDisk 1000, a 1kW solid-state laser with optimised beam quality for welding metals, in this case steel and Inconel.

The origins of CVE can be traced back to the late 1950s when two Cambridge graduates founded the company and its focus has remained the same: EBW and vacuum furnaces, largely in support of aero-engine manufacture.

“In recent years we’ve been supplying a lot more machines to automotive customers, some of which are beginning to make enquiries about EBW alternatives,” reports Steve Horrex, Sales Director at CVE. “Traditionally, EBW works in a vacuum, which is great from a process quality perspective, but vacuum generation and maintenance is sometimes seen as burdensome.

For this reason, laser welding is gaining attention in certain applications as it can operate using nothing more than a shield gas.”

Indeed, the company recently received an enquiry for a fully automated, bespoke laserwelding system from an existing automotive customer. It would prove to be CVE’s first laserwelding machine, marking the beginning of its association with Trumpf. The machine is being used by a tier-one automotive 22

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Automotive laser welding

supplier to weld small (approximately 50mm long) steel and Inconel parts together in reasonably high volumes.

“In this particular application, the join quality produced by laser welding with a shield gas was perfectly adequate,” explains Mr Horrex. “Trumpf was chosen for its track record in the automotive sector and its reputation for quality engineering. The customer’s R&D centre also had a Trumpf system, which definitely helped steer the purchase decision.”

Laser welding is a technique known for its versatility and high productivity, especially when joining thin-section materials and welding at high speeds.

Compared with other welding techniques, laser welding has relatively low heat input, resulting in low distortion, excellent mechanical properties and minimal post-weld machining.

Shield gasses protect the weld area from oxygen and water vapour. In addition, unlike EBW, no X-rays are produced, so the

process does not require an expensive vacuum chamber. This fact also means that higher productivity can be achieved.

Alongside machine reliability, traceability is vital to CVE’s customer. The laser-welding system is required to provide full traceability of all weld parameters and process details.

This data is then shared with the end user’s MES (manufacturing execution system).

Offering a compact footprint and increased robustness, the latestgeneration TruDisk 1000 works economically in all laser states thanks to a new pulse function with greater energy efficiency and intelligent energy management.

“Moving forward, the end user is looking to introduce further new parts to the laser-welding machine,” says Mr Horrex. “The tooling, work-holding and automation that we devised facilitates rapid component changeover, thus future-proofing the system.”

8 camvaceng.com JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | CASTING Sarginsons is looking forward to growth in 2021 following a year of investment.

The Coventry-based lightweight castings and component specialist has invested in technology and people despite the challenges of Covid-19 and has even been winning new contracts during the pandemic.

Managing Director Anthony Evans said the company’s diversification and increased consultancy activity through the Sarginsons Technology Centre could be the catalyst for growth in 2021.

He said: “It’s fair to say 2020 is not what any of us were expecting but we’ve continued to invest and grow, despite all of the challenges that we have faced.

“New business opportunities increased during the second half of the year, both in terms of series demand, prototype builds and our ability to offer Design for Manufacture (DfM) capabilities.

This is an area that we believe will become even more popular in the future.

“We took the opportunity to strengthen our MagmaSoft modelling capabilities, with online coaching and the investment of £100k in a MagmaStress stress seat and further MagmaSoft technology.

“MagmaStress has provided a new competitiveness advantage and is enabling us to communicate live data to OEMs for stresses and mechanical properties as opposed to traditional fixed data inputs.

“We took the decisions to utilise JANUARY 2021

Looking ahead to growth

the downturn to commence the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Levels (NMCL) which is a business-wide development programme to deliver optimum business operating systems. The programme is already achieving positive outcomes.

“Enquiry levels for complex chassis systems have been extremely high and this, in turn, has initiated an advanced research programme via Design of Experiments in conjunction with Brunel University, to enable us to develop high ductility alloys to meet the OEMs’ demand levels with our sandcast prototype processes.

“New product introduction programmes have commenced with global OEMs including US, Chinese and Scandinavian companies. All of these

programmes have started with DfM orders and are leading into prototype build demand.

“Capital investments have also continued in metallurgical, metrology and automation programmes. We are very pleased that, in the eye of an international storm, we have continued to invest in technology, in people and in our future.

“Next year will see Sarginsons embark on a further Catapult R&D programme with Brunel University and Sheffield University, which will be focused on aerospace programmes and high integrity aluminium castings.

“It means that we can look forward to 2021 with optimism as we work with partners to deliver new lightweight solutions for manufacturing as we look to continue growing.”

8 sarginsons.com www.engineeringcapacity.com

23

CASTING | Engineering Capacity

Avoiding supply chain failure Grainger and Worrall’s end-toend casting and machining capability has helped sustain automotive supply chains during the Covid pandemic.

The company has experienced a new demand for its flexible and rapid machining expertise during the COVID pandemic, from automotive manufacturers and suppliers seeking to protect their supply chain operations. The globalised automotive supply chain that sustains automotive production has been under increased strain due to the international lockdowns and variance on worldwide legislation that has hampered the ability of suppliers to continue operation, or to ship completed orders on time.

“We have worked with a number of major vehicle manufacturers to help fill in potential gaps in their supply chains, helping to sustain production as they have sought to restart or ramp-up production post-lockdowns,” explains Phil Ward, Grainger & Worrall’s sales director. “Unplanned stoppages to vehicle production can be hugely costly, both financially and in terms of reputational damage. With that in mind, a number of tier one suppliers have turned to us due to our ability to offer quick setup and turnaround of line-ready components, offering high levels of repeatable quality. It has been a huge, cost-effective bonus for existing and new customers.”

Grainger & Worrall’s rapid endto-end approach has helped 24

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several manufacturers to avoid costly supply chain fractures, including providing fully machined prismatic parts ramp supply for a UK OEM and gap -filling supply to a US EV manufacturer of large machined structural castings to avoid program delay.

“COVID has forced people to analyse the way they work in a

number of markets, including the automotive industry,” continues Ward. “During this unique time, Grainger & Worrall’s ability to turn concept or design into fully validated, production-ready reality has proved to be a timely solution that has added robustness to several supply chains.”

The company’s extensive casting design and simulation, materials development, and dimensional and integrity validation are vital attributes crucial for the safeguarding of vehicle production during the protracted COVID unrest.

At the heart of Grainger & Worrall’s headquarters, in Bridgnorth, UK is a modern machining facility and some of the country’s largest and most up-to-date CT scanners. This enables the rapid turnaround of components and highest levels of quality assurance.

8 gwcast.com JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | CASTING Alucast’s commitment to investing in new technology and its people was praised during a recent visit by the Mayor of the West Midlands.

Andy Street received a socially distanced tour of the aluminium casting specialist’s facility in Wednesbury to understand how the company is bouncing back from Covid-19 by targeting new opportunities in lightweighting - a major growth market with castings at its heart.

He talked to staff at the business to understand how it is supporting major OEMs in the automotive sector, as well as supplying parts to the hydraulics and chemical sectors.

There was also time to find out more about the £2.2m investment in a new CNC machining shop that features six 5-axis CNC machines, providing bed sizes ranging from 400mm to 630mm.

This latest equipment will give Alucast the speed and precision necessary to meet just-in-time delivery requirements of existing and future orders.

Andy Street commented: “It was great to be in the Black Country, where manufacturing is in our blood. Despite the pandemic and all the challenges it has thrown at industry, companies like Alucast are innovating and adapting, investing in their strengths to achieve new sales opportunities and make the most of the green revolution.”

Tony Sartorius, Chairman of Alucast, concluded: “It was great to show Andy what we have been doing and the manufacturing JANUARY 2021

Mayor salutes lightweighting

strengths that still exist in the Black Country. We are a region with fantastic technical skills, a passion to do new things and a desire to play our own significant role in the next transport evolution.

“Our sand, gravity and low/high

pressure castings are ideally suited for the automotive sector’s move towards lighter parts and we have already won over £3m of new work in this arena over recent years.”

8 alucast.co.uk

Aerospace Oil & Gas Nuclear Defence

Automotive Electronics Hi Fi

Industrial & High Volume Machining

PRECISION ENGINEERING www.thomas-brown-engineering.co.uk Tel: 01484 548903

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25

ELECTRONICS | Engineering Capacity

Clean manufacturing facility Electronics manufacturing specialist Cogent Technology has unveiled a new production facility with advanced production lines and two cleanrooms for medical and healthcare products.

Cogent moved into its new 80,000ft² facility in Felixstowe, to serve its clients with world class manufacturing. The new facility features state of the art production lines, including two ISO 14644-1 Class 7 Rapidbloc cleanrooms.

Rapidbloc Cleanrooms have been developed by Connect 2 Cleanrooms (C2C) to meet the urgent critical demands of some of the world’s fastest moving industries, such as healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Clean production will enable Cogent to grow its product offering and expand services to clients with consumables and accessories that complement existing PCB assembly product ranges.

The two Rapidbloc cleanrooms were designed and built in just 8 weeks, including validation to ISO 14644-1 class 7. This expedited time-scale was important to Cogent as the cleanrooms were able to be coordinated within its wider facility fit-out programme and so production was not interrupted.

A monobloc cleanroom project of this scale would usually have a lead time of up to 4 months, whereas Rapidbloc Cleanrooms generate significant productivity gains to enable a faster return on investment. Rapidbloc cleanroom 26

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layouts are fully configurable and as parts are shipped from stock from C2C’s warehouse and distribution hub, on-site assembly is fast and efficient.

Robert Stainer, Commercial Director at Cogent says, “As part of our relocation to a new 80,000ft² facility we are proud to be enhancing our Medical Device manufacturing capabilities with the commissioning of two class 7 cleanrooms validated to ISO 14644-1.

“This investment will not only enable Cogent to meet our current clients’ needs, but also position the team to facilitate the provision of associated device consumables capacity as med tech businesses rethink their supply chain strategies in light of changing attitudes to sourcing.

“The term ‘short supply chain’ is resonating throughout the business world after recent events in 2020. A more robust supply

chain is needed for resilience against future events.”

Michael Wright, Managing Director at Connect 2 Cleanrooms says, “Whilst there are now a number of quick build cleanroom solutions on the market, including our own Rapid Room range, none offer the same level flexibility around configuration and specification as Rapidbloc.

The choice of size, classification and optional extras is yours, in just 4 to 6 weeks.

“This modular approach delivers a precision-engineered cleanroom with ISO-compliant performance, within an expedited time frame. Thanks to the use of standard parts and pre-determined design calculations, even the quotation and design stages are expedited, so clients benefit from a rapid response through the entire project.”

8 cogent-technology.co.uk JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | ELECTRONICS Electroplating specialist EC Williams is one of six companies participating in a Government funded project to recover gallium from used LED lights.

The nine-month project, which began on 1 November, is titled Recovery of Gallium Ionic Liquid (ReGAIL) and is partly financed by Innovate UK. Williams will be studying opportunities for recovering gallium metal from LED lights.

Gallium is usually only recovered from offcuts and shavings, and this is the first time the high-performance semiconductor will be recovered from end-of-life components.

The LED lights will come from WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). There is currently no recovery for gallium when LED lamps are being recycled, and this project is hoping to determine a method that will hopefully reduce the need for extracting raw gallium and create a circular supply chain from the recovered waste gallium.

Used in a wide range of applications, gallium is a metal with the widest liquid temperature range of all the elements. Although it is not known as a precious metal, it has a reasonably high value of approximately £2,500 per tonne however this fluctuates. The EU classifies the element as a Critical Raw Material, and its largest producer is China (attributing to around 80% of it). Used in lasers, solar cells, Radio Frequency amplifiers, wireless chargers, and light detection systems, gallium is very versatile and is predicted to be JANUARY 2021

Leading lights in LED recycling

in increasing demand over the next decade as the use of electrical vehicles rises. This is as a result of the fact that it will be used in Power, Electronics and Machine Drives. One of its most common uses is in LED lamps, which currently account for around 2% of the tonnage of UK waste lamps.

Whilst LED lamps are currently only making a small percentage of lamp wastage, the timing of this new project is perfect. Put simply, it is providing the opportunity to create a sustainable solution for waste gallium before LEDs begin to take up large quantities of waste. Due to its low heat loss properties and smaller space requirements, gallium is very likely to replace silicon in the future when it comes to power system semiconductors. With this in mind, identifying ways to capture the

element through recycling processes will reduce the need for raw extraction, and therefore increase the country’s supply chain efficiency. A viable solution will also decrease the chances of the UK needing to import gallium from abroad in the future.

The company said: “EC Williams Ltd is delighted to be working alongside five other reputable companies on research that could truly create a more renewable, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly process for the future of gallium extraction and the recycling of LED lamps. As a consortium of companies, we are prepared for the challenges that may be faced over the next 9 months of studies, however we are confident that we will establish success.”

8 ecwilliams.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com

27

SPONSORED FEATURE

Credit: JCDA

Additive manufacturing: resource-saving and flexible

28

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shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods, and as a process has been used to support mass customisation; aligning mass production to multiple product iterations to satisfy consumer demand.

Additive manufacturing, as a flexible production process, is faster, more economic and can be undertaken using several different

Credit: JCDA

Robotic process automation has for some time assisted in the field of additive manufacturing. But such are the benefits being attributed to robotics, such as repeatability, accuracy and consistency, automated additive manufacturing as a process, is quickly emerging as a disruptive technology, that is significantly altering the way that industries such as construction and ship building manufacture products.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is the process of producing three dimensional solid objects from a digital file, utilising additive processes; the repeated application of layers of composite material, to form solid state products.

There are several benefits to the adoption of additive manufacturing processes. The most significant, aside from product integrity, is affordability – 3D printing enables manufacturers to produce complex

materials, according to the structural and aesthetic demands of the end product. In the case of manufacturing using plastic composites, the 3D printing process is free of any retooling or mould changes. The manufacturing process itself is also quicker. If we consider 3D printing using concrete, as an example within the construction industry, increased design flexibility and zero material waste considerations are satisfied.

Intensive labour is also significantly reduced, so health and safety considerations are met.

Aside from the conventional, additive manufacturing can also be utilised to satisfy the not so conventional and creative, within areas such as architecture with projects being realised through automated robotic means. One great example is the world's largest concrete 3D printed pedestrian bridge, installed in the Wisdom Bay Industrial Park, Baoshan District,

JANUARY 2021

with enhanced productivity, transforming existing supply chains.

The UK manufacturing sector has suffered its most challenging year in its recent history. COVID-19 is forcing businesses to realign their production footprints, add to that the challenges that we may face post BREXIT, such as the impact upon our access to low-cost labour. For many businesses, this is a serious problem, but robots can help future-proof operations from the vagaries of labour supply. The adoption of robot process automation must be a very real consideration within manufacturing sectors such as construction. It has widely been

Credit: JCDA

Shanghai, developed by Professor Xu Weiguo from Tsinghua University (School of Architecture) and Zoina Land Joint Research Center for Digital Architecture (JCDA).

26.3 meters in length and 3.6 meters wide, the bridge’s structure is inspired by the ancient Anji Bridge in Zhaoxian, China. Adopting a single arch structure to bear the load, the distance between the abutments is 14.4 meters. Before being produced, a 1:4 scale physical model was constructed, and structure failure testing was undertaken to prove construction integrity across the entire bridge.

All the concrete components of the bridge were printed using two KUKA robotic arms and an independently developed 3D printing systems in just 450 hours. Compared with conventional bridges of similar sizes, its construction costs compared to traditional manufacturing methods were significantly lower, by almost a third. This was mainly attributed to not using any templates, nor reinforcing bars within the bridge’s structure and design, that was comprised of three-dimensional solid modelled sections.

These same manufacturing principles could be realised across multiple sectors. Additive manufacturing has the capability as a process to potentially revolutionise businesses by providing an entirely new means of production, allowing designs to be realised at reduced cost

Credit: JCDA

SPONSORED FEATURE

JANUARY 2021

reported how the skills gap has impacted manufacturing, and this is set to worsen. The skill shortage crisis is one that has been jeopardising the construction industry and considering increased concern, it is expected to inflate the cost of labour as the pool of skilled labour decreases.

A focus upon cost savings is an omnipresent consideration across several manufacturing sectors; reductions in waste, time savings, increased throughput capabilities, to name but a few. 3D printing is still quite a new concept, though we as an industry have moved on considerably since the 1980’s. The last decade has seen an explosion in technologies and 3D printing innovations, and robotic applications are increasing in the additive manufacturing field, providing a powerful combination for numerous options in the design and production of precise, lightweight and inexpensive components from a wide range of different materials.

The possibilities are endless; new geometries be satisfied; assemblies of parts can now be produced as one piece; post processing of individual parts is eliminated. As with any automated robotic process, manufacturers need to embrace the technology, as a means to drive innovation, diversity and maintain competitive advantage.

8 www.kuka.com

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29

MACHINED COMPONENTS | Engineering Capacity

Growth drives EDM investment Excel Precision has recorded several consecutive months of record sales figures during the Covid pandemic. This has spurred investment in a new Sodick ALC600G CNC wire-erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM. The machine, which is sited at the company’s Birmingham facility, adds to an identical model at its Gloucester site – and becomes the sixth Sodick EDM across all three Excel Precision locations (Leeds, Gloucester and Birmingham).

Founded in 2011, Excel Precision provides EDM services to sectors that include aerospace, defence, oil and gas, petrochemical, nuclear, bio-medical, automotive, motorsport and white goods. The UK’s reliance on a number of these industries during the pandemic has helped the 30+ employee company to thrive.

“We’ve remained fully operational throughout the pandemic as we are acutely aware of the importance of the services we provide our customers, many of which help ‘keep the lights on’, such as those in the power generation, nuclear and oil and gas sectors,” explains Tony Sitek, Director of Business Development and the company’s majority shareholder. “A consequence of remaining fully operational was record months in terms of revenue in April, May, June and July. Excel Precision has always held a very strong position in the marketplace, however our performance during the pandemic has shown both 30

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existing and new customers our commitment to providing the highest levels of service in the most difficult of circumstances.”

“The reason we can assist new clients so readily is that we’re not afraid to invest,” states Mr Sitek.

“We’ve invested £1.2 million since January 2019, with new machines going into all three of our manufacturing facilities. If we fill up a shop, we buy another one. We started with Leeds in 2011, adding Gloucester in 2013 and Birmingham in 2019, doubling our capacity each time. In the process we’ve slowly been replacing older machines with the latest manufacturing technologies – faster, more accurate and more energy efficient.

This strategy has allowed us to increase turnover by 100% in the past three years alone.”

8 Ghawsuddeen Popalzia Apprentice and Steve Batt MD with Sodick technology installed at Excel Precision

A case in point is the latest Sodick ALC600G wire EDM for the company’s Birmingham site, which specialises in both the military and commercial aerospace sectors.

Excel Precision holds approvals with a number of leading aerospace OEMs, and carries AS9100 rev D certification, as well as NADCAP AC7116/3 rev B approval for both wire and spark erosion.

“When we acquired the Birmingham site it had been underinvested for many years,” explains Mr Sitek. “We identified the need for a new CNC wire EDM machine to help the facility make parts quicker, more efficiently and more competitively, all while retaining the highest levels of accuracy and JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | MACHINED COMPONENTS surface finish – the Sodick ALC600G has brought all that.�

Excel Precision first switched to Sodick technology last year when trials revealed far quicker component cycle times – for less energy consumption – than could be achieved using its existing machines. “We took the plunge and acquired our first two Sodick machines in January 2019, since when we haven’t looked back,�

says Mr Sitek. “The latest Sodick ALC600G wire EDM is already making parts. Around 98% of what we do at Birmingham is aerospace work.�

Moving forward, Excel Precision remains on the lookout for further companies to acquire as it seeks expansion into other parts of the country. “The UK does not have many subcontract EDM shops,� says Mr Sitek. “There’s probably

around 25-30, a high proportion of which are owner-operator businesses. We are different. The way for us to grow is through the acquisition of like-minded companies. Currently, across our three premises, we have 32 CNC wire/spark erosion machines, which I think would define us as the UK’s largest provider of subcontract EDM services. And we will only get bigger.�

8 excel-precision.co.uk

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Company Contact Details Phil Smith, Director, Wealdpark Limited Sutton Road, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA9 3DJ Tel. 01744 22567 / 732083 Fax. 01744 451339 E: sales@wealdpark.co.uk www.wealdpark.co.uk

JANUARY 2021

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31

MACHINED COMPONENTS | Engineering Capacity The newly created manufacturing arm of engineering and training consultancy Cutting Blue has invested in its first vertical machining centre.

The new Doosan, large capacity, machine was delivered by Mills CNC to Cutting Blue’s 2,000 square foot facility in Saltley.

The creation of the new venture is the brainchild of owner and managing director Piotr Parobczy.

Having started his working life, first as a machine tool setter and then as a CAD/CAM programmer, Mr. Parobczy used this knowledge and experience, gained from working in a number of different manufacturing environments, to develop and hone a range of specific engineering consultancy skills.

The acquisition of these skills ultimately enabled him to work as a contractor where he was responsible for the design and implementation of innovative and high-value projects for a number of UK- and internationally-based customers.

Following on from this success, in 2017 Mr Parobczy set up Cutting Blue Ltd - an engineering service company providing specialist training and consultancy services to blue-chip and progressive manufacturing companies.

He says: “Cutting Blue Ltd., began its life as an engineering consultancy. However, even back then it was always my ambition and intention to create a manufacturing company - when the time was right.”

That time, as it transpired, was in Spring 2020. “The pandemic 32

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New manufacturing venture

outbreak had a detrimental effect on the availability of contract work and this proved to be the catalyst I was waiting for.

“Because the creation of a manufacturing company was a long-held ambition of mine I was not starting such an undertaking from scratch. To a large extent much of the spadework and planning had already been done.

“I chose Birmingham because of its central location and because I knew the area well.

“From my background and experience the company would

The pandemic outbreak had a detrimental effect on the availability of contract work and this proved to be the catalyst I was waiting for

‘‘

not be a ‘jack of all trades’ operation but instead would offer specialist, high-precision machining services to customers typically operating in the high-end motorsport, automotive and aerospace sectors.”

Says Piotr Parobczy: “The DNM 6700, with its large worktable, provides much needed capacity, capability and flexibility now and in the future, enabling us to machine large or multiple smaller parts in one set-up.

“Although still early days I am delighted with the DNM 6700 and am already looking at investing in second Doosan machine.”

8 cuttingblue.com JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | MACHINED COMPONENTS KMF has invested in a second high performance turning centre that will double critical capacity.

Due to an anticipated increase in demand post Covid-19, the group has purchased a second Yamazaki Mazak QUICK TURN 250MSY to complement its suite of Mazak equipment.

The Mazak QUICK TURN is a high-performance turning centre equipped with a Smooth Mill Drive turret capable of machining a range of parts accurately and efficiently.

Materials such as standard steels, aluminium, stainless steel and more exotic materials such as Inconel are easily machined to precise tolerances.

The new equipment will further support clients in the aerospace, instrumentation, scientific and medical industries.

Keith Nicholl, Commercial Director at KMF Group said: “The machine is co-located with an existing QUICK TURN 250MSY, effectively doubling our capacity to allow us to respond to increased demands from our new and existing customers. Both machines are linked to our offline programming capability resulting in high levels of machine cutting efficiency, 24 hours a day and seven days per week and a quick response for short lead time or prototype needs.

“Covid-19 affected many businesses and as we emerge from the worst of the crisis we’re positioning ourselves to ensure that we’re fully prepared to support customers across various sectors with immediate effect. By investing JANUARY 2021

Preparing for post-Covid demand now, and being business ready, we can proactively support our customers with their own revival.”

The QUICK TURN 250MSY has a 500mm bed capacity and is equipped with a 10inch chuck on the main spindle and a six-inch chuck on the secondary spindle enabling part sizes up to 380mm to be effectively machined. Its capability enables most components to be machined complete off the machine, which in turn improves efficiencies. It’s also equipped with a Hydrafeed Multifeed magazine bar feed enabling unmanned running of small to medium batch quantities.

Keith added: “This MSY complements KMF’s collection of other Mazak machines, which includes two HCN 5000-III horizontal machining centres served by an 18 station PALLETECH system, a VTC800/30SR vertical machining centre and a VARIAXIS i-500 simultaneous 5-axis machining centre. This machinery

provides capabilities suitable for any of our customers’ machining requirements.”

Neil Coggins, Area Sales Manager at Yamazaki Mazak UK, concludes: “As production begins to increase across multiple industries following the disruption caused by the pandemic, it is vital that subcontractors have the engineering capacity to hit the group running.

“To that end, we have been delighted to provide KMF Group with an additional QUICK TURN 250MSY to accompany their company’s existing Mazak machines. Operating a wide array of solutions from a single provider like Mazak enables KMF to deliver a large variety of machining applications to suit their broad customer base. Alongside this, investing in Mazak machines ensures a baseline of quality in machining work that may not be possible with a mixture of different machining centre suppliers.”

8 kmf.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com

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MACHINED COMPONENTS | Engineering Capacity

Weight saving project takes flight Aluminium Matrix Composites (AMC) manufacturer Alvant is working towards step change in achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

It is showing the aerospace industry what is possible through investing in sustainable materials for new, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

The Basingstoke-based company and global-leading Safran Landing Systems have partnered on a two-year, £28 million, aerospace project titled ‘Large Landing Gear of the Future’.

Alvant’s contribution to the project is the design, manufacture and testing of an AMC brake rod, targeting a 30% weight reduction over an equivalent titanium component whilst maintaining the same strength as steel.

Alvant is aiming to deliver or slightly exceed this weight saving at this stage of the project, scheduled for completion next year, with the current CAD model suggesting a 40% weight save can be achieved over the original titanium part.

Besides weight reduction, the aim of the project is to cut fuel burn and noise as part of the industry’s drive to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, while improving reliability and lowering ownership costs. What is also of major significance here for Alvant is that the project’s success will enable the validation of AMCs in areas where safety and reliability are essential. But what are AMCs? 34

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AMCs are an advanced class of composite materials in which the aluminium is reinforced with a secondary high-performance material. AMCs pose huge market potential across the industry with their specific properties such as low density, excellent fatigue performance, high wear, corrosion resistance and cost efficiency.

Alvant believes AMCs can have superior strength compared to steel at less than half the weight, meaning highly loaded components made from traditional metals, such as steel, titanium and aluminium can be replaced by lightweight, low inertia parts without any increase in package size.

AMCs also offer multiple advantages over polymer fibre reinforced materials, such as carbon composites, including higher transverse strength and stiffness, a higher thermal operating range, superior damage tolerance and more opportunity to recycle.

Richard Thompson, commercial director at Alvant explains:

“Currently, landing gear systems are stronger and heavier than necessary due to an outstanding safety record which has resulted in proven techniques being perpetuated. However, they account for approximately three per cent of aircraft weight, with a knock-on effect on fuel consumption. Along with Safran, we believe it is possible to reduce this without diminishing the gear’s capabilities or safety.”

Safran set out the requirements of the project and have defined it in such a way that it solves some of their upcoming technological challenges, to help them remain competitive in the landing gear aerospace market and showcase innovative technologies for the industry’s future.

Continues Thompson: “Alvant’s supply of components for fatigue and stress testing to an aerospace tier one suppliers signifies a major step forward in proving the reliability and airworthiness of our unique materials.”

8 alvant.com JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | AUTOMATION

Playing the automation advantage Rather than stalling strategic investments in automation and digital technologies in order to control costs, some high-value manufacturers are accelerating such plans in a bid to gain market share or drive additional enterprise value in recovery.

However, playing the automation advantage requires careful consideration at the outset, writes Alec McCullie of Vendigital.

Among the key drivers for investment in automation and other Industry 4.0 programmes are often cost reduction and increasing market share through doing more with less. A global study by McKinsey published in July 2020 found that one in four industry leaders is fast tracking automation programmes to limit the impact of worker shortages due to Covid-19, but this is by no means the only driver.

When considering such investments, businesses should start by first defining what ‘automation’ means to them, to ensure they understand what it will involve and the value it will bring.

Ultimately, the business case for investing in any digital technology such as automation, AI or the Internet of Things (IoT), must be rooted in a clear objective to either improve decision making, streamline processes, or potentially both.

If cost reduction is a primary objective for example, industry leaders will need to ensure that they have access to reliable dataJANUARY 2021

based insights. To achieve this, they may first need to invest in improving data maturity, which is likely to mean being able to quickly access agranular level of detail around what they are spending, where and with whom.

Once data maturity has been realised, the business will be better placed to make decisions about how and where to invest.

Rather than preparing a business case for investment in automation however, industry leaders should view it as a business case for investment in agility. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic and the scale of disruption caused to many OEMs and their supply chains, has underlined the importance of equipping the business to move quickly to adapt to shifting market conditions.

The response of manufacturers to the Government’s ventilator challenge highlighted the speed at which some businesses were able to pivot to adapt to new market needs. Now, with the vaccine rollout underway and many supply chains back up and running, manufacturers are keen to apply

the same agility to deliver a commercial advantage on the path to recovery. Those businesses that take action now to fix any data issues and invest in the right automation at the right time, can improve enterprise value significantly.

Some Industry 4.0 initiatives can often be accelerated without large upfront investment. For example, many initiatives are focused in areas such as performance management, operational assistance or condition-based maintenance. In the case of the latter, condition-based maintenance systems could be introduced relatively easily by retrofitting sensors to monitor the performance of large pieces of machinery or processes, thereby enabling maintenance and servicing only when needed, rather than on a periodic basis, which can deliver cost savings without risking process downtime.

If cost reduction is a primary objective for example, industry leaders will need to ensure that they have access to reliable data-based insights. To achieve this, they may first need to invest in improving data maturity, which is likely to mean being able to quickly access agranular level of detail around what they are spending, where and with whom

‘‘

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AUTOMATION | Engineering Capacity

When considering investment in automation or other Industry 4.0 programmes, industry leaders should take a strategic and planned approach, focusing on internal analysis and future state planning. For the internal analysis, it is important to have a clear understanding of the current state of manufacturing processes; what is generating value and what isn’t and where improvements can be made. For example, there may be an opportunity to drive value at the same time as enhancing customer service by exploring ways to streamline delivery operations.

Once an appropriate lever has been identified, data-based insights can be applied to accurately predict the performance contribution it could make.

In this early planning phase, it is 36

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also important to consider the impact any investment could have on people within the business and the human capital requirements.

Once the internal analysis is complete and the highest impact business KPIs are fully understood, future state planning can get underway. Industry leaders should start by exploring the tools and techniques that could bring the identified improvements. At this stage, the business should have a robust understanding of the return on investment the initiative will bring, over a defined pay-back period considering both tangible and intangible benefits. They should also consider how optimisation and continuous improvement could further enhance enterprise

value over time, often in unexpected ways due to their increased level of data maturity.

In the current climate, manufacturers that have already armed themselves with access to reliable data-based insights, are well positioned to capitalise on any opportunity and protect against future changes in demand.

For those that are yet to invest to achieve data maturity, there is always an opportunity to do so.

Making well-timed and well-informed decisions to invest in agility and get closer to the customer, will always bring lasting value.

8 vendigital.com

Alec McCullie is partner and head of digital platform at management consultancy, Vendigital JANUARY 2021

Engineering Capacity | ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Driving continuous improvement

Advances in accessibility, reliability, materials offering, and part quality have made 3D printers a powerful tool for implementing continuous improvement initiatives, writes Dave Veisz, VP Engineering at MakerBot. Continuous improvement (CI) is not a new concept. In order to create a competitive advantage, organisations should focus on making small, incremental improvements as rapidly as possible, instead of relying on large-scale changes that can be costly and disruptive to implement.

These principles have contributed to making manufacturing processes shorter, faster, more flexible and more cost-effective than ever before.

However, stripping back production processes to the bare essentials is not without its risks. Removing excess production capacity and inventory means that manufacturers are far more vulnerable to major unplanned events.

3D printing: breaking the mould It is against this challenging backdrop that 3D printing is emerging as an increasingly JANUARY 2021

important tool for implementing CI initiatives. CI is all about acting quickly and being agile in order to implement improvement, and 3D printers offer a perfect tool for rapid implementation of physical improvements. However, despite the growing number of manufacturers already using 3D printers for rapid prototyping and final part production, the technology is often under-utilised as a means of implementing CI initiatives.

This is largely due to the way the market has developed, polarised between industrial machines at one end and desktop units at the other.

Industrial-grade 3D printers have high levels of accuracy and reliability, and leverage real engineering-grade materials, but they are expensive and require a skilled technician to operate them.

Desktop models are lower in cost, but are also more prone to part defects, only support a limited range of materials, and typically require an operator with knowledge of the technology in order to achieve satisfactory results.

This has changed with the arrival of new 3D printing solutions that make industrial-grade printing accessible to a much wider range of engineers and manufacturers, while also maintaining the competitive price point and, crucially, ease-of-use of traditional desktop machines.

Empowering positive changes The biggest step change is the

speed at which CI initiatives can be implemented using 3D printers.

Traditionally, even a simple change – for example, producing a piece of tooling – would be a several step process, involving multiple people in an organisation, and often external suppliers. 3D printing changes the game. Suddenly, the individual who identified the opportunity to improve production efficiency is able to develop a solution and implement it without even leaving the shop floor.

Changing the rules With 3D printers, workers can design and print products that exactly meet the needs of the process. This is a significant leap forward compared to the current approach of ordering a standard part that most closely matches their requirements and hoping for the best. The level of customisation achievable with a 3D printer means that manufacturers are no longer constrained by many traditional design ‘rules’ and the availability of a growing range of engineeringgrade 3D printing materials is opening up opportunities to experiment with design in ways that would have been unimaginable even a short time ago.

The cost to produce customised or low-volume parts is also significantly lower when using a 3D printer compared to traditional manufacturing processes. For CI implementation, this opens up opportunities to produce bespoke factory floor tools which can www.engineeringcapacity.com

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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | Engineering Capacity significantly help improve workflow. Kitting trays are a good example of this, as they provide a useful form of fault finding, but are typically not viable to produce using traditional manufacturing processes due to cost unless purchased in high volumes.

Custom robotics solutions provider, All Axis Robotics, provides a great example of the efficiencies that can be achieved using a 3D printer to implement CI initiatives.

The company has significantly reduced the time it takes to produce custom parts, including robotic arm end effectors, and tooling since installing MakerBot METHOD 3D printers within its production facility.

Interestingly, All Axis Robotics provides turnkey custom robot solutions for other machine shops and manufacturing facilities in need of automated machine tending.

Previously, it had to rely on external suppliers to produce the parts, resulting in additional costs and long wait times. The ability to create custom solutions for customers — combined with rapid turnaround times — has helped the company to gain a competitive advantage against competitors as more manufacturing facilities upgrade new and legacy equipment.

Reducing production downtime The ability of 3D printers to produce parts rapidly and on-demand, whether tooling or end-use parts, is also helping manufacturers to stamp down on production downtime – one of the biggest sources of waste in any manufacturing facility.

This is where having an 38

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8 Advances in accessibility, reliability, materials offering and part quality have made 3D printers a powerful tool for implementing CI initiatives

accessible, in-house 3D printing capability really pays off. The ability to 3D print parts on-site and on-demand – for example in response to a part failure – ensures that manufacturers can get processes up and running in a matter of hours, compared to days or even weeks if they have to source parts externally.

Providing manufacturers with access to an increasing range of industrial-grade materials will continue to play a crucial role in supporting the adoption of 3D printing as a CI tool. As part of our MakerBot LABS materials program, we work closely with both our customers and materials partners such as Kimya, Mitsubishi Chemicals, Polymaker, BASF and Jabil, to develop materials that meet the needs of specific industries or even particular applications. This kind of material development is essential to extending the inherent benefits of

3D printing to a much wider range of factory floor applications, resulting in faster throughput, less waste and reduced wait time.

Implementing change with 3D printing Based on feedback from customers, we know that in many cases the benefit of introducing a 3D printer can be immediate, with manufacturers often able to justify the purchase of 3D printers with a single use. However, once they realise the diverse benefits that can be achieved using 3D printing, they quickly begin to identify other applications whereby the technology can be deployed to further improve existing processes, resulting in even greater workflow optimisation, cost savings and more flexible production. This enables manufacturers to safeguard business continuity and maintain a competitive advantage even in the most challenging industry environments.

8 makerbot.com JANUARY 2021

BTMA MANUFACTURING MEMBERS | DIRECTORY

ACSL Precision Engineering sales@acsleng.co.uk www.acsleng.co.uk

Currie & Warner Ltd tonyfox@curriewarner.com www.curriewarner.com

H P C Services Ltd sales@slidinghead.com www.slidinghead.com

Atkinson Engineering sales@atkinson-engineering.com www.atkinson-engineering.com

Davromatic Precision Limited sales@davromatic.co.uk www.davromatic.co.uk

Haydon Precision Turned Parts Ltd haydontool.co@btconnect.com www.haydon-precision.co.uk

Auto Turned Products (Northants) Ltd shad@autoturned.co.uk www.autoturned.co.uk

Dawson Precision Components Ltd. sales@dpc.co.uk www.dpc.co.uk

Herve Engineering Ltd sales@herve-engineering.com herve-engineering.com

Batchflow Engineering info@batchflow.co.uk www.batchflow.co.uk

Dawson Shanahan (Wales) Ltd info@dawson-shanahan.co.uk www.dawson-shanahan.co.uk

JCF Engineering Limited john.felton@jcfengineering.co.uk jcfengineering.co.uk

Cambion Electronics Ltd sales@cambion.com www.cambion.com

DKW Engineering Ltd karl@dkwengineering.co.uk www.dkwengineering.co.uk

KM Engineering sales@kmengineering.co.uk www.kmengineering.co.uk

Cambridge Precision Ltd sales@cambridgeprecision.com www.cambridgeprecision.com

Falcon Engineering Productions Ltd sales@falconengineering.co.uk

M&M Turned Parts Ltd sales@mmturnedparts.co.uk www.mmturnedparts.co.uk

CK Precision Engineering Ltd Info@ckprecisionengineeringltd.com www.ckprecisionengineeringltd.com

GS Brown (Precision Engineers) Ltd malcolm@gsbrown.com www.gsbrown.com

Machined Component Systems sales@machinedcomponent.com www.machinedcomponent.com

CTN Group Ltd charlie@ctn-group.co.uk www.CTN-GROUP.co.uk

G W Martin and Co Ltd sales@gwmartin.co.uk www.gwmartin.co.cuk

Manton Engineering (Bedford) Ltd sales@mantonengineering.co.uk www.mantonengineering.co.uk

JANUARY 2021

btma.org

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DIRECTORY | BTMA MANUFACTURING MEMBERS

MaS Precision Engineering Ltd sales@masprecision.co.uk www.masprecision.co.uk

Qualiturn Products Ltd sales@qualiturn.co.uk www.qualiturn.co.uk

Tercet Precision Ltd Alex.Burns@tercet.co.uk www.buyturnedparts.com

Muller England Limited sales@muller-england.co.uk www.muller-england.co.uk

Quantamatic info@quantamatic.co.uk www.quantamatic.co.uk

Thomas Brown Engineering Ltd info@thomasbrownengineering.co.uk www.thomas-brown-engineering.co.uk

NC Precision Ltd sales@ncprecision.com www.ncprecision.com

Rodmatic Ltd enquiry@rodmatic.com www.rodmatic.com

TKM Engineering Ltd Sales@tkmengineering.co.uk www.tkmengineering.co.uk

Neida Products Engineering Ltd sales@neida.co.uk www.neida.co.uk

Rowan Precision Limited sales@rowanprecision.co.uk www.rowanprecision.co.uk

Trust Precision Engineering Ltd info@trustprecisionengineering.co.uk www.trustprecisionengineering.co.uk

Normec (Manchester) Ltd sales@normec.co.uk www.normec.co.uk

Salcey Precision Engineering Ltd info@salceyprecision.co.uk www.salceyprecision.co.uk

Wealdpark Limited sales@wealdpark.co.uk www.wealdpark.co.uk

Plastic turned Parts Ltd sales@plasticturnedparts.co.uk www.plasticturnedparts.co.uk

Swissmatic Ltd info@swissmatic.co.uk www.swissmatic.co.uk

Wharf Engineering Ltd sales@wharf-engineering.co.uk www.wharfengineering.co.uk

Precision Component Services Ltd shane@precision-components.co.uk www.precision-components.co.uk

Techfore Turned Parts Ltd info@techfore.co.uk www.techfore.co.uk

Wilco Manufacturing Ltd sales@wilcomanufacturing.co.uk www.wilcomanufacturing.co.uk

Precision Products (Brighton) Ltd ian@precisionproducts.co.uk www.precisionproducts.co.uk

Tenable Screw Co Ltd nigel@tenable.co.uk www.tenable.co.uk

Yorkshire Precision Engineering Ltd info@ypel.co.uk www.ypel.co.uk

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btma.org

JANUARY 2021

BTMA TECHNICAL MEMBERS | DIRECTORY

Arno (UK) Limited sales@arno.de www.arno-tools.co.uk

Filtermist Systems Limited sales@filtermist.com www.filtermist.co.uk

The Amodil Group tkd@amodil.co.uk www.amodil.co.uk

Floyd Automatic Tooling Ltd sales@floydautomatic.co.uk www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Badger Anodising (Birmingham) Ltd sales@badgeranodising.co.uk www.badgeranodsing.co.uk

Bowers Group sales@bowersgroup.co.uk www.bowersgroup.co.uk

Ceratizit UK & Ireland Ltd info.uk@ceratizit.com www.ceratizit.com

Smiths Metal Centres info@smithmetal.com www.smithmetal.com

Kumi Solutions simon@kumi-solutions.com www.kumi-solutions.com

Star Micronics GB Ltd sales@stargb.com www.stargb.com

LNS Turbo sales.uk@lns-europe.com www.lns-europe.com

Stelstocks Ltd info@stelstocks.co.uk www.stelstocks.co.uk

Matsuura Machinery Ltd imichie@matsuura.co.uk www.matsuura.co.uk

Tornos Technologies UK Ltd sales_uk@tornos.com www.tornos.comk

Citizen Machinery UK sales@citizenmachinery.co.uk www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Engineering Technology Group sales@engtechgroup.com www.engtechgroup.com

JANUARY 2021

PSL Datatrack engcap@psldatatrack.com www.psldatatrack.com

Wickman Coventry Ltd o.coyne@wickman.co.uk www.wickman-group.com

Optimum Oils cliff.thrussell@optimumoils.com www.optimumoils.com

Wieland-Nemco Ltd. sales@wieland-nemco.com www.wieland-nemco.com

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Qualiturn are a very modern subcontract machining service. We offer CNC precision Turned and Milled components to your specifications and quantities. We work with all sizes of customers, offering the same service to all. Supplying various market sectors across the world.

7 Fountain Drive, Hertford, Herts, UK, SG13 7UB Tel. +44 (0) 1992 584499 www.qualiturn.co.uk

LATHES.CO.UK Lathes.co.uk store.lathes.co.uk - where Manuals, Catalogues Drive Belts Books Accessories & Spares are listed The world’s largest machine tool reference archive. Manuals, Catalogues, Books, Pictures Specifications, Technical Guides Wardlow, Tideswell, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 8RP Tel. 01298-871633 (from overseas: +44-1298-871633) from 09:00 to 23:00 UK time www.lathes.co.uk

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www.engineeringcapacity.com

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

MACHINING (5 AXIS) 8

Mini Gears is a subcontract manufacturer of machined components, gears and racks.

Winner of 17 Industry Awards, it has a global customer base, 35,000 sq. ft. facility and over 100 machines.

Top Gear House, Bletchley Road Heaton Mersey Industrial Estate Stockport SK4 3ED Tel: 0161 432 0222 www.minigears.co.uk

DAWSON PRECISION COMPONENTS Manufacturing precision machined components since 1965 Services include: CNC milling, CNC turning, turn/mill machining, sub contracted services, finishing and project management.

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

Qualiturn Products Limited

Mini Gears (Stockport) Ltd

Greenfield Lane, Shaw, Oldham, Lancashire, OL2 8QP Tel: 01706 842311

5 High quality precision machined components 5 Trusted technical support service 5 Complete and bespoke service from conception to completion 5 AS9100D & ISO 9001:2015 approved Oldfield Street, Crosland Moor Huddersfield HD4 5AJ T: 01484 548903 www.thomas-brown-engineering.co.uk

Wealdpark Ltd CNC mill-turn facility using Star sliding head lathes with bar capacity up to 32mm diameter.

Miyano and Doosan fixed head lathes with bar capacity up to 65mm.

Hurco vertical machining centre.

Sutton Road, St. Helens Merseyside WA9 3DJ Tel: 01744 22567 www.wealdpark.co.uk

dpc.co.uk REPETITION TURNED PARTS 8

MACHINE TOOL MANUALS 8

CNC PRECISION COMPONENTS 8

JFL are broach and broaching specialists with many years personal experience. We offer a comprehensive broaching service covering keyways, squares, hexagons and special forms.

Unit 2, Deethe Farm Industrial Est, Cranfield Rd, Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK17 8UR Tel: 01908 585103 www.jflbroaches.co.uk

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

JFL Broaches and Broaching

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

BROACHING 8

DIRECTORY | Engineering Capacity

Kirkham Engineering Co Ltd 13 - CNC Sliding Heads up to 1”; 14 CNC Twin Turret Fixed Heads up to 65mm; 5 - Twin Turret Twin Spindle; 5 - Twin Turret with Sub-Spindle and 4 - Twin Turret; 4 - CNC Single Turret Fixed Heads up to 6” Billet.

Centreless Grinding & T/rolling. All materials - Stainless Steel; Nickel Alloys and other exotics a speciality.

Prestwood Place, East Pimbo, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 9QE Tel: 01695 727401 www.kirkhamengineering.co.uk

JANUARY 2021

TURNING (CNC) 8 Subcontract mill turned parts up to 65mm in diameter from bar and 300mm billet work.

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year half of this In the first has committed to ing Roscomatic investment, includ More than Engineering of 1000 latest Capacity | £750,000 medium-size small to INDUSTRY ation of the axis NEWS the install (SMEs) have d manufacturers 1MSY multibeen given Miyano BNE-5 . business a centre boost turn-mill ing-based months thanks over the last ten company The Worth to a new £9.7m business machinist suppor million parts subcontract The Manufa t initiative. some 1.5 eted ches dispat Programme cturing Growth g from compl lies (MGP), funded ssemb a year – rangin European and sub-a Regional Develo by the assemblies ned castings and Fund (ERDF) pment to large machiparts – and is Economic and delivered by Growth Solutio small turned ing a record has helped achiev companies ns (EGS), 98%. currently the UK to across 13 mins to just ry rate of grow, Martello from on-time delive products and develop been cut new r complex director Joe is driven overcomemins. A furthe nent which ny Managing Keet says: the compa r Seanproduc tion ity 2.5 issues steel compo taking flexibil explains that of constant Cell Leade that ional sly previou weress stainle g ions phy of operat d us them holding by a philoso of lean manufacturin three operat reduced to a “The levels o BNE has hadback.

Thisenable has ning now developmentsupported by machialready led tominutes is in the Miyan reduce jobs, with new inute cycle. ent an additio 11 400, four-m cantly ing £1 techniques, signifi tant, nal to vestm exceed positio 359 ’ often most impornstivity.” expected to single return-on-in setters to investment and an ‘open-liaison times and be Further once -up l produc ongoinne year has s createdfrom freeing g project keeps the million a from the improve overalcomple machi are which comes y new tasks and ted.machi By thenes people strategto date on the He says the£1.6m end July, m other time for each up of grant ium of perfor existing 3-axis arising. ion of lost reducing the workforce replaced beenofmade, utions 10 alumincontrib reduct have and any issuesin tion, four family withedmoney errors We’ve company requir so that a to suppor first-off inspec reloca gottion “We invest ass. te in place andstill previouslyt anothe lot of grants He says: deliver a separa r 2200 firms parts that betwee to and we want risk of setting and the latest n and leadership nownow work in progre g operations beMarch 1MSY and which manuf automation cutting and manag logy turnin and Lorrain ion can techno of the BNE-5 s to come ge of ement, R&D, lean ityacturer le e Holmes, cycle.2019. operat and see production manufacturin it is capabforward The flexibil Chiefe me the shorta er, milling Execut how turn-milling s asthey productivity g, can take ed in oneive Officer its succes toadvant helps to overco require. Howev ofaverag that EGS, produc and capacit key is with three age explain is of would cuttingthe ed: “We are has systems and ve bonus at y, quality assista cycle pped we still need offer. nce skills we A massi part way above of single It’s never on targets tant that sly overla the we per times beenateasier, development.supply chain have set for the as the procesaneou it is so imporown engineers total cycle s isworkp proving that ourselves,tools simult quickiece and the Martin Coats, there is a rt and by to grow our ends oftacan bar up toscope of real appetit both suppor from SMEs nt suppo Operations be tailored our Director at and using e exact for time, to the through consta to maximise EGS, continu needs ofter. support that targeted business same in order the busine firms come so ed: “When diame can bar and training, help The main ss.” to them grow. 51 mm Manufa “The differen 15 kW vestment what eadcturing strategic reviewus they receive a Progra return-on-in we support and kW The fixed-h mme programme ce with our is 7.5Growth from one of was set MGMs that two-ax is that it is upwith our the void e and improve how customers.” to fill determ spindl by deliver both left manufacturin e, Manufa ines what by the o r to ed barriers are spindl Advicedary g experts we delive n to the new Miyan d in the way secon Service (MAS) understand s of 5,000 cturing support is and what the challen who y ordere In additio by tage of um speed advan providi needed to maximng companies ges access to ny has alread help them reach their are facing. special in, have the assista the compa CNC sliding head isted potenti impos revs/m nce They understand to d / super “Since Octobe al. manufacturer the langua nes. The to synch ronisehelp two Citizen grow and ge improv12-station, s centre machi L20-VIII MDs are talking highest barrier r 2016, the l for both e. Ideal for turn-mill and can guide This contro is being with 15% . nes, a Citizenfrequency them on making was ‘Contin achieve ven turrets an 18-stro d through two machi low uous Improv of clients all-dring adecisions, before the right featuring network of followed by ement’, logy) and experie LFV (LFV bringin ‘Enviro techno 2017 specialists nced manuf BER ‘Marke nment cutting on specific g in acturin SEPTEM ting and Market al’ and growth manag vibration ange M16-V will bring g issues are facing 14. ers (MGM) Knowledge’ ations to they’re or opportunities they to industr top-of-the-r (12% each). y specialists , access Citizen install looking initial stage Once the and the opportunity the total has She continu to explore.” to we then bring been completed, ed: “1000 m average grant apply for an acity.co benefic ringcap of £1400, rising iaries is just works with in an expert who maximum the manag the start. www.enginee to a to £3,500 14 ement team address these Support can . be used for 8 manufacturin issues.”

SEPTEM BER 2017 programme.c ggrowth o.uk

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