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November 2017
INDUSTRY NEWS | TURNED PARTS | AEROSPACE | COMPOSITES
INDUSTRY NEWS: Alloy partnership boosts performance
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See live demonstrations and new product launches of machine tools & tooling, electronics, factory & process automation, packaging & handling, labeling & marking, test & measurement, materials & adhesives, rapid prototyping, ICT, drives & controls and laboratory equipment. Free industry seminar programme online @ www.industrysouth.co.uk The exhibition is free to attend, free to park and easy to get to. Doors open at 9.30am on Tuesday 6th February.
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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 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 number 10567217 ISSN 0306-0179 COMING UP IN OUR JANUARY 2018 ISSUE Machined Components, Laser & Waterjet Cutting, Casting & Forging, Heavy Engineering, Additive Manufacturing, Southern Manufacturing & Electronics Preview 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
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Editor’s View Reading this issue, I was struck by how what had long seemed to be future technologies are now reality. Electric cars for example, are coming and coming fast, as various Governments around the world announce ever tighter deadlines for the phasing out of traditional internal combustion vehicles. The demand is going to be massive – VW, for example, has just announced that it is to put $12bn dollars into building electric cars in China. And, a whole raft of new materials and manufacturing technologies will supersede many of the traditional ways of making motor cars. Drive trains as we know them will be a thing of the past and new types of components will be required for lightweight structural members, electric motors and batteries. Forward thinking manufacturers are taking the lead in making sure they have a stake in this new reality. Our cover story, for example, shows how Sarginsons, which has been supplying die-castings to the automotive industry for over 80 years, is working with Brunel University to develop extremely strong, light and recyclable aluminium alloys. The company has seen a huge rise in demand for aluminium automotive components as a result of the growth in battery and hybrid vehicles in the market. And on page 20 you can read how another venerable UK manufacturer, Holroyd, which started business in 1861 making machine tools and textile machinery finding new business opportunities in electric cars. Its advanced friction stir welding machines are being used to develop novel manufacturing processes for complex and demanding components such as magnesium battery components. Worldwide, the number of electric cars on the road doubled to 2m from 2015 to 2016, and is expected to reach up to 70m by 2015. Make sure that you are in the driving seat. Andy Sandford, Editor
Pr Precision ecision Machined C Components omponents Est. 45 y years ears ISO Appr Approval oval 20 y years ears
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Contents November 2017
32 COMPOSITES
News
Features
06 Hybrid approach 90% cheaper than 3D print 06 Additive and casting combine
14 Turned Parts 06 Hydraulic parts in days 17 Machined Components 06 Building in sustainability
on stuctural components
07 Trike clearance wins business 06 MDF invests in approval for proven cleaner
09 Subcontract market up 24% 06 Electronic sector drives
22 FORMING & FABRICATION
fabrication demand
critical application JJ Churchill refines its focus
and capabilities
develop lightweight alloys 4
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Stirring stuff for electric cars Hinkley Point delivery Game of two pitches at Spurs
26 Aerospace & Defence 06 Challenging spring for
10 Electron beam solving industrial challenges 06 TWI expands its equipment 11 Cover story: Alloy partnership boosts performance 06 Sarginsons partners to
19 Forming & Fabrication 06 Cutting power at 6Kw
31 Composites 06 Composite boats for MoD
28 AEROSPACE & DEFENCE NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS The Southern Manufacturing and Electronics Show marks its 20th anniversary in 2018 with a move to a new permanent venue at Farnborough. The UK’s longest-running annual industrial technology show will be the first major exhibition to be held at the brand new £30m conference and exhibition centre at Farnborough International in Hampshire, home of the iconic airshow. The Southern Manufacturing Show moved to the Farnborough site in 2008, and over the last decade has grown to become the largest annual engineering exhibition in the UK and one of the most important international showcases for British manufacturing expertise. The 2017 show attracted around 800 exhibitors and nearly 9,000 visitors from all over the world. With approximately 22% of the UK’s 3,400 aerospace businesses and significant numbers of automotive, medical technology, marine and high-tech engineering located within a 50-mile radius of Farnborough, the show is situated at the centre
£30m new home for Southern Manufacturing
of one of the UK’s most important manufacturing regions. The new 20,000 m² purpose-built exhibition centre at Farnborough is the largest exhibition venue to be built in the UK for two decades. Show Director Phil Valentine commented, “Southern Manufacturing & Electronics' new home in Hall 1 will completely transform the exhibition experience for visitors and exhibitors alike. The new building is a superb modern facility offering
high-speed WiFi throughout, drive-in access for exhibitors and 3,500 free onsite car parking spaces. We are absolutely delighted to be the first tenants of this landmark development, and excited at the possibilities it offers us for further development as we enter our third decade.” Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2018 opens from February 6th to 8th. Admission to the show is free. 8 industrysouth.co.uk
Dawson Shanahan joins SMMT Precision engineering specialist and automotive components supplier Dawson Shanahan has become a member of the automotive trade association the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The Welshpool-based firm has been supplying precision
NOVEMBER 2017
engineering components to automotive manufacturers around the world for the better part of a century. It brings to the SMMT its expertise in precision cold forming and machining of components for engines, chassis and drivetrains. Jeff Kiernan, Dawson Shanahan’s Commercial Director, said: “SMMT
is the voice of the UK motor industry, supporting and promoting its members’ interests, at home and abroad, to government, stakeholders and the media. Given our vast experience in the automotive sector it’s fitting that we’re a member.” 8 dawson-shanahan.co.uk
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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity 3D printing and engineering specialist 3Dealise has worked with Arup to trial new production methods for structural components that are 90% cheaper than 3D metal printing. Engineering firm Arup (famous for the Sydney Opera House and many more global landmarks) has been pushing the boundaries of alternative production techniques for the building sector, with a focus on generative design and 3D printing metal. Generative design is a computational design approach that generates lightweight but highly complex structures. When Arup published details of a 3D-printed steel structural node it generated major interest – the node forms part of a larger structure with 1600 nodes of 1200 individually different shapes. Despite the potential of 3D metal printing for Arup, the concept was not easy to implement in the construction sector. Printer build chambers are small, production speed is slow for 1600 pieces, costs are high, and perhaps the biggest hurdle is regulation: construction safety standards do not yet allow for 3D metal printed parts in critical locations. 3Dealise worked with Arup to
Overall the production was 90% cheaper than 3D metal printing and regulatory approval is straightforward. Because of material savings the production method for the entire construction is also more sustainable
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Hybrid approach 90% cheaper than 3D print
trial a hybrid production method for generative designs, using both 3D printing and traditional technology. 3Dealise used an industrial 3D sand printer to print a sand mould, and then worked with a foundry to produce a casting. This approach combines benefits of 3D printing such as design freedom, short lead time and digital accuracy, with the benefits of traditional technology, such as
capacity to produce large products and pre-approval by regulations. Due to the complexity of the generative design of the node, conventional approaches to sand mould design would not work. Therefore, 3Dealise invented an entirely new approach to mould design. As a consequence, process changes across the production stages had to be developed and implemented as well. Together Arup and 3Dealise demonstrated that hybrid 3D printing is technically and economically feasible for generative designs. The generative design gave a weight reduction of 75% compared to traditional designs and the lead time for 1600 nodes was just a matter of weeks, which is much faster than 3D metal printing. Overall the production was 90% cheaper than 3D metal printing and regulatory approval is NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS straightforward. Because of material savings the production method for the entire construction is also more sustainable. Salomé Galjaard of Arup said: “An interesting shift is taking place; whereas the focus initially has been on printing final products, 3D-printing is being applied in an earlier phase in the production process. The aim is to make the most of the freedom-of-form opportunities of
3D-printing without the limitations which are now still considered with production.” 3Dealise CEO Roland Stapper added: “This project highlights two key points: First, this hybrid 3D printing approach is feasible both technically and economically for production of generative designs in the building industry. And there are no regulatory hurdles, so there is really nothing stopping the application
on a large scale in the sector. “Second, this technology has a huge cost advantage over direct 3D metal printing, particularly for larger products. 3D printing is often associated with relatively small products, but the benefits of 3D printing are also cost-effectively available for a whole class of larger and heavier metal products in critical loadbearing positions.” 8 3dealise.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity
Trike clearance wins business Black Country metal finishing specialist Midland Deburr & Finish (MDF) is enjoying strong growth after receiving clearance to use a highly-effective – but restricted – industrial degreaser. Trichlorethylene (TRI) – also known as Trike – is an industrial solvent metal degreaser. Its use is restricted under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) guidelines; meaning that companies can only use this material if an authorisation is in place for its specific use. The REACH process set a sunset date of April 2016 for the use of TRI, effectively banning its use for all other non-authorised applications. During the REACH process, MDF underwent tough scrutiny including an analysis of alternatives, risk management measures and now adopts the
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We wanted to continue offering our customers the best service and decided to invest in up to date technology to ensure we are REACH-compliant
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COMPLEASE Chemical Leasing programme. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) gave a FINAL recommendation to the EC of a 7-year review period based on these conditions. Following substantial investment, Stourbridge-based MDF will utilise the authorisation that was applied for by its supplier SAFECHEM Europe. The TRI degreasing process at MDF is conducted in hermetically sealed machines, which feature spray and immersion as well as vapour degreasing. Pivot, rotation, ultrasonics and filtration down to 100 Micron particle size are
also available as processing options. The top loading facilities enable large, heavy and complex components to be processed up to 1500mm long, as well as components down to 1mm diameter. Batch sizes from one to many thousands. MDF clean a wide range of automotive components and general engineered ferrous and non-ferrous components including presswork, machined parts and bearings. Chris Arrowsmith, managing director, MDF, said: “The new legislation forced many companies to scrap their old open-top’ solvent degreasers but not everyone has invested in the new, sealed equipment. “We wanted to continue offering our customers the best service and decided to invest in up to date technology to ensure we are REACH-compliant. As a result, our levels of degreasing business have increased dramatically as we are able to offer industry the option of subcontracting work as opposed to them having to invest heavily in their own plant. The continuity of the repeat process and the degreasing quality is guaranteed.” It is determined to be an exemplar of best practice and is therefore offering free advice on the use of TRI degreasing and how used properly, the process can be the most efficient way of degreasing parts. 8 midlanddeburrandfinish.co.uk NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS
More moulding capacity
Subcontract market up 24% Demand for fabrication work from the electronics sector pushed the subcontract manufacturing market up 24% in Q3 The latest Qimtek Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI), which measures the value of contract and subcontract manufacturing orders placed in the market, was 215 for the third quarter of this year compared to 174 for the previous three months. Compared to the third quarter of 2016 the market was up over 40% from a CMI figure of 153. The base line CMI figure of 100 represents the average value of the subcontracting market during 2014. 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. This represents a sample of over 4,000 companies who could be placing business NOVEMBER 2017
that together have a purchasing budget of more than £3bn and a supplier base of over 7,000 companies with a verified turnover of over £25bn. Looking at the figures on a process-by-process basis, the strongest growth was in fabrication and sheet-metal work which was up by 50% on the second quarter of 2017 and up 62% on the third quarter of 2016. The main driver for this was demand from the electronics industry. Machining was up by a more modest 3% on the previous quarter, although still up 28% on the previous year. Other processes, which include contract electronics manufacture and plastic moulding, were up 5% on the previous quarter but down 2% on a strong third quarter in 2016. Overall fabrication orders made up 52% of the market, with machining on 40% and other processes on 8%. 8 qimtek.co.uk
Prototype, production tooling and plastic injection moulding company, RP Technologies has invested over £100,000 in its injection moulding capacity. The Kingswinford-based company has purchased two Borche injection moulders – a 200-tonne and a 320-tonne machine to boost its production fleet. This is the company’s second tranche of investment this year, it earlier purchased a 120-tonne injection moulding machine and an additional Hurco CNC machining centre. It has also opened a Sales Office in Germany. RP Technologies says it plans further investment later this year with the purchase of additional CNC machining centres. It also plans to employ additional engineering and manufacturing staff. 8 rptechnologies.co.uk
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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity New equipment and capabilities in TWI’s Electron Beam (EB) welding and processing facilities offer more versatile high and low power machines for development and low volume subcontracting. 2017 has seen 200mm thick pressure vessel steel welded with support from Innovate UK and TWI Members, and thin 0.7mm demonstrator valves in stainless steel welded and tested for the European Space Agency, alongside a wide range of other materials and applications. Innovate UK funding is underpinning a deeper investigation of TWI proprietary surface engineering technology, Surfi-Sculpt®, for orthopaedics implant developments, and also of the largest known local vacuum EB site deployment - welding a 50 tonne nuclear pressure vessel at Sheffield Forgemasters. 2018 to 2020 is set to see further investment in additive manufacturing, with the welding equipment used increasingly for high deposition rate EB wire-fed additive, as TWI works to enable UK capability for upscaling and industrial testing in this field with d
ite
d re cc
ow
Electron beam solving industrial challenges
support from its Core Research Programme. TWI has a wealth of experience and knowledge of depositing titanium, nickel and similar alloys with the main interests for aerospace and power generation. After over 50 years of service, meeting advanced user demands remains a driver for TWI’s EB team, leading to development of equipment solutions for
to
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FM10101
Manufacturers of High Quality Mill-Turned Parts
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challenging applications – including plasma electron sources for long life and novel laser excited diode EB sources. Tools from TWI for industrial deployment, such as BeamAssureTM, give confidence in equipment performance and consistency through ‘finger printing’ the beam at full welding power, alongside each use. The Cambridge facility is also able to support Industrial Members by bridging supply chain gaps. It caters for complexity with oversized and reconfigurable machines as well as specialist materials knowledge in conjunction with a range of assessment techniques and technologies. Where appropriate, this allows it to take on low volume projects which are often undesirable for the commercial jobbing community. 8 twi-global.com NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS Lightweight casting company Sarginsons Industries has seen major growth this year in high performance cast aluminium alloys for the automotive and rail industries. The company has been working in partnership with the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) to develop new lightweight aluminium alloys that are as strong as steel and totally recyclable. Sales are on track to grow yearon-year sales by 30 per cent to £7.5 million by the end of 2017 and profits are up too. The partnership with BCAST – an academic research centre on the campus of Brunel University London and global leader in metallurgical casting research – is under the Lightweight Energy Absorbing Aluminium Structures for Transport (LEAAST) project. Sarginsons is also a key Industrial Partner at the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Liquid Metal Engineering (LiME) based at Brunel University in collaboration with the University of Oxford, University of Leeds, University of Manchester and Imperial College London. As partner the firm provides leadership and guidance to the leading academic institutes with SMEs’ requirements and strategic direction. The company has also invested heavily in new equipment and energy efficiency measures and is set to invest £500,000 in further upgrades by 2018. Anthony Evans, managing director at Sarginsons, said: NOVEMBER 2017
Alloy partnership boosts performance “We’re extremely pleased to announce strong performance figures for the year to date. “We’ve seen a huge rise in the demand for aluminium components in the global automotive industry and that is a major factor in our ongoing success. “This year we’ve seen a major spike in new enquiries from tier one suppliers across Europe, which is further evidence the automotive industry in the UK remains buoyant, despite the ongoing Brexit uncertainty. “Manufacturers are now increasingly designing for the use of aluminium, whereas in the past they were looking to replace steel with aluminium to lightweight. “The growth in battery and hybrid
vehicles in the market is central to this, as delivering fully sustainable and high ductility components is critical for providing the automotive industry lightweighting options to counter battery and hybrid vehicle base loads. “The demand we’re seeing, and trends in the market, is very much pointing towards the use of aluminium continuing to grow and we’re pleased to say is providing companies like Sarginsons with massive opportunities.” Sarginsons has been at the forefront of diecasting for 80 years and is one of the few European companies to offer low pressure diecasting, sandcasting and gravity diecasting in a single foundry. 8 sarginsons.com www.engineeringcapacity.com
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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity The Quality Management System at metal injection moulding (MIM) specialist CMG Technologies has been certified to the revised, internationally recognised ISO 9001:2015 standard. Rachel Garrett, managing director, said: “Companies were given a three-year period in which to transition to the new standard but we decided to apply for it as soon as possible because we want our customers to be assured that we are fully certified to the updated standard. “We facilitate the entire MIM process in house, here in the UK, from the tool design and build, to compounding the feedstock, through to the final sintering stage. “This tight control at all stages allows us to manage the consistency and dimensional repeatability of the parts we produce enabling us to supply components of unrivalled quality to many sectors and maintain full certification to ISO 9001:2015.
Quality seal for MIM
“Changes introduced in the 2015 revision are intended to ensure that ISO 9001 continues to adapt to the different environments in which companies such as ourselves operate and we are delighted that we are one of
the first companies to be formally certified to the new standard due to the strength of our system and operation,” she added. CMG Technologies is an internationally renowned specialist in Metal Injection Moulding (MIM), providing injection moulded components to the medical, aerospace, automotive and industrial sectors since the late 1990s Rachel adds: “Our team of senior engineers has more than 25 years of experience in developing MIM, enabling CMG Technologies to become technical leaders in our field as the UK’s leading MIM producer and this certification means our customers can continue to be assured that we have this official stamp of approval for the way we manage our systems.” 8 cmgtechnologies.co.uk
Metaltech joins Wallwork Group
MGS invests over £1m
Consett, County Durham based Metaltech Ltd is to join the Wallwork Group. Both companies specialise in the thermal processing and coating of metals for the aerospace, automotive, medical device and precision engineering sectors. As well as strengthening the geographical reach for Wallwork, the business extends processes such as the induction hardening of metals and adds new processes including Xylan Flouropolymer Coatings, Molybdenum Disulphide dry film lubricants and Phosphate Coating. It also brings extra capacity to the company’s Plasma Nitriding and Plasox services. Wallwork plans to invest in the Metaltech site and will base some of its transport operation there. 9 wallworkht.com
By expanding its headquarters and purchasing five new moulding machines, Blackburn-based MGS Technical Plastics has invested more than £1m in improving its facilities over the last year. MGS's equipment purchases include a newly installed and commissioned central feed system, which handles higher volume polymer throughput demands, as well as five new Sumitomo Demag injection moulding machines.The new 50, 160, 210 and 410 tonne moulding machines are suitable for high end mass production and are all equipped with robotics to aid automation. MGS now has 20 machines ranging from 35 to 800 tonne. The company supplies plastic injection mouldings to customers in markets including medical, hygiene, security, safety, and electronics. 9 mgsplastics.co.uk
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NOVEMBER 2017
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
Ian Joesbury joins procurement consultancy Vendigital to strengthen its team of sector specialists. With over 20 years’ experience in aerospace and defence, he is a vice president of the IMechE and a director of Advanced Laser Technology Ltd.
Kev Thompson has been appointed by ECS Engineering Services as Fabrication Contracts Manager of its steel fabrications operations. He has 20 years’ experience in contracts and project management and will join an expanding steel fabrication projects team.
Distributors for Italian machine tools The company is located in the north East of Italy and specialized in the production of machine tools and equipment for reconditioning of braking and clutch components. Reference: JV1180 Closing Date: 23/12/2017 Greece - engineering simulation A Greek SME offers a simulation package based on Boundary Element Method (BEM). The simulation package can solve complex engineering problems, covering a wide area of applications, previously not feasible or very costly with other competitive methods. Reference: JV1182 Closing Date: 06/01/2018 Mexico - Industrial metal cutting machines A company with over 25 years' experience in representing industrial machinery wants metal cutting machines Reference: 30191 Deadline: 15/01/2018
Allan Leighton former CEO of Asda and NonExecutive Chairman of the Royal Mail, is joining Element Materials Technology as Chairman following its recent merger with Exova Group. Mr. Leighton has had highprofile roles for major corporations in the food retail, FMCG and communications sectors. NOVEMBER 2017
Brian Valentine joins RED Engineering as a business developer to oversee the expansion of its specialist test services business. He will be targeting customers in core offshore oil and gas, renewables and nuclear decommissioning sectors and aiming to take the firm into new areas.
Mexico - Forging presses and tools A company with over 25 years' experience in representing industrial machinery wants forging presses, tools, and stamping tools Reference: 30218 Deadline: 29/03/2018 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.
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TURNED PARTS | Engineering Capacity
Hydraulic parts in days not weeks Following the installation of a Miyano mill-turn centre, Machine Tech Engineering (MTE) has cut production lead times on batches of hydraulic bodies from four weeks to five days. MTE was originally founded by brothers Stewart and Warren May in 2002. The latest Miyano BNE51MSY multi-axis mill-turn centre joins seven other machines supplied by Citizen at it Wednesbury site. With recent Citizen CNC sliding head installations, MTE had already benefitted from significant
business increases and improvements in productivity from the ability to combine operations into single cycles making some second operation machines and equipment redundant. The current customer base covers automotive related work including manufacture of special tools and spares for out of production classic vehicles, hydraulics, security, special fasteners, injection moulders petrochemical and medical sectors. As a result, materials processed include, carbon and
stainless steels, brass, Tufnol and phosphor bronze. Batch sizes on the Miyano, are between 100 and 300 while each Citizen has varying batch sizes between 500 and 60,000. Most repeat orders involve machining for controlled stock holding which can extend the run time between settings and enables a fast response to customer delivery. The 8-axis Miyano BNE-51MSY with IEMCA Kid 80 bar feed has created a massive advantage in lead time reduction for MTE due to the ability to overlap in a cycle and
Fastening on to productivity
L32-VIII and L20-VIII machines earlier this year. Marketing Director Melvin White said: “We are in a very competitive market and it is important to maintain our production capability for both UK and overseas customers.” The company also recently installed a close temperature endothermic atmosphere computer controlled heat treatment facility. Mr White says that lights out techniques contribute to the firm’s
improved levels of productivity. Since its foundation in 1971, NSSS has developed a fully selfcontained fastener manufacturing operation that employs 90 people. In addition to its stockist business, the company produces a wide range of special fasteners including prototypes for customers which range in size from M1.4. These are produced from a wide range of materials including alloy, stainless steels and higher strength duplex. Parts are produced from up to 32 mm diameter bar on the Citizen Cincom machines with additional turning capacity available up to 64 mm diameter as well as operating five two-blow hot forge presses. 8 nssocketscrews.com
Specialist fastener manufacturer and stockist, Non Standard Socket Screw (NSSS) has put in four Citizen CNC sliding head turn-mill centres to maintain its competitive position. The new machines not only increase productivity through additional ‘lights-out’ operation, but also give improvements to quality and most important, consistency of production, especially in more difficult to machine materials. The most recent £400k investment in a Cincom L20-VIII and a smaller capacity L12-VII follows the installation of Citizen Cincom
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Engineering Capacity | TURNED PARTS cut with up to three tools simultaneously. The machine has two 12-station driven turrets one with three axes, the other with two that can service either or both spindles at the same time. In producing the hydraulic body out of 38 mm bar, a 22mm spade drill is used to a depth of 57 mm, then using a special flat bottom tool a face and corner relief is created at the bottom of the bore prior to final boring to 0.03 mm
size. A further bore is then drilled and reamed 11.9 diameter to 0.03 mm tolerance by 76 mm deep and the initial bore threaded 1� x 20 TPI Whitworth by 8 mm deep. The OD is then turned and threaded 11/2� x 16 TPI Whitworth over 100 mm length. The part is then taken by the 3-axis secondary spindle, faced and a 30 mm A/F hexagon milled by 20 mm long and a 6mm shoulder created which is straight
knurled. A through bore is then drilled to break into the 11.9 mm bore which is then tapped 7/16� x 20 TPI UNF by 26 mm deep. Such are the productivity gains with the new machine at MTE that both directors are now reviewing other fixed head operations and especially the on-cost of the additional secondary machining tasks which could be dropped into single hit cycles 8 machinetechengineering.co.uk
Wealdpark Limited Stand number 5126
Subcontract Capacity #.# MILL TURN FACILITIES USING SLIDING AND FIXED HEAD LATHES WITH BAR CAPACITY UP TO MM DIAMETER -IYANO FIXED HEAD LATHES WITH BAR CAPACITY UP TO MM DIAMETER (URCO VERTICAL MACHING CENTRE 03, $ATATRACK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
BS EN ISO 9001:2008. Approved by BSI since 1991.
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
NOVEMBER 2017
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TURNED PARTS | Engineering Capacity Derbyshire subcontractor HPC services has invested in a sliding head machine with special low frequency vibration technology to speed the machining of difficult materials. The Citizen Cincom L20-VIIILFV turn-mill centre from Citizen Machinery UK, incorporating Low Frequency Vibration (LFV) machining technology will give the business a lead in the market by revolutionising the production of materials such as 321 corrosion resistant and 416 chromium steel alloy stainless steels and plastics type materials, says the Managing Director of HPC Paul Cobb. He said: “This machine will enable us to competitively quote on new work which we would normally decline and will give us additional capacity as we build up production on our in-house developed water-based fire suppression system.” HPC currently has 10 Citizen Cincom machines installed, with the last Cincom L12-VII ordered from the Citizen Machinery stand at MACH 2016. This is currently producing components as part of a 40,000 a year contract. A plastic
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Turning to high technology
tube, 110 mm in length is turned and a hole produced through its length to a concentricity tolerance of 0.05 mm TIR. Said Mr Cobb: “So productive is the machine that we have reduced our cycle time from over a minute to just 12 secs.” Such is the advantage of the technology breakthrough in production machining of the Citizen patented LFV process, that is already achieving considerable success across Citizen Cincom CNC sliding head turn-mill centres. The patented LFV process enables selected operational sequences to be programmed at
the machine control to control the size of chip. LFV is now being used to transform production over a wide range of material types from plastics, aluminium and copper to high tensile stainless and other high grade steels. The ability for the operator to control the size of chip produced eliminates problems such as ‘birdnesting’, improves depth-of-cut and surface finish, delays the onset of built-up edge on tooling and dramatically aids the management of swarf. It can be applied to turning, profiling, facing, taper and interrupted cutting sequences plus drilling and even thread cutting. Mr Cobb said: “Swarf control is a bugbear on certain materials and needs constant attention to prevent birds-nesting and swarf being picked-up with the part as it is transferred to the sub-spindle of the machine. On some highly critical workpieces we even have to allow for a grinding operation to remove marks caused by swarf. This is where LFV will transform our operations.” 8 slidinghead.com NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | MACHINED COMPONENTS Precision machined component specialist APT has developed a long-term strategy in its aim to build an environmentally sustainable business. The company tries to constantly find creative ways to reduce its impact on the global carbon footprint, from the swarf created by production processes to reusing the packaging used for finished components. The company says: “It makes sense for us not to waste precious virgin resources. We have developed a long-term strategy to recycle and reuse as much waste material as possible. It benefits the company both environmentally and economically. At APT, we are proud to say that 100% of our waste metal, both ferrous and non-ferrous, is recycled. All our scrap metal is turned into high quality secondary raw materials.” Recycling metal not only preserves rapidly depleting natural materials, but has other important environmental benefits too. According to EU figures, using recycled raw materials, including metals, reduces CO2 emissions by 200 million tonnes annually. Producing new steel from recycled scrap, instead of primary materials, can reduce water use by 40%, water pollution by 76% and air pollution by 86%. APT partners with Vellums Metals, a specialist in scrap metal recycling, based locally to the company in Coalville, Leicestershire. Using a nearby provider reduces carbon emissions further, cuts waste transport costs and improves efficiency. NOVEMBER 2017
Building sustainability into machined components
The metal swarf is centrifugally cleaned of oil and residue before it leaves the premises. This ‘dries’ the metal for transportation, and gives APT the opportunity to reuse the extracted oil. Using an on-site Alfa Laval separator, the oil is cleaned to remove all the fine particles collected during the machining process. Using a combination of water and high speeds, the machine separates the purified liquid and discards the contaminants as sludge. The oil is then ready to be reused on APT’s fixed head and sliding head lathes.
The company doesn’t recycle its plastic scrap from its manufacturing process at the moment, it is contaminated by oil and coolant that cannot be extracted. However, it has a general policy that all other plastics (bottles, containers, cups etc.) are separated to be recycled where possible. The company’s Managing Director, Angela Whitmore, leads by example. If it can be recycled or reused, it will be, and she expects everyone at APT to do the same. All paper and cardboard are also recycled. Even confidential paperwork is securely shredded and donated to a local animal charity to be used as bedding. Striving for environmental sustainability should have social benefits too says APT: “Our ethos is that every action helps, no matter how small.” Packaging for finished components is either fully recyclable or reusable. With such a range of sizes and shapes, it has found innovative ways to pack products securely and deliver them in perfect condition. It uses egg boxes, cardboard and plastic boxes, to name a few, and encourages customers to return them for reuse where possible. But, says the company: “There is always more that can be done and at APT we are constantly looking for new ways to reduce any negative impact on the environment.” 8 aptleicester.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com
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MACHINED COMPONENTS | Engineering Capacity Following significant growth in its business, Cutting Edge Precision invested in a PSL Datatrack production control system to ensure that it could provide the administrative support required to provide a smooth service to this expanded customer base, CE Precision's expanding client base, served from the company's Cambridgeshire headquarters, covers a range of markets from telecoms, special purpose machinery to gas and fluid control, medical equipment and automated welding machinery. Production of parts and assemblies in various quantities and materials is supported by a range of subcontract processes such as plating and painting, carried out by established partner companies. It became apparent that whilst the capacity of the company's machines and equipment could deal with the challenge, its business administration spreadsheets were coming under considerable strain. Although they had worked for quite some time, there were many flaws. Not only were they very labour intensive to maintain, but the time taken to use and locate required information on any aspect of a customer's order was unacceptable. Stuart Dunklin, Managing Director, recalls: “The greatest problem was that order and customer documentation was not linked in any way, resulting in information being frequently replicated, wasting a great deal of time and causing frustration. It was also proving difficult to delegate tasks.” Stuart had been thinking for 18
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Production control at the cutting edge some time that the company needed a production control system that was user friendly and purpose designed for subcontract precision engineering. An industry colleague, who had been using PSL Datatrack for over 20 years, recommended the software. Remote installation of the PSL Datatrack software and implementation was carried out in phases to allow Stuart to carry on running the business while it was installed. CE Precision wanted the PSL Datatrack system for managing the generation of customer quotations, recording material purchases, managing stock control, providing traceability and generating high quality supplier/customer documentation that looked professional and reflected CE Precision's quality. “Installing the
PSL Datatrack software was a move that I felt would help show our professionalism and assist in moving forward as a business.” says Stuart. Since its installation, PSL Datatrack has had a significant impact on day to day production management. Stuart recognises that the system has not only freed up his time, but has also made individual customer orders easier to process and information more readily available to everyone who needs it. He concluded: “Most importantly our customers are thrilled to see us moving forward and feel more confident in our ability to provide concise, accurate and professional documentation and to keep track of exactly what’s happening with their orders.” 8 psldatatrack.com NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | FORMING & FABRICATION
ICEE boosts cutting power to 6Kw Manufacturing services company ICEE has ramped up its fibre laser cutting power to 6Kw, allowing it to cut thicker materials than before at a faster rate of throughput. The company has also introduced higher-level automation in its materials handling and it sees the investments as helping it attract new business from existing and prospective customers in a wide range of industry sectors. The 6Kw upgrade replaces the original 2kW laser power source on ICEE’s Bystronic Fibre 3015 fibre laser cutting machine. Additionally, an automated laser cutting head changer has been purchased from the Swiss machine tool maker, to work together with the existing Bystronic ByTrans robotic materials loader fitted to the machine. This integrated, CNC-driven combination now enables a number of different jobs, of different materials and thicknesses, to be stacked onto the machine and left to be cut quickly and automatically, without supervision, day and night. “Fitting a 6kW laser and adding more materials handling automation means we will be able to cut not only thicker materials, but also do it rapidly with just as much precision as before, reducing delivery times, whilst maintaining high quality production throughput at least cost,” says Paul Harris, ICEE’s Managing Director. NOVEMBER 2017
“Not only can we already profile parts from thin sheet and light gauge plate, but now we can also swiftly and accurately cut a variety of materials up to 30mm thick, such as stainless steel and aluminium plate, and other ferrous and nonferrous stock. The bottom line is it makes us far more competitive, flexible and productive.” The thicker materials are mainly mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium, brass and copper, at dimensions up to, respectively, 25mm, 30mm, 30mm, 15mm, and 12mm thick. Other materials and thicknesses may also be profiled and ICEE will advise on this. The Bystronic machine bed will take sheet or plate measuring up to a maximum of 3.0 by 1.5 metres. “ICEE’s new fibre laser capability is a perfect complement to our waterjet cutting service,” says Paul Harris. “Although slower, the latter is a cold process able to cut both thin and very thick materials, so waterjet cutting offers features and benefits that may be better suited to a customer’s particular requirements or constraints. The
advantage is we offer customers both cutting process options, all under one roof.” Besides fibre laser and waterjet cutting ICEE is able to make not only simple or complicated parts but also offer a complete turnkey manufacturing service that encompasses many other essential processes, including rapid prototyping. This includes bending, fabrication and assembly, fettling, finishing and testing, and if required, stockholding and warehousing, installation and ongoing life-time maintenance. ICEE’s latest investment is part of its lean, continual improvement business policy aimed at meeting customers’ requirements for faster delivery at the highest quality and least cost. It adds more automation, in turn designed to raise efficiency, throughput and productivity. Typically, its customers come from the aerospace, building and construction, medical, shipbuilding or marine, and other sectors. 8 icee.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com
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FORMING & FABRICATION | Engineering Capacity As sales of hybrid and all-electric cars continue to gain momentum, UK-based PTG Heavy Industries is applying friction stir welding knowhow to help automotive OEMs. The process, which PTG also offers on a subcontract basis, can address some of the key challenges associated with the manufacture of electric-powered vehicles. “Longer battery life and reduced vehicle weight through the greater use of plastics and aluminium panels, are well known objectives for electric car makers,” comments PTG Heavy Industries’ Applications Manager, Peter Jowett. “However, the development of electric cars has brought other less-well-known challenges for vehicle manufacturers,” he continues. “For example, how do they fabricate lightweight, robust and aesthetically sealed battery housings efficiently – particularly when the heat generated by traditional welding techniques could so easily damage the highly sensitive electrical components that the housings contain? With our considerable expertise in friction stir welding, we are providing automotive OEMs with highly viable manufacturing solutions for attery housings, solutions which involve no surface finishing and remove the risk of heat damage to delicate components.” As manufacturers of the Powerstir range of friction stir welders, PTG Heavy Industries is an acknowledged leader in this innovative means of jointing metals. Working with magnesium alloys of 3mm – 5mm in 20
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Stirring stuff for electric car OEMs
Longer battery life and reduced vehicle weight through the greater use of plastics and aluminium panels, are well known objectives for electric car makers
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thickness, and to tolerances of typically 50 microns, the company is currently assisting automotive OEMs in the production of vehicle battery trays, associated electronics boxes and coolant units, by using its 2D friction stir welding techniques. Using industry standard CNC systems, fitted with PTG Powerstir friction stir welding software, data-logging and multi-axis interpolation, 2D welding can be carried out on accurate tool paths, together with force control to create consistent welded seams. “Our work to-date, involving the production of automotive battery enclosures using friction stir welding techniques, is exciting
and is providing novel opportunities for vehicle design engineers to achieve both light weight and structural rigidity in electronics units that benefit from superior high-strength welded joints,” adds Peter Jowett. Since their launch, Powerstir machines have attracted considerable interest from organisations seeking an innovative way of creating superior high-strength welded joints. Used primarily for jointing aluminium, magnesium, copper, titanium, steel, lead and zinc, the Powerstir friction stir welding process provides a clean, highly aesthetic alternative to traditional welding. It delivers proven weld quality, excellent mechanical properties, virtually no porosity and the opportunity for reduced wall thickness in many applications. Patented by TWI (The Welding Institute), friction stir welding is a unique and innovative means of jointing metals. The process combines frictional heat with precisely controlled forging pressure to produce extremely high-strength joints that are virtually defect free. Friction stir welding transforms the parent metal from a solid to a plasticised state. This occurs during a process that involves mechanically stirring the materials together to form a high-integrity, full-penetration welded joint. 8 holroyd.com NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | FORMING & FABRICATION A major recruitment drive is underway at Rotherham-based MTL Advanced, following a multimillion-pound order from a rail sector OEM for complex safety critical aluminium fabrications. Over 30 new welding/fabrication, CNC machining, press-braking and painting jobs are being created following a 100% increase in staff numbers over the past 24 months. The contract will run for several years and the aluminium parts will ultimately be used as part of the major UK Crossrail project, bringing a new railway line to central London. The fabrications will form part of the main structure of the train and are being manufactured at MTL’s 13-hectare facility in South
MTL recruits for massive rail contract Yorkshire, fully compliant to the company’s recent BS EN 15085 Class 2 and BS EN 3834 Class 2 rail welding accreditations. Karl Stewart, Commercial Director at MTL Advanced, said: “We won this contract based on our manufacturing capabilities and our commitment to quality and delivery. “The business is expanding, and we have increased staff numbers from 130 to over 250 since 2015, which is expected to reach 300 by 2018. This is an exciting time for us, the UK’s manufacturing industry and the surrounding area
as we continue to boost local job creation.” The growth at MTL is supported by a number of long term contract wins in prolific industries such as defence, recycling and construction. The company has also recently taken on 8 engineering apprentices and is looking to increase this to 20, as part of a five-year program which is designed to provide individuals in the area with the skills and qualifications required to carve out a successful career in engineering. 8 mtladv.com
High quality manufacturing services for a range of industries Including: 5 Design for manufacturing 5 Fabrication including 5 2D and 3D waterjet cutting 5 Fibre laser cutting 5 Welding 5 Metal forming, coating and assembly
Plus, where required, a range of related services including warehousing, installation, commissioning, life-time maintenance and decommissioning ICEE will process ferrous, non-ferrous and exotic metals, plastics, composites and stone materials Stuart Hendry, ICEE Managed Services Ltd 20 Arnside Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 7UP Tel: 023 9223 0604 Email: stuart.hendry@icee.co.uk Web: www.icee.co.uk/
NOVEMBER 2017
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FORMING & FABRICATION | Engineering Capacity Following a management buy-in a year ago, Pressmark Pressings has secured new contracts worth £2m for Honda and Nissan components. Pressmark Pressings, which provides high volume components for automotive manufacturers was bought by management team Alan Gardner, John Nollett and Les Wilkins in July last year after they spotted an opportunity to turn around one of the sector’s most under recognised businesses. Backed by their own cash injection and funding from ABN AMRO and Cambridge and Counties Bank, the trio have used their knowledge and contacts to put in place a number of new processes that has seen it secure more than £2m of additional contracts to supply pressed parts and subassemblies that will be used in new models for Honda and Nissan. The Atherstone-based company has already won ‘aftermarket’ work from new customers and is currently exploring a number of projects for new products from tooling design to volume production. “We had seen the potential in Pressmark for a while, but by the time we had managed to put together the MBI the company was
We had seen the potential in Pressmark for a while, but by the time we had managed to put together the MBI the company was struggling commercially and had just lost 25% of its sales due to the end of a contract
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Pressmark MBI boosts auto contracts struggling commercially and had just lost 25% of its sales due to the end of a contract,” explained John Nollett, Chief Executive and who is currently President of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. “This didn’t really phase us. Between myself, Les and Alan we knew we had the operational and financial knowledge to make the business more productive quickly and we had already recognised the potential to grow through the addition of new contracts in automotive, as well as other sectors.” He continued: “The first six months was all about engaging with the workforce, putting in place the platform to operate efficiently and selling the vision to existing and new customers. We managed to break even by December and the first half of this year has been about growing
sales…it’s been an exciting first year in charge.” Established in 1972, Pressmark Pressings is a specialist in high quality metal pressings and resistance welded assemblies, traditionally supplying white goods and automotive although the order book is now growing to encompass industrial products and construction. On its current site in Carylon Road, the firm has 26 large bed presses, ranging from 150 to 1200 tonnes allowing for the production of different size products in both standard metals and exotic alloys. The company, which has created over 25 full time jobs since the MBI, also boasts a strong production engineering capability, working with customers on tooling design to ensure components are produced efficiently and cost effectively. 8 pressmark.co.uk NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | FORMING & FABRICATION
Hinkley Point C jetty delivery Blackhill Engineering has delivered the final 8.5 tonne steel pile cap under its largest contract to date – manufacturing steel fabrications for the Hinkley Point C jetty development at Bridgwater Bay. Blackhill is part of Devon headquartered engineering services company, SC Group, and the contract was the group’s first as part of the local HPC supply chain. The Exeter based heavy engineering subcontractor has a unique 50 tonne lifting capability in the South West of England, which helped secure the contract. This is the company’s largest ever project in terms of tonnage involving over 650 tonnes of steel. Blackhill fabricated the 30 steel caps required for the piles supporting the top of the jetty and the 48 steel bridge beams spanning the piles, some measuring up to 14 metres long. The temporary jetty, which will extend 500m into the Bristol Channel, is designed to shift freight movement of cement, sand and aggregates away from local roads to more sustainable sea transportation. Some 80% of the aggregates needed to build Hinkley Point C will be delivered to site via the jetty. Nigel Cann, Hinkley Point C Programme and Construction Delivery Director, said: “The jetty will allow us to bring significant volumes of construction materials to the site by sea as part of our transport strategy of minimising traffic on local roads. The NOVEMBER 2017
temporary jetty is a vital part of that plan as every shipload will take the equivalent of 250 lorryloads off the local road network”. “We’re also pleased that a local Devon company is part of the team of south west firms helping to deliver a vital part of the UK’s infrastructure.” Nick Ames, Chief Executive of SC Group said: “This project has been a major success for Blackhill Engineering, which has performed superbly in delivering the project. Blackhill is ideally placed in terms of its heavy engineering capacity and location to provide the fabrication services required by HPC’s local supply chain and other major contractors in the nuclear and energy sector. I have also been delighted that SC Innovation, another of our Group companies, has been able to bring its skills to the fore here, with the provision of Engineering Design and Project Management Support.” The contract represents a further breakthrough into the nuclear sector for Blackhill, which has also completed its first contract with Magnox to manufacture equipment to support nuclear decommissioning work at their Winfrith site in Dorset. 8 blackhillengineering.co.uk
Hot-stamped prototypes
Proto-Tech Group is now supporting Tier 1 and OEM automotive customers with the supply of hot stamping prototypes – a service the company believes is unique in the UK. Since 2004 Proto-Tech group hase been developing and growing its services for automotive development across Europe. These encompass engineering support, machining, fabrication, rapid and traditional prototyping and model making up to full car size in plastics and metals – as well as jigs, fixtures and partial cubing. Now the full range of its expertise, including both hot and cold stamping prototypes, is available for the UK market. Peter Rawson, who is the UK business development manager for Proto-Tech, said: "We are proud of our reputation and the opportunity to grow this to a developing range of UK automotive customers and plan to grow these capabilities further." 8 prototechgroup.eu
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FORMING & FABRICATION | Engineering Capacity
New windows of opportunity One of the UK’s market leaders in cold roll formed products for the fenestration market is set to offer its expertise to customers in new markets after investing heavily in its manufacturing capabilities. Wolverhampton-based EWS (Manufacturing) Ltd, part of Arc Specialist Engineering Group, is targeting significant sales growth in a host of new markets as a result of the £500,000 investment. Working closely with highspeed press specialists Bruderer UK, the company has installed its first 250-tonne Zani ‘Power Master’ press and is already achieving high stroke rates as it aims to provide annual volumes of several million units. The investment gives the firm access to one of the world’s best performing machines, which offers unrivalled speed, accuracy, control and a tool bed of 2000mm x 1400mm. It is also fitted with the latest in servo feed technology and fully integrated into a rolling mill line supplied by local firm Formit. Russ Cooper, Technical Director at EWS, said: “A large proportion of our sales is directed to supplying steel reinforcement for the fenestration sector and, whilst this will remain a core part of the business, our intention is to expand our cold rolled expertise into new markets. “To achieve this, we needed to invest in a different type of machine that was faster than 24
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what we had and could accommodate the intricate nature of the products we are targeting. I’d previously worked with Zani presses and knew how reliable and flexible they were and the type of stroke performance per minute they deliver.” He continued: “We approached Bruderer UK, the exclusive sole distributor in this country, with our plan and started to look at how we could specify the
A large proportion of our sales is directed to supplying steel reinforcement for the fenestration sector and, whilst this will remain a core part of the business, our intention is to expand our cold rolled expertise into new markets
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machine to get exactly what we wanted. It took about six months from initial enquiry to the machine being delivered, installed and commissioned. “it is now fully up and running and operating at the volumes we need to meet projected sales.” EWS, which employs 70 people at its 40,000 sq ft factory in Wolverhampton, has appointed Bruderer UK to deliver ongoing service and maintenance to ensure minimum downtime and the optimum performance of the machine. It is also currently exploring the possibility of installing a second press as part of ambitious investment plans to further modernise the production capabilities at its site in the Black Country. 8 ewsmanufacturing.co.uk NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | FORMING & FABRICATION
Game of two pitches at Spurs Sheffield engineering specialist SCX has been selected to supply a retractable pitch for the ground-breaking new stadium of Tottenham Hotspur. The company will design, build and install a grass pitch that sits directly above an artificial surface, making the Premier League club’s stadium the first of its kind in the UK to have two pitches inside the same bowl, creating a truly worldclass multi-use venue. The fully retractable grass surface will be used for football matches whilst the artificial pitch underneath will be used for NFL matches, music concerts and a range of other events, in order to protect the integrity of both playing surfaces. The grass playing surface will sit in three pitch-long steel trays, NOVEMBER 2017
weighing more than 3,000 tonnes each. The surface will split into three sections to show each tray before retracting under the South Stand to reveal the artificial playing surface underneath. The process of switching from one surface to another is expected to take approximately 25 minutes. Once the grass pitch is returned, the joins are invisible and undetectable allowing for a Premier League quality playing surface every matchday. SCX Special Projects - the bespoke precision engineering arm of the family-run SCX Group based in Wincobank, Sheffield - is preparing to install the movable grass pitch over a 12-week period from October. Tottenham Hotspur’s stunning new stadium is set to open in 2018.
Designed for atmosphere, the Club aims to deliver an unrivalled fan experience inside its stadium, the largest of any football club in London with a capacity of more than 61,000. The venue will be a new world-class sports and entertainment venue for the capital. Since planning for the new stadium began, the Club has been committed to driving innovation and using modern technology to enhance the visitor experience. The supplier agreement with Tottenham Hotspur follows SCX’s success in using similar engineering technology to win contracts for the retractable roofs over Centre Court and Number One Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, guaranteeing play no matter the weather conditions. 8 scxspecialprojects.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com
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AEROSPACE & DEFENCE | Engineering Capacity
UK contract for Australian gearmakers An Australian company, Ronson Gears, has won a contract, subject to sample approval, to supply bevel gears to an aerospace company in the United Kingdom. The contract followed 12 months of discussions and is for a three-year term which commenced in June. Samples for approval are currently in production. A spokesman for Ronson Gears said: “This is a significant development and is the culmination of years of work, going back to the engagement of our agent in the USA some 6 years ago. During this time our team, here in Melbourne, have been working extremely hard towards upgrading our Quality Management Systems and investing in high-end machine tools to ensure we can meet our customer’s requirements. “Our agents in the UK – Newland-Hardwick – have been doing an outstanding job in managing our relationship between ourselves and our new customers. They have also been key in helping Ronson acclimatise to local needs and expectations.” The new customer supplies major global aircraft OEMs. 8 ronsongears.com.au newlandhardwick.com
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Challenging spring for critical application William Hughes had to meet a challenging set of requirements when it was called on to engineer a spring for a safety critical aerospace non-return valve. The application required a large spring which manufactured from a specialist aerospace certified material – which has a high spring index making it difficult to form – and had an unusual specification that called for one end of the spring to be fusion welded using stainless steel filler rod. Following the welding process, the end coils have to be cleaned to ensure that they are uniform with no protrusion, this being achieved using a series of grinding, polishing and deburring processes. The opposite end is then fettled on the inside to allow correct location on valve housing and both spring ends are chamfered and deburred. The spring is heat treated and passivated in William Hughes
NADCAP oven process before being 100% checked for squareness and load. Springs manufactured by William Hughes are being used in vital items of aerospace equipment including oxygen systems, access hatches and the solenoid valves used to control the hydraulic and cabin pressure systems. The company offers its customers a rapid design and prototyping service in a range of materials. This facility is particularly suited to the aerospace industry where small quantities are required for prototypes with the capability to move to volume production once a final design is agreed. Quality systems to ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949:2002 and AS9100 - the quality management system standard for aerospace companies - ensure consistency and accuracy of supply. 8 wmhughes.co.uk NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | AEROSPACE & DEFENCE FSL Aerospace, which supplies fasteners and fixings to the aerospace and defence sector, has grown sales and expanded its capabilities to meet customer’s needs. This year’s growth has come both from new customers and a deeper relationship with existing customers. It included a landmark eight-year contract to supply components to Meggitt Sensing Systems (MSS) Basingstoke for the next generation of aircraft engines. This builds on a relationship spanning more than 15 years between FSL and MSS, and will see FSL supplying fasteners and fixings for Meggitt’s sensors for the new LEAP engines – already being used by industry giants Boeing, Airbus and Comac. FSL has invested in new capabilities and successfully secured re-accreditations for ISO9001 and AS9120. The aerospace and defence supplier has an impressive 99.3% right first-time accuracy rate and has secured its 6th consecutive SC21 bronze award. Richard Woodward, General MTL Advanced has won a new contract for serial production of armoured steel hulls for one of the largest defence OEMs in Europe. Karl Stewart, Director at MTL Advanced, said: “This contract demonstrates the continued growth of MTL Advanced and the confidence our customers have in the team to deliver projects of this type, on time, whilst meeting
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5 years of growth at FSL
Manager of FSL Aerospace, says: “FSL is securing managed growth, consistently and strongly. This is due to our highly effective systems and processes, and also our dedicated team. I’d like to thank the whole FSL team, both colleagues and suppliers, which enable us to deliver for our clients time and time again.” By building a strong reputation
in aerospace through their consistently reliable supply chain management, FSL have been able to establish strong connections with aerospace giants. FSL is aiming to develop programmes with existing clients as well as developing new clients in the aerospace industry this year. 8 fslaerospace.co.uk
Armoured vehicle fabrications exacting quality requirements. “This builds on the success of several recent multi-million pound contracts with NIMR Automotive, which were delivered on time and within budget.” The Rotherham-based company is Europe’s largest contract manufacturer of armoured steel structures with projects ranging from piece part
kits, turrets and blast floors to fully fabricated, painted and assembled hulls. The company carried large stocks of material including High Hard and Ultra High Hard steels as well as certain grades of Aluminium. This in turn enables the company to respond quickly to customer needs. 8 mtladv.com
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AEROSPACE & DEFENCE | Engineering Capacity Coventry aerospace component specialist Arrowsmith has landed a new $1m contract following its SC21 Silver success. The company, which employs 60 people at its recently extended facility in Bayton Road, is manufacturing a production part for airplane engines that fly millions of miles every year. Backed by support from the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), the company now expects to double annual sales to £7m by 2020 after impressing customers with world class quality and ‘right first time’ performance. It has also just been awarded the Silver SC21 award, making it one of a select group of firms across the UK to achieve this supply chain standard. “Our client base is the who’s who of the aerospace sector and the only way we get to supply into these type of businesses is by offering precision components and on time delivery…in fact, the latter is at 98% for the last year,” explained Jason Aldridge, Managing Director of Arrowsmith Engineering. “This was a key factor in us winning the new order and will take the business to a whole new level. We’ve had to employ 12 new people to cope with the increased demand, including 3 interns, 2 new apprentices, a quality engineer and 6 machinists.” He continued: “SC21 is a significant award in our sector and for us to secure Silver is a fantastic achievement and one that will safeguard and, hopefully, win us new work. It’s a very difficult standard to attain and we 28
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Bullseye for Arrowsmith
Arrowsmith Engineering (L) (l-r) Jason Aldridge (Arrowsmith Engineering) with Michelle Connor (Manufacturing Growth Programme)
really benefitted from the expertise and support of MGP in refining our systems.” Arrowsmith Engineering is a specialist in precision turning, milling, thread rolling and grinding, providing components in titanium, nimonics, stainless steel, exotic metal and engineering plastics. The company has been working with the Manufacturing Growth Programme since October last year, first with the SC21 application and then, more recently, in a gap analysis for the new AS9100D aerospace quality standard. There has also been assistance given in developing a long-term strategy and how to make the most of international opportunities. Jason continued: “As a SME, you can sometimes get weighed down with just meeting daily customer requirements and lose track of
what could be the bigger picture. That’s why having a specialist from MGP, who has time to look at the overall strategy of the business, can be beneficial.” Manufacturing Growth Manager Michelle Connor said: “One of the things we do really well is getting under the skin of the business we are supporting, identifying the exact support it needs in order to move it to the next stage. “This is exactly what we did with Arrowsmith and, thanks to the openness of Jason and his management team, we were able to bring in specialists to assist with its SC21 accreditation. The expertise was very targeted, but has the potential to unleash the firm’s potential and generate more than £3.5m of new sales.” 8 manufacturingrowth programme.co.uk arrrowsmitheng.com NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Engineering group Expromet Technologies Group (Expromet) has strengthened its manufacturing capabilities following the acquisition of Hampshire-based Haworth Castings. The deal will see Haworth Castings joining Ilfracombe-based investment casting company Investacast, under the ownership of Expromet. Haworth Castings operates from an aluminium- and copperbased sand foundry in Romsey and a precision machining facility in Basingstoke. The business specialises in producing fullymachined, tested and finished sand castings and gravity-die castings for defence, aviation, marine, medical, energy, automotive and other safetycritical applications, providing a fully-owned and controlled singlesource solution for customers. Expromet’s acquisition of Haworth Castings now gives the group’s customers a choice of engineering solutions beyond the
Boeing buys into MMC Boeing has announced its investment in California-based Gamma Alloys, a leader in aluminum alloys focused on developing advanced metalmatrix composite (MMC) materials for use in aerospace, automotive and other industries. This investment by Boeing HorizonX Ventures, which was
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Sand casting acquisition range of investment castings, forgings and pressure die castings currently provided by Investacast. Alistair Schofield, CEO of Expromet, said: “We’re delighted to have completed the acquisition of Haworth Castings. The company has developed a leading position in the market over a period of more than 50 years as a family-owned business. The acquisition expands Expromet’s capabilities and is a logical addition to our existing operations at Investacast. “Haworth Castings enjoys an
excellent reputation it its key markets and, by operating as part of a larger group, customers of both businesses will now be able to benefit from access to a wider range of engineering solutions: from design and manufacture to finishing and supply chain management.” Haworth Castings employs 40 people across two sites in Romsey and Basingstoke. Andrew Haworth, managing director of Haworth Castings, will continue in his role following the acquisition. 8 investacast.com
established earlier this year, is its first in advanced materials and machining development and applications. "The wear, strength, durability and machining characteristics of Gamma's materials have the opportunity to further reduce the weight of our products," said Steve Nordlund, vice president of Boeing HorizonX. "The traction that Gamma Alloys has gained in automotive, energy and aerospace reinforces our
confidence that Gamma has a unique set of materials." Gamma Alloys, founded in 2008, is pursuing breakthroughs in nano-reinforced aluminum alloys, where the aluminum is reinforced with microscopic particles, or nanoparticles. These alloys provide increased stiffness, improved wear resistance, and greater strength than current materials across a wider range of temperatures. 8 boeing.com
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AEROSPACE & DEFENCE | Engineering Capacity
JJ Churchill refines its focus JJ Churchill has announced that it is reorganising to give an absolute focus to the aerospace, gas turbine and diesel engine industries. The company believes it now needs a structure that reflects the different demands of these important industries in order to meet the growth challenges ahead. The industrial side of the business is becoming more focused on volume blade manufacture and the aerospace side is gearing up for high growth. Where appropriate, the functions and responsibilities of all employees and departments are being clearly identified ‘Aero’ or ‘Diesel’ teams. Over the coming weeks, as this new structure is deployed, business will continue as usual, meeting strong production targets. The reorganisation also involves moves at the top of the company, with Managing Director Andrew Churchill becoming Executive Chairman; and Engineering and Sales Director Mark Cooper being promoted to Managing Director. The current Chairman, James Churchill, becomes President and retains a watching brief.
These changes signal a very exciting, next phase of our development. They will enable JJ Churchill to meet the growth challenges ahead and to give an absolute focus to gas turbines, diesel engines and aerospace
The company is focused on ‘sticky niches’ - niches which require a high degree of technical and organisational skill. It works in areas which require highly skilled engineering in difficult geometries, difficult dimensions and challenging materials – the type of project where the first
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Andrew Churchill
reaction is: ‘That can’t be done’. Andrew Churchill said, “These changes signal a very exciting, next phase of our development. They will enable JJ Churchill to meet the growth challenges ahead and to give an absolute focus to gas turbines, diesel engines and aerospace. They will enable us to build on our existing strengths while developing new capabilities and greater capacity.” Mark Cooper added: “I am really pleased to play a part in this, the latest stage of the company’s evolution. Everyone within the business has a relentless focus to deliver, day-in day-out, for our customers. This reorganisation will develop and deepen expertise across the whole staff team.” 8 jjchurchill.com NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | COMPOSITES Norco Holdings, the Poole-based manufacturer of lightweight composite structures and GRP mouldings is to build the fleet of replacement Workboats for the MoD. The contract was placed by Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) and the boats are due to be delivered over the next six years. The contract is for 30+ boats in total, ranging in size from 11 to 15 metres. As the primary composites supplier for the project, Norco will be producing the major components for the new vessels including hull, deck, superstructure and associated multipurpose modules. The multi-role vessels share common components and will be modular in design. This unique approach enables rapid changes for a range of specialised operational roles, including diving training, explosive ordnance disposal, officer training, passenger transport, arctic exploration, hydrographic survey and logistic re-supply. The boats will be manufactured at Norco using modern and
NOVEMBER 2017
Composite boats for MoD
proven boat building techniques. The company’s knowledge and experience in such production techniques enables it to maintain the highest standards of quality and repeatability across the range of new boats. Norco will work closely with AEUK and the design team throughout the life of the contract providing support in areas such as design for manufacture and production solutions, including the design and manufacture of high quality CNC tooling for the production of composite parts. Mark Northey, MD of Norco
Holdings, said: “We are delighted to have secured this prestigious contract from Atlas Elektronik UK and look forward to starting work on the boats immediately. This project is a reflection of the capability Norco has developed in the manufacture of composite work boats, and we welcome further opportunities with AEUK and other defence marine companies.” On announcing the contract won by AEUK, Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin said: “From the south coast to the banks of the Clyde, British shipbuilding is ensuring that our growing Navy has the reach it needs to protect our interests around the globe. These cutting-edge workboats will support the likes of our iconic new aircraft carriers and the Type 26 frigates as well as sustaining 60 British jobs. This is another step in our £178 billion plan to provide our Armed Forces with the very best equipment to keep our country safe”. 8 norco.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com
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COMPOSITES | Engineering Capacity RDM Group, one of Coventry’s fastest growing automotive suppliers, has joined forces with Morgan Motor Company to give children the chance to own and drive their own iconic British sports car. RDM Group, which has been hitting the headlines for its work in driverless vehicles, has been appointed to manufacture and assemble the EV3 Junior, a direct replica of the Malvern-based company’s thrilling and hugely popular 3-wheeler. A team of eight engineers build each car to order at the firm’s Bilton Road Industrial Estate, with each one taking between four to six weeks to complete. To date, 14 have rolled off the production line, with one being sent to a customer in California. Tim Lyons, Chief Operations Officer, explained: “Our Advanced Manufacturing Centre in Coventry is set up to do very niche build work and assembly, so we are delighted to be working with Morgan on this exciting project. We currently do a lot of bespoke trim work for the actual full-size 3-wheeler so they knew we were capable of reaching their high standards.
Mini-Morgan for lucky kids “The EV3 Junior features a bonded carbon fibre monocoque, a natural wooden dashboard and hand-stitched leather trim. It also has functioning headlights, a real suspension system and each order can be custom built to the tastes of the customer, who can specify colour and additional extras.” He went on to add: “The EV3 Junior is powered by dual lead acid battery and is capable of going 10 miles per hour and over a 10-mile range before needing to be recharged. I suppose you could say it’s the ultimate in children’s cars. “They were on sale in Selfridges last Christmas and they are now available via the Morgan website
and their dealership network across the world.” RDM, which employs 66 people in Coventry, has enjoyed a significant period of growth in automotive this year, with sales set to rise by 15% in 2017. This has been achieved through an increase in volumes with existing customers and the addition of new clients who are looking for a supplier that offers design, prototyping, precision manufacturing and expertise in wiring harnesses and trim – all under one roof. There are also plans to transition into a Tier 1 supplier with JLR. 8 rdmgroup.co.uk
Pentaxia prepares for composite future As it starts the move to its new six-acre site, advanced composites manufacturer Pentaxia unveiled its £1m investment plans at this year’s Advanced Engineering 2017. New cutting edge equipment and upgraded facilities will
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double its existing production capability. In the new year Pentaxia will move from its current site in Longbridge Lane to a 70,000ft2 manufacturing space in Derby. A six-month programme to refurbish and upgrade the site will
position the company to meet the rapid increase in demand for lightweight, high performance components from its blue-chip customers in the aerospace, motorsport and luxury automotive markets. 8 pentaxia.com
NOVEMBER 2017
Engineering Capacity | COMPOSITES
Driverless deliveries for Ocado Convert Ltd designed and supplied cable harnesses used by Ocado in Ocado's first UK driverless grocery delivery trials. Composites manufacturer Shape Machining approached Convert to design and manufacture a cable harness for a project it was working on to build the cargo compartments for a prototype autonomous electric delivery van developed by Oxbotica, a leading driverless car software firm, and trialled by Ocado Technology. The real world trials, which took place in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, saw a self-driving delivery van, called CargoPod delivering grocery orders to over one hundred Ocado customers. Similar in size to a small milk truck, CargoPod is equipped with eight cargo compartments designed to carry small amounts of shopping. Once CargoPod is loaded up with groceries, the customer is notified from a ‘mobile warehouse’ located around a mile from their home, and then again once it has reached their front door. The compartment with the customer’s groceries lights up when CargoPod arrives at their house. The customer then presses a button to unlock their box and collect their shopping bag. Dave Lord, Convert’s Managing Director, said: “We’re very excited CargoPod has successfully completed its trials. This was a great bespoke project to work on. NOVEMBER 2017
With four doors on each side, each with their own LEDs, door locks, sensors and internal lights, CargoPod was a challenge as it required a complex loom in order to connect all the different components to a power source and control unit.” Convert’s loom for CargoPod required approximately 250 meters of cabling – the length of five Olympic swimming pools. Glen Pascoe, Shape Machining’s Development Manager, said: “We approached Convert to help us with the cable harnessing and electrical system integration for CargoPod. I’d worked with them in the past and had always been impressed with their abilities and approach. They met every engineering challenge I threw at them. Using limited drawings to work from Convert had to design the assembly from our customer’s requirements and outline specifications which they
did brilliantly, delivering the finished cable harness in under three months.” Graeme Smith, CEO from Oxbotica, said: “Last mile delivery is a growing challenge as our cities become denser and more congested. In this new project we are working closely with Ocado Technology to deploy our Selenium autonomy system into a novel last-mile delivery application in Greenwich as a part of the GATEway project. This is truly a UK success story about CCAV and Innovate UK enabling a young British company to become established and to be able to demonstrate mature world-class technology capabilities within a real-life dense urban environment.” CargoPod was developed by Oxbotica as part of the GATEway Project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment). 8 convertltd.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.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. 18 Merchant Drive Mead Lane Industrial Estate Hertford, Hertfordshire SG13 7AY Tel. +44 (0) 1992 584499 www.qualiturn.co.uk
Hewitt & Topham Ltd Precision gear cutters since 1938. Standard and non standard cutter pitches and pressure angles. Gears from 2.5-6mm diameter. Northern England leading gear specialist through quality and commitment. Royd Way, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 3LG Tel: 01535 602587 www.hewitt-topham.co.uk
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HEAT TREATMENT 8
Qualiturn Products Limited
Flame Hardeners Ltd Bespoke surface heat treatment processors. Gears up to 4.5m dia. Shafts or rollers up to 1.5m dia. and 7.5m in length. Machine beds up to 6m lengths. Wheels up to 2.3m dia. We have over 75 years of experience.
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 8
Shorter Works, Bailey Lane Sheffield S1 3BL Tel: 0114 276 8167 www.flamehardeners.co.uk/ MACHINING (5 AXIS) 8
GEAR CUTTING – GENERAL 8
CNC PRECISION COMPONENTS 8
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 are broach and broaching specialists with amost 40 years personal experience. We offer a comprehensive broaching service covering keyways, squares, hexagons and special forms.
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
Mini Gears (Stockport) Ltd 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
PSL Datatrack PSL Datatrack, a flexible production management system for small/ medium size manufacturing businesses, helps to manufacture quality parts, on time and at the right price. PSL Datatrack provides vital information to management and shop floor. Lily Hill House, Lily Hill Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 2SJ Tel: 08456 345931 www.psldatatrack.com
Dawson Precision Components Precision CNC milling and turning. Machining centres, CNC Turning centre and multi-axis sliding head machines. Full in-house machining service with additional laser marking and kitting capabilities. Greenfield Lane, Shaw, Oldham, Lancashire OL2 8QP Tel: 01706 842311 www.dpc.co.uk
PRECISION ENGINEERING 8
JFL Broaches and Broaching
GRINDING CENTRELESS 8
BROACHING 8
DIRECTORY | Engineering Capacity
DKW Precision Engineering Celebrating our 47th year supplying CNC Turned and Milled Components to all Sectors in both UK and Export markets. From 1 off to Volume, 1-450mm diameter turning, 1x1mtr milling, fast turnaround. Quartremaine Road, Airport Service Estate, Portsmouth PO3 5RD Tel: 023 9267 7747 www.dkwengineering.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2017
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South Easts leading specialist metal cutting machinery and blade supplier. Agents for Fabris, Pilous, Alligator, Comet, Forestor, Carif and many more. Unit 8, Wealden Business Park, Farningham Road, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 2JR Tel: 0844 8804511 www.sawsuk.com
Rotatech Ltd Specialists in reconditioning and rebuilding of all makes of precision machine tool spindles. Spindles rebuilt in purpose built clean room. On-site removal and re-installation available. 20 Cavans Way, Binley Industrial Est, Binley, Coventry, W. Midlands CV3 2SF Tel: 02476 452600 www.rotatech.com
NOVEMBER 2017
TURNED PARTS 8
Accredited to AS9100 Rev C
Precision T Turned urned P Parts arts Subcontract Machining Surface T Treatment reatment CNC Machined Components Parts P arts Assembly Design & Engineering Support Service A AS S 9100 & ISO 9001
Unit 2 Brookside Avenue, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3LF Telephone: +44 (0) 1903 776 171 www.precisonproducts.co.uk TURNING (CNC) 8
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Saws (UK) Ltd
Precision Products (Brighton) Ltd A one-stop-shop for high-quality turned parts
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Batchflow Engineering Ltd CNC turning capacity from 2mm200mm using high precision Fixed and Sliding Head CNC Lathes. Experience in machining a range of materials, from Low to Medium volumes, to customers specifications. Budbrooke Road, Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 5XH Tel: 01926 492889 www.batchflow.co.uk
SPRING MAKING 8
SPINDLE REBUILD 8
SAWING MACHINERY 8
Sutton Road, St. Helens Merseyside WA9 3DJ Tel: 01744 22567 www.wealdpark.co.uk
You Y ou o dream it it,, we mak make e it it..
Simpson Springs & Pressings Ltd Precision manufacturers of a wide range of compression tension and torsion springs. Also circlips, wireforms, contacts, antennas and light pressings. Quality approved to BS EN ISO 9001:2000. Unit 1, Latimer Road Industrial Est, Latimer Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 2YD Tel: 0118 978 6573 www.simpsonsprings.co.uk
WATERJET CUTTING 8
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.
SUBCONTRACT CNC TURNING 8
PRECISION ENGINEERING 8
Engineering Capacity | DIRECTORY
ICEE Comprehensive fabrication facilities offering complete turnkey solution. Design, Precision Engineering, Sheet Metal Fabrication and Welding. Prototypes, one off or batch work. Waterjet Capacity: 4m x 2.25m & dash; materials up to 230mm depth. Aluminium Alloy Specialists. 20 Arnside Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 7UP Tel: 023 9223 0604 www.icee.co.uk
www.engineeringcapacity.com
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