Wednesday 8 October 08 - 00:11
 

Aerospace & Defence

  • £2m Strategic Investment Aims to Attract Further Aerospace Contracts

    01 Jun 2004

    In 2001, with assistance and funding from Business Link, Burcas Ltd, set out to increase its share of the market for aerospace engineering products. 

  • Nadcap Accreditation Covers Chemical Processing and NDT

    01 Jun 2004

    In January 2004, Bodycote Metallurgical Coatings Ltd's facility in Liverpool became the first within Europe and Africa to hold Nadcap accreditation for chemical processing. Bodycote Liverpool is the first sub-contract company in the UK able to provide the aerospace market with heat treatment, all coatings, painting and non-destructive testing services with Nadcap approval. 

  • Defence Contract Won

    01 Jun 2004

    Jefferson Engineering Services has recently won a contract to supply Thales Missile Electronics with prototype, high precision components for the NLAW missile system being jointly developed between Thales and Saab Bofors Dynamics of Sweden. On the strength of growing demand, the company has recently invested in additional 5-axis machining capabilities. 

  • Power Screw Contracts to Fix Up Precision Engineer

    01 Jun 2004

    Precision engineering specialist Kingston Engineering recently submitted prototypes in a bid to win a contract for the volume production of power screw components for use in air to air refuelling probes. If the bid is successful, the company will enter a new phase in its 86 year history. 

  • First Set of A380 Slat Track Cans Delivered

    01 Jun 2004

    Sheffield based Doncasters Bramah has delivered the first set of leading edge slat track cans for the new Airbus A380 aircraft. These were delivered on schedule, direct to the Airbus facility in Broughton. The contract to supply the track cans for the life of the A380 programme was awarded to Doncasters Bramah in September 2002. 

  • Airbus Approved Bore Finishing Specialist Makes Air Show Debut

    01 Jun 2004

    Component performance and reliability in today's aerospace sector requires specialist companies to be able to produce bores in customer's components to extreme exacting submicron geometrical tolerances combined with specific surface finish requirements. Next month, after years of service to the aerospace industry, Perfect Bore Manufacturing Ltd is to exhibit at the Farnborough International air show for the first time, at D10 on the North West Aerospace Alliance pavilion. 

Casting

  • Post Casting Operations Are All Under One Roof

    01 Jun 2004

    Aluminium sand casters Norse Precision Castings, Bedford, have invested in two CNC machining centres to keep on top of the workload and to remain economically competitive. These latest machines augment an already comprehensive capacity of in-house equipment. 

  • Continuous Casting Line Leads to Steady Growth

    01 Jun 2004

    Copper Alloys Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent, has grown steadily since its management buy-out four years ago. Earlier this year a new horizontal casting line was commissioned, which has not only improved competitiveness in existing products but has opened up the door to a whole new market in copper alloys including brass. 

  • The Pressure is on as Diecaster Adds New Cells

    01 Jun 2004

    MRT Castings Limited, the Hampshire based diecasting and machining specialist has experienced 20% sales growth in the past 12 months. Two Buhler pressure diecasting cells featuring the latest productivity and quality enhancing technologies have recently been installed. MRT's foundry offers sand casting, gravity diecasting and high pressure diecasting in aluminium and zinc alloys. 

  • Foundry TechnicianWins Modern Apprentice

    01 Jun 2004

    The winner of the 2004 Metals Industry Modern Apprentice of the Year Award has been announced as twenty-two year old Ian Blow, an apprentice foundry technician from automotive product manufacturers, Lincoln Castings Ltd, formerly George Fischer (Lincoln) Ltd. 

Electro-mechanical Engineering

  • Breakdown Service has Gear Machining Expertise to Keep Plants Running

    01 Jun 2004

    Gears in Motion, a new 24 hour industrial breakdown service that was formerly Cotterill Gears, has been so successful in applying the original company's specialised engineering expertise to new markets, that it has doubled in turnover since it's launch 18 months ago. 

  • Engineer Sidelines in Machine Tool Transport

    01 Jun 2004

    Handling volume production equipment in a factory relocation is a demanding and exacting science. 

  • 30MW Turbo Alternators Power Up After Rewind

    01 Jun 2004

    Wyko Industrial Services has recently won a contract to overhaul nine 30MW turbo rotors following a successful proposal that included a bespoke insulation system and rebalancing. The new insulation system used to rebuild the 15 tonne rotors was specially designed and developed at Wyko to improve rotor performance and extend wear life in the power generation application. 

  • Advice Drives Change on the Road to 'Lean'

    01 Jun 2004

    Kent-based Arcontrol Systems has identified productivity improvements of £250,000 thanks to the support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the South East. 

Industry News

  • Manufacturing Goes Live

    01 Jun 2004

    The manufacturing industry's 'summit', The Manufacturer LIVE, September 15-16, has again chosen the International Centre, Telford as the venue for its new, expanded format in 2004 and for the inaugural Manufacturer of the Year Awards gala dinner. 

  • Counterfeit Products Increase Industry 's Component Obsolescence Problems

    01 Jun 2004

    Organisations looking for solutions to the growing issue of component obsolescence should beware that the number of counterfeit or substandard electronic products coming onto the market from the Far East is likely to increase in line with the scale of the problem, warns the Component Obsolescence Group (COG) this month. Industries as diverse as defence, aerospace, transport, utilities and medical equipment could be affected. 

  • Growth at the Expense of Margins Impacts on Competitiveness

    01 Jun 2004

    Growth in manufacturing output is predicted by both the EEF, the manufacturer's organisation, and the CBI, with engineering expected to grow by 1.8% this year and 4.4% in 2005. However, for many businesses, such growth will only be achieved at the expense of margins, with a resultant decrease in the amount reinvested says Mark Eaton, Director of the MAS (South East & London) for EEF South. 

  • Financial Support Guide Takes Business Forward

    01 Jun 2004

    The Engineering and Machinery Alliance (EAMA) in collaboration with Close asset Finance, has launched a 28 page guide entitled 'Taking your business forward' to provide information for SME's to help them understand how to access financial support or obtain advice for business in their area. 

  • GTMA Wins Another Cool R&D Project Opportunity

    01 Jun 2004

    The GTMA has won the opportunity to participate in another international R&D project, this time funded as part of the EC's Collective Research activities. The three-year project, with a budget of 4.5m Euros, aims to slash throughput times in injection moulding by 35%, through the development of a new methodology for tool manufacture that will incorporate conformal cooling. 

Sheet Metal Working

  • New Contract Laser Cutting Service Launched by Sheetmetal Specialist

    01 Jun 2004

    Dutton Laser, a newly formed division of fabrication specialist Dutton Engineering, is a subcontract laser cutting service for stainless steel sheetmetal working companies that offers the cost benefits and expertise of its parent company. 

  • Bending Capacity Added to Remove Bottleneck

    01 Jun 2004

    The recent installation of a highly productive CNC turret punch press at subcontract sheet metalworking and fabricating company, Cirrus Engineered Products, Broadstairs, caused a shortfall in capacity for subsequent bending operations. To address this, the company has made a further investment in a pair of Guifil computer-controlled press brakes. 

  • New System Coodinates Manufacturing Data for Sheet Metal Job Sheets

    01 Jun 2004

    Hydram Engineering has grown steadily from a small subcontracting company to become one of the North-east's leading suppliers of sheet metal products. Significant reductions in changeover times have been achieved following the installation of Radan's e2i system, a multi-purpose management tool that allows Hydram to co-ordinate business activities from initial enquiry and quotation to shopfloor job sheets and 'work to' lists, to final delivery. 

  • Research Pin Points Core Competitive Advantages

    01 Jun 2004

    Under the leadership of new managing director Philip Smedley and his team, Bird Stevens are using the results of a customer survey to ensure that the company continues to thrive in its core businesses, metal pressings and sheetmetal work. 

  • Big Cups For Innovative Airbus Process Push Spinning to the Limit

    01 Jun 2004

    The Winward Company Ltd, Birmingham, has won a contract for large spinnings, which have a height: diameter ratio that is on the limit of what can be spun. The deep drawn 1m tall, 300mm diameter aluminium cups are required for one of the innovative processes used in the production of parts for the Airbus A380, largest passenger aircraft in the world. 

Stevens Rowsell is a specialist precision sheet metal engineering company in East Sussex