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Fabrication
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Birmingham laser company moves home
22 May 2008
R&S Laser Cutting and Fabrication, which has been supported by Birmingham Chamber’s Accelerate programme, has just moved to a new 30,500 sq ft factory in Hockley that gives it double the space and help it break the £2.5m sales barrier.
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Hydram welcomes press brakes to the fold
22 May 2008
Hydram Sheet Metalwork has added two Bystronic Xpert press brakes to its three Bystronic laser cutting systems. The new machines will minimise scrap, increase productivity and save costs – all of which will benefit Hydram’s customers says managing director John Young.
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Hydro powers up the contracts
12 May 2008
Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd (SFIL) has secured its largest ever order for hydro-power castings to be used on India’s Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Project. The order includes an initial run of six crowns and bands for the rotating turbine runners over 18 months, all cast in 13/4 grade stainless steel and valued at more than £2m, with the potential for two further sets by 2011.
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World’s largest robotic press brake?
08 May 2008
MTL Group has acquired what is believes is the largest robotic press brake system in the world. The £750,000 7.2m, 640 tonne Ursviken press brake is fitted with a 600kg capacity robot and will allow MTL to produce large components for OEMs such as Caterpillar, JCB, Sandvik, Bombardier and BAE more quickly, accurately and cost-effectively than traditional methods.
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Water jet cuts costs and composites
08 May 2008
Chesterfield-based Access Engineering has ordered at £350,000 Bystronic water jet cutting machine. The machine is fitted with a shuttle table that the company believes will give huge cost savings for customers by eliminating loading and unloading times. Access also expects the the machine’s ability to cut composites without causing delamination will open up new markets.
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Cutting edge fabrication for Chinese tunnelling project
08 May 2008
Sheffield heavy engineering company DavyMarkham has fabricated and shipped a 320 tonne cutterhead for a 12.4m diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM), being built by The Robbins Company of Ohio. It has been despatched to the mountains of Sichuan Province, China, where it will bore a 17km tunnel feeding water to the turbines of a new 4,800MW hydropower station.
Industry News
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Four things to know about locking fasteners
30 Jul 2008
In the world of engineered components, let's face it, fasteners aren't the first thing engineers think about. They're not exciting, they're not sexy. They're commonly treated as routine. But choose the wrong fastener for the application and the best laid engineering plans and products can fall apart, says Del Williams.
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North West manufacturing on show
28 May 2008
European Trade & Exhibition Services' programme of regional industrial events moves to Bolton for the forthcoming North West Manufacturing & Electronics show at the Reebok Stadium on June 11th and 12th. Now in its 11th year, the North West Manufacturing & Electronics show is the largest and most significant event of its kind in the region.
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Intelligent lighting boosts productivity
28 May 2008
Waldmann Lighting says that the right lighting can increase a company’s productivity by up to 40%, and cut defect rates by 50%. The key is to take a careful look at the lighting requirements for specific tasks rather than simply using a standard lighting system across the workplace.
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Faster laser cladding with metal powder
28 May 2008
Carr’s Welding Technologies has added a powder feeder system to its laser to allow much faster feed rates and metal deposition rates ten times greater than similar wire fed application when joining and building up metal assemblies.
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Springs add in-car comfort
22 May 2008
In modern vehicles, each part of the car interior needs to impart the right ‘feel’ to the driver. So when the design engineers at William Hughes were asked to develop a special torsion spring to release an armrest catch on a central console, ergonomics were the primary consideration.
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Globalisation is 'inevitable, accelerating and positive'
16 May 2008
Globalisation is viewed by top executives at leading organisations around the world as an inevitable, but positive, business challenge that is here to stay and growing rapidly, according to an in-depth study of business leaders by EquaTerra and World 50.
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One-hit benefits for PowerKut
14 May 2008
PowerKut is investing in a 4m bed Yamazaki Mazak Integrex e-650H II with a 45kW turning spindle and a 37kW milling spindle. One-hit machining on the new machine will allow increased unmanned running, reduce the risks to components during transfer of parts and improve overall accuracy of components.
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Qualiturn adds flexibility by automating bar storage
12 May 2008
An automated bar storage unit will help Qualiturn increase machine uptime by speeding up the delivery of bars to its lathes, as well as allowing better monitoring of material levels and improved traceability.
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Stroud Metal Co acquires Platform Pressings
08 May 2008
Stroud Metal Co has acquired London-based Platform Pressings. Managing director, Matthew Large, says the acquisition will offer higher levels of production flexibility and service to both companies’ customers.
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£600,000 Correa milling machine for Clifton
01 May 2008
Clifton Precision Tools, the Rowley Regis-based press tool and machining specialist has ordered a new Correa FP40 milling machine to enhance its large milling capacity. The company currently has 10 CNC milling machines and installed its first Correa in August 2007.
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Investment helps Staffs cope with demand
01 May 2008
Staffordshire Precision Engineering has invested over £100,000 in new machinery to help meet unprecedented demand for its services. Turnover rose 12.5% in 2007-08, following an increase of 11% the previous year, and the company is on target to record another 12% rise based on the results of the first quarter of 2008-09.
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Midlands manufacturing show success
01 May 2008
The recent Midlands Manufacturing Technology Show demonstrated the effectiveness of regional engineering exhibitions in bringing together buyers, producers and service companies in their area, say the organizers European Trade & Exhibition Services (ETES).
Precision engineering
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Benson turns the tide
28 May 2008
Stopping the swelling tide of manufacturing work going to Eastern Europe and Asia can be a challenge in itself, but Killarney-based Benson Engineering Ltd has not only stopped the flow, but reversed the tide by exporting to low cost countries itself.
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Eight million up for Acro multi-spindle
28 May 2008
Precision engineering company Acro is celebrating the eight-millionth component to be made on one of its multi-spindle autos. Acro has owned the Wickman lathe for seven years and uses multi-spindle technology on high volume orders because of the very fast cycle times and consistent quality it delivers.
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Va Va Veyron – thanks to Premier
22 May 2008
Deep hole drilling and honing company Premier has recently completed a contract to supply transmission components for the 253 mph Bugatti Veyron super sports car. The St Albans -based company supplied a total of 120 complex shaft components used in the gearbox of this exceptional vehicle.
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Merc invests to secure new business
12 May 2008
Merc Engineering UK Ltd has ordered a second Puma MX2000 ST millturning centre that will enhance its capacity to produce complex components in one hit. Over the past 15 months Merc has invested in six new CNC machines worth over £3/4 million.
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CMM investment for Turbocam
01 May 2008
Fareham-based Turbocam, one of the world’s largest five-axis machining specialists, with 75 five-axis machines at its facilities in the UK, USA and India is upgrading its UK inspection facilities with two new Wenzel CMMs.
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Mould maker goes for micro market
01 May 2008
Avenue Mould Solutions has invested over 500,000 Euros in a Kern Pyramid Nano 5-axis machining centre that can achieve an accuracy of +0.001mm (+1µm) in three axes on the workpiece and spindle speeds of up to 50,000 rpm.
Surface treatments
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The colour of money
08 May 2008
Dagenham based Colourite Metal Treatments has had a costing system overhaul that has not only increased turnover but has resulted in an energy saving of 12%. MAS helped the company introduce some lean techniques that allowed it to reduce scrap and defect rates by 50% and cut energy costs by 12%.
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DLC process coats internal bores and pipes up to 50 microns
01 May 2008
Tecvac now offers a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating process that coats internal bores, pipes, pump parts cylinders and tubes up to 3m long with a corrosion-resistant, very hard film, up to 50 microns thick. The coating is inert, biocompatible, environmentally friendly, and can reduce friction losses to very low levels.
