Tube investment cuts component costs
Completed assemblies ready for shipment.
HMD has invested in a four-machine cell to produce copper tube components from coil rather than pre-cut tube. This reduces waste giving more cost-effective components.
The cell, supplied by BLM Group UK, is housed in a new 21,000 sq. ft. building in Hoyland Road, Sheffield that has nearly three times the floor area of HMD’s current unit.
This new cell is dedicated to producing copper components and comprises three new machines – BLM Process, BLM Dynamo-E tube bender and BLM Tube-Form ELE tube end former – along with an existing BLM AST 25N tube end former.
The BLM Process is a fully-automatic system that uncoils, feeds, straightens, end forms and cuts copper tube to length burr-free. End forming operations such as beading, swaging, threading and facing can take place in-line on one tube end if required. The use of coil rather than pre-cut to length tube and minimal material wastage are two of the cost saving benefits that result from this approach.
Cut to length pre-endformed parts are loaded to the Dynamo-E five-axis tube bender, which is capable of bending tube up to 25 mm OD. Two end forming machines have been included in the cell to keep pace with the output of the tube forming and bending machines,
Tube fittings can be assembled with brass hexagon nuts in place before the final end forming operation is completed.
Initially established under the name Hampton Metal Distribution, HMD is celebrating its 10th anniversary and a new chapter in the company’s history, as Director Richard Pearson explains. “This business was set up to service one customer and we could not have taken on additional work without moving to larger premises, or without investing in new production equipment.”
The new tube processing cell will be joined in the near future by existing BLM equipment relocated from the smaller unit, including two coil-fed BLM Planet tube processing machines – one dedicated to copper tube and the other to stainless steel tube.
Says Richard Pearson: “The technology has continued to develop over the years, enabling us now to bend small diameter material with a 0.5 mm wall thickness.” In the case of steel, for example, which is predominately traded by weight, this equates to a 20 percent cost saving. It is also essential to be able to bend tube without ‘wrinkles’ and to produce very tight radius bends.
“There was no mention of manufacturing in my original business plan,” says Richard Pearson, “and I had no intention of becoming involved in manufacturing rather than stockholding. However, it is a case of seeing an opportunity and acting upon it.”
HMD Ltd 01142 854405
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