APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY
Socket & Allied doubles manufacturing capability Socket & Allied Screws Ltd is continuing along its growth trajectory by reaffirming its commitment to quality.
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ocket & Allied recently invested heavily in a range of CNC machines including two Star SR-32 Sliding Head CNC machines, doubling its manufacturing capacity. “But we haven’t stopped there,” said Kevin Bradley, managing director at Socket & Allied Ltd. “It’s imperative we demonstrate to our customers that we not only have additional machining capacity but we are committed to excellence. To this end, we are investing in upgrading our ISO 9001 accreditation to the latest version of ISO 9001-2015 and using the professional services of BSI to conduct the audit and award the accreditation.” Once this is successfully achieved the company will follow through by implementing ISO 14001 (environmental), OHSAS 18001 (health and safety) and Achilles FPAL (oil and gas). Kevin said: “We will be able to demonstrate a level of quality control expected and demanded from industrial sectors such as; oil and gas, aerospace, nuclear and defence, which are sectors we already service but wish to expand.”
Kevin continued: “In fact we recently worked with a major contractor in offshore development and have supplied it with a range of studs and nuts to meet its demanding requirements.” Socket & Allied is also passionate about supporting young people into the workplace and has already seen two apprentices complete training to become full time employees, with a third apprentice just started. “It is vital for the longevity of the business and the UK’s engineering manufacturing sector that we continue to recruit and equip our young people with the necessary skills,” said Kevin. Socket and Allied manufactures and supplies special socket screws and associated fastener components and has the expertise to deliver a wide and diverse range of machined products using standard and exotic materials. www.socket-allied.com
Harrison Silverdale supports the automotive industry Harrison Silverdale (HSL), a supplier of threaded inserts and specialised fasteners to the plastic moulding industry, recently worked with one of its key customers to provide a threaded insert for a new moulding, to support a radiator on a luxury 4x4 vehicle.
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fter an initial meeting to discuss the requirements HSL proposed a standard part, which would meet the design criteria. The project engineer wanted to over-mould the insert as this is more economical and provides better performance than post moulding operations. The insert would be placed in the tool by a pick and place robot so a symmetrical design was recommended for easy orientation. Because the insert will be under heavy loads some testing was required to validate the design. It was requested by the vehicle manufacturer that HSL carry out a torque test where a number of insert locations are torqued up to double the usual tightening torque. This should then be repeated seven times on the same insert to see if any failure occurred. A pull-out test was also required to determine the force that the insert could withstand before the thread failed or the insert broke free from the moulding. The tests had to be duplicated on dry mouldings and also after being submerged in water for five days to replicate various climatic conditions. With the help of its local UKAS approved laboratory, the tests were completed in accordance with the client’s instructions and HSL’s recommendations. The inserts passed the torque tests comfortably and withstood 4,000N pull-out with no failures, which were well above the customers’ requirements. The results were certified and submitted for approval. The mouldings will be in full production later this year with four per vehicle and run for six years. During the development process HSL was able to receive CAD files from the vehicle manufacturer, add the proposed insert to the assembly and then share this data with the moulder and test facility. This is one of many examples of how Harrison Silverdale has offered engineering expertise at the development stage and can support customers from design through prototyping and to full production. www.harrisonsilverdale.com
154 FASTENER + FIXING MAGAZINE // ISSUE 104 MARCH 2017