Engineering Capacity May 2023 Digital Edition

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May 2023

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Machined Components Aluminium Mini engine

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FOR BUYERS OF CONTRACT MANUFACTURING SERVICES Visit our online edition for breaking news, jobs, events, features and searchable directory. www.engineeringcapacity.com Editor: Andy Sandford editor@engineeringcapacity.com Commercial Director: Arfan Qureshi sales@engineeringcapacity.com Tel: 0208 013 5752 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: 01737 270 648 Published by: Engineering Capacity Ltd Abbey House, 25 Clarendon Road Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QZ United Kingdom Registered in England company no. 10567217 ISSN 0306-0179 COMING UP IN OUR JULY 2023 ISSUE Casting & Forging, Laser & Waterjet Cutting, Forming & Fabrication, Sustainability, Turned Parts, Aerospace & Defence, Composites. Special feature Measurement, Inspection & Testing 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

Editor’s View Remember the Department of Trade and Industry? You knew where you were then. Since then the Government department responsible for manufacturing has gone through an alphabet soup of iterations and host of Ministers from backgrounds as various as banking, accountancy, financial services, hedge funds, law and so on. You get the picture, not many manufacturers or industrialists.

The final iteration was as BEIS – the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – which sounded promising. Then this year BEIS broke up into three separate entities: Business & Trade, Energy and Net Zero, and Science, Innovation and Technology. Industrial Strategy was nowhere to be seen. And to be honest, it was a bit of a fraud including it in the name of BEIS in the first place.

To quote the trade body Make UK ‘Ten years ago Make UK (then EEF) set out its case for an industrial strategy. Since then we have had six plans for growth but now find ourselves without one.’

So now manufacturers are taking it upon themselves to put the pressure on.

A few months ago we wrote about Andrea Wilson’s indefatigable campaign for a dedicated Minister of Manufacturing. She is still banging her head against the wall. Check out her updates on LinkedIn and see www.supportukmanufacturing.co.uk.

We have also seen large and small groups of manufacturers put forward their own proposals for an Industrial Strategy. The MAN group of companies put forward its own MANifesto closely followed by Make UK. There isn’t space to do them justice here, but you can read them for yourself online at bit.ly/MANifestoEC and bit.ly/MakeUKstrategyEC ONS figures show that production output rose by 0.7% in March 2023, the strongest monthly growth since May 2021 – and the latest CMI (see page 7) shows a very healthy subcontracting sector. So we are doing our best, but a bit of Government help would be welcome.

Andy Sandford, Editor

Member of the Engineering Industries Association

MAY 2023

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Contents May 2023

11 INDUSTRY NEWS

News

Features

06 Focus on UK subcontractors 06 The Engineering Supply Chain Show will run in April 2024 07 Market surges 60% 06 Subcontract sector starts the year on a high 08 Prove out potential 06 £750,000 press line investment a Phoenix Tooling 09 Cabling cost and quality benefits 06 New technology brings customer advantages at Nicab

13 Machined Components 06 Aluminium Mini engine Virtual inspiration for students

18 Laser & Waterjet Cutting 06 In-house tube capability

15 MACHINED COMPONENTS

4

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22 Moulding 06 Insert problem handled Over-moulding for car seats

24 Subcon Preview 28 Automechanika Preview

11 Putting on the pressure 06 Francis Brown sets up pressure vessel division 12 EDM meets automotive demand 06 New wire machine at Alpine Tools

21 Automotive 06 In-house PVD investment

30 Additive Manufacturing 32 Energy Management

22 MOULDING MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS A steel design and manufacturing company has joined forces with a Manchester galvanizing firm to complete a project for the Jodrell Bank radio telescope.

The observatory worked with Pendle-based fabricator DP Structures, to create 17 galvanized frames to form an architecturally stunning installation called ‘First Light Pavilion’, as part of a new £25 million pound project.

David Palmer, Managing and Creative Director at DP Structures, said: “In 2021, we were approached by Realm Projects to assist in designing and manufacturing projection frames for a brand-new interactive area at Jodrell Bank. The interior had been designed by London architects Casson Mann, who had planned to utilise material from the old steel radio telescope dish to retain part of a heritage feature, inside the new attraction by creating a curved amphitheatre.”

Tasked with their creation, DP Structures used sub-frames that formed a cradle which allowed for the integrity of the antique patina of the original dish to remain intact. Due to bearing significant weight, the legs were fabricated using 200x200mm and 180mm RHS steel sections before being slotted together.

“The legs of the frames were adjustable – with their height and angle able to move to align with the projection equipment – and so galvanizing was a necessity,” David continued. “The alternative MAY 2023

Astronomical success

would have been paint, but this would have easily scratched and ruined the overall aesthetic.

“After fabrication, we enlisted support from Manchester Galvanizing Ltd, where the legs were galvanized,” David added.

“Thanks to their high-quality service and quick turnaround times, we’ve worked with Manchester Galvanizing many times over the past 15 years, and they delivered yet again on this exciting project.”

The frames had a fibreglass enclosure with internal lighting which allowed them to glow within the dark surroundings.

After years of planning, the exhibition opened in June 2022 as a permanent fixture.

Mark Waters, Commercial Manager at Manchester Galvanizing, concluded: “What a fantastic project – we’re sure that these frames will allow many visitors at Jodrell Bank to appreciate and admire the

fantastic interactive amphitheatre.

“We’ve worked with DP Structures for a number of years, and they always bring new and exciting projects to us, which are an absolute joy to work on. Their standards are second-to-none and it’s no surprise that this fantastic project has been submitted to the 2023 GAGA Awards – we wish you the very best of luck, and can’t wait to see the next project!”

Jodrell Bank’s ‘First Light Pavilion’ is a world-leading science research institute providing an immersive planetarium experience to explore the depths of space and unearth stories of Jodrell Bank’s pioneering scientists.

Manchester Galvanizing is part of Wedge Group Galvanizing Ltd, the largest hot-dip galvanizing organisation in the UK with 14 plants and a history dating back over 150 years.

8 wedge-galv.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity The Engineering Supply Chain Show 2024 has launched with a dedicated focus on promoting UK-based engineering subcontractors and services The skills, capabilities and high quality workmanship present in the UK’s engineering and manufacturing supply chains will be showcased at the Engineering Supply Chain Show (ESC) which has been launched with the expressed aim of boosting trade opportunities for them.

The ESC Show, which focused exclusively on the UK engineering and manufacturing supply chain, is being co-located in a dedicated hall alongside MACH 2024, the UK’s national show for engineering-based manufacturing, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham between 15 to 19 April 2024. The three-day ESC Show will take place from 16 to 18 April.

The ESC Show is promoted by the Engineering Industries Association (EIA), a cluster member of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA).

The EIA is dedicated to raising the profile of the supply chain to boost opportunities for the companies that operate within it.

By exhibiting at the ESC show, companies can highlight their capabilities to the engineering and manufacturing community. It is dedicated to buyers looking to source precision subcontracting products and services from highquality UK-based suppliers.

The ESC show will be the only co-located exhibition alongside MACH 2024 and will have direct 6

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Focus on UK subcontractors

access to the 26,000 attendees that visit the UK’s national show.

One visitor badge provides access to both events.

The ESC Show launches as part of the MTA’s commitment to support the UK’s aspiration to be a global leader in advanced and digital manufacturing.

The event is designed to create new business opportunities in the engineering based manufacturing sector.

James Selka DL, Chief Executive Officer at the MTA, said: “Since bringing the EIA on board as part of the MTA family in 2021, we have continued to shine a spotlight on the UK engineering supply chain, hosting a well-received show-within-a-show at MACH 2022. Now in a dedicated hall alongside MACH 2024, ESC 2024 is the ideal place for world-class subcontractors and supply chain

engineering companies to generate business leads from new customers. With more and more reshoring taking place, the ESC show is the destination for the UK manufacturing community, seeking to shorten their supply chain by sourcing more domestic content.”

Karen Finegold, Head of EIA, commented; “The EIA is committed to the Engineering Supply Chain show. The benefit to UK PLC, assisting in the reshoring of precision subcontracting products and services, is huge and confirms the EIA’s commitment to building a long-term engineering and manufacturing community. In addition, members of the EIA receive a discount for exhibiting in the Engineering Supply Chain show, further encouraging and supporting participation.”

8 engineeringsupplychain.co.uk MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS The latest Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) shows that the UK subcontract manufacturing market surged by 60% in the first three months of 2023 compared to the previous quarter. As political and economic uncertainty eased, high value purchasing organisations came back to the market and the release of pent up demand saw activity soar.

The market jumped by 178% from December 2022 to January 2023 and remained healthy for the rest of the quarter.

Overall the first quarter of 2023 was 31% higher than the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating consistent growth in the longer term.

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.

On a process by process basis the biggest growth in Q1 2023 was in fabrication, which grew by 71%. Machining grew by 56% and other processes by 15%.

Fabrication represented 55% of the market, with machining on 38% and other processes on 7%.

The strongest market sectors have remained remarkably consistent over the past year, with Industrial Machinery and Food and Beverage holding the top two spots.

Commenting on the figures, Qimtek owner Karl Wigart said: “Coming off a poor end to 2022 we expected January MAY 2023

Market surges 60%

to be a bumper month and it certainly delivered. Overall it was a very good quarter. We have seen an increase in activity across the board with more projects, more contracts awarded, better award values and more activity by

manufacturers in responding to RFQs. “We know it is not an easy business climate at the moment, but everyone seems to be active and trying to do something about it.”

8 qimtek.co.uk

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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity A £750,000 press line investment will allow Phoenix Tooling and development to prove out complex projects.

The press tool design and manufacture specialist installed the 500-tonne Ching Fong press and full coil line, supplied by Worcester Presses, as part of a £1.1m investment drive to support customers in the automotive, construction, white goods, EV and medical sectors.

The GTX 500-D press delivers the longest tool bed (3.4m x 1.5m) in its history and is equipped with an impressive 3-in-1 Tomac decoiler, straightener and feeder line that allows the business to build larger tools and, more importantly, ‘prove out’ complex tooling projects.

This is a major development for the Aldridge-based business, with the company now able to give its growing customer base full confidence that the tooling produced will stamp components to the required customer production rates, quality, and consistency – all before it arrives at their respective factories.

The business also has the equipment needed to simulate full production testing and support a seamless handover process to its clients.

“We relocated to Shenstone Drive last year and had to make the decision whether to persevere with our 1930s Wilkins and Mitchell 300 tonne press,” explained Martin Mulvey, Managing Director of Phoenix Tooling & Development.

“After careful deliberation we 8

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Prove out potential

took the decision to use the move to our new home as the perfect time to search for a new, more powerful press that had better control and ancillary equipment that could speed up our try-out & commissioning processes and give us the ‘proving out’ capacity we wanted.”

He continued: “Worcester Presses has been superb. Russell Hartill and his team spent lots of time exploring our requirements, challenging our approach, and then identifying possible solutions – the best one being the impressive Chin Fong GTX 500-D & Tomac 3 in 1 TLF4-800 coil line.”

Phoenix Tooling & Development, which has also invested in a new GF+ mikron machining centre with ‘WorkPartner’ automated palletising, pushed the £750,000 button on the press investment and started to plan for its installation.

Midlands Machinery was

appointed by Worcester Presses to get the Chin Fong in place, and this required taking the roof partially off for two days, removing part of the outside verge to accommodate the crane and building a one-foot-deep pit to house it.

“The press, which weighs about 55 tonnes without the ram, would just about fit under the roof if we moved the air receivers to the side, something Worcester Presses were able to facilitate,” continued Martin, who started his working life with Phoenix Tooling & Development’s sister business Cooke Brothers.

“It took about two weeks from start to finish to get the press in place, commissioned and ready for accommodating our ongoing press tooling projects. Five of our staff have been trained on how to get the most out of it, giving us full flexibility on the shopfloor.”

8 phoenixtooling.co.uk MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS A £200,000 investment in technology has boosted productivity and brought immediate advantages to customers at cable and wiring harness specialist Nicab Ltd. The company, which has its headquarters at Silverstone Park, has acquired a Komax Alpha 530 machine which is capable of crimping and seal insertion of high-quality wire cross-sections of 0.13mm-6mm which. It can produce these at some nine metres per second – which would reach from Silverstone to Paris in under 24 hours.

Nicab Managing Director Nick Locke said: “The Komax puts us ahead of the competition for our customers and also safeguards jobs as it enables us to compete with similar operators outside Europe.

“The set-up time of the Komax gives us an immediate advantage for our customers in terms of efficiency, end quality and cost control.”

Nicab high-end cabling products are used by customers across a number of applications that require 100% reliability in demanding environments. These include life-saving medical equipment, aerospace, industrial, defence, automotive and audio-visual applications.

Nick added: “Because of the sheer volume and variety of different crimps and cables that we are able to produce as stock, our customers benefit from both the scale that we work to and our ability to supply a high-end product.

MAY 2023

Cabling cost and quality benefits

“We very much see ourselves as craftspeople – a lot of what we do, particularly some of the more complex stuff, still needs to be done by hand in spite of automation.

“These are skills that can take years to learn and it’s a value we offer our customers. The Komax has only added to that value – it is at peak performance all the time which obviously a human cannot maintain.

“It also consistently turns out a perfect piece of work which is invaluable for quality control, detecting and then preventing

even the minutest imperfection in a crimp or cut to reach the final batch for delivery – meaning the batch is perfect every time.”

Nicab has enjoyed significant growth in the past 24 months having achieved an annual turnover of more than £2.6 million for the first time. It now also employs 22 full-time staff compared to 18, 12 months ago.

It also holds a prestigious UL (Underwriters Laboratory) Accreditation – a globally recognised standard in wiring harness assembly.

8 nicab.co.uk

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Engineering Capacity | INDUSTRY NEWS Francis Brown Engineering has established a dedicated pressure vessel division to reflect the growing demand for its specialist fabrication capabilities.

The independent Stockton-onTees company, which this year marks its 120th anniversary, has seen an increase in orders for its bespoke pressure vessels across multiple sectors, ranging from chemicals, oil & gas to hydrogen storage applications.

It recently delivered a vertical column pressure vessel for a major client in the global oil and gas industry, which measured 20 metres in length and weighing over 15 tonnes when fitted out with internal trays and external ladders and platforms.

Designed to contain a volatile liquid solution, which is both flammable and corrosive, it took more than 2,370 hours to complete.

Engineered from 304L stainless steel, the pressure vessel was fitted with a carbon steel skirt and insulated and clad in stainless steel. It was manufactured to PD5500:2018, the UK’s standard unfired pressure vessels code, which specifies requirements for the design, construction, inspection, and testing, and can operate at a temperature range between 260c and minus 15c.

Family-owned Francis Brown Engineering has a strong heritage of delivering projects in the chemical, process, and construction sectors and in the last 4 decades has built up an MAY 2023

Putting on the pressure

enviable reputation as a specialist in the fabrication of pressure vessels.

CEO Jamie Brown said: “At Francis Brown Engineering we have built upon our extensive fabrication and welding capabilities to develop a strong track record for delivery of storage pressure vessels to the newly

emerging hydrogen industries across the UK and Europe.”

“As a result, we have established a dedicated pressure vessels division to reflect their growing importance to the business as it further strengthens its position these new and existing sectors.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS | Engineering Capacity

EDM meets automotive demand Essex press shop and toolmaker Alpine Tools has invested in new wire EDM capacity to keep up with demand from the automotive sector.

With its own press shop serving the production facility of a major automotive plant in Eastern Europe, it needed to invest in capacity for its in-house press operations and various subcontract customers. The company selected a Sodick VL600Q CNC wire EDM machine from a shortlist of six.

Established in 1965, Alpine Tools is an ISO9001-accredited family-owned toolmaking business headquartered in Leighon-Sea, Essex. The company maintains a fully equipped and qualified independent toolroom in support of its own press shop, as well as a broad spread of

subcontract customers. The press shop houses both mechanical and hydraulic presses ranging from 12 to 120 tons in capacity, running progression and single-operation tooling for producing automotive parts. All components have full traceability that help Alpine Tools to maintain customer score cards of 100% for on-time delivery and quality.

Although a relatively small company it has a major longrunning automotive contract that sees for a range of pressed

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stainless steel brackets for vehicles assembled in Eastern Europe.

The new machine arrived in November 2022, with installation, commissioning and training passing off smoothly.

“Since then we’ve kept the machine busy with a variety of tasks, including the manufacture of high-precision press-tool punches and dies,” said Mr Chetland. “We also use our new Sodick wire EDM to undertake press-tool maintenance.”

In addition, the machine will serve the company’s subcontract toolroom operations. Here, the company produces fixtures for machining and welding, along with inspection gauges and other tools from materials such as tool steel, stainless steel and even aluminium.

These tools end up in sectors such as medical, heating and lighting.

Mr Chetland added: “We’re an independent toolroom so we’ll take on anything that comes through the door. The new Sodick gives us greater accuracy, better economy and a somewhat larger working envelope than we had previously, providing us with a wider scope of work to pursue.

“Our diversity of skill and knowledge sets us apart from standard milling and turning shops. We have a lot of toolmaking experience and understand the purpose of what we manufacture.

Also, we often have customers come to us with a problem, so we set about designing a solution.”

8 alpinetoolsltd.co.uk MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | MACHINED COMPONENTS The original engine of the A-series Classic Mini included a 32 kg cast iron block. Imagine the improved performance if the latest advances in engine technology were applied today.

This is what inspired Smethwick-based subcontractor A&M EDM to create its own engine, a road race version with a block machined from solid aluminium weighing just 20.55 kg with end caps fitted.

Launched in the first quarter of 2023 and marketed worldwide under the Ascaso brand name, the A+5 1273 cc K16V turbo engine was successfully circuit tested in December 2022 at the Llandow race circuit in South Wales by racing legend Jim Lyons.

He originally loaned his Mini to the subcontractor so it could laser-scan and reverse-engineer the body and engine bay, while similar was also done on legacy engine components.

Mr Lyons commented, "It's amazing how different the car felt.

The steering was so much sharper with the lighter engine block and the engine just wanted to rev! We were still using the multi-piece development crankshaft, so rpm was limited to 7,000, although the engine has revved to 9,250 rpm during test." A lap time of 43.04 seconds was recorded, which is only 0.75 seconds slower than the lap record.

The project is the brainchild of Gary Surman, previously technical director at A&M EDM, a business that has grown since 2002 from two employees and a rented machine to a MAY 2023

Aluminium Mini engine

headcount today of 70 and annual sales of over £7 million.

Managing Director Mark Wingfield supported Gary’s ambition, believing that that the

addition of a proprietary product would enhance the subcontractor’s portfolio.

Gary built his first Mini engine at the age of 12. Even then he had a vision of building a block with five main bearings rather than three, with two extra columns either side of the central bearing to provide extra support for the crankshaft. The Covid pandemic combined with forward-thinking management at A&M EDM finally gave him the opportunity to design and produce it. www.engineeringcapacity.com

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MACHINED COMPONENTS | Engineering Capacity The block is machined on a Hurco VMX42Ui 5-axis VMC, while the crankshaft is produced from a solid billet using the swivelling B-axis of a Hurco VMX60SRTi VMC synchronised with the motions of a Kitagawa GT320 rotary 4th axis table. The initial engine design was for the front-wheel-drive, transverse engine layout of the Mini, but a crankshaft has also been developed for an in-line engine.

So, with adapter plates it can be

used in sports cars with rear wheel drive, such as the AustinHealey or MG Midget. There is even the possibility of starting a

new race series if the engine is put into track cars.

Mr Surman said, "We have served the Formula One, automotive, marine and aerospace industries for many years and were able to employ those skills to manufacture our own engine. The original had three main bearings but the new version has five, so it can rev at higher speeds up to 10,000 rpm and accept a load in excess of 350 BHP.” 8 amedm.co.uk

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MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | MACHINED COMPONENTS

Virtual inspiration for students Erodex UK, a specialist in graphite and graphite machining for the aerospace industry, has launched an innovative virtual reality experience to inform and inspire engineering students at a local college towards a career in their industry.

Over a period of two days, team members from Wednesbury based Erodex ran four sessions for over sixty full time engineering students at City of Wolverhampton College.

The sessions were the first to include a new virtual reality experience, which enabled students to get a first-hand 3D insight into Erodex’s state-of-the-art graphite machining facility, hear from a range of team members and more broadly, gain an understanding of the variety of roles available at a company like Erodex.

The virtual reality experience was complimented by ‘meet the employee’ Q&A discussions including former apprentice and current Production Manager Ellie Emery, Engineer and Apprentice Mentor John Webb and James Kirk, Operations Director.

During the sessions, students were also set a task to complete in small groups with the aim of enhancing their learning experience and providing more depth to their level of insight into real world engineering. This required them to inspect several graphite machined electrodes using digital micrometers, MAY 2023

comparing each to the kind of exacting quality standards that apply across all components produced for the aerospace industry.

Students were then informed of the apprenticeship roles available this summer at Erodex, with those interested in learning more being invited to apply for work experience placements with the company.

James Kirk, Operations Director at Erodex said: “Like so many engineering firms Erodex are

looking to the next generation to future proof our workforce. 2023 sees the relaunch of our apprenticeship scheme, something which we are committed to making sure is best in class.

“We want the best young engineering talent to aspire to work for us and we understand that for that to happen we need comprehensive local outreach to raise our brand awareness as a good employer and a top choice for engineering apprenticeships.

8 erodex.com

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MACHINED COMPONENTS | Engineering Capacity

Tooling up for product launch Investment in a second-hand mill-turning machine will help Glenhead Engineering fulfil a new, three-year contract to machine complex, high-precision metal components for a new product that will be unveiled later this Summer.

Mills CNC supplied the DN Solutions 10” chuck/81mm bar capacity SMX 2600S, equipped with powerful, high torque 26kW/4,000rpm (700N-m) opposing spindles, a 40-tool position ATC, a B-axis 12,000rpm milling spindle and a self-centring steady rest.

The machine was installed at Glenhead’s facility in Clydebank in February 2023, and has been positioned adjacent to the company’s first mill-turn machine, a Doosan 12” chuck/102mm bar capacity SMX 3100, acquired by the company in March 2022.

Bob O’Donnell, Glenhead Engineering’s managing director, said: “Publicity and promotion surrounding the collaborative joint venture is limited until the

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launch. NDA’s are in place, and we can’t say too much about the initiative at this moment in time.

“Suffice it to say, this is a major machining contract for us and one that will, for the next three years, take up the entire machining capacity of our two mill-turn machines.”

With the launch fast approaching, both machines are currently in pre-production mode and are being used to fine tune the machining process before moving into full production in the next couple of weeks.

Glenhead, which employs 34 members of staff, provides customers with a comprehensive range of integrated in-house services from Design for Manufacture (DfM) and reverse engineering through to high-quality machining and assembly.

Bob O’Donnell added: “We are always looking to improve the services we provide to customers.

“As a matter of course, we systematically benchmark and review our performance against KPIs and, if and when we identify areas of the business that need to be improved, we act decisively and invest.

“We know, from our own experience, that multi-axis machines, and their ability to machine complex, high-precision parts in one-hit, have been more than instrumental in helping us increase our productivity, improve our process efficiencies and give us a distinct competitive edge.”

8 glenheadengineering.co.uk MAY 2023

LASER & WATER CUTTING | Engineering Capacity A new tube laser means Lasercell can eliminate the additional cost and lead time associated with outsourcing and can design parts more efficiently.

The Trumpf Trulaser Tube 3000 fibre system not only eliminates the cost of outsourcing tube cutting and reduces lead time, it also allows Lasercell to design parts more efficiently.

Lasercell was set up in 2012 and now employs 25 people. The company initially focused on architectural sheet metalwork using a flat-bed laser, but now it has diversified into areas such as shop fitting, marine and general engineering.

“Primarily we are a laser profiling subcontractor, both sheet and now tube laser,” said one of three company directors Kieran Bernstein. “It provides a good balance – a fairly even split – with the other side of our business, architectural metalwork. From a subcontract perspective we take on almost anything, although we tend to pick up a lot of thinner gauge laser work in attractive metals such as brass, copper and stainless steel.”

With business growing the company investigated the potential for adding an in-house tube laser facility.

“Not only would a tube laser eliminate the cost of outsourcing, it would allow us to design some of our architectural metalwork differently,” explained Mr Bernstein. “Previously, if we had an urgent job, we would have 18

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In-house tube capability

to design folded profiles for features that would normally lend themselves to box section, just so we could produce it quickly in-house using our flat-bed laser and press brakes.

By investing in a tube laser we can make it a lot easier and more efficient for ourselves in terms of design and how we join parts together.”

The Trumpf TruLaser Tube can accommodate tube diameters up to 152mm and process mild steel up to 8mm thick, stainless steel and aluminium up to 6mm, and copper and brass up to 4mm. The 3kW machine, which is the first of its type in the UK, includes a 3D cutting head and automated loading with bundle space for up

to 4 tonnes of unprocessed material.

“Although we’ve been really busy, the machine is so quick that keeping it fed can sometimes be a challenge,” said Mr Bernstein, alluding to the exceptionally fast processing speed of the TruLaser Tube 3000 fiber. “As well as eliminating the need to outsource our tube laser work, reducing lead times and designing parts more efficiently, the new machine gives us a unique selling point when promoting our services. We like to help our customers with their design for manufacture requirements and the tube laser plays a big part in that offer.”

8 lasercell.co.uk MAY 2023

LASER & WATER CUTTING | Engineering Capacity Lincoln-based Micrometric, which offers micro laser manufacturing and multiprocess services, is celebrating its 40th year of business.

With this special anniversary, Micrometric is reflecting on the changes the company has faced and the evolution of services it provides in a range of sectors including medical, aerospace and automotive. Founded by Maurice Gates and Neil Main, Micrometric began by cutting sheet metal using innovative CO2 lasers in January 1983 and had a turnover of only £50 in its first month - but this soon started growing.

Neil Main, Managing Director of Micrometric, remembers contracts that changed the services provided by Micrometric: “We were asked by the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell if we could make radiation sensors for detecting alpha radiation. They needed small rectangles cutting and each to have a letter and number and error code that was different on each. At that time our competitors were not able to do this, so we rose to the challenge and successfully output the parts using the large CO2 laser (DE) and BBC Micro.”

By 1990, Micrometric Techniques was a precision laser processor, and several industries were asking the team to make parts: electronics, gas turbines, food manufacturers, and medical.

Most of the medical items were for instrumentation but Micrometric was asked to make 20

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40 years of Micrometric

one part for a prostate cancer remover.

In 1994 the company moved into a new purpose-built factory on Doddington Road, Lincoln, allowing further expansion. With more space the company invested in new hi-tech lasers including its first Bystronic which was fast, flexible and precise.

After Neil purchased Micrometric in 2004, he faced a great challenge: the biggest customer which accounted for around 25% of turnover in Micrometric’s portfolio bought its own laser. The company’s revenue declined, and it resulted in redundancies.

Recovery took a while before the company was able to invest in new equipment. However, technological advances meant that the new lasers when purchased were state of the art and Micrometric was able to produce better quality components more quickly with a higher-skilled workforce.

Over the past five years, Micrometric has enjoyed strong growth to meet the demand for precision components, including the Coherent Starcut tube cutting machine which produces exclusive medical instruments with extremely high precision, and a new Lasercube machine which delivers on quality, precision, speed and efficiency. It is these developments that will allow the team to continue producing highquality precision components for a multitude of industries including the medical sector.

When looking into the future Neil is positive: “Most things develop out of a need, and we have seen so much change in just the last three years, but customers are still asking for new parts and processes. We are always looking for new ways of expanding our services so there is huge potential for growth in the medical, aerospace and automotive industries.”

8 micrometric.co.uk MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | AUTOMOTIVE Vestatec UK, which specialises in metal forming and assembly, has announced a seven-figure investment which includes the development of its own Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating facility.

This will allow the company to offer this service in-house without the support of thirdparty suppliers.

Overall, nearly £2 million has been invested into the 20,000 sq ft Nottingham-based site to streamline its production process and ultimately reduce costs for its customers.

“As a preferred supplier to some of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers, strengthening our first-class facilities to support the growing scale of the industry will make a huge difference to our processes, and our customers’ pockets,” commented, Mike Bylina, Managing Director at Vestatec. “The additional and upgraded equipment puts us among some of the top tiered suppliers across the global automotive supply chain.”

PVD is the advanced technique of adding metal finishings to achieve a high quality and durable coating for decorative metal, while retaining the desired aesthetic look. With a high deposition rate, Vestatec can deliver more time-efficient production, improved cost efficiency and greater consistency across product batches.

“We are one of the few businesses in the UK to offer, MAY 2023

In-house PVD investment

etching, forming and assembly of metal parts as a service,” Mike added. “Now, by bringing PVD inhouse we’re able to remove the need for a third-party supplier, which takes another step out of the logistical process, ultimately saving our customers money.”

Alongside this large investment, Vestatec has acquired the company’s first robotic assembly system to offer a more affordable and flexible service for both new and existing clients.

Mike continued: “When building quotes for our customers, dedicated assembly machinery is often required to achieve the end product which can significantly drive up costs. Our new robot cell allows us to automate a large proportion of the assembly process, helping to

speed up production, while reducing the need for additional and expensive, dedicated machinery.”

The company recently secured IATF 16949 certification with zero non-compliances, putting the business in the top 3% of suppliers globally and the top 7% of those in the UK. Founded in 1987, Vestatec specialises in highly complex metal forming, assembly and PVD coating, creating precision components to meet the requirements of high performance and aesthetic applications. In addition to being a leading supplier to the OE market worldwide, Vestatec says its technology and expertise are transferable to any sector where intricacy, design and differentiation matter.

8 vestatec.co.uk www.engineeringcapacity.com

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MOULDING | Engineering Capacity A six-axis robot is helping solve an insert handling problem on a white goods project at Mitre Plastics.

Located in north-east England and boasting a 50-year history, in 2019, Mitre Plastics was invited to quote for producing a highvolume part with a brass insert for a white goods manufacturer, requiring a repeatable, highspeed insert loading solution. To get an idea of how the part could be produced on its existing FANUC ROBOSHOT α-S220iB injection moulding machine, Mitre Plastics asked an unnamed automation supplier to scope out a conceptual solution.

“They suggested using a collaborative robot in conjunction with our existing injection moulding machine and three-axis robot to handle insert loading,” said General Manager Michael Breckon.

“When we took the proposal to FANUC to discuss providing additional hardware and integration work for the solution, it raised questions over how it would work in practice,” The review highlighted a number of limitations with the proposed solution, with FANUC’s engineers concluding that this application was not wholly suited to a cobot.

As FANUC’s senior integration engineer James Pointer explained: “Firstly, collaborative robots are intended to work unguarded, but in this case, a guard was required, adding cost. Secondly, the proposal was to mount the cobot on the moulding machine at head 22

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Insert problem handled

height, which would not comply with health & safety guidelines.

And thirdly, cobots are inherently slow, whereas the key with injection moulding is to minimise mould open time for maximum productivity.”

Instead of a cobot, FANUC proposed a simpler, faster, more efficient and more flexible solution, comprising a six-axis robot cell. To assist in this alternative approach, it engaged Hi-Tech, its long-term strategic partner for injection moulding handling and integration. The two companies worked seamlessly to devise a solution that involved replacing the existing three-axis robot with a side-entry six-axis robot. This would take four inserts from a bowl feeder, enter the moulding machine through the side door, place the inserts into the mould in the correct orientation, demould the finished component and conduct post-mould checks –

all within the specified cycle time.

“With the aim of reducing cost and complexity to the existing system, we designed a selfcontained industrial automation cell,” said James.

Flexibility was also an important consideration in this project as, although the contract was large, other work still needed to be kept on the moulding machine.

“As the name suggests, with a three-axis robot you have three axes of movement: up and down, left and right, forwards and backwards, so when the gripper comes down you can’t change the angle. A six-axis, in comparison, gives you full rotation and therefore free movement. For the manufacture of plastic parts with over moulded inserts, this freedom of movement is invaluable, as precision and accuracy are key to successful production,” added James.

8 mitreplastics.co.uk MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | MOULDING William Hughes has been helping a prominent European car manufacturer develop an over-moulded carrier plate and wire frame for use as the backrest on the driver and passenger seats in its range of saloon cars and SUVs. What started out ten years ago as a reasonably simple wire assembly project involving only wires with a plastic backplate pressed into them has evolved, with William Hughes’s expert guidance, into a much more sophisticated over-moulded assembly with a pressed bracket.

MAY 2023

Over-moulding for car seats This achieves a number of benefits including cost savings and reduced assembly time.

Production has now moved to Bulgaria where William Hughes has created an additional fully automated robotic cell dedicated to this assembly at its factory in Plovdiv. The robot takes the wire after bending and presents it to the press which then assembles the bracket.

The lumbar structure, which is made from 5mm galvanised

spring steel over-moulded in polypropylene, supports various holes for wires and a fan vent along with clips to position wires and tubes which hold a plastic air bag in place while facilitating controls for a massage function.

In the beginning, the production run amounted to 70,000 parts but such has been the efficacy of the overall operation that William Hughes is now producing 700,000 units per annum.

8 wmhughes.co.uk

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SUBCON PREVIEW | Engineering Capacity Subcon is back with a real bang for 2023, with two days of innovation, engineering excellence and networking.

The UK’s biggest and longestrunning subcontract manufacturing supply chain show brings the industry together for companies to source, subcontract, benchmark and learn all under one roof.

The show is combined with over 20 hours of free-to-attend conference sessions, engineered to help visitors future proof their business.

Subcon back with a bang

World-class manufacturing services More than 200 solution providers representing the best of British manufacturing engineering capability, alongside a wealth of market-leading international suppliers, will be present to help visitors optimise their supply chain strategy and keep costs down.

Alongside subcontract manufacturing services, thousands of new products and innovations will be on display across the full range of advanced engineering technology, systems

and services – from additive manufacturing and metrology solutions to frictionless bearings, cables and controls, and everything in between. The organisers say the show is geared to helping you increase capacity, optimise productivity, improve flexibility and remain competitive.

Tel: 07904 573374

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Two conference theatres Two conference features – focusing on innovation and supply chain issues – will offer dedicated presentations and panel discussions focusing on hot

technology issues, industry and technology trends and practical aspects of supply chain design and management. The aim is for the content to have a direct relevance to attendees that they can apply to their business.

Key strands include automation, digitalisation, reshoring, supply chain resilience, market opportunities, sourcing strategy, net zero, skills, additive manufacturing and much more.

Must-see sessions The programme starts with a keynote session entitled ‘Manufacturers leading the charge in making change’. This will be presented by Alain Dilworth, the programme manager for the Made Smarter North West adoption programme, which works with SMEs to accelerate their digital transformation.

The second day starts with a keynote speech from Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero, which asks the question, ‘Are manufacturers ready for the challenges of moving to a net zero world?’

The conference stream closes with a keynote from Jon Harrison of UK steel on putting UK produced steel at the heart of UK supply chains.

MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | SUBCON PREVIEW Panel discussion include, ‘Energy choices for manufacturers’, with panellists including speakers from Aggreko and Bryt Energy; ‘Bringing home the supply chain’ which will focus on the desirability and practice of bring work back to UK suppliers; ‘What gear is UK Automotive sector in?’ looking at the current status of that key sector; and ‘UK recovery – what are the new markets and how accessible are they?’ with speakers including Mike Wilson, Chief Automation Officer of the MTC and Philippa Oldham, Stakeholder Engagement Director at the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK. You can register for your ticket and see the full conference programme (subject to amendment) on the Subcon website www.subconshow.co.uk.

See what’s on show With over 200 exhibitors and thousands of products and innovations on display, Subcon is a must-attend event for the engineering sector. Here are some highlights of what is on show.

Bag sponsor for the show is Omnidex (Stand C141) a Britishowned and managed company providing a single-source provider for all manner of metal and plastic fabrication, casting, machining, finishing, assembly and other manufacturing services, from concept to completion.

Registration sponsor for the show is Turkish Machinery (Stand D121) , the Turkish Machinery Exporters’ Association, which represents MAY 2023

and promotes the interests of its 18,000 members in Europe’s sixth largest machine tool sector.

The Turkish machinery sector has recorded robust growth over the past decade and has increased by more than 400% since 2003. It is now Turkey’s second largest exporter, worth some $25.5bn in

2022 – equivalent to 10% of total exports.

Citizen Machinery (Stand A119) combines two leading manufacturers of CNC automatic lathes: Cincom sliding head lathes up to 38mm, and Miyano fixed headstock lathes from 36mm up to

˅˔˜˦˜ˡ˚ ˧˛˘ ˣ˥ˢ˙˜˟˘ ˢ˙ ˔˗˩˔ˡ˖˘˗ ˘ˡ˚˜ˡ˘˘˥˜ˡ˚ ˔ˡ˗ ˦˖˜˘ˡ˧˜˙˜˖ ˖ˢˠˣ˔ˡ˜˘˦

xƏȸǸƺɎǣȇǕ ۴ ¨« ۴ ³ȒƬǣƏǼ xƺƳǣƏ ۴ !ȒȵɵɯȸǣɎǣȇǕ ۴ IȒȸƺȇɀǣƬ nƺƏƳɀ ۭ ɯƏȸƺȇƺɀɀ ۴ xƺƳǣƏ «ƺǼƏɎǣȒȇɀ ۴ áƺƫ ۭ ³0 ۴ (ƺɀǣǕȇ ۴ 0ɮƺȇɎɀ ۴ ɯƏȸƳɀ ‫הזוגחז אדו׏׎‬ ɯɯɯِƏȸȒȵȸƏȇƳȅƏȸǸƺɎǣȇǕِƬȒِɖǸ

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SUBCON PREVIEW | Engineering Capacity 80mm. Citizen offers highly productive and cost-effective solutions for your complex metal-cutting requirements.

Cornelius Electronics (Stand A121) has become a well-known and leading subcontract manufacturer of box build, bespoke cable assemblies and wiring harnesses, serving a variety of industries. The company says it has the has the technology to deliver repeatable, qualitycontrolled and scalable production quantities to help your business.

EDMO (Stand A141) is a bespoke aluminium extrusion supplier. Its complete range of extrusion and machining services is complemented by powder coating and assembly divisions.

The services are delivered by a global network of specialists, keeping prices competitive and lead times short.

For more than 40 years, Faro (Stand E109) has been a pioneer in ‘Reality Capture’; bridging the digital and physical worlds through data-driven reliable accuracy, precision and immediacy, providing industryleading technology solutions that enable customers to measure their world and use that data to make smarter decisions faster.

JKN Oil Tools (Stand C119) is a Precision Engineering Company based in West Yorkshire producing high-quality subcontract machined parts and fabrications to customers’ specifications and on-time delivery. It supplies components and fabrications to a large variety of customers, including major 26

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pump manufacturers, valve companies, food machine manufacturers and a wide range of smaller sectors.

Keyence (Stand A99) has steadily grown since 1974 to become an innovative leader in the development and manufacturing of industrial automation and inspection equipment worldwide. Its products consist of code readers, laser markers, machine vision systems, measuring systems, microscopes, sensors, and static eliminators.

Modula Storage Solutions (Stand E128) provides customers with effective storage solutions.

Modula manufactures automated storage solutions offering one of the most advanced picking systems in the Vertical Life Module market. Modula is headquartered in Salvaterra di Reggio Emilia, Italy and Lewiston (ME) in the USA. Modula also distributes its services worldwide.

Oldham Engineering (Stand C129) is an established subcontract medium to heavy engineering business. Its services

include precision CNC machining, fabrication, welding, robotic welding, mechanical assembly, equipment refurbishment, turnkey projects and project management.

It can both batch manufacture and produce bespoke smaller quantities and one-offs.

Powdertech Surface Science (Stand G120) provides technically advanced powder coating and surface treatment services to the automotive, medical and specialist niche sectors. Customers benefit from expertise built on years of experience in highly regulated industries, together with the scientific knowledge of a wellqualified team.

Shropshire Stainless and Aluminium (SSA) (Stand G123) is a metals and plastics stockholder based in the UK and Ireland specialising in the supply and processing of aluminium and stainless steel from European suppliers.

Vector Blue Hub (Stand F108) is a specialist electronics design and manufacturing services company based in Poland. It

MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | SUBCON PREVIEW offers an ‘Under One Roof’ concept, where the design and manufacturing services remain in one place to accelerate time to market.

At Subcon, Grenville Engineering (Stand D120) aims to impress attendees with its expertise in metal fabrication solutions. In addition to showcasing its fibre laser cutting technology and metal forming capabilities, Grenville Engineering is also excited to showcase its plans for new investments in tube laser and robotic welding.

The Tube Laser, due to be installed in September this year will allow Grenville Engineering to cut and shape tubes with precision and speed, complementing the Trumpf and Bystronic fibre laser technology, making it easier to create complex structures and designs.

Sales Director, Stuart Rawlinson explained "The investments in the new tube laser and robotic cowelder are an important move for Grenville Engineering. By staying up-todate with the latest technology, we can remain competitive in t he market and continually improve our services to customers, whilst reducing lead times and increasing our capacity.

With the ability to offer a wider variety of parts, we can expand our customer base and attract new business".

The Robotic Cowelder will work alongside the current 22 welding stations and enable the company to automate some of MAY 2023

their welding processes, leading to faster production times, increased efficiency and consistently high welding quality.

Stuart explained, "We're off to a great start this year and continue to grow. Therefore, we require these investments to keep up with both our current and future customers."

Together, these investments will help Grenville Engineering provide even better solutions to

its clients, enter new markets and stay ahead of the competition.

Overall, Grenville Engineering says its presence at SUBCON is not to be missed, as it continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of metal fabrication.

Stuart and the team are excited to return to Subcon for the seventh year in a row. They will be at Stand D120 and available to discuss any of your fabrication needs.

From design, sampling and technical support to manufacture, Simpson Springs & Pressings Ltd provide the complete service.

Tel: 0118 978 6573 Email: sales@simpsonsprings.co.uk

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AUTOMECHANIKA PREVIEW | Engineering Capacity Automechanika Birmingham, the UK’s largest automotive trade exhibition, has reported unprecedented visitor demand with registration levels over twice as high as for the 2019 event.

Visitor registrations for supply chain stakeholders are almost 300 percent higher than expectations set by event team Messe Frankfurt UK. Taking place from 6-8 June 2023 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, the event will be the first Automechanika held in the UK since 2019, with exciting brands exhibiting including Bilstein Group, Bosch, Brembo, Castrol, Delphi, HELLA, LIQUI MOLY, MANN & HUMMEL and ZF Aftermarket.

The free event offers aftermarket professionals the opportunity to source the latest tools, technology and innovations, and network with the UK market to share challenges and insight.

A key feature of Automechanika Birmingham is the Automotive Supply Chain Forum, in association with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The Forum takes place amid fast-paced changes on the automotive supply chain horizon, and will offer key insights into the opportunities available to help future-proof the industry.

Key discussions will focus on constantly evolving technology and its effect on the supply chain.

This, combined with the 2030 deadline on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles, means future 28

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Show hits top gear

innovation is a key focus for manufacturing sites across the UK, as suppliers embrace reshoring.

Simon Albert, managing director of event organisers Messe Frankfurt UK, said: “We’re looking forward to opening our doors for 2023 and welcoming visitors to the new, refreshed Automotive Supply Chain Forum at Automechanika Birmingham 2023.

“Visitors will have access to key discussions on challenges and opportunities presented by electrification and battery technology, light weighting, sustainability and net-zero, supply chain logistics, industry 4.0 and digitalisation and, skills and talent retention with a panel of industry expert advisory board members and the SMMT.” The Automotive Supply Chain Forum will also explore how UK manufacturing is bringing

more global productions back to domestic sites to address supply chain challenges caused by the legacy of the Covid pandemic, logistic pain points, global disruption, and ongoing UK-EU regulation complexities following Brexit.

As powertrains shift to zero emission, and vehicle designs are constantly required to innovate, the Forum brings suppliers face to face with those at the forefront of developing new technologies, to explore opportunities and to win business.

The Forum will also see the return of the SMMT Meet the Buyer programme, which enables one-to-one meetings between aftermarket suppliers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and tier-one buyers.

The 2023 edition of the Automotive Supply Chain Forum will be the fifth time the event has MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | AUTOMECHANIKA PREVIEW run, previously being part of the Automechanika trade exhibition.

However, the latest edition will have an all-new format to put the supply chain in the spotlight more than ever before.

Automechanika Birmingham is perhaps the most important event for the UK automotive industry, and the first event back on UK shores since 2019 comes at a vital time with so much disruption and change impacting the community.

Features aimed at the aftermarket sector include a Workshop Training Hub delivering technical seminars on engine fault diagnostics, MOT, diesel, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and much more.

A new EV Training Hub, sponsored by Alliance Automotive Group, will highlight the requirements and opportunities available to the aftermarket to adapt to hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) service and repair. This must-attend programme covers topics such as how to prepare your garage to offer repair services, health and safety requirements, tools and equipment for high voltage

MAY 2023

operations, battery technology, plus, exciting discussions on the hydrogen internal combustion.

Better together Four show organisers have joined forces to collocate 12 manufacturing shows at the NEC – including Automechanika, Subcon and the Automotive Supply Chain Forum.

The collaboration will see Automechanika Birmingham, Design & Engineering Expo, Smart Factory Expo, Med-Tech Innovation Expo, TCT 3Sixty, Drives and Controls, Maintec, Subcon, The Engineer Live, Manufacturing Management Live, Machinery Live and Automotive

Supply Chain Forum come together for the first time at the NEC in Birmingham.

All 12 events will take place alongside each other bringing huge added value to attendees and exhibitors, with a visitor registering for one event gaining access across all shows, providing a united approach to encourage market innovation and trade.

Simon Albert, Managing Director at Messe Frankfurt UK who organises Automechanika the UK's leading trade exhibition for the automotive aftermarket and supply chain sector comments: “We have an exciting proposition for the UK automotive supply chain and this partnership in June 2023 strengthens this opportunity further.

“These events naturally complement each other and by working together we can deliver the strongest platform for our customers to do business. Collocating gives the market the best possible reason to take time out of their busy schedules to visit for the duration of the shows.”

8 bit.ly/Automechanikareg www.engineeringcapacity.com

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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING | Engineering Capacity Ongoing supply chain disruption has forced organisations to seek new ways to navigate through a challenging climate. This has placed technologies such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), artificial intelligence, and robotics under the spotlight to help shorten supply lines and revolutionise global business operations, explains Luke Smoothy, Founder and Director of Get It Made.

With ongoing delays in logistics hindering organisations’ ability to deliver products and services in a timely manner, one way to streamline these activities is the ability to manufacture all critical components at the point of assembly. This is why AM is increasingly playing a critical role in transforming manufacturing workflows and supply chains.

Adoption of 3DP Such is the flexibility of 3D printing, its technology is rapidly accelerating to address a much wider range of applications. As more businesses look to AM to offer very specific applications, they are also wanting to collaborate with an AM partner who is not just able to integrate the entire solution as well as make it function seamlessly in their existing production workflow but also work together on developing a bespoke solution for their requirements.

While we’re seeing AM “take off” in demanding environments such as rocketry, aerospace, military and defence, its use is also 30

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Time to invest in AM

gaining momentum in industrial applications including automotive, semiconductor equipment and in healthcare for medical devices and tools. In particular, the dental industry has been a leader in bringing AM to elevate the patient experience, with the recent progress in 3D materials improving dental practice capabilities over the last decade.

Embracing technology What’s becoming evidently clearer is that key decision makers must hasten the move to digitisation and localisation of their supply chain if they are to prioritise speed, volume, cost, and sustainability - with AM playing a pivotal role.

This is highlighted in a recent report by Make UK, which reveals 93% of manufacturers believe that supply chains will remain under pressure through 2024 at

least. While manufacturing businesses have evolved their supply chains by necessity, they can seize further opportunity through further improving strategies and harnessing technology. While 82% of manufacturers stated that supply chain monitoring is critical to their business, around a quarter neither monitor up or down the supply chain, reflecting the need for improvement. Results also revealed that 62% of businesses haven’t changed their strategy to invest in supply chain technology, and although 47% have increased supply chain monitoring, this still falls significantly short.

More speed, higher volume We are already seeing a real shift from low volume prototyping to high volume manufacturing, as more manufacturers realise the benefits of additive MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING manufacturing. While rapid prototyping remains one of 3D printing’s primary uses, businesses will evolve their key additive manufacturing applications from prototyping and R&D to production.

Demand for higher performance materials at increasing volume illustrates the confidence manufacturers are placing in the growing range of AM technologies.

As more businesses make the switch to volume additive production, this will fuel higher demand for scaled postprocessing and full factory automation solutions underpinned by advanced machine learning and vision technologies, with the aim of improving production consistency.

Less cost Another attractive feature of 3D printing is that upfront investment is kept low as no tooling is required, making low volume production and one-off parts more economical. This proves a particularly attractive benefit for low volume production as the part design can be changed at any time, quickly and easily.

Take injection moulding for instance, a conventional manufacturing technique that requires high initial investments and minimum order quantities, which potentially exposes businesses to more financial risk.

Injection moulding requires more time to produce parts, whereas 3D printing, as a single step manufacturing process, can MAY 2023

manufacture parts within hours, which speeds up the prototyping process to enable faster completion of each stage to cut lead times.

Addressing sustainability challenges Sustainability has become a driving force as manufacturers must now focus on helping to achieve NetZero, as sustainable manufacturing is being seen as not just environmentally, but economically viable.

The industry is now coming under increasing pressure to design and manufacture components and parts that are lighter and stronger, while using less material. Many companies are already seeing the alluring weight and cost saving merits through harnessing AM processes, with one use case in the aerospace sector involving General Electric (GE) and its work on new Catalyst aircraft engines. Taking a design that originally required 855 engine components, GE reduced it down to 12 titanium 3D-printed parts while retaining the same

functionality of older models. This not only significantly reduces production costs but also the weight, to give lower emissions.

Thanks to 3D printing, the improvements helped to reduce overall weight by five per cent and improve brake-specific fuel consumption by one per cent.

3D printing uses only the exact required amount of material to create a part or product, which means that for most components, extra material with conventional production can be removed at the design stage. This not only makes 3D printing more cost efficient over the full lifecycle of the part but also helping to protect the environment by creating less waste when compared to other subtractive forms of fabrication, such as milling, or laser cutting.

While the capabilities of AM are now beginning to be harnessed by engineers and manufacturers alike, we now may be able to address the global problems which have plagued the supply chain for too long.

8 get-it-made.co.uk/

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ENERGY MANAGEMENT | Engineering Capacity

Key trends in energy management The energy market has been subjected to severe disruption in the last 18 months, forcing business, consumers and governments to reconsider the way they obtain, use and manage their energy.

Such recalibration means there will be considerable new opportunities for energy management companies in the short and longer term as the world focuses on decarbonisation.

Companies will need to make sure they have a strategy – and the expertise, be it in-house or with a partner – that combines agility with a financial and technical solution that will enable them to win their unfair share.

Engineering, manufacturing and supply chain expert Plexus asked its team what trends they are hearing from the sector.

The growing need to supercharge Mark Mackay, Business Development Director Today, electric cars (EVs) represent approximately 1% of global car stocks meaning there are more than 10 million EVs on the road, but revenue predictions for EVs show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2027) of 18%.

Electric trucking was valued at USD 505.5 million in 2021 and this market is projected to grow from USD 631.3 million in 2022 to USD 7,146 million by 2029.

The electric construction equipment industry is estimated 32

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to grow from USD 9.2 billion in 2022 to USD 24.8 billion by 2027.

These are huge levels of growth.

As more and more drivers make the switch to electric, there are clearly opportunities for those developing super- or even hyper-chargers to keep all these car, trucks and heavy equipment on the road. Developers need to move quickly, with the right technology to become leaders in this growing space.

Opportunities will extend beyond chargers to technology that captures and stores energy efficiently. Whether that’s using offshore wind to power hydrogen fuel cells, which can store and move energy, or co-locating solar farms with charging stations to facilitate destination charging, thus ensuring energy availability.

One challenge for companies hoping to take advantage of these opportunities is the limited availability of silicon carbide. This is required to power core module technology for all chargers and vehicles. Having a scalable supply chain solution with a focus on reducing risk and facilitating growth will be crucial to take market share.

Hydrogen fuel cells in heavy equipment Rich Latta, Director of Manufacturing Solutions The first hydrogen powered trucks in Europe rolled into action in 2021. For many trucking and heavy equipment manufacturers,

moving straight to hydrogen cells rather than opting for electrification will make more sense. It will avoid the need to stop and charge frequently. A combination of electrification and hydrogen fuel cells will provide greater range and less frequent charging, making their equipment more attractive to buyers. The opportunities and challenges for this new technology are numerous.

Two key areas stand out: Firstly, as hydrogen has a lower ignition energy than fossil fuels, the risk of combustibility and electric shock rises. Building in the right safety measure for these products will increase their commercialisation potential.

Secondly, building in cost reduction to bring this new technology to the right price point will make it a viable option for mass marketing. Utilised effectively, Design for Excellence methodologies will help to achieve this.

A global energy transition in the face of global instability Ramie Smith, Senior Director Industrial - EMEA Initially we might see a backwards trend in this area, particularly in countries where governments are prioritising reducing energy bills for consumers and businesses alike or facing greater demand than their supply can meet. We have already seen this in Germany MAY 2023

Engineering Capacity | ENERGY MANAGEMENT

where parliament approved measures to use mothballed coalmines to produce electricity, leading to major protests from climate change activists.

Longer-term, the need to ensure energy independence, avoid future price rises and decarbonise will drive a move away from fossil fuels to greener, renewable alternatives.

Supporting the transition from oil and gas to renewable energy will require all stakeholders from the power companies, governments, manufacturers and innovators across the energy sector to work collaboratively. The vast scale-up of battery-based electricity storage infrastructure is widely seen as central to global net-zero ambitions. Harvesting energy from renewable sources and converting it into useable power will require the wide deployment of new technologies and investment in national grids. This will include power electronics, high voltage equipment, including HVDC (High Voltage Direct MAY 2023

Current Electricity) Systems, automation and protection products and asset management equipment to monitor performance. When developing technology in each of these areas, companies need to remember the energy trilemma of balancing affordability, reliability and sustainability.

Reducing your supply chain emissions Megan Schleicher, Senior Director Environmental, Social and Governance With the global focus on climate change, companies are increasingly focusing on the sustainability of their supply chain. This includes seeking to reduce Scope 3 emissions indirect emissions that occur because of the companies’ operations, but from sources not owned or controlled by the company - and de-risk. When bringing new energy management products to market,

each member of the supply chain needs to behave in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

Specifically, from an environmental perspective, you should consider: • Regional/Global Growth – how will you be able to deliver your product sustainably within minimum carbon footprint in different regions? How will you be able to cope with demand fluctuation across regions, do you need to consider relocating?

• Product Design – consider the decisions you make in early product development and the long-term environmental impacts those could have.

• Supply chain configuration which suppliers are at most risk from the impact of climate change or fluctuating energy prices?

Applying this thinking will not only deliver from a sustainability perspective, but also increase resilience and de-risk your supply chain.

8 Plexus.com www.engineeringcapacity.com

33

JFL are broach and broaching specialists with many years personal experience. We offer a comprehensive broaching service covering keyways, squares, hexagons and special forms.

Unit 2, Deethe Farm Industrial Est, Cranfield Rd, Woburn Sands, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK17 8UR Tel: 01908 585103 www.jflbroaches.co.uk

SUB-CNC Precision is a leading UK manufacturer specialising in CNC machining of Turned parts Sliding Head: Multi-axis twin-spindle lathes offer flexibility from simple to complex turned parts. Size range 1-35mm. Fixed Head: Twin-spindle twin-turret lathes for reduced cycle times. Size range 8-65mm.

Unit O, Cradock Road Luton LU4 0JF Tel: +44 (0) 1582 667537 www.sub-cncprecision.co.uk

CNC PRECISION COMPONENTS 8

JFL Broaches and Broaching

CNC MACHINING 8

BROACHING 8

DIRECTORY | Engineering Capacity

Qualiturn Products Limited 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.

7 Fountain Drive, Hertford, Herts, UK, SG13 7UB Tel. +44 (0) 1992 584499 www.qualiturn.co.uk

Get your company noticed with an Engineering Capacity classified profile advert FOR MANUFACTURERS ABOUT SUBCONTRACTORS

September 2017

Engineering Capacit y

ering Capacity NENTS | Engine MACHINED COMPO

orts Mill-turning supp lean approach

of this year In the first half committed to Roscomatic has ent, including £750,000 of investm latest of the the installation MSY multi-axis Miyano BNE-51 centre. ll turn-mi The Worthing-based company st subcontract machini million parts 1.5 dispatches some from completed a year – ranging sub-assemblies assemblies and d castings and to large machine – and is small turned parts record ga currently achievin of 98%. rate on-time delivery Joe Martello Managing director mins to just company is driven been cut from 13 explains that the t Keet says: constan further complex of hy Cell Leader Sean y 2.5 mins. A by a philosop ent which lean manufacturing “The levels of operational flexibilit stainless steel compon development of ns taking has enabled us d by had three operatio in the Miyano BNE techniques, supporte machining reduced to a exceeding £1 11 minutes is now to significantly reduce nt, investment often cycle. importa an ‘open-liaison’ single, four-minute times and most million a year and the ivity.” n-investment keeps product which return-o overall Further improve people strategy up setters to machine has date on the He says the new comes from freeingworkforce up to s from the machine and arising.

3-axis tasks issues perform other replaced existing company and any in time for each of 10 aluminium reduction of lost He says: “We invest so that a family ly required four on, reducing the the latest first-off inspecti parts that previous automation and e relocation errors gy which ns and a separat risk of setting and production technolo shortage of turning operatio be in progress. e the operation can now and cutting work helps to overcom BNE-51MSY However, milling d in one turn-milling cycle. the of y require.

The flexibilit produce skills we would as it is capable is that average that we still need A massive bonus is key to its success with three it is so important per part has engineers of single cycle cuttingoverlapped at total cycle times to grow our own t support and by tools simultaneously ce at the through constan to maximise our both ends of a workpiebar up to training, in order using ment and so same time, and return-on-invest r. support and what 51 mm bar diamete kW main improve how we 15 rs.”

The fixed-head we deliver to custome Miyano 7.5 kW new spindle and two-axis with In addition to the both already ordered secondary spindle, 5,000 the company has of sliding head maximum speeds two Citizen CNC the advantage of machines. The revs/min, have turn-mill centre posed L20-VIII superim / Citizen synchronised two machines, a on, g low frequency for both 12-stati control LFV (LFV featurin a and Ideal for technology) all-driven turrets. vibration cutting e M16-V will bring top-of-the-rang 14.

2017 installations to SEPTEMBER the total Citizen 14

INDUSTRY NEWS | MACHINING | AUTOMOTIVE | SHOW PREVIEWS

MACHINED COMPONENTS: Prismatic parts from bar

www.engineeringcapacity.com

| INDUSTRY NEWS More than 1000 small to medium-sized manufacturers (SMEs) have been given a business boost over the last ten months thanks to a new £9.7m business support initiative.

The Manufacturing Programme (MGP), Growth funded by the European Regiona l Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by Economic Growth Solutions (EGS), has helped compan ies across the UK to grow, develop products and overcom new e production issues that were previously holding them back.

This has already led jobs, with an addition to 400 new al 359 positions expecte d to once ongoing projectsbe created are completed. By the end of July, £1.6m of grant contributions have been made, with We’ve still got a money in place lot of to support another deliver and we want grants to leadership and 2200 firms management, between now and manufacturers R&D, lean manufa to come forward March 2019. cturing, and see how they Lorraine Holmes productivity and , Chief can take capacity, quality Executive Officer advantage of the systems and supply of EGS, assistance chain explained: “We offer. development.

It’s never been easier, on are way above the as the targets we have process is quick Martin Coats, Operatio set for ourselve and the scope ns s, of proving that there support can be Director at EGS, tailored to the is a continued: “When from SMEs for targetedreal appetite exact needs of firms come to us the business.” they receive a business support that can strategic review The Manufacturing help them grow. from one of our Growth Programme was “The difference MGMs that determines with our set what programme is that the void left by the up to fill barriers are in the it is delivered Manufac way and turing what by manufacturing Advice Service (MAS) support is needed experts who to by understand the providing access reach their potentia help them challenges to specialist l. companies are assistance to help “Since October facing. They manufacturers 2016, the understand the to grow and improve highest barrier language with 15% of clients .

MDs are talking was ‘Continuous This is being achieved and can guide Improvement’, through them on making an 18-strong network followed by ‘Environ the right mental’ and decisions, before experienced manufa of ‘Marketing and bringing in Market cturing specialists on specific growth manage Knowledge’ (12% rs (MGM), access each). Once the are facing or opportu issues they to industry speciali initial stage has been completed, nities sts they’re looking opportunity to apply and the we then bring in to explore.” an expert who for an average grant of She continued: works with the “1000 £1400, rising to management team a to address beneficiaries is maximum £3,500. these issues.” just the start.

8 manufacturingg Support can be used for rowth programme.co.u SEPTEMBER k 2017

Growth support helps 1000 SM Es

www.engineeringc apacity.com

apacity.com www.engineeringc

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Call 01737 270648 34

www.engineeringcapacity.com

MAY 2023

TO AEROSPACE

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GET YOUR QUOTE TODAY

Precision mill turned parts up to 65mm in diameter from bar and 300mm billet work

DAWSON PRECISION COMPONENTS Manufacturing precision machined components since 1965 Services include: CNC milling, CNC turning, turn/mill machining, sub contracted services, finishing and project management.

Greenfield Lane, Shaw, Oldham, Lancashire, OL2 8QP Tel: 01706 842311

dpc.co.uk MAY 2023

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

COMPONENTS

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.

Sutton Road, St. Helens Merseyside WA9 3DJ Tel: 01744 22567 www.wealdpark.co.uk

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

Wardlow, Tideswell, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 8RP Tel. 01298-871633 (from overseas: +44-1298-871633) from 09:00 to 23:00 UK time www.lathes.co.uk

TURNED

PRECISION ENGINEERING 8

store.lathes.co.uk - where Manuals, Catalogues Drive Belts Books Accessories & Spares are listed The world’s largest machine tool reference archive. Manuals, Catalogues, Books, Pictures Specifications, Technical Guides

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5 High quality precision machined components 5 Trusted technical support service 5 Complete and bespoke service from conception to completion 5 AS9100D & ISO 9001:2015 approved Oldfield Street, Crosland Moor Huddersfield HD4 5AJ T: 01484 548903 www.thomas-brown-engineering.co.uk

REPETITION TURNED PARTS 8

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SUBCONTRACT CNC TURNING 8

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Engineering Capacity | DIRECTORY

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

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

www.engineeringcapacity.com

35

Free Free Tickets Tickets

Hosting the SMMT SMMTs Ts Meet the Buyer event

in association with

6-8 June 2023, NEC, Birmingham

A new da wn ffor or UK supply chains. dawn T his event will move the shak ers.

This shakers.

UK V Vehicle eehicle production is going through unprecedented change, the mak makeup eup of the UK supply chain and the never technical requirements for vvehicles ehicles has nev er looked looked more different. Compounded by political, legislativ legislativee The Automotive and logistical challenges. T he A utomotive Supply Chain Forum F orum offers a unique opportunity to get ahead of the curv curvee and connect back with the UK manufacturing supply chain.

F Find ind out mor more e about new suppliers, the latest development innovations how dev elopment and inno vations are and ho w they can competitive, supply.. T The event support yyou ou with competitiv e, local supply he ev ent will effectivee opportunity to sho showcase also be an effectiv wcase yyour our support for the UK industry and its supply chain in what will be a kkey ey netw networking orking point in the calendar, calendar, perfect for develop those looking to engage directly with suppliers, dev elop own networks. new partnerships and build yyour our o wn netw orks.

The T he event will cover 6 core core themes:

Electrification & Battery Technology T e echnology

Light Light-weighting

Sustainability & Net Zer o Zero

Supply Chain Logistics

Industry 4.0 & Digitalisation

Skills & talent rretention etention

In addition, the event is co-located with 12 attracting: other engineering events collectively attr acting:

7,500 7 ,500 , visitors

350

e exhibitors xhibitors

www.automotivesupplychainforum.com .automotivesupplychainforum.com Register for yyour our FREE conference place: www Automechanika Held at A utomechanika Birmingham