SECTOR NEWS
Bouncing back
One of the Black Country’s
leading tooling experts is
bouncing back from the
impact of Covid-19 after
securing a string of new
aerospace contracts.
Cube Precision
Engineering ( www.
is.gd/3Wib1K ), can handle
single op prototype tooling
to complex multi-stage
tooling suites, says it has
picked up more than
£675,000 of orders from
prime and tier 1 customers
despite the industry suffering
from the effect of the
pandemic.
The rm believes it ability
to deliver “quality products
on time” was key to the
contract wins and its
engineers are now offering
additional support in
improving the process.
Managing director Neil
Clifton says the manufacturer
has had to diversify
machining in the pandemic
and has been making face
masks.
Hexagon’s Tempo has enabled
Alloy Specialities to improve
productivity
Investment in Tempo paying off
Precision aerospace part
manufacturer Alloy Specialties has
become one of the rst adopters of
a new robotic quality inspection
technology – Tempo - from
Hexagon’s Manufacturing
Intelligence (www.is.gd/diYwid)
division, enabling it to increase its
production capacity and staff
productivity through automation.
Tempo comes from a series of
Hexagon products designed to help
manufacturers begin automating
their quality processes in a way that
doesn’t require large-scale
investment and disruption. The part
loading system enables teams to
queue multiple inspection jobs and
sort rejected parts, and easy
operation means anyone can
operate a coordinate measuring
machine (CMM).
By using Tempo, Alloy
Specialties can improve productivity
by extending production time,
improving labour ef ciency
throughout the day and aiding
‘lights-out’ operations.
President Dawn M. DiMauro
says: “Currently, we are running one
aerospace part exclusively on the
Tempo system 24-hours a day,
seven days a week. As a result, we
have seen signi cant impact in
reducing our backlog, increasing
capacity, and freeing up other
CMMs. We anticipate being able to
add additional parts to the Tempo
queue soon.”
The use of Tempo is part of a
continuous push by Alloy Specialties
to increase automation and, along
with program revisions, has
contributed to 50 per cent faster
quality inspection processes. This,
in turn, is enabling Alloy Specialities
to reduce costs and meet increased
demand.
As a result, the company is
considering investing in an
additional Tempo System in 2021.
Tempo is helping Alloy
Specialties free up their skilled
professionals, enabling them to take
on more work while keeping staff
costs down.
Hexagon Manufacturing
Intelligence division VP stationary
CMM devices Ingo Lindner, says:
“All too often quality processes are
an afterthought when it comes to
smart manufacturing investments.
Yet, this is a critical element of the
manufacturing process and there is
much to be gained from employing
automation where it adds most
value.”
More aerospace work targeted at BEL after mill-turning capacity upped
BEL Engineering – which operates two
factories in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and
Cramlington to provide managed
manufacturing solutions – has increased its
5-axis mill-turning capacity and is targeting
more aerospace work.
Much of the metal-cutting activity involves
turning on horizontal- and vertical-spindle
lathes, but parts often have to be transferred
to a prismatic machining platform for milled
and drilled features to be added. Around thirty
3-axis CNC mills are available for this
purpose.
To enable such parts to be produced more
economically in one clamping, the
subcontractor recently invested in a Germanbuilt
Hermle C 62 UMT 5-axis, vertical-spindle
machining centre supplied by sole UK, Ireland
The Hermle C 62 UMT installed by Kingsbury at the
Newcastle-upon-Tyne factory of BEL Engineering
and Middle East agent, Kingsbury ( www.is.gd/
jZg66Y ).
The Hermle ts between larger and smaller
5-axis centres, extending the subcontractor’s
capacity.
In particular, following the company’s
accreditation in October 2019 to the
aerospace quality management system
AS9100, the machine is proving to be of
ideal size to produce aero engine parts for a
nearby customer.
Diversi cation from supplying
predominantly the oil and gas industry to
include serving the aerospace, defence and
civil nuclear sectors is also a key pillar of
BEL Engineering’s growth strategy.
The investment is already bearing fruit, as
the manufacture of fan shafts, discs and
other rotational parts for aero engines, input
and output shafts and bearing housings for
gearboxes, and components for engine test rigs
has increased the revenue from aerospace
contracts from 10 per cent of the
subcontractor’s business to about a quarter.
www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets | February 2021 47
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