NIBE increases capacity with new press line

Heat pump manufacturer NIBE plans to increase the production of water heater components at its Markaryd, Sweden facility following the order for a new press line solution from AP&T.

“The demand for energy-efficient systems for heating and hot water production is growing steadily all over the world, and we continue to see a strong demand for our products,” says Henrik Broström, production technical group manager for sheet metal and welding at NIBE Energy Systems.“We’re now investing in new manufacturing capacity to future-proof the volumes we will need. The new production line from AP&T will manufacture stainless steel water heater ends and be an important complement to our existing lines.”

Stefan Persson, project manager at NIBE Energy Systems, adds: “In addition to manufacturing more units, the new line also ensures a stable production process with high repeat accuracy and availability.”

Together, NIBE and AP&T discussed and evaluated a number of different options before the final concept took shape.

“Our ambition was to develop a process solution optimised for NIBE’s specific needs and conditions that provides clear customer values,” explains Dan Barvö, key account manager at AP&T.“The line needed to be energy efficient, take up little floor space and be able to perform several steps with a few machines and tools.”

In the autumn of 2022, AP&T presented a fully developed proposal that met all of NIBE’s needs: a compact, energy-efficient, fully automated production line with a 500 tonne press for deep drawing, a smaller modular press, linear robots and tooling. Line commissioning will take place in 2024.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

Hydraulic presses suit engineering workshops

Machine Mart says that its range of Clarke Hydraulic Presses are ideal for engineering workshops. Eight models are available with pressing capacity ranging from 4 to 50 tonnes.

The best-selling Clarke CSA10BB 10 tonne hydraulic bench press is first choice when users need to tackle smaller pressing jobs, such as repairing small motors or removing and installing gears or bearings. Simple to use and effective, the Clarke CSA10BB requires minimal effort from the user to achieve fast, accurate pressing operations. The press comes with a hydraulic pump, ram with pressure gauge and connecting house. A seven-piece adaptor kit is available separately.

Moving up in capacity, the Clarke CSA20F 20 tonne hydraulic press relies on its heavy-duty welded-frame construction. According to Machine Mart, this press has smooth hydraulic action that ensures the positive and precise application of power to the workpiece for greater control and accuracy.Its 20 tonne capacity and 189mm ram travel also work together to make the CSA20F suitable for larger workpieces.

At the top end of the range is the Clarke CSA50 FPB 50 tonne hydraulic floor press. This standing shop press is suited to professional workshops and comes fitted with a large pressure gauge thatfacilitates accurate and easy reading when applying pressure. Smooth hydraulic action again ensures positive and precise power application, while the model also features both hand and foot operation, as well as a ratchet winch for adjusting the bed height. The CSA50 comes complete with hydraulic pump, ram, hoses, pressure gauge and V blocks. A protective polycarbonate screen is available to buy separately.
For further information www.machinemart.co.uk

Re-launch for AME after £6m revamp

Coventry University’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) has re-launched after a £6m investment. The AME’s ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’ base in the city is now larger thanks to the huge cash boost, with the new nearly 2000 sq m of space boasting state-of-the-art equipment, new teaching and research facilities, six new laboratories, and a robotics and testing area.

AME was born out of a collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing that delivers teaching excellence andadvanced research. The institute has participated in projects with a total value of £110m and worked with 174 collaborators since its original launch. Its estimated value to the manufacturing and engineering economy since then is £500m and around 400 students have graduated to date.
For further information www.coventry.ac.uk/ame

Francis Brown fabricates huge firing chamber

Francis Brown has fabricated the largest single item to emerge from its Teesside workshops over the company’s 120-year history.The 32-ton vertical firing chamber is the first phase of a new environmentally friendly energy plant currently in design for EGGER UK’s chipboard manufacturing plant in Hexham. The new vertical firing chamber will house a modern and efficient 25 MW burner, while thermal oil heat from the current energy plant will be incorporated into a new steam turbine plant heat-transfer system, which is non-hazardous and environmentally friendly.
For further information www.francisbrown.co.uk

Striking a hammer blow for metal recycling

Footprint Tools, a UK manufacturer of traditional hand tools, is at the heart of a research project that could see Sheffield spark a recycling revolution in industrial forging. The move has the potential to unlock a step-change in the manufacture of safety-critical components for the aerospace, defence and energy sectors using machining waste and state-of-the-art linear hammer technology.

The Sheffield-based business with 12 employees and two robots can trace its roots back to the 1760s, but has its eyes fixed firmly on the future. Footprint Tools recently unveiled the latest addition to its Admiral Works shopfloor: a £1.4m state-of-the-art Schuler precision linear forge, the only one of its kind in the UK and one of only three in Europe.

As the centrepiece of an R&D partnership between the small family firm and two research institutions – the Henry Royce Institute (Royce) and the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland Group – the equipment will help consolidate Sheffield and the UK’s lead in advanced forging manufacture.

Following a packed gathering of the AFRC’s Forging and Forming Forum, where the R&D venture was announced, Royce Professor Martin Jackson said he was delighted that the servo technology hammer, initially destined for Manchester, had found a home in Sheffield, the hub of the UK’s forging and forming industry: “This raises forging technology to a completely new level. Our job at Royce and the AFRC is to take the knowledge we unlock from this R&D collaboration and roll it out to forging companies across the country, especially in the use of recycled machining waste such as titanium.”
For further information www.bit.ly/44R55PL