Landmark investment at Park Sheet Metal

Coventry-based Park Sheet Metal recently became the UK’s first company to invest in the newest version of Trumpf’s TruLaser Cell 7040 five-axis laser-cutting machine. Adding to a fleet of existing, previous-generation TruLaser Cell 7040 machines, the latest model brings a number of advantages to this specialist in low-volume automotive metal parts and assemblies, including greater energy efficiency.

Established in 1947, Park Sheet Metal is a £16m turnover business that occupies five sites covering a total of 85,000 sq ft. The company, which is certified to IATF 16949, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, supplies to prestigious customers that include Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus, Jaguar Land Rover and LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Co), to list but a few.

“Although we already had three TruLaser Cell 7040 machines, the need arose to invest in another as one of our major customers, Aston Martin, has opened an additional factory at St Athan in Wales,” explains director Graham Penter. “In turn, there was a clear requirement to expand our capital expenditure and facilities, and continue supporting their expansion over the coming years. The same is true for LEVC, with the introduction of their new electric van. Due to these developments, extra five-axis laser cutting capacity was an obvious need.”

Speaking about the new investment, he adds: “It’s really nice having four TruLaser machines, giving us the flexibility to grow, which is the main reason we have retained Trumpf as our preferred supplier of five-axis laser-cutting technology.”
Park Sheet Metal invests in the latest technology for many reasons, not least to achieve accuracy and repeatability through all of its laser cutting. Furthermore, the latest TruLaser Cell 7040 enables significant improvements in energy efficiency without compromising on cutting speed or productivity.

For further information
www.trumpf.com

New TVR factory gets green light

After extensive liaison with the Welsh Government, TVR says its Ebbw Vale factory renovation and enhancement programme has received the green light, and that preliminary site works will begin in mid-January. Jones Brothers (Henllan) Ltd is the principal contractor for a significant programme of works that include replacement of the main building’s roof, recladding of the building’s exterior, extensive groundworks and preparation of a prototype build area at the side of the intended main production space.

Les Edgar, chairman of TVR says: “This is a fantastic milestone in our mission to rejuvenate an iconic British brand, and we are all excited to witness the renovation of our new home in Ebbw Vale. We have hundreds of faithful depositors worldwide who are patiently waiting to take delivery of their Griffiths. Our partners at the Welsh Government have shown stoic support and I must extend my personal thanks to all those who share our vision of helping develop a sustainable automotive sector in south Wales.”

For further information
www.tvr.co.uk

1250 apprentices and graduates

More than 850 apprenticeships and 400 graduate roles are now available across the UK sites of BAE Systems, the highest number the company has ever recruited in a single year, despite the ongoing pandemic. Around 75% of apprenticeships and more than 50% of the graduate roles are in the north of England. “Getting people back to work and creating high-quality jobs is a national priority, so it’s more important than ever that those of us who are in a position to do so, continue our investment in the UK workforce,” says chief executive Charles Woodburn.

For further information
www.baesystems.com

Simultaneous turning on five-axis machine

GF Machining Solutions has introduced the Mikron Mill P 800 U ST machining centre, which integrates milling and turning in a single machine. This compact model provides 800 mm of X-axis travel, an 800 rpm C-axis rotation speed and a maximum table load of 800 kg.

The Mill P 800 U ST offers a gantry-type concept in direct response to the needs of component manufacturers serving the automotive, aerospace, energy and general machining industries. A small footprint makes it easy to integrate the machine into facilities where space is at a premium.

Being able to fully produce prismatic and turned components on a single machine also eliminates transfer-related part run out and accuracy errors, and helps alleviate production bottlenecks. The five-axis simultaneous Mill P 800 U ST is also capable of four-axis simultaneous turning, a capability often required by customers that need to have the cutting tool positioned at a 90° angle to the workpiece surface to avoid tool shape errors.

Mill P 800 U ST machines incorporate a 20,000 rpm HSK A63 spindle that GFMS says is the industry’s fastest for a milling and turning machine of this size. Water-cooled torque motors for the A and C axes ensure accuracy and stability, while speed has received a boost through the axes’ 0.3-second clamp time in any position.

With the new machine’s gantry concept, the workpiece on the 500 x 730 mm table is fully accessible without rotating the table. This design eliminates errors related to table rotation and avoids the need for hand polishing. The tool changer for the machine is also located so as to avoid moving the table during tool changes.

For further information
www.gfms.com

Shipbuilding automation

Babcock International Group has placed an order for an extensive set of PEMA welding and production lines for shipbuilding at its Rosyth site in Scotland. In total, the order includes three lines: a PEMA Thin plate panel line, PEMA Micro panel line, and PEMA T-beam fabrication line. Each PEMA production line is based on modern shipbuilding technology that enables Babcock to raise its level of automation when welding deck panels and bulkheads. The lines will initially see service on the Type 31 general-purpose frigate programme.

For further information
www.pemamek.com