Automated battery production

The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) has selected Comau UK to develop and deploy a semi-automated battery module and battery pack assembly line for the publicly-funded ‘open-access’ battery production development facility in Coventry. One of the unique elements of the project was the requirement for agile flexibility, which will allow UKBIC to manufacture a wide range of modules and packs, and support various customer requirements without the need for major process changes.

Comau UK provided all of the necessary technology and know-how to manage the entire battery module and pack manufacturing process, from cylindrical cell preparation and pouch cell stacking, to battery pack assembly. In addition to helping ensure the safety and reliability of the manufactured batteries through the use of smart cameras, thermal imaging and end-of-line leak test technologies, the solution offers built-in scalability.

For further information
www.comau.com

Project promotes laser texturing

The Manufacturing Technology Centre, based in Coventry, is leading a Europe-wide project to increase the use of laser texturing in manufacturing processes. A group of 11 research organisations and companies will participate in Project Shark.

Laser texturing can change the texture or topography of a component to achieve specific functionality, such as low friction or low adhesion. According to the MTC, the process can result in lower production costs, faster product development and up to a 50% improvement in product performance, depending on the design of the surface texture. The EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for research and innovation is supporting the initiative.

For further information www.sharkproject.eu

Bromford reaches for the sky

As part of the Bromford Group, Bromford Industries Ltd in Leicester is a tier one manufacturer that specialises in the IGT, power generation and aerospace sectors. As such, the company has to balance the delicacies of continuous improvement, innovation and, of course, the scrutiny of year-on-year ‘cost-down’ pressure. For this reason, the company has a long-term contract in place with MSC Industrial Supply Co.

The most recent project centred on the manufacture of an initial batch of four Inconel 718 aero-engine components for a prestigious customer using a Doosan Puma 12L turning centre. With the initial batch completed successfully against a tight deadline, MSC knew that even better results were achievable on a second batch of eight. The team recommended a switch to ceramic cutting tools for the rough turning and grooving operations.

At the start of 2020, MSC formed a relationship with ceramic tooling brand NTK, and knew that the different physical properties of ceramic tooling would yield impressive results on heat-resistant aerospace grade alloys.

“We chose to partner with MSC six years ago, and ever since they’ve been an extension to our business,” says Andrew Moore, engineering and product quality manager at Bromford Industries. “This project is one of the many ways MSC has worked with us to seek innovative opportunities for improvement; they are a supply partner who wants us to succeed as much as we do.”

After increasing the surface speed from 43 to 250 m/min and raising the feed rate from 18 to 106 mm/min, good results soon followed. Rough turning the face and diameter of the 150 mm diameter workpiece, an NTK SX9 RNGN insert not only replaced two previous carbide tools and eliminated the respective tool changeover, it also slashed cycle times from 180 minutes to 27 minutes for the roughing operation.

For further information
www.mscdirect.co.uk

Mills reports strong Q1 sales

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has reported that its Q1 sales performance has been strong, with managing director Kevin Gilbert acknowledging that machine-tool orders, “whilst not at pre-pandemic levels, were certainly not far off”.

He adds: “Clearly there was some apprehension at the beginning of the year but, after a difficult 2020, it does look as though manufacturing in the UK and Ireland is bouncing back. What was, and still is apparent, is the sustained demand for our DVF five-axis machining centres, and for our SMX and MX multi-tasking mill-turn machines. As a result, it’s fair to say that we are cautiously optimistic about the remainder of the year.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Start-up builds future on used machines

Ferro (Midlands) Ltd, which began operations in 2019, has used the success already enjoyed by the business to invest in pre-owned machine tools from Amada: an LCG-3015 3.5 kW laser cutter and HFE-1003 press brake. Both of these used machines, which were installed at Ferro’s Market Drayton facility and running within five weeks of first contact, have been fully refurbished by the Amada UK team of engineers.

Co-founder and company director Malcolm Evans, who has 18 years of industrial experience in engineering and supply services, sets out the reasons for investing in the machines: “We reached the point when our outsourced laser-cutting spend was on parity with the running costs of having our own laser and housing it in a newly constructed unit.”

Although Ferro initially considered low-cost options for its capital investments, including machines on eBay, the company was wary of the fact that it had not operated this type of kit previously.

“The idea of installing machines like these by ourselves, then working out how to program and use them soon became pretty daunting,” says Evans. “I know a few others who have gone down this road and most end up calling in the OEM’s engineers to sort things out. We decided we could get into a world of pain by not going through an authorised machine-tool subsidiary or dealership. We’d seen Amada machines at other companies and heard good reports, so they were our first choice.”

With its Amada LCG-3015 3.5 kW laser cutter, Ferro now provides a complete sheet-metal laser-cutting service for a range of materials, including steel, stainless steel and aluminium, from 1.2 to 12 mm thick.

For further information
www.amada.eu