A £1m investment in a new press line is helping one of the UK’s leading sheet metalwork specialists diversify into larger projects and higher volumes. BPL Engineering Group (BPL) has strengthened its strategic partnership with Worcester Presses by installing a 600-tonne Yeh Chiun hydraulic press, one of the largest it has ever commissioned.

The decision, which follows the success of a 300-tonne H-frame press purchased four years ago, gives the Kings Norton-based firm access to a machine that offers an increased bed size (2500 x 1500 mm), crucial for going after stampings destined for the automotive, aerospace, rail and other sectors.

Worcester Presses has also installed remote monitoring in addition to its maintenance and service package.

“Our expertise lies in supplying stampings and assemblies to OEMs like Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus and Aston Martin, ranging from prototype projects to production volumes,” explains Matt Adams, operations director at BPL. “This complete service has seen sales increase rapidly past £6m and our latest collaboration with Worcester Presses gives us additional capacity and a larger world-class press to take on different types of work. The machine, which was installed as part of a three-month factory reconfiguration project, allows us to target larger stampings in various material grades, including aluminium, mild steel, structural steel, stainless steel, brass and copper.”

Russell Hartill, managing director of Worcester Presses, was delighted with the faith BPL has put in its capabilities: “The 600-tonne Yeh Chiun is some press, delivering massive power, superb accuracy and repeatable quality, which is ideal for the type of work at BPL.”

For further information
www.worcesterpresses.co.uk

It is possible to manoeuvre dies quickly and safely on and off the table of power presses using a wide range of carrying consoles from Roemheld. Now, the maximum forming die weight that can be handled has increased by more than half from 32 to 50 tonnes with the introduction of a new console featuring an electrically actuated chain drive and support feet.

Roemheld’s latest console is intended for shortening set-up times when changing over batch runs in press shops where components are formed from large metal sheet, such as in the automotive supply chain. The equipment is either dedicated to one press and fixed in position, or supplied as a mobile unit on wheels that allows easy transportation between different presses. Special customised solutions are also available, including for handling even heavier loads.

Once at the machine, the carrying console’s integrated docking system, which is equipped with a hydraulic lifting column and foot lever for easy adjustment, ensures that it attaches firmly in position at the press before placing a die on to it by forklift or crane. An integrated chain drive moves the die at up to 2 m/min to its final position in the press via integrated roller and ball bars, positioning it with millimetre precision.

The equipment is available in different versions suitable for almost any type of press. It may be factory-fitted in the case of a new installation or retrofitted to existing presses. Of particular note, the compact design makes it suitable for use when the press bed is low or where space is limited. By integrating sensors and stops, it is possible to integrate the console into a partially or fully automated process, either via the power press control or a separate, optional control system.

For further information
www.roemheld.co.uk

Aalborg-based Mekoprint Mechanics has ordered a new press line from AP&T. The new line, the company’s third from AP&T, will not only increase production capacity, but also enable the manufacturing of large metal components.

“Following a period of great fluctuation in demand for our products, we’re now seeing a strong recovery from many customers,” says Karsten Møller, technology and product manager at Mekoprint Mechanics. “To increase capacity and strengthen our competitiveness, we’re making a substantial investment in new buildings and machines, of which, the new AP&T production line is an important part.”

Mekoprint Mechanics manufactures cabinets, chassis parts, front panels and other metal components for a large number of companies in different industries. For installation in the autumn, the new line includes a press with 500 ton of press force, a 1900 x 1600 mm press table and a SpeedFeeder for unloading. The order also includes two years of complete service and maintenance.

Just over three years ago, the company installed a similar line, which saw the addition of another press in 2019. But AP&T has an even earlier history of delivering equipment to Mekoprint.

“We’ve been collaborating with AP&T for decades and we’re thoroughly confident in their ability to deliver technology that meets our needs for reliability, flexibility and productivity,” says Møller. “Having access to quick, local service is also highly beneficial to us.”

Peter Karlsson, key account and area sales manager at AP&T, adds: “It’s great that Mekoprint is now strongly investing in the future and that we at AP&T are part of their expansion journey.”

For further information
www.aptgroup.com

A Plymouth manufacturer is playing a key role in helping to develop a new seating system for wheelchairs that improves function and corrects body posture. Source Engineering, a specialist in pressed and machined components, has supported Matrix Seating with a complex stamped part that acts as a locking clamp for the company’s micro modules, which are shaped to deliver customised support.

A 5-strong engineering team has worked with inventor Dr Steve Cousins to come up with a 11-stage progression tool capable of producing the ‘lock’ in spring steel; vital for delivering strength and flexibility at a unit price that works. Around 120,000 of the components have already been manufactured and delivered, with an increase in sales from the UK, mainland Europe, the Middle East and the US set to result in surging volumes.

“Steve approached us about coming up with a stamped metal part to replace what was previously a plastic and then hybrid component,” explains Pablo Gutierrez, technical director at Source Engineering. “He’d been to a number of other suppliers, but we were the only one prepared to invest the design time in trying to come up with a solution that worked.”

The 11-stage progression tool has been proven to deliver both parts successfully, with the firm’s wire erosion capabilities producing an accurate tooling insert that fits like a jigsaw to create the different circular and hex-shaped holes.

Dr Steve Cousins, founder Matrix Seating, says: “Our manufacturing is all completed in the UK and Source Engineering is a very welcome addition to our supply chain, understanding the potential of our product and going above and beyond to deliver parts that have come through a tough engineering challenge.”

For further information
www.source-engineering.co.uk

North Rhine-Westphalia-based Wolfgang Fischer Stahl GmbH has installed a new B+S cut-to-length line as part of the expansion of its steel service centre. The investment allows the flexible production of flat and dimensional sheets in any batch size, which is not bound to the size of complete coils. Even different coating systems are no problem for the new, highly automated cut-to-length line.

“When expanding its machine park, Fischer Stahl attached importance to being able to supply its customers with even smaller lot sizes than before, if required,” says Dr Lutz-Stefan Heinrich, managing director of Schnutz GmbH, which belongs to the B+S group. “For this reason, it was clear from the outset that the new cut-to-length line had to be capable of processing partial coils.”

Another decisive factor in the choice of the B+S cut-to-length line was the gentle treatment of coated or pre-painted material surfaces, which is ensured by a special foiling system upstream and corresponding intermediate rollers within the high-performance levelling machines. A flying, high-precision slide shear also minimises the cutting tolerance.

From a coil store with three locations, a coil lift truck feeds the decoiler with coils of up to 15 tonne mass, which can be uncoiled either from above or below. If there is an intermediate paper layer in the coil, it can be removed cleanly by means of a corresponding re-winder and disposed of. Furthermore, it is possible to rewind coils that are only to be partially processed. The coil lift truck finally returns these partial coils to the coil store, where they are automatically weighed.

“In this way Fischer Stahl can also assemble small batch sizes and still always knows exactly what quantities are being returned to the coil warehouse,” Heinrich explains.

For further information
www.b-s-germany.de