Beckwood Press Co has recently delivered and installed a Triform model 68-10FC Fluid Cell sheet hydroforming press to a major supplier of space launch vehicles. The machine features a 1.73 m diameter round forming area that can hold one large tool or multiple smaller tools simultaneously, and a versatile recipe handling system.

Once the tooling and blank are loaded, they are transported into the press via an automated hydraulic shuttle system. The operator then sets the optimal forming pressures (up to 689 bar) and the desired dwell times, if any. Notably, the versatile recipe set-up feature allows the operator to program up to 10 individual steps, selecting the desired pressure and dwell time for each. Up to 500 recipes can be stored in the HMI for fast, easy recall.

During the cycle, a pressurised rubber diaphragm acts as a universal die half, applying equal pressure over every square millimetre of the part’s surface. The finished part is near-net-shape, requiring little or no secondary finishing operations.

“This is the largest Triform press featuring a round forming area and one of the largest sheet hydroforming machines in the world,” says Josh Dixon, Beckwood’s director of sales and marketing. “Beckwood is proud to support the ongoing efforts in commercial space travel and excited to manufacture machinery for this emerging industry.”

For further information
www.beckwoodpress.com

A Midlands-based precision stamping specialist is set to play a significant role in the development of cleaner mobility solutions. Tech company Saietta has selected Brandauer to be part of a new consortium that has won an Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) grant to fast-track production on new electric propulsion motors for use in vehicles from scooters to buses.

Axial Flux Traction technology is said to mark a step-change in how the sector can make electric vehicles go faster for longer. Production specialists at the Birmingham-based firm will use their thin-gauge stamping and progression tool-making expertise to produce busbars and laminations for use in the state-of-the-art motors.

A nomination has secured £500,000 of R&D funding for Brandauer, with the potential to generate up to £1m of new sales in the first 12 months following project completion and more revenue to follow as manufacturing volumes increase.

“Providing cleaner transport is a major global opportunity for the UK and we are delighted to be part of the Saietta consortium to help bring important new technologies to market,” explains Rowan Crozier CEO of Brandauer. “We are heavily involved in providing specialist busbars and laminates to a number of clients in the electrification field, and this latest project will give us the perfect platform to use our ‘manufacturing to microns’ expertise to make a major difference in supporting the development of greener vehicles.”

The APC research contract will enable Saietta to ramp up production capacity to 150,000 motors per annum and trigger the hiring of 150-250 highly skilled engineers in the first round of recruitment.

For further information
www.brandauer.co.uk

One of the main business areas of NKC Manufacturing Sweden in Gothenburg is the production of pressed, stamped and machine moulded products for industrial companies. To help with this activity the company recently invested in a new, fully automatic press line from AP&T to replace old machines. But the relationship between the companies stretches back much further.

“Our first AP&T machines were installed in the mid-1980s when we were part of SKF,” says Charles Wallin, project manager of process development at NKC Manufacturing Sweden. “Since then, the equipment has been regularly expanded and updated, while service, maintenance and repairs have been made by AP&T on an ongoing basis.”

The fully automated production process includes a number of operations, such as blank feeding, drawing, cutting, washing, spinning, unloading and stacking.

“We supplied a 630 tonne press, two SpeedFeeders, a high-speed destacker, grippers, protection guards and a control system,” says Kristian Broberg, sales manager of the deal on the AP&T side. “It was vital to integrate our equipment with the existing punching press, lathe and other machinery used in the complete line so they would continue to have uninterrupted, efficient flow.”

The installation was completed on time and the equipment has been in operation ever since. To ensure high reliability in the long-term, NKC chose to enter a service and maintenance agreement with AP&T.

“Our collaboration with AP&T, not least with their project managers, has been very smooth,” says Wallin. “The fact that they can supply complete solutions and take responsibility from start to finish is an enormous advantage.”

For further information
www.aptgroup.com

COE Press Equipment has released its new coil straightener and reel combination, an economical solution for stamping and roll forming shops processing light gauge materials – perhaps for producing components such as brackets, hinges and mouldings. Combining unwinding and straightening in a single machine, these systems can pair with a COE ServoMaster 1 or ServoMaster 2 servo roll feed to deliver a complete press feeding line.

These systems can process MCRS, aluminium and stainless in thicknesses from 0.032” to 0.125” and widths from 3” to 12” (depending on material thickness). It is possible to accommodate coil weights up to 1814 kg and achieve line speeds up to 15 m/min.

The systems are available with right to left configuration and powered with 440 VAC. The straightener features nine 1.97” power-driven rolls with 3.30” diameter entrance pinch rolls and a photo loop sensor. Notably, the reel, with four-pad mandrel construction and four coil keepers, handles a coil OD of up to 48” and a coil ID from 19” to 20.5” using a hand crank expansion. The reel features an air-operated hold-down arm and a mechanical drag brake.

Importantly, the value of this combined straightener-reel machine is enhanced by COE’s ServoMaster 1 or ServoMaster 2 roll feeds, which feature ServoMaster Touch controls that can integrate with press controls to provide a complete and compact control system with functions that can be executed by the job recipe at the touch of a button.

The combination straightener-reel systems, as well the ServoMaster roll feeds, are part of COE’s Express Delivery programme and are available at the company’s online store.

For further information www.cpec.com

A leading presswork and prototyping specialist has joined forces with the AA to develop a game-changing innovation that will transform the breakdown service for thousands of drivers.

AE Oscroft, which employs 50 people at its site in Redditch, has used its engineering expertise to create a new freewheeling hub that allows patrols to safely tow vehicles that cannot normally be ‘lifted and towed’ on two wheels, including 4x4s and the increasing number of electric vehicles in the UK.

Recovery professionals can fix the hub to the rear wheels of stricken vehicles so they can be towed by a standard van rather than having to wait for a flat-bed recovery vehicle, increasing the speed of response and reducing the waiting time for motorists left stranded on busy roads and motorways.

The new innovation has its own high-speed bearing, enabling the wheel to turn independently from the car, and working in conjunction with the standard and heavy-duty multi-fit wheel for larger vehicles.

AE Oscroft, which has recruited two new engineers to cope with expected volumes, is manufacturing 1850 sets for the AA as part of its first order, with significant opportunities being explored to export the technology to customers in the EU, UAE and the US.

James Hosking, AA Roadside COO, says: “AE Oscroft were tasked with coming up with a cleaner, safer, smarter solution to towing certain categories of vehicle. This fantastic innovation will help to futureproof our service and, importantly, rescue customers more quickly than our competitors.”

For further information
www.aeoscroft.co.uk