FEATURE ON PROFILING

LCA moves to new facility

Electrical engineering specialist LCA Group is looking ahead to a sparkling future after the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for the Economy Ken Skates joined staff and management to open its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in North Wales.

LCA HQ opening visit by AM and Lord LCA HQ opening visit by AM and Lord Barry Jones. LCA HQ unveiling new machinery visit by AM Ken Skates and Lord Barry Jones at their Hawarden plant.

Skates cut the ribbon at the new building on the Hawarden Industrial Park, which is named ‘Gibson House’ in tribute to the famous Dambusters pilot and the many Lancaster bombers built close to the site, near Hawarden Airport, during WWII.
LCA managing director Alan Sheppard and David Williams, who chairs the LCA Group board, spoke about the firm’s future and its commitment to North Wales business at the event, which was also attended by Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami, as well as regional business leaders.
The launch event was rounded off with a chance for the invited guests to view LCA’s new £500,000 ‘UK first’ 3D laser machining centre from Rittal. As the only one of its type in the UK and one of only seven similar machines in the world, the laser machining centre will enable LCA Group to dramatically boost production of its stainless steel control panels.
Traditionally made manually by experienced electrical engineers, who have all been retained as part of the move to Hawarden, the manufacture of LCA’s control panels is essential in a range of industries, including nuclear, food manufacturing, power generation, water and utilities, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical.
The relocation will mean the consolidation of the two existing LCA Group sites – in Runcorn and Ewloe – under one roof, enabling the company to significantly expand its service offer to customers around the globe.
For further information www.lcacontrols.co.uk

Furniture specialist chooses elite laser cutter

Goole-based Elite Office Furniture has invested in a 2D Platino Fiber Evo, laser-cutting machine from Prima Power UK.

“Our policy of making continuous investments in the latest production machinery has allowed us to produce 90% of all of our required components in-house,” says production director Rob Clarke. “This high level of autonomy allows great flexibility and helps us to provide the best possible standards of product quality and service.
“Having considered the laser-cutting machines from several leading manufacturers, we decided that the Prima Power 2D Platino Fiber Evo was the ideal model for our needs,” he adds. “A demonstration proved that the machine was easy to program, simple to operate and straightforward to integrate into our production system. We were satisfied that the Prima Power 2D Platino Fiber Evo was capable of producing high volumes of premium-quality laser-cut parts. It also helped that the Prima Power 2D Platino Fiber Evo met our environmental standards as it has very low power consumption needs and minimal consumable requirements.”
The 2D Platino Fiber Evo is provided with a series of optional suites, each dedicated to different production needs. For instance, Smart Cut, allows the rapid cutting of thin sheets of up to 5 mm and delivers reductions in cycle times of up to 30%, says Prima Power. For the fast laser cutting of medium-to-high thickness sheets, Max Cut, enables reductions in processing times up to 40%, while Night Cut, intended for use in intensive production situations, provides higher piercing and cutting process safety.
For further information www.primapower.com

New investment fast-tracks success at Gripple

When Sheffield-based Gripple UK – a specialist in wire-joining, wire-tensioning and wire-suspension systems – wanted a suitable means of manufacturing a new product, the company turned to Trumpf, its establish supplier of sheet-metal processing machinery. Duly acquiring a TruPunch 3000 to complement an existing TruPunch 1000 model installed three years ago, the machine has been set to work producing Fast Trak, Gripple’s new series of rapid trapeze brackets that are considered a breakthrough in pre-fabricated containment supports.

“Although the TruPunch 3000 is essentially dedicated to one product, it’s great to have a machine that is easy to configure as it means we can adapt to any design iterations that arise,” explains the company’s production manager David Grant. “On top of flexibility, we were also drawn to the machine’s productivity levels.”
The machine has been set to work producing parts for the 11 different sizes of the Fast Trak range. Components are punched from 2 mm thick mild steel and measure up to 1200 mm in length. Essentially, Fast Trak is a simple U-channel in shape, although some of its parts require the generation of complex forms.
“Trumpf showed us the optimum way of producing the forms using their tooling and TruTops Punch software,” states Grant.
“If we hit the anticipated sales volumes we will in all likelihood require another TruPunch 3000 to meet demand,” he adds. “As with all of our in-house manufacturing strategies, we only want to work with the best technology, as this means we get the best cycle times and the best savings.”
For further information www.uk.trumpf.com

Lasers support digital manufacturing

The latest generation of TruDisk lasers from Trumpf offers built-in intelligence to perform condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and trend analysis, all of which support the implementation of lasers in digital and connected manufacturing environments.

At the hub of the TruDisk beam source is the built-in control system known as CPX. This is the laser’s brain, where all of the condition data and process parameters are collected. During processing, sensors measure multiple parameters, including the actual laser output at microsecond intervals, all internal and external signal characteristics, the utilisation rate of the beam source, and the condition of additional components.
TruDisk lasers also incorporate a new feature that enhances the quality of data obtained from the readings. Known as ‘precision time protocol’, the feature synchronises the sensors and provides them with an identical time stamp.
The new lasers can be combined with Trumpf’s condition-based services (modular components of TruConnect, the company’s technology for connected manufacturing), which increase the availability and productivity of connected systems while identifying potential cost savings. With the customer’s prior approval, the services can be used to analyse data parameters, carry out algorithm-based trend analysis and take targeted measures to determine the risk of potential laser failure in advance.
Another improvement can be found in the new Trumpf laser diodes, which are energy efficient to help minimise running costs. Furthermore, Trumpf has equipped the latest TruDisk lasers with a pulse function that makes it possible to ramp the current of the pump diodes down to 0 A.
The new generation of TruDisk laser is available for laser output of between 3 and 5 kW, with fibre core diameters between 100 and 600 µm.
For further information www.trumpf.com

Automated plasma bevelling simplified

Esab has unveiled SmartBevel technology for easier automated plasma programming and bevel cutting with minimal operator intervention. The system includes the data and geometric compensations necessary to cut V, X, Y and K bevels on mild steel from 6 to 50 mm thick. Esab says that unlike competitor systems, SmartBevel integrates all bevel compensations into the CNC to simplify bevel programming and enable operators to quickly fine-tune the program at the machine.

A number of plasma bevelling systems are under-utilised because of programming issues. SmartBevel integrates plasma, CNC, software, height control, bevel head and gantry functions so that users can take full advantage of their plasma-cutting system and maximise productivity.
Many bevelling technologies require programmers to compensate for torch angle, torch height, kerf width and cutting speed in the part program or nest. As a result, operators are prevented from making any adjustments that might be required to produce accurate parts. To make modifications, the operator must go back to the programmer and have the program or nest updated. This can waste time and present an obstacle to producing quality components.
Esab’s SmartBevel improves bevel cutting in two ways. First, the technology delivers more bevel data for more bevel geometries. A high level of automation is offered for the programmer by incorporating best practice bevel cut sequences into Esab’s Columbus III CADCAM programming and nesting software. Second, SmartBevel puts all bevel compensation data into the CNC, not the programming software. Therefore, the part program or nest represents the actual desired part geometry, without bevel compensations. This capability eliminates the need for trial-and-error programming. Instead, operators can quickly make any necessary adjustments at the machine.
For further information www.esab.com