PRV will be at Subcon Birmingham NEC
On Tuesday 6th of June, the Subcon show for 2017 kicks off at the Birmingham NEC. Subcon is the UK’s premier subcontract manufacturing supply chain show and this year is not to be missed. The Subcon show will run alongside the Advanced Manufacturing and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show. The show is until 8 June so you have plenty of time to rub shoulders with the best of the best.
Since the introduction of the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine back in the 1940’s by John T. Parson, they have been praised for being accurate, fast, consistent and flexible. Since then, we’ve come a long way with machines like our VTC-5-Axis and Mazak Integrex i400. These machines are better, faster and capable of achieving
We are in a race for space travel once again and through the imagination of movie producers and the real advancements in technology, we are all hooked. Movies like Star Trek, Star Wars and a few others did a great job at capturing our feelings and imagination. Even though it may have been science fiction, it’s the sheer possibility of space exploration that drives our love of astronomy and our desire to learn more.
Space is not infinite and somehow there must be an end to it. But if there is, nobody on Earth has figured out where it is, at least not yet. The only thing that has brought us to “the end of the universe” is our limited ability to see deeper into space.
We are getting closer though with advances in technology and propulsion like
At the start of the year, we reported that once again PRV Engineering had invested in new machinery. The latest addition is the large format machining equipment and we thought we’d tell you a little about why we chose the equipment we did.
First and foremost, the reason behind our continued investment in staff, premises and equipment is our desire to provide the best service possible to our customers. Quality is top of our agenda and that means both in terms of the product produced and the service provided – they go hand in hand.
Investment in equipment and staff is extremely high on the list of priorities for PRV Engineering. Quality and customer service excellence are 2 of the most important things for the company and to provide those things equipment and staff need to be of the highest level.
In 2016 more new machinery has been installed at PRV Engineering and staff have completed training so they are fully up to speed on the operation and capabilities of each machine.
Hydro-abrasive waterjet machinery along with large format machining equipment were the latest additions to the workshop floor.
When we say the beauty of waterjet cutting, we don’t just mean it’s a great, effective cutting process – we do actually mean the beauty that can be created with a waterjet. It’s a highly versatile cutting method that produces much less waste than other forms of cutting, which in turn allows for more diverse design. The ability to cut more intricate designs and patterns allows for more artistic license to be given to designers. More complex, artistic design often leads to a more beautiful end product.
So, we genuinely mean beauty in more than one sense.
The ability to cold cut means that almost any material can be cut without the adverse impact of heat; there is no heat affected zone. Multiple small cuts, swirls and channels can be made without the material bending, warping, burning or having any sort of reaction.
In addition to having no heat affected zone, what else makes waterjet cutting so versatile and effective in creating complex and diverse patterns and designs?
When you work in manufacturing you have a decision to make; laser, plasma or waterjet cutting? ‘Which one is best?’ is the first question that many people ask. The most up to date and technologically advanced must be the best, surely? Well that’s not the case. In fact there could be a case for using any or all 3 of the manufacturing processes depending upon your needs and what you value most from the machine.
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, from speed to cost and even waste. So let’s take a look at each option.
There are few products that we use in everyday life that have not had CNC machining take some part in their production. Cars, planes, household machines and appliances, medical parts and toys all get to visit the CNC machine at some point in their production.
CNC or Computer Numerically Controlled machining has become more versatile then ever over the years. The number of axis has increased and the types of machine available now mean that increasingly smaller and more intricate parts can be manufactured using CNC machining.
Waterjet cutting has really come to the forefront of manufacturing in recent years because of its versatility. There are an array of reasons to choose waterjet cutting over other methods, and they aren’t all about the actual cutting control. Improved efficiency in processes and reduced wastage and costs also factor highly, which by default leads to improved customer service.
Omni directional cutting, cutting widths, stress free cutting and improved finishing are all advantages of using water instead of more traditional cutting methods. However, one of the most fundamental things with waterjet cutting is that when you use water, there is no Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). This is the area around where you’re machining that gets hot because of the machining process. The heat generated in this area means the structure of the material gets altered and can be liable to fracture. If machining composite materials using traditional methods, the HAZ can cause all sorts of distortions and reactions, resulting in breakage and wastage. The ability to cut cold removes all these barriers and means that almost any material can now be cut with no alteration to its base structure.
Even though waterjet cutting has only come into its own in recent years it may surprise you to know that it has been around since the 1930s. At that time it was used at a low pressure and only for cutting soft materials. Whilst things continued to develop after the war, waterjet cutting became much more effective in the 1970s, when the first reliable high pressure pump was developed.
Whilst the earlier waterjet machines could cut softer materials they could not handle harder materials and metals. The ability to cut harder materials like metal came about following the addition of an abrasive to the waterjet cutting nozzle. This was a technique first used in the 1930s, however early versions of the nozzle were not commercially viable. Further development of the nozzle and the availability of a reliable pump led to a more effective waterjet that could now cut through a bigger variety of materials.
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