Tag Archives: Manufacturing

5 Sep 2016

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.

13 Aug 2016

When it comes to manufacturing parts or components the way each one is finished reflects the quality of workmanship. If you don’t finish a job properly, then it doesn’t matter how careful you’ve been with the initial production, cutting or moulding, the end product is not going to look good. And the way the end product looks will always have an impact on saleability.

There could, of course, also be an impact on your costs. If your customer is unhappy with the finish of an order, you may have to start all over again, meaning more waste and increased costs. And there’s the health and safety aspect of poor finishing. Rough or sharp edges won’t be acceptable to your customer and may also cause injuries to those working with them.

1 Jul 2016
There are many advantages of waterjet cutting compared to other methods, but if we had to try and summarise them neatly into a few words we’d say;

The ability to cold cut almost any material in any direction with less waste and a superior finish.

But really that’s not enough of an explanation, so let’s expand a little on that statement and address some of the areas of improvement over more traditional cutting methods.

Omni-directional cutting
Waterjet cutting allows omni-directional cutting – the ability to cut in any direction which gives much greater cutting flexibility. In most cases starting holes are not required as the water jet is able to perforate the material. It is now much easier to cut more complex shapes and designs into all sorts of materials.

27 May 2016

Developments in engineering and manufacturing are moving on at a pace. Continuing research into materials and their capabilities results in demand for more complex work requirements and those requirements mean more advanced machinery.

Whether you provide one service or many, older outdated machinery may eventually lead to less efficient production and an increase in costs. There probably are some areas of manufacturing that have remained unchanged for years and so the older machinery may well still be able to work effectively, but can it compete with more modern machinery that is more efficient and technically capable? A regular review of the machinery and equipment you use should identify if your business can be improved by investing in new machinery – and it should be seen as an investment, not a cost. Newer more advanced machines may open up markets and opportunities that you previously hadn’t been able to consider, ensuring your businesses longevity.

31 Mar 2016

There are just over 2 months until this year’s Subcon show in Birmingham (NEC BIrningham 7 – 9 June) and PRV Engineering will be exhibiting again on stand C61.

Subcon is the UK’s showcase for the contract and sub contract manufacturing supply chain and will again have in excess of 400 exhibitors over the 3 days of the show. It remains the only UK event solely dedicated to contract manufacturing supply chains and outsourced engineering services and covers the whole spectrum of manufacturing.

30 Jan 2016

Whatever industry you’re if you are running machinery it’s essential that it’s maintained and serviced regularly. If this doesn’t happen you leave yourself open to mechanical failures, delayed deadlines and ultimately loss of income or lost customers.

Despite manufacturers knowing this a report at the end of last year from Bosch Rexroth in conjunction with the Institute of Engineering and Technology revealed that the maintenance budgets of more than 50% of the responding manufacturers had stagnated or even reduced over the last 5 years.

This is a worrying statistic when you consider that many manufacturers have not only increased the amount of machinery and equipment they use, but that machinery has also increased in complexity.

17 Apr 2015

When considering 5 axis machining, it is important to look at the differences between it, and the more common 3 axis cnc system. The most apparent is that a 5 axis system has the normal X, Y, and Z axis but can also rotate on it’s X and Y axis. This leads to a number of distinct benefits.

A major advantage of the 5 axis system is set up, as complex parts can be machined without having to re-set the work piece. This has the two fold effect of firstly, speeding up the machining process as the work piece does not need to be re-set; and secondly accuracy. The zero datum remains undisturbed during the process so reducing the likelihood of production tolerance errors.

Five axis machines can also utilise shorter, more rigid tooling, which is suitable for higher cutting speeds and lower vibration allowing more complex three dimensional profiles and deeper pockets to be cut without the need for a re-set, or a change of tooling. This again helps to ensure the accuracy of the finished part.

3 Feb 2015

For many companies, machinery maintenance is seen as boring and dirty but machinery maintenance is something that should not be taken lightly. Your ability to run an effective lean manufacturing business is reliant upon the effective and efficient running of your machinery.

While the cost of a regular maintenance plan may initially feel like as though it’s costly, it will be nowhere near as costly as a major equipment breakdown resulting in an inability to continue with production or service.

16 May 2014

Subcon is the UK’s only dedicated exhibition to subcontract and contract manufacturing, offering the perfect opportunity to review manufacturing processes and costs, benchmark solutions and enhance business efficiency. And it’s all under one roof at the NEC in Birmingham.

It has been described as a ‘must visit manufacturing show’ and a fantastic opportunity to meet new suppliers’ and to ‘keep in touch with current suppliers’. Speak to any one of the many companies who head to the NEC to experience the annual event, and they will tell you precisely the importance of the show, as part of the engineering calendar.

Events

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