A casting facility that can produce some of the biggest titanium aerospace components is now up and running at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
Construction of the furnace for the AMRC Castings Group was completed last year and in the past few weeks the first tests or ‘hot commissioning’ as it is known, have been completed successfully.
A new chemical immersion treatment to enhance the surface of additive manufactured parts is promising to help revolutionise the aerospace industry.
South West Metal Finishing (SWMF) has been working on its Almbrite process for the last three years and believes it could be the future choice of aircraft manufacturers around the world.
James Bradbury, lead researcher at SWMF, said: “We were approached by our clients in the aerospace and defence sectors soon after additive manufacturing started to be used."
Peterborough subcontractor Westcombe Engineering has installed a new manufacturing cell to produce increased quantities of a family of aluminium engine components for Perkins Engines.
It comprises a Haas ST-30 CNC lathe with short bar feeder, a Blast Wash top-loading washing machine and a vibratory bowl finishing machine from PDJ Vibro, the second to be installed in the factory.
The latest National Manufacturing Barometer suggests that small to medium sized manufacturers in the UK have remained resilient in the face of ‘Brexit’ uncertainty and a spike in exports may even have been achieved.
Of those surveyed, 57% of firms recorded an increase in sales during the last six months. The Barometer also revealed strong optimism for growth, with two thirds expecting sales to grow again during the first half of 2017.
IPC Mouldings (IPC) has been awarded EFQM Recognised for Excellence 4 Star at the EFQM Ireland Excellence Awards.
Organised by the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC), the awards are judge on the intenationally renowned EFQM Excellence model which recognises organisations that demonstrate excellence in their performance and quality.