Find out what to see at Northern Manufacturing & Electronics – from springs and fasteners to PCBs and fabrications.
New spring catalogue
Experts from Lee Spring (Stand A83) will be on hand to talk to engineers of all types about the design, production and maintenance of spring components.
The latest Lee Spring catalogue with more than 25,000 standard parts will be available on their stand no. A83 with 2,000+ new items including 500+ new compression springs in metric DIN-Plus dimensions, new extension springs in SS316, new torsion springs in SS316 and added High Pressure compression springs, including new 600 PSI designs.
Products include compression springs, torsion springs, constant force springs, die springs, Belleville spring washers, wave springs, extension springs, battery springs and numerous speciality springs. Materials include steel, stainless steel, cobalt/nickel alloy, bronze, brass, music wire and composite plastics. In addition, Lee Spring offers extensive custom design and manufacture services for one-off/prototypes or ongoing production requirements.
Boosting productivity
Made Smarter and the Manufacturing Growth Fund (B115) provide funding, advice and support to drive manufacturing growth across the North West.
The Manufacturing Growth Fund offers SMEs in the Manufacturing and Engineering Sector impartial advice to help assess opportunities and barriers to growth, making improvement recommendations and providing a grant towards the cost of bringing in specialist expertise for eligible projects. The Fund is available to manufacturers with the ambition to grow and who are looking to: increase production capacity; streamline manufacturing processes; increase innovation and access new markets.
Made Smarter is the UK-government backed Industry 4.0 Accelerator initiative, designed to drive UK manufacturing growth, productivity and transformation. The Made Smarter pilot aims to support manufacturers, engineers, makers and creators across the North West who are looking to grow through the adoption of new technologies. From 3D printers to system integration and robotics, we have a team of Industry 4.0 experts who work with all types of manufacturers to help them stay ahead of competitors, meet increasing demands and operate efficiently.
Fastenings for EV production
TR Fastenings (Stand G51) says continued investment in equipment, resources and skills in these facilities enables the development of innovative fastening solutions, says, such as the patented EPW screw. This self-extruding thread-forming screw is designed for use in thin sheet metal. The company also supports emerging sectors such as electric vehicle (EV) charging and EV battery (EVB) technology with a combination of fastener product ranges and industry expertise.
The specialist in the design, engineering, manufacture and distribution of industrial fasteners and Cat C fastenings engineers, manufactures and distributes industrial fasteners to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in automotive, electronics and domestic appliances and has 32 locations around the world, including eight manufacturing sites.
In addition to branded fasteners for sheet metal, enclosure hardware, fasteners for plastic, security fasteners, and plastic hardware, the company’s stand will also show fasteners designed and manufactured to customer drawings as well as the EPW screw, with engineers on hand to discuss its applications and benefits.
Serving vital sectors
Specialising in precision fabrications, sheet metalwork and machined parts, Universal Fabrications (Coventry) (Stand H37) is a Midlands-based company serving the UK and Europe.
The family-run business was established in 1971 and serves the automotive, aerospace, defence, rail and commercial vehicle sectors using the latest in 3D CAD/CAM manufacturing technology and heavy investment in CMM inspection equipment.
It offers a range of low to medium volume applications and providing engineering solutions on difficult to manufacture parts and tricky long term and short-term projects.
A world view of sourcing
Darian (Stand A 27) will highlight the ways it can be a key part of a supply chain strategy. Sourcing engineering components from overseas suppliers of CNC-machined components, stamped parts, castings, pressings and welded assemblies means that companies can often save money compared with sourcing them domestically due to lower labour and manufacturing costs overseas.
Another advantage is production capacity. When a company sources product from a lower-cost location, it is possible to benefit from the manufacturing infrastructure which enables larger numbers of products to be produced in a short space of time. For lower-cost countries, it also enables product manufacturing to take place in several locations, thus multiplying production capacity, explains the company.
Darian specialises in the supply of high quality and technically challenging engineering components, such as castings, CNC-machined components, sheet metal parts and forgings.
Teamwork creates PCBs
Specialising in electronic design and assembly, UK Electronics (Stand H6) has over 35 years of experience in this field. Technical knowledge is key and the company prides itself on having a highly capable team of electronic design and development engineers, production and testing engineers.
Individual entrepreneurs and manufacturing businesses can access PCB design and prototyping to mass production of the finished product.
Visitors to Northern 2019 are welcome to chat about how the company can help with innovations or with the production of current projects. There will be examples of projects and PCBs assembled via surface mount technology (SMT) machine or via through hole assembly.
Buy metals online
SteelScout (Stand F67) has added stainless steel, aluminium, brass, copper and bronze have been added to online metal buying platform. The company claims this brings buyers better value and greater convenience across a broader range of metals.
Since its launch in 2017, the company has grown rapidly and has a network of local metal suppliers across the UK. Sister company, MetalHub, is an online marketplace where metal buyers in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and the Midlands can compare suppliers, get instant prices and buy steel products online. The buyer interface has been redesigned ensuring a wide selection of product, together with transparency on pricing and availability.
3D visualisation adds depth
Faro (Stand H68) believes that the eight-axis Design ScanArm 2.5C is the only integrated, remote axis, portable 3D visualisation and rendering system capable of measuring in full colour, and will be demonstrating it at the show. It is used for 3D modelling, reverse engineering and CAD-based design applications across the product lifecycle management (PLM) process.
It features the company’s 3D scanning technology and its news Prizm laser line probe to deliver high-resolution colour point-cloud data says the company. Users now have more insight into the object’s design and creation, geometry, surface composition and visual differentiation between materials.
The Vantage Laser Tracker will also be put through its paces at the exhibition. The high-performance, laser tracker allows users to maximise productivity and reduce inspection cycle times by 50 to 75%.
There will also be demonstrations of the Tracer laser projectors. These accurately project a laser outline onto a surface or object to provide a virtual template which operators and assemblers can use to quickly and accurately position components.
According to the company, the TracerSI, in addition to virtual templating and positioning, is the first laser imager and projection system, with high-resolution image scanning capabilities throughout its entire projection volume.
PCB control in-house
Established 40 years ago, contract electronics manufacturer, Hallmark Electronics (Stand H55), has its own in-house PCB manufacturing facility, which the company says provides maximum manufacturing control and flexibility.
The three elements of PCB manufacture, component procurement and component assembly are managed and controlled by the same team of managers and engineers enabling the most cost-effective solutions to be engineered and produced. PCBs are tooled and components are purchased in formats to maximise the ease, efficiency and speed within the component assembly process. Customers may purchase the complete service of PCB, component procurement, assembly and test, just PCBs or just assembly. Volumes range one-offs to 1,000s, delivered on standard, fast and very fast turnarounds depending on your needs. PCB capabilities include high layer counts, buried and blind via holes, via in pad filled and plated over and standard double-sided plated through, flexible and felx rigid versions.
Discover networks in Europe
Sourceways (Stand B67), helps UK companies find such partners in eastern Europe, set up projects and build strong, productive business relationships.
It can save UK companies the additional resources, time and experience needed to manage manufacturing sourcing, outsourcing and relocation projects by offering a package of services, including research, supplier evaluation, visits, interpretation, progressing quotes, clarifying technical issues, assisting with contract negotiations and ensuring mutual understanding of all aspects of the business.
A tried and tested network of suppliers, mainly in central and eastern Europe, covers a wide range of services and manufacturing capabilities, including tooling design and manufacture, casting, forging, machining, metal fabrication, machine building, design and manufacture of steel vessels and tanks, plastic moulding, electronic assembly, prototyping and explosion proof equipment.
Admission to Northern Manufacturing & Electronics 2019 and on-site parking is free with easy accessibility by road. EventCity is also very accessible by public transport from central Manchester. To register online for complimentary tickets simply visit www.industrynorth.co.uk