production world
Tesa Technology
opens new UK stores
LATEST move from Tesa, to open new stores
situated in Telford, is based on a company
strategy to strengthen the brand name in the
market place, offering the customer fast
delivery - usually next day - of all ‘A’ class Tesa
products (over 5000 items for the shop-floor,
inspection room, and calibration laboratory).
Other brands within the portfolio include
Mercer, Etalon, Compac, Roch and Interapid.
The product portfolio has expanded
considerably, and to compliment the range of
traditional hand tools (micrometers, bore
gauging, indicators), Tesa now offers digital
height gauges, manual and DCC CMMs,
profile round part inspection systems, and the
new VISIO optical gauging systems.
On-site facilities at Telford include sales, a
demonstration showroom, calibration
laboratory, and product support/repair centre.
www.hexagonmetrology.com
Servocell’s sourcing solution
A Harlow company has solved a
sourcing headache by turning to
MFG.com, the global manufacturing
marketplace. Servocell uses piezo-based
actuator technology to produce a range
of innovative electromechanical locks
and gas valves. With a core design team
at its Essex, headquarters it uses an
international network of subcontract manufacturers, suppliers and sales
agents to address the global markets where its technology is being exploited.
Using MFG.com, it sourced two battery to PCB contact terminals from
Hong-Kong based Oasis Manufacturing. The parts are simple progression
stampings from phosphor-bronze strip.
According to Chrys Chrysostomou, Director of Engineering at Servocell,
MFG.com has offered the engineers a huge productivity enhancement.
New enviro-friendly start for Precision Micro
BIRMINGHAM based precision component manufacturer Precision Micro’s relocation to a new factory
near Fort Dunlop coincided with an upgrade to manufacturing processes and efficiency. The new plant,
completed on time and within budget is thought to be the only purpose built photo-etching facility in
Europe; environmental issues were seriously addressed in its design and build. An ion-exchange water
recycling system reduces effluent disposal by up to 90% while the gravity fed fluid handling system
reduces power usage. The company, formed as the result of a merger between Microponents and Micro
Metallic, is the UK’s leading micro-components manufacturer. With a turnover of 17m euros it operates
from two manufacturing locations within the West Midlands area. www.precisionmicro.com
THE Gold prize in the Die and Mould machining/Mould machining
section of Mori Seiki’s Cutting Dream Contest Awards 2007 was won by the
Kawanami Ironworks Inc. Based in Kyoto, Japan, the company machined a
jacket from aluminum. Its engineers used WorkNC CAM/CAD software
from Sescoi to program the toolpath, which produced the winning entry
on a machining centre. Working from a 3D CAD model, the design for the
jacket was imported into WorkNC. The engineer responsible explains the
process: ‘The model was entirely made up of free form surfaces, so the most difficult task was
planning the sequence of operations and positioning the job datum.’ The ultimate aim was to
produce a finished product which properly represented the look and feel of the jacket. ‘The
majority of the part was cut with WorkNC’s machining between two curves strategy. We found that
this gave the best result for expressing the softness of the fabric.’ www.sescoi.com www.moriseiki.co.uk
TM-1P CNC Mill £19,995
Simple. Innovation.
For details, or to view this machine locally call 01603 760539 or visit www.haas.co.uk
10 MWP march 2008
‘We’ve certainly found it very helpful indeed. One of the biggest drains on
an engineer’s time is trying to find suppliers for parts - and there is an
awful lot of legwork involved when you are ‘manually’ sourcing
components. It is great to have a service were we can post details and criteria
online and vendors bid for the business. The process is now simpler and
quicker as well as giving us access to a much larger array of suppliers.
‘The presentation is great and the user reviews are invaluable. If I am
sourcing a supplier myself, I am going to have nobody’s word except theirs
that they are any good. It is great to have the ability to check and see who
has done business with them before and what they say about them. And
that was how we ultimately decided on Oasis Manufacturing for the parts
we have just sourced. The company is very impressive - it was clear from the
start they knew what I was asking for. When I went on MFG.com and saw
they had good reviews from the people that are using them, it made the
decision much easier. www.mfgquote.com
Full metal jacket
Lasers in emerging energy markets
A one day workshop at the University of Warwick hosts TWI’s ‘Make it with Lasers’ technology transfer
programme. The event is aimed at senior managers, product designers, development and production
engineers, marketing and quality managers. It looks at how lasers can help improve productivity, enhance
quality and performance, resolve manufacturing problems; and importantly looks at how laser
applications can help with harnessing renewable energy. Content will include technical presentations; an
exhibition featuring laser users, manufacturers and support organisations; and a tour of WMG’s
engineering hall. The event is on Wednesday 30th April; full details can be found at: www.miwl.org.uk
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