Expert insight into quality management at Southern Manufacturing 2012
The Free Technical Seminar programme at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2012 is your chance to hear leading experts in their fields deliver real insight into the trends that are shaping manufacturing industry today. One such expert is Ian McKay, who will be delivering two sessions looking at Quality at this year’s show. As Industry Co-Chair of the Defence Industries Quality Forum, Chair of the ADS Quality Committee and Quality Manager External Engagement at BAE Systems, Ian is eminently qualified to talk about the issues of quality as it relates to the Defence sector. In this exclusive preview, Ian gives us an overview of the key issues.
The manufacturing and engineering industries are changing rapidly as the current economic climate is forcing customers to critically examine their procurement budgets and the products and services they want are changing. This is particularly true of governments.
In the Defence Industry we are seeing a move away from high tech weapons systems towards security and information systems. Traditional quality management approaches are being developed for these new areas to ensure that the Defence Industry continues to deliver the dependable, complex systems its’ customers need.
A good example of quality management development is in the manufacture of the new F35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (“the world’s foremost stealthy, supersonic, survivable, lethal, supportable and affordable multi-role fighter”), which is taking us to unprecedented rates of production for military aircraft, requiring the need for ‘right first time’ performance from the entire supply chain.
The Defence Supply Chain therefore is central to delivery of these complex products and services. The SC21 project, lead by the Trade Association ADS, is focused on supply chain improvement. Based on agreement to a single “Continuous Sustainable Improvement Plan” with key customers, SC21 supports companies to establish sound quality management through the adoption of the EN9100 standard, the deployment of “Lean” tools and the adoption of relationship management techniques. The focus on a single agreed plan is delivering real ownership of improvement and has enabled the Defence Industry to improve productivity. If replicated across manufacturing and engineering industries as a whole I believe it would have the same positive effect.
The close collaboration between the Defence Industry and its customers is also something that other industries might learn from. A number of joint forums and groups exist to ensure continuous improvement and to keep pace with change. For example, the Defence Industries Quality Forum ensures that the MoD and Industry maintain a close relationship on quality policies and process and the CQI’s Defence Industry Group provides Quality professionals in the Defence Industry with the opportunity to be informed about and involved in developments. The Defence Industry is also working closely with the CQI to embed its own unique requirements into the Quality Management Body of Knowledge and Competency Framework.
In the face of change and the challenges the UK Defence Industry continues to supply what it believes are excellent products and services to its customers. This is enabled by a robust approach to quality management that is strongly aligned to engineering capability and maintains a balance between traditional and modern techniques. In this way it can deal with change and maintain the high standards required. Perhaps the most significant thing other Industries can learn from the Defence Industry therefore is that the quality of change management is just as important as managing the quality of products and services.
Ian McKay will present “In Defence of Quality” at 2.05pm on the 15th February and 1pm on 16th of February in Theatre 1 at Southern Manufacturing 2012. Entry is completely free, but pre-registration is strongly recommended. Register for free here
New marketing manager for Amberlea Plastics
Julie Harding has joined Southern Manufacturing exhibitor Amberlea Plastics Ltd as Sales and Marketing Manager. Julie assumes responsibility for developing sales of the company’s range of standard and non-standard plastic fasteners and components in the UK and Europe. Fluent in French, Spanish and German, Julie is keen to further develop the firm’s relationships with its many European customers as well as finding new ones at home and abroad.
"I am really looking forward to meeting customers, old and new at Southern Manufacturing 2012," says Julie. "They will be able to bring drawings, sketches or samples to our stand (number 103) for a quote. Quotations are normally provided within one working day, and our tooling costs are probably still the lowest in the industry."
Established in 1997, Amberlea Plastics’ product line-up includes a wide range of one or two piece plastic fasteners including insert moulding (e.g. screw feet or metal screws in plastic) and adhesive products. "We enjoy solving fastening problems with plastic solutions!" said Julie.
Electronic hardware and software from concept to delivery
Control systems, product monitoring and video systems are just a few of the application areas where Southern Manufacturing & Electronics exhibitor Raster Vision has steered a project from concept to delivery, taking in all the development and production phases on the way.
The service has proved particularly attractive to manufacturers of primarily mechanical products that require development of state of the art electronic controls or monitoring systems. All too often such companies cannot justify permanent in-house resources to undertake such projects because the requirement represents a temporary peak.
Projects already undertaken include tyre monitoring for earthmoving vehicles, video overlay for inspection and surveillance systems and calibration & test for pick and place feeder devices.
The service also appeals to manufactures with products where the electronic element is getting long in the tooth and not benefitting from the speed and reduced cost of today’s components. The company can convert through-hole boards to surface mount, thus reducing the size of the board and possibly of the end product while saving on manufacturing costs.
10,000 sales underlines Mazak’s one-hit machining success
The Machinery Area of Southern Manufacturing is a popular destination for many visitors keen to see the latest machine tools cutting metal. At the show this year, visitors can witness the latest generation of the Yamazaki Mazak Integrex multi-tasking CNC machine going though its paces. Since its inception over 10,000 have been sold around the world emphasising how the concept of one-hit machining has come to dominate the production of complex components.
The machine is capable of completing all turning and machining operations to take raw material to a finished part in a single set-up on one machine. The main spindle is powered by a 22 kW motor which provides a maximum speed of 5,000 rev/min. The milling and drilling spindle has an increased output of 22 kW and has a 12,000 rev/min maximum speed for high speed metal removal.
EMS Manufacturing – 40 years of quality
Part of the EMS Security Group, EMS Manufacturing has over 40 year’s experience in manufacturing products for demanding applications such as fire and security. This experience has made it a sought-after supplier of electronic assemblies to third party customers as well.
Based in its 40,000 square foot facility in Herne Bay, EMS Manufacturing’s award winning factory is equipped with the latest production technology and is able to build, test and inspect a wide range of products. Its process technology includes two highly flexible SMT placement lines, Automatic Optical Inspection equipment, X-Ray inspection equipment, and a full range of off-line programming software. The factory has a wide range of approvals, from ISO 9001:2008 and ISO13485 to more specific third party process control based approvals.
If you are looking to find a quality, UK-based manufacturer then a visit to the EMS Manufacturing stand at Southern Electronics 2012 is a must.
Blue is the colour…igus is the name!
Bearings specialist igus UK now offers a range of bearing products that are blue in colour for easier detection in the food and drinks industry. The new iglidur A350 polymer plain bearing material is FDA-approved (Food and Drug Administration USA) and the igubal polymer material can also be recognised by metal detectors; both materials are manufactured completely from tribo-optimised plastic.
In the UK the contamination of food is illegal under The Food Safety Act 1990, that states: ‘It shall be a defence for the person charged to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence by himself or by a person under his control.’
“The use of a visually detectable product with a colour not naturally found very often in nature is a reasonable precaution,” explains Matt Aldridge of igus UK. “For this reason, blue-coloured products have become the de facto standard – blue-coloured items, ranging from plasters to hair nets, are now widely used in food preparation areas and large scale mass produced food lines, which is why we’ve developed a blue range of bearings designed specifically for this industry.”
The igus iglidur A350 polymer plain bearing material is FDA-approved, which means that it can touch food and, should, in the unlikely event that particles contaminate food, be ingested without causing harm to the person. Highly wear-resistant, iglidur A350 can handle long-term temperature exposure up to 180degC and is resistant to a variety of chemicals and other liquid media. This makes the blue polymer material ideal for applications in the food, packaging and bottle-filling industries that undergo regular steam and chemical cleaning processes. Delivering low coefficients of friction, the iglidur A350 plain bearing is also corrosion-resistant, lubrication- and maintenance-free.
For use in the food and drinks industry, a blue variant of the igus igubal range is made of detectable plastic. When these special igubal bearings are fitted to a machine, there is no possibility of any igubal parts contaminating the end product when a metal detector is fitted on the automated production line.
The igus igubal detectable plastic range includes lubricant and maintenance-free rod end bearings and clevis joints, flange, pivoting and pillow block bearings, which are suitable for dry use at application temperatures ranging from -30 to +80°C. They can run in liquids as well as chemicals, and are corrosion-resistant – so are not adversely effected by regular washdowns. In comparison to traditional metallic bearings, the igubal range offers better damping characteristics since the specially developed plastic material absorbs vibrations more effectively.
For more information, visit the igus stand at Southern Manufacturing 2012 or go to www.igus.co.uk/bluebearingforfoodindustry and ww.igus.co.uk/metaldetectableplasticbearings
Dymo makes shopfloor labelling quick and easy
Today’s emphasis on reliable product identity and traceability, underlines the growing demand for accurate durable product labelling systems. One of the best known handheld systems is Dymo. At Southern Manufacturing 2012 the firm will be showing its Rhino 4200 industrial unit.
This handheld unit features hot keys and familiar QWERTY keyboard that make any labelling job both quick and easy. One touch hot keys are used to create short cuts and format special versions such as wire/cable wraps, bar codes and module labels. A handy ‘favourites’ key provides single key access to commonly used labels and symbols, and customised designs can be saved for instant recall when required.
Timers increase flexibility while reducing part number count
Finder – exhibiting for the first time at Southern Electronics 2012 – has announced a range of eight modular, 22.5mm wide rail-mounted timers. The multi-voltage 83 Series of multi-function and mono-function timers handles 14 different timing functions, with time scales between 0.05 seconds to 10 days and offers either single or double pole variants.
The timers support a wide range of working voltages, from 24V to 240V AC or DC. With changeover contacts rated for 16A, the 83 Series is capable of switching AC1 loads of up to 4KVA or single phase motors up to 0.5kW.
The single pole 83.01 and double pole 83.02 multi-function timer variants both offer up to 8 different timing functions, including a special watchdog function allowing users to monitor repeating processes by resetting the time period each time a “watchdog” pulse is received. The 83.02 timer also provides the facility of external potentiometer time setting. It also offers users the option to select between either 2 timed or 1 timed and 1 instantaneous contact.
The third multi-function timer in the series, the 83.91 provides 4 asymmetrical flasher timing functions. Completing the 83 Series timer range are 3 single pole mono-function timers: the 83.11 for on-delay; the 83.21 for interval; 83.41 for off-delay with control signal; and a pair of 2 pole mono-function timers: the 83.62 for power-off delay (true off-delay) and the 83.82 for star-delta timing function.
A cut above – new technology at ICEE increases capacity
Specialist fabricator ICEE has recently replaced its C0² laser with a Bystronic BySprint Fibre Laser, complement its existing water jet cutting services and allowing it to handle an even wider variety of projects. Using a combination of water jet cutting and fibre laser cutting ICEE can now handle virtually any material up to 230 mm thick.
The Southern Manufacturing exhibitor offers a wide range of services from its Hampshire base, from simply cutting blanks right up to full design and manufacture of bespoke enclosures. To this end, CNC press brakes, guillotines and welding are also available in-house.
With water jet cutting, the lack of heat is a major benefit as it eliminates any heat affected zone.
The maximum thickness than be cut is 230 mm; this allows material to be stacked and cut to reduce cost per part. Reflection can be a problem when laser cutting polished material, not so with water jet cutting. The range of materials that can be cut is impressive; all metals, plastics including composites, stone & marble, armour plate and bullet-proof glass. Even cardboard and foam can be processed. Plate and sheets up to 4,000 by 2,000 mm can be handled
Fibre laser cutting is faster than CO2 and can process a wider range of materials. Installed capacity is up to 12 mm in mild steel, 8 mm in aluminium and 6 mm in stainless steel. To complete the picture, a range of finishing processes including plating and powder coating can be specified.
ICEE’s cutting and fabrication experts will be on hand on its stand K30 at Southern Manufacturing 2012 to offer technical support and advice about both laser and water cutting.
New power electronics and test equipment from PPM Power
PPM Power will demonstrate its Typhoon HIL at Southern Electronics 2012. Described as “A power laboratory in a box”, the Typhoon delivers a flexible real time environment to speed up development of power electronics control systems and aid the rapid development, test and validation of control hardware and firmware.
PPM Power is a leading supplier of power electronics, test equipment, high voltage and pulsed power components. Other new products on show for 2012 will include a range of high voltage diodes, rectifier assemblies and bi-directional DC-DC converters. Available in either 25A or 75A versions, the converters are ideal for interfacing super capacitors, motor drives, PV arrays or any DC source or load that operates at less than 60V. The BD range of converters has a proven track record in PV, wind power battery charging and motor drive applications.
