A specialist in precision pressed parts and machined components has invested more than £100,000 into the installation of a new high-speed press line to boost capacity ahead of a raft of new opportunities.
Source Engineering, which employs 32 people across its two divisions in Plympton, has tapped into the expertise of Bruderer UK to purchase a machine that can do the work of four conventional HME power presses.
The BSTA 200M 20 tonne stamping press was identified as the ideal solution and is now up and running at its Langage Business Park facility, achieving 300 strokes per minute which represents a 200% increase in production output across a range of products destined for the automotive, electrical wholesale and oil and gas markets.
Engineers at the firm have freed up an additional 500 sq ft of production space to use for the introduction of new projects and to help them cope with an increase in demand for its range of automation solutions.
Andy Dunkerley, Chairman at Source Engineering, commented: “Buying a Bruderer is like buying the Swiss watch of machines¬…you get unrivalled precision, speed and repeatable quality, all wrapped up in a relatively small footprint.
“We already had one in another part of the factory and were fully aware of its capabilities, so when it came to looking at how we optimised the factory floor space by replacing four machines with one high-speed line we called in its technical experts to review the options.”
He continued: “They really understood what we were looking to achieve in space utilisation without giving up the versatility and the volumes, which basically meant we needed one machine to do the work of four.”
The Bruderer BSTA 200M high precision, high performance stamping press was identified as the preferred option and was fitted with a high-speed Servo Feeder and Pallet Decoiler to help achieve ultimate precision control of material de-coiling and pinpoint pitch control through the progression press tool.
Specified with a tool area of 510 x 400mm, the machine can deliver up to 1800 strokes per minute and is capable of handling a maximum material thickness of up to 2mm and material width of 100mm.
It has also been equipped with Press Force Monitor, which ensures protection of the press from overload and limit damages to the tool if any stray material is pulled back up into the process – stopping the machine within 1 stroke, even at high speed.
Pablo Gutierrez, Technical Director at Source Engineering, went on to add: “Sales are now back to pre-pandemic levels and we are looking to grow, with our ability to provide design, tooling and manufacturing all in one place driving the need for more production space.
“Our long-standing relationship with Bruderer UK has been pivotal in giving us a faster more flexible machine, whilst also delivering capacity to install different types of presses or a dedicated assembly area to support bespoke automation work.
“There are lots of new opportunities domestically and overseas and we are hoping to turn some of the potential into contracts that will see turnover rise by 20% over the next twelve months.”
Adrian Haller, Managing Director of Bruderer UK, continued: “This is a perfect example of how the technical expertise of our team and the power of our presses can be combined to find a solution that does the work of four machines in one.
“Tolerances of manufactured process speed have improved significantly, whilst the ability to achieve fast changeover of press tools has been achieved due to the inbuilt Bruderer application of SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies).
“We’ve been working with Andy and Pablo for nearly a decade and have got an excellent relationship with its technical team. This was a project that really excited us as we could use our technology to provide an immediate operational solution and, importantly, a way of supporting the company with its ambitious expansion plans.”
Source Engineering, which is approaching 30 years in business, has developed new control boxes that help monitor the part as it goes through production.
It has already supplied a number of models to Bruderer UK for installation on its machines and is looking to expand its offer further over the next twelve months.
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