INDUSTRY NEWS
Press investment for HV Wooding
( Left to right ) Paul Allen , sales director , and Simon Stewart , technical manager , at HV Wooding .
Investment in a refurbished precision highspeed press is helping a UK-based subcontract manufacturing specialist to deliver a significant aerospace contract that has been reshored from Spain .
HV Wooding , which offers laser cutting , wire erosion , busbars , motor laminations and presswork to international customers , has invested over £ 120,000 into new tooling and the installation of a Bruderer BSTA 25H press to produce more than 28 million precision parts every year . The contract will utilise the press ’ s repeatable bottom dead centre accuracy and 1500 strokes per minute capability , with RAM Guidance System for stability and longer tool life .
Components will be used in several tamperproof products for the airline sector and should account for 60 % of the machine ’ s capacity , leaving the other 40 % for new opportunities in electrification and green energy , according to H V Wooding and Bruderer .
“ This is the second Bruderer press that we have installed , after inheriting our first when an electrical client outsourced its press shop ,” explained Paul Allen , Sales Director , HV Wooding . “ The material we are using is really thin gauge and tolerances are within microns - that ’ s why we decided on the BSTA 25H . The RAM Guidance System eliminates the possibility of movement during the stamping process , prolonging the tool life and giving us consistent repeatable quality .”
HV Wooding , which exports 30 % of its £ 10m turnover overseas , has also invested in a Unidor multi-sensor , in-die tool protection system and a Unidor press force monitor . Both additions to the machine are designed to ensure tool safety , at both low and high speeds , and provides protection against overload and potential damage to the tool and press .
Simon Stewart , Technical Manager , HV Wooding , added : “ We have been really impressed with the performance of the BSTA 25H and are already looking at ways where we can standardise the set-up process to move other projects on to it . There is also the potential to target new opportunities , with the 1500 strokes per minute speed giving us plenty of capacity to take on high volume electrical , lamination and motor orders .” n
. bruderer . co . uk
Metal supply and lead time concern
Metal forming companies expect business conditions to remain steady during the next three months , according to the February 2021 Precision Metalforming Association ( PMA ) Business Conditions Report . The monthly report provides an economic indicator for manufacturing , sampling 112 metal forming companies in the United States and Canada .
PMA ’ s February report shows that 37 % of metal forming companies forecast an improvement in economic activity in the next three months ( compared to 39 % in January ), 56 % predict no change ( compared to 54 % in January ) and 7 % anticipate a decline in activity ( the same percentage reported in January ).
The February report indicates that lead times continue to increase . When asked about lead times compared to the previous three months , 54 % of the report ’ s respondents say that they have increased , up from 43 % in January . In comparison , only 16 % of respondents reported increased lead times in September 2020 .
“ While metal forming manufacturers report steady business conditions , the situation with the supply of metals to make our products has become a crisis ,” said PMA President , David Klotz . “ Members are reporting that lead times for copper , brass and other metals are steadily increasing . Lead times for steel have gone from four to six weeks in October 2020 to 12 to 16 weeks now . U . S . manufacturers are facing high prices as well . For example , manufacturers are paying approximately 30 per cent higher prices for steel than our competitors in Europe . If our members can ’ t get the metals they need when they need them , and at a competitive price , they will lose business to their competitors overseas . For steel and aluminium , PMA is calling on the Biden Administration to immediately terminate the Section 232 tariffs , which is one of the main causes for chaos in the U . S . steel market .”
The survey reveals little change for incoming orders in the next three months , with 48 % forecasting an increase in orders ( down slightly from 50 % in January ), 41 % predicting no change ( the same percentage reported in January ) and 11 % anticipating a decrease in orders ( compared to 9 % in January ).
“ Current average daily shipping levels rose in February , with 52 % reporting an increase ( up from 38 % in January ), 31 % reporting no change ( compared to 50 % last month ) and 17 % reporting a decrease ( compared to 12 % in January ),” commented the Precision Metalforming Association report .
Only 4 % of responding metal forming companies had a portion of their workforce on short-time or layoff in February , a decrease from 12 % in January and at the lowest level since October
2018 , when only 2 % had a portion of their workforce on short REPORT time or layoff . n
ISMR April 2021 | sheetmetalplus . com | 15