CEO Doug Allen celebrates landmark rapid tooling delivery
BRIGHAM PRESSINGS DELIVERS RAPID TOOLING SOLUTION FOR HIGH-VOLUME AEROSPACE AND AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATOR
A six-week tooling programme for a global dispensing systems manufacturer has demonstrated how Brigham Pressings is combining design-formanufacture expertise, toolmaking and high-volume presswork to help customers improve products destined for demanding assembly environments.
Brigham Pressings has completed a fast-track tooling and manufacturing project for a global supplier of hand-held chemical dispensing systems used across automotive and aerospace assembly lines.
The Birmingham-based precision metal pressings specialist was approached to support the redesign of a chemical-compound applicator, with the customer seeking a lighter and more ergonomic assembly capable of improving change-over performance for operators.
With an annual production requirement of 900,000 units, the programme called for a solution designed from the outset around repeatable, high-volume manufacture.
For Brigham Pressings CEO Doug Allen, the project highlights the value manufacturers can unlock by involving an experienced presswork partner during the product development process.
“ The greatest value we can often bring to a customer starts well before the first component comes off the press,” said Allen.“ By combining design-formanufacture thinking with our knowledge of tooling, materials and high-volume presswork, we can help shape a component around both its end use and the way it will ultimately be manufactured.”
Working collaboratively with the customer, Brigham Pressings held a series of design-for-manufacture( DFM) workshops to translate the original CAD concept into two production-ready pressed components.
Manufactured from DC04 mild steel in 2.3mm and 1.6mm thicknesses, the components were developed using 3D modelling to refine the finger contours and improve operator ergonomics while retaining the existing mounting envelope.
54 MACHINERY, AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING