Tamworth-based Brown & Holmes, a bespoke work-holding, precision and sub-contract machining solutions specialist, has recently added 3-D printing technology to its operations — and says it cannot imagine life without it.

After encountering SYS Systems (www.sys-uk.com) at the TCT Show last year, it decided to secure two high-end additive manufacturing systems — a Stratasys F170 and a Fortus 450mc.

Engineering manager Mick Waller said: “Our customer base is looking at us now for newer and different materials beyond the conventional.

"There are over 17 materials we can print between the two Stratasys machines, which has meant that we can adopt the newer carbon fibre-type material to replace metal parts in our production solutions.

"We can print anything our design team can model, so we have the opportunity to be more experimental with designs and parts that we can manufacture.

“We bought the 3-D printing machines for our own use for manufacturing parts to put on our fixtures and work-holding solutions, but we’re quickly realising that we can offer the printing service as a separate entity to our core business.

"We are hoping that these machines become too busy and we grow our capacity to offer 3-D printed parts out to the market — to new and existing customers.”

Rob Thompson, SYS Systems’ sales manager, said: “We work closely with our customers on production systems that perfectly match their needs, and then to ensure that they are getting the very best out of which-ever solution we’ve identified together.

“Once a business discovers the benefits that 3-D printing can deliver, they rarely look back.

“With the Fortus 450mc, for example, it is possible to produce bespoke tools and manufacturing aids much quicker than with traditional machining, using materials that are far lighter than metal but give nothing up in terms of strength and durability.”