Brandauer has invested £1.5 million in a new high-speed production cell at its factory in Birmingham, to help the 159-year-old metal stamping specialist deliver a major contract in the Middle East.
The company, which employs 63 people, has strengthened its long-term partnership with Luton-based
Bruderer by installing a BSTA410-100, which is capable of pressing up to 41 tonnes, can operate at up to 1,600 strokes per min and features a large 1,110mm bed.
The machine will be used to manufacture stainless-steel substrate frames for a male grooming product that is exported to Israel and was chosen for its ability to achieve repeatable quality and parts in their millions.
Secured against intense international competition, the project underlines Brandauer’s
ability to offer an end-to-end service, from developing the complex tooling to producing parts in high volumes.
Brandauer CEO Rowan Crozier said: “We needed technology that could give us the tolerances and speed required by the customer to meet the order quantities which have now more than doubled since originally winning the work.”
“This was our 26th Bruderer press. We know the level of performance and reliability the presses can deliver and we can work with Bruderer engineers to specify a machine so that it not only gives us the control we need for this type of project, but can also be deployed on other high volume contracts we might be managing in the future.”
He continued: “We haven’t been disappointed. The control technology provides automatic ram shut height adjustment while the press is under acceleration and deceleration load for guaranteed process stability and pin-point repeatability.
“This is essential when you are working with high tensile stainless steel that is just 0.15mm thick and using a progression tool that cost in excess of £100,000 to manufacture.”
The Bruderer BSTA 410-110 B2 was selected, customised and commissioned in a uniquely competitive eight-month window to meet the stringent delivery requirements of the global client.
Teams from both companies worked closely together to make this happen and to also ensure the machine was set-up to be fully automated to include post-production cleaning and re-reeling. This means the press, alongside another Bruderer BSTA 510-110 B2, can produce up to 100 million parts for the customer every year.
Mr Crozier added: “You just cannot beat the precision and speed of this technology and the £1.5 million dedicated cell we have created for this is one of the best-performing in the business.”
Adrian Haller, Bruderer UK managing director, concluded: “We have been helping Brandauer produce precision parts since 1976, so it is great that the firm has once again turned to our presses for its latest product introduction.
“The tri-modular progression tool has more than twenty different stages and is one of the most complex the company has ever created. Our ram guidance system — exclusively at strip level, helps eliminate displacement between the punch and the lower die giving engineers the ultimate control over the quality of the component.
“It also plays a big role in reducing tool wear, which I know Rowan and the team were very keen on.”