Production Engineering Solutions June 2024

42 June 2024 Production Engineering Solutions pesmedia.com AEROSPACE 10% and grow our exports to the USA by around 20% compared to existing levels.” Over the last two years Bright Engineering has made multiple investments to strengthen its core offer and guarantee a robust quality offering for customers. This started with a major investment in the inspection department, doubling the floor space and modernising the facility. With a view to making its inspection offering more datadriven and having information on tap for its Tier 1 and OEM customers, Bright invested in the latest measuring equipment, featuring Bluetooth integration and dovetailing capability with its Progress Plus ERP system. Investment in equipment from companies like Keyence has been most appreciated by the client base, as it provides Bright with the opportunity to measure multiple parts at the same time, compile data quickly, efficiently and accurately, and assist customers with first article validation and any technical queries that arise following assembly of the product. Steve Amey continues: “Investments in quality technology have a real and immediate impact on customers. Machining centres costing £300,000 are key to the operation but customers are comfortably familiar with them. “What customers really appreciate is a supplier willing to invest directly in quality, how we measure, trace, track and pack the product to ensure its conformity. We have had multiple large customers tell us that our inspection facilities are more impressive than their own. We are really proud of what we have created.” In fact Bright Engineering was able to demonstrate its capability so effectively that it was recently awarded BAE Systems approval, an achievement that is not regular or commonplace for most medium-sized subcontractors. As a fairly new, but highly capable supplier to BAE Systems Air Sector, Bright is well positioned for future growth and supporting new programmes. Bright is proud of its ongoing commitment to apprenticeships and it counts a number of current trainees, and recently time-served engineers as contributors to BAE Systems projects. The business has also supported a number of young people through degree apprenticeships. Director Jon Hoyle explains: “Operating our business in the Lancashire aerospace belt brings with it a number of opportunities, as well as competition, but it keeps us on our toes. It’s easy as small business owners to say we can’t compete and we can’t offer decent opportunities, but we definitely can. On a number of occasions now we’ve taken advantage of the Apprenticeship Levy system to provide high quality, funded degree programmes for our employees, and everybody wins. We get motivated, capable individuals who can support our growth and get involved in exciting aerospace prototype projects.” The company has also recently invested in 3D printing and intends to use it to streamline its fixture manufacture for both CNC machining and inspection. Bright believes this is yet another example of a modest investment having a sizeable positive impact on efficiency, as well as improving customer experience. Bright Engineering www.brightengineering.co.uk Aerospace specialist Airframe Designs has invested in a stateof-the-art data planning system to streamline its operations. By investing in the latest Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) system, the company is helping to develop new efficiencies in its supply chain, saving time and cost. The new system will help integrate information in purchasing, stock control, quotations and manufacturing, ensuring accuracy of data, transparency and detailed communication across different operational functions. Jerrod Hartley, CEO of Airframe Designs, says: “The integration of this advanced system marks a transformative step for Airframe Designs and our customers, helping us to leverage efficiencies in our processes and allowing for improved collaboration with partners and suppliers. “Custom-designed to complement our operational framework, this software investment is pivotal to our commitment to data confidentiality, integrity, and availability delivering direct, substantial benefits to our customers.” This follows investment into Airframe Designs’ advanced production facility with a second 3D printing machine – a Stratasys Fortus 450mc – a new 5-axis milling machine and new sophisticated resin printing technology to offer increased capability and quality of parts and tools for its increasing customer base. The company has also become a member of Additive Manufacturing UK (AM-UK) whose aim is to establish the UK as a world leader in the development and adoption of additive manufacturing. The services offered by Airframe Designs meet the demand from the aviation and defence sectors to create new parts or re-engineer obsolete components in an agile, costeffective, and sustainable manner. With polymer additive manufacturing technology, combined with 3D scanning and 3D modelling, the Blackpoolbased company now offers creative solutions to complex engineering problems in the aviation and defence part market, including solutions for airframe tooling. This technology can also be adapted for other industries including space, nuclear, motorsport and rail. Recent projects undertaken by the company include the design and manufacture of several 3D printed tooling fixtures to aid the installation of external sensors onto the fuselage of a special mission military aircraft and the integration of new systems into heavy lift drone platforms. The business has also been responsible for the conceptual design at a platform level for new uncrewed air systems, test rigs and tooling for electric vehicle propulsion systems and most recently the design and analysis of operator consoles for a special mission aircraft. Airframe Designs https://airframedesigns.com Airframe Design’s new MRP system integrates data across the company’s operations to create efficiencies for its customers Streamlining data improves production services at Airframe Designs

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