Bracebridge Engineering Ltd

Is a pressing the right choice for your business? Part 2

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 07/03/2018

In the first part, we looked at some of the history of presswork and the various advantages and disadvantages of this method of manufacture.

In this part we investigate a few categories of parts you may be looking to produce and how Bracebridge Engineering would approach them:

A bracket required in high volume

A perfect product for pressing, dependent on complexity tooling prices can start from as little as £2000 and can pay for themselves in a very short space of time. The ideal tooling for this type of product would be what is called a progression tool or follow on tool. Progression tools aim to produce the final part in 1 stroke of the press by combining a number of stages in one tool that progress the part from a coil of metal to its final form. This ensures that the part is made as cost effectively as possible. The downside is a progression tool will normal cost a lot more than single stage tools where several operations are required to get the final part. As a general rule for volumes less than 10,000 a year single stage tooling offers a higher unit cost but is more less costly on the tooling side. So bear this in mind when you are considering the options. If your product is mild steel also ask what surface finish you require as BBE can supply in the following finishes:

Raw state with anti-corrosion protection if required
Zinc plated
Tin Plated
Powder coated
Galvanised
Wet paint + many more finishes.
We can also manufacture using pre-galvanised steel.

Flat plate or 2D product

Some parts such as household window fixings, clamps, electrical boards, Network cable solutions and storage solutions require flat plate pressings with holes or sections cut as shown:

These can be made in high volume in the same was as a bracket however as no large forming is required the product is usually cheaper to produce and tool up for.

Bear in mind with 2D products in low volume, if tolerances are not too critical then these can be laser cut with ease and negates the need for tooling. Laser cutting is the chosen method for parts over 5mm thick. BBE would look to assist you with both methods and are always happy to suggest a method dependant on your needs.

Box shaped products:

If your part formed a rectangular or square box section, then again pressing is a great method of manufacture. The process in which this is done is largely the same as the bracket however in most instances a different process is needed. With some larger parts like car oil sumps a process called deep drawing is used. Ill expand on that process in the next part type. Box shaped parts can be produced using progression tools however their size tends to be bigger so always check with the manufacturer on this as some presses wont be large enough.

With regards to press size, the presswork company will do the necessary calculations regarding what size press is required to produce your product. BBE works closely with larger companies if we cannot accommodate a certain part and will always aim to help with any enquiry.

We manufacture the part shown in a number of stages on single stage tooling as this suits the customer and their requirements.

Cans, Pots and circular vessels:

Points to consider with drawn products:

As can/pot diameter reduces in relation to can height the number of operations increase which increases tooling costs.
High volume deep drawn parts need careful consideration of the method of production as tooling investment is high.
Tight radiuses on parts makes the part prone to splitting so always allow the maximum permissible radii when designing your part.
Some materials work harden when drawing and may need to be annealed part way through the process to allow further working, ask us if we think this is an issue. Stainless steel and Aluminium are common parts that need annealing when drawing.
Developing the process on a new part can take time, tool trials and sample production can and does present problems which can cause delays so add a factor of safety in your lead times.

In the last part we'll look at some common issues that can occur when looking at pressing enquiries and some final thoughts on the topic.

For any presswork enquiries you may have, please contact

In addition to these machines we also have two maize driers which dry and lightly polish components after cleaning and deburring. We also have the option now of offering a mild corrosion protection for raw steel parts that are finished in the maize driers. This helps tremendously when transporting and storing work in progress goods.

If you would like to know more about how Bracebridge Engineering can help you with our vibro cleaning, deburring and maize dry facilities then let us know at Sales@bbepressings.co.uk or send us a message on our social media pages at @bbepressings.

Happy 40th Birthday BBE!

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 30/03/2018

In March 1978, Bracebridge Engineering Ltd was founded on Ashford Street, Digbeth to work alongside its parent company Trevelyans - a company that was founded many many years before that. Back then Bracebridge produced many components for all industries but specialised in brass and copper components for the commercial market making products such as tap fittings, ball floats and heat exchanger bodies. In more recent years Deep Drawn Presswork and high quality pressings have formed the majority of our work serving a multitude of industries such as Aerospace, Automotive and Industrial sectors.
This month marks the 40th anniversary of Bracebridge Engineering Ltd, we've come a long way in those years and what better way to celebrate than to have a bit of cake and a family photo!
Thanks to all the team who make BBE what it is today!

We are exibiting at The Made in The Midlands 2017 Expo at the Ricoh Arena!

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 27/03/2017

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd is proud to be exhibiting alongside 200 of the top Manufacturing companies in the Midlands as part of the Made in the Midlands Exhibition 2017. We'll be showcasing all of our presswork, metal fabrication, welded assembly and thread rolling capabilities at our stand this year along with some super giveaways.

We'd like to invite you to join us and build lasting relationships with up to 2,000 other Manufacturing decision makers at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 25/03/17 9am-4pm.

Book your FREE tickets for #MIMEXPO17 here: http://www.madeinthemidlands.com/events/29442852364

Wed love to hear that you are coming along so feel free to message, email or tweet to let us know.

Is a pressing the right choice for your business? Part 3

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 23/03/2018

In this final part, we look at some common issues that can delay quotes and some final thought on the topic.

Common problems that can delay your quote:

Time and money can be saved when we quote by following the guidelines below:

1.No Drawing: Always send a dimensioned drawing with your request for quotation (RFQ). We commonly receive images of products or drawings with no dimensions on. In order to accurately quote we need to know exactly what size the parts are so we can calculate material usage correctly. If you dont have a drawing, a sample posted to us will help as we can dimension from that. (PS. Samples are always good!) Dont forget the material specification also, we need to know what material to buy and any finish you require.
2.Too shorter lead time: While we do the best we can, we cant deliver a pressed product 1 week after we receive an enquiry (unless we have the tools and material already). We need time to firstly quote correctly, for one part this can generally be done within a week with multiple parts longer. Then the tooling takes time to manufacture. 10 16 weeks for tooling is not uncommon and should be accounted for. Some materials come from overseas and also take time to be delivered.
3.Tight Tolerances: The tolerances on pressed parts can be very tight, however especially on new drawings we find machining tolerances on the drawings. We will always advise what is possible however tooling costs will be higher for tightly tolerance parts as a rule.
4.Tooling cost: As mentioned tooling can be high on complex parts, simple parts require simple tooling however we always strive to keep costs to a minimum when quoting tooling however bear in mind that there is expensive tooling and cheap tooling just like cars or any other product. It has always been a problem for customers as it is a large commitment to make however if the tooling is good and the product sells, good tooling will pay for itself many times over. BBE are happy to look at various pricing options and funding for you to make your investment make more financial sense.
5.Low Volumes: This is by far the most common challenge for BBE and our customers. They require a pressed product but only need 5 a year! In most cases we can solve the issue by either fabricating them or using a combination of laser cutting and pressing with basic tooling however the best approach is to be realistic about the expected volumes and BBE can advise on how best to approach the problem. If you have 1 or 1 million parts let us know and well find a solution.

Final thoughts:

1000s of products on the market use some form of pressing. Deciding on how to go about making your part will be instrumental in its success. Always look to inform your chosen presswork company as best you can in relation to the part, often we can find solutions to other problems you might have and it can save lots of time and funds especially if we have to redesign a tool due to something not working correctly down the line. The more we know what your product does and how it functions the more we can help to get the part right first time and advise you correctly.

If you have a sheet metal part or any part that needs forming up to 6 mm thick Bracebridge can help. Get in touch on 0121 331 1503 or email sales@bbepressings.co.uk

We thank you for reading this article and hope you find this 3 part series useful and we look forward to your enquiry in the near future!

Oh and don't forget to follow us on Social Media!

New website almost launched!

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 30/05/2016

Bracebridge gets a new look!

In the ever changing world of business, we felt that our website was due an overhaul to maintain a fresh look and stay competitive and up to date. Together with Birmingham based web design company Kalexico, we are almost up and running with the new site. Our new site will feature full wide screen width layout, a sleeker more modern look whilst still showing the viewer our comprehensive list of capabilities, quality standards, sectors we work with, plant listings, and our all important family history.
We have also undergone some slight branding on our name as well as we feel this will make it easier for our new and old customers to conatct us and to understand what we do. Our Bracebridge Engineering emails and website URL will be replaced with BBE Pressings instead.Our new tooling van is already ready and in service with the new details on.

Is a pressing the right choice for your business? Part 1

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 05/02/2018

In this three part series we look at how pressings may or may not work for your business. We appreciate that while some businesses are very knowledgeable about the stamping industry, some companies especially start-up companies and smaller companies may be new to metal forming and may wish to seek some guidance on a new design or product they are considering having pressed. The aim of this series to help companies and individuals just like that.

The pressing and stamping industry is an old industry dating back to the 18th century when a Scottish inventor James Watt described the first Steam Hammer for drop stamping. It wasnt until 1840 when the first working steam hammer was built to cater for the growing steel and iron industry. A dispute between a Francois Bourdon and James Nasmyth over who originally invented the machine however form that time the stamping, forging industry was born*.

In the 1890s Bicycle manufacture started to use stamped parts to mass manufacture as demand grew for two wheeled transport. Henry Ford was originally against the idea of using stamped parts as recommended to him by his Engineers however he was forced to use the technology to keep up with demand of the Ford motor car.*

Our history at Bracebridge Engineering (BBE) dates back to the 1920s where is parent company Trevelyans began life in Digbeth, Birmingham where the company were producing light fittings for the growing number of households converting to electric lights at that time.

Trevelyans: 1930s Press shop.

As manufacturing grew through the 30s and 40s, Technology moved forward which allowed parts to become more accurate and produced at much higher rates. In the 1950s Treveylans moved to general presswork as certain industries slowed down and changed technology. Bracebridge as we know it today was formed in 1978 in Aston, Birmingham and was a large producer of copper tap and household fittings. Today on its current side in Perry Barr since 1995, Bracebridge produce a wide range of pressed metal parts for many different industries including, Automotive, Industrial, Military and Aerospace. But how does this help you decide on what method of production is right for you and your company?

Pressed part advantages:

Pressings offer many advantages over other methods of manufacture. If your design or product involves sheet metal, then consider having these parts pressed. Some of the advantages are listed here and may help you decide on what method to choose:

1.Pressed parts are often the cheapest method of manufacture
2.Provided the shape is not too complex, the part could probably be pressed.
3.The forming process work hardens the material and provides inherent strength in the component as opposed to cutting and welding for instance.
4.If you have a high volume of parts to produce, then a pressing is worth the investment in tooling as production rates can be many 1000s per hour in certain circumstances.
5.Very high tolerances can be achieved on most parts.
6.Many Pressings companies like Bracebridge Engineering offer further services such as vibro deburring, welding and assembly to further add value to your product.
7.If weight is a consideration, then pressings offer the best approach to weight saving.
8.Many metals can be pressed right from mild steel to more exotic materials like Duplex stainless steel and Titanium.

Pressed part disadvantages:

1.In most cases some form of tooling is required as an upfront cost to make your parts, this can be expensive if you only require a low volume of parts. More on this later..
2.Parts with sharp radiuses are costly to achieve, again more on this later and how to overcome it.
3.Not idea for 1 off parts or sub 100 parts per year projects. Prototyping companies are usually ideal for this especially if you have future volume work to consider.

In the next blog we'll look at the various common shapes of products and how they can be made using the forming and stamping process. In the mean time if you have an enquiry about a product that you wish to discuss our team will only be too happy to guide you through the process and help you decide how to go about it. Contact us at sales@bbepressings.co.uk, also follow us on twitter @bbepressings for updates and news on the industry and British Manufacturing in general.

*References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_hammer

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamping_(metalworking)

We've been Tango'd!

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 29/09/2016

The new doors are up and there looking...... we'll very Orange! Our new insulated doors supplied and fitted by Latco Engineering ltd look fantastic. Over the course of this year and last we have been implementing various energy saving measures to aid in lowering operating costs to remain competitive and profitable. The roller doors were the final part of our 3 stage improvement program at Bracebridge. Earlier in the year we completed a new T5 lighting upgrade and we also installed 5 energy saving devices on our hydraulic and mechanical presses. Our new doors not only give street appeal they also will provide much needed winter insulation to keep the factory warmer in the colder months.

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd pride ourselves in continuous improvement to ensure we remain a serious competitor in the metal pressings industry in the Midlands.

If you have any questions or require extra information about any of the improvements we have made feel free to email us: sales@bbepressings.co.uk

ISO 9001: 2015 standard accredited.

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 05/02/2018

We are proud to announce that in October 2017 we obtained the ISO 9001: 2015 standard which is a great achievement for our team on ultimately our customers.

The 2015 standard brings the old standard up to date and no focuses on leadership and performance in order to for it to integrate with other systems that businesses will already be implementing. The Plan - Do - Check - Act policy is widely employed in this revision. Another area of focus in this edition is that of risk based thinking, helping companies look at potential risks and threat, and other S.W.O.T activities in a more productive and results based way.

We are very pleased to have achieved this standard, first time with no non-conformances.

Well done Team BBE!

New lighting for BBE

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 16/09/2016

One thing we all use in the factory environment is lighting; our existing lighting was made up of old 400W Sodium lamps and various strip lamps which offered irregular lighting patterns and areas of low light which we needed to fix. We looked into the options with the 2 main variants LED or T5 High Bays being the most popular choice. At the time we felt that LED technology was not quite advanced enough and with the bigger upfront cost our best option was to go for the High Bay T5s.

With the help of Chalmor Ltd, an energy saving company based in Luton we came up with a solution to replace all of the old lighting with the T5s. This would eliminate the need to stock various lamps and bulbs and stock only one size T5 lamp thus cutting down on maintenance costs and time.

Chalmor worked over our shutdown week and made a super job of replacing all the old lights with new.

We have to say that the transformation has been superb. We now average over 400 lumens across the factory and have reduced our energy bills by 20%. In our areas that see less traffic we opted for switched lighting that is motion sensor activated further reducing our energy usage.

Next on the list before winter will be our main roller shutter doors. We are looking at 2 insulated doors to save vital heat loss in from our gas heaters in the cold weather.

Website is live!

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 15/09/2016

We are happy to announce that the new website is LIVE!

After lots of hours and dedication from our team and MIM Members Kalexico we are up and running.

The old website was looking outdated and we felt that a fresh look would compliment and reflect what we are doing here at BBE.

If you have any suggestions or feedback we would be happy to hear from you.

BBE Invests in Energy Efficiency

Bracebridge Engineering Ltd — 23/08/2016

BBE Invests in Energy Efficiency

Over the past 12 months BBE have undertook a project to reduce the companies energy bills. With the cost of manufacturing and labour increasing we had had to take action in order to offset these rises. Our primary focus has been on Power press power usage, lighting and heat insulation as we found these areas are where our biggest spend lies.

Power Press Usage:

As a metal presswork company, a large proportion of the energy we use comes from the presses themselves. We looked into a number of energy saving devices that focus on replacing the Star-Delta start systems with a more microprocessor controlled unit. After doing a number of tests and studies we determined there would be a notable saving in electricity buy utilising these systems so based on an acceptable payback time we had them installed on our most often used machines. We have started to see savings already.

Lighting:

Next on the list will be our lighting. We currently have a mixture of high energy consumption Sodium lamps and various types of fluorescents that have been in place for many years. Looking at the data we have noticed that the lights take roughly one quarter of our total electricity usage currently so this is something we are looking to improve on. We have the option of going with either T5 high bay lamps or LED technology to replace the existing units and we are in discussions now as to which way to go with this. We are confident that there will be significant savings in this area plus a huge improvement on the lighting intensity also.

Also we are looking to use motion sensor lights and dimmable lights in some of the areas of the factory also to save energy.

Heat Insulation:

The roller shutter doors on many factories are the biggest heat sink a building will have other than the roof. Our doors have until now only been single skin steel with very little in the way of rubber seals to prevent draughts so much so that in winter the temperature drop is very noticeable once you approach the doors. One product on the market now is an insulated steel door panel that offers considerable heat insulation characteristics over the standard item. We have scheduled 2 new roller shutter doors to be installed next month. We anticipate over winter to save a good proportion on our gas bills. We will also install a new swing arm curtain system too that can be opened in summer and then closed in winter.

We hope to continue our investment in energy efficiency and lean manufacturing techniques to ensure our place in the market over the coming years. Watch this space for updates on the doors and lighting!