FEATURE MECHANICAL COMPONENTS


Getting to grips with UK train manufacturing


WDS Component Parts has supplied high quality component parts for the jigs and fixtures deployed in Bombardier’s carbody manufacturing facility in Derby


A


s the UK’s only train manufacturing facility, Bombardier’s site in Derby designs and


builds the AVENTRA electric multiple unit trains for UK operators. At its carbody facility, key components such as the underframe, roof and body sides are manufactured. Jigs and fixtures are used to hold the sections of train sub- assemblies in place during the welding process. Needing high quality products as well as


efficient service, KM Tools chose WDS Component Parts to supply a variety of component parts for use within the assembly jigs and fixtures. These included locating pins, latches, swing clamps, toggle clamps, indexing plungers, hinges, knobs and handles. For applications like this, it is essential


that the products are of the highest quality, especially where they are used in demanding conditions on a daily basis – such as the indexing plungers. Where extra durability is required, some of the components are constructed from hardened materials. Depending on where the component will be used, resistance to corrosion is also important – such as if the area is frequently lubricated and


where soap is used to clean lubrication away. For this reason, KM Tools selected stainless or mild steel, chemically blackened where required to increase resistance to corrosion. Adrian Degg, engineering director at KM Tools,


commented: “Manufacturing equipment for specialist production lines such as Derby means that we need high confidence in the components we use in our assembly jigs. Supplying OEM customers like Bombardier, where time to market is key, also means that we need efficient suppliers. We’ve worked with WDS for eight years and they were our natural choice to provide component parts for this high-profile project.” Degg explained that reliability is essential as


any component failure would risk the uptime of its customers. Added to this is stock availability and delivery time, especially when projects involve large OEMs such as Bombardier where higher product volumes can be required for delivery within 24 hours. “WDS carries a broad stock range and invariably supplies the component we need. Delivery time is very important for us, especially where we may order 100 units of a particular item, and WDS


has a stock level which can fulfil our needs.” In order to select the right component,


KM Tools’ engineers have a complete understanding of their required specification – and all the information needed to make a rapid selection is available on WDS’ website, including 3D drawings which can be integrated into KM Tools’ equipment design. “When you’re designing an item such as a


jig, downloading and inserting the 3D model of the component makes the process far easier and saves valuable time,” Degg explained. KM Tools’ assembly line installation for


Bombardier came in ahead of deadline and the company will continue to partner with WDS for its ongoing maintenance work for Bombardier’s Litchurch Lane plant.


WDS Component Parts www.wdscomponents.com/en-gb


A SEAMLESS WAY TO PRODUCE PAPER DRINKING STRAWS


Over 36 billion plastic drinking straws are used every year in the EU, with the German Ministry for the Environment confirming that plastic straws are among the major polluting items in the world’s oceans. So, in May 2019, The Council of the European Union adopted a directive for reducing single-use plastic products, including drinking straws. The


industry has until 2021 to implement the directive in full. One good alternative is to make drinking straws from paper. Because


of mass production and advanced automation, the market price for a plastic straw is well below one cent. Alternative materials, which demand new production methods and new machinery, entail higher costs, but once adopted by the market and mass production methods are introduced, the costs of producing paper straws will fall dramatically. Most paper straw manufacturers use machines in which multiple paper


webs are wound around a mandrel using a belt. However, the belt can have a lifetime as short as one day – and frequent belt changes results in higher production costs. Straws have small diameters, resulting in increased bending for the belt and high abrasion to the belt surface by the paper. The belt also needs to cope with a high load from the stationary mandrel


around which the paper is wound during the manufacturing process. To overcome the issue, Nitta has developed a seamless belt. In close


co-operation with machine manufacturers and following rigorous field and laboratory tests, Nitta’s winding belt SE-XA-PGG-F features a rubber cover – a compound that meets the extraction limits specified in the FDA 21 CFR177.2600 for rubber articles in contact with aqueous and fatty foods. The innovation is based on Nitta’s proprietary seamless SEB technology for joint-free belts with no end connection. According to the company, the belts have longer service lives than competing products, with correspondingly longer machine production times, so customers benefit from considerable cost savings. “For manufacturers of paper drinking straws, the longer service life


of the belts means lower cost of ownership,” explained Michael Planz, sales manager for Nitta Industries Europe in Düsseldorf, Germany. “The demand for paper drinking straws is expected to rise dramatically in early 2021, and the production capacities currently available will not be able to satisfy it. This development will benefit those businesses which are prepared to explore new paths with innovative products and solutions first. Nitta has just the right belt for this.”


Nitta Industries Europe www.nitta.de 14 JULY/AUGUST 2020 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS / DESIGNSOLUTIONS


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