Forging

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What is forging?

Forging is the manufacturing process that involves shaping a piece of metal to create a new product.

Forging

Types of forging

The two most popular types of forging include open die and closed die forging. However, there are other types of forging which companies offer.

Open die forging

Open die forging is the process of shaping a piece of metal between two dies. The dies are usually flat and do not fully close to allow the metal piece to be re-shaped – that is where ‘open’ die forging comes from. It is known for its simplicity and therefore can ensure that it is cost-effective. Due to this, it can be used to forge one-off products rather than those in quantities.

This type of forging is often used for shapes such as discs, hubs, shafts, blocks, plates and other custom shapes a company may require.

Closed die forging

On the other hand, closed die forging involves the process of using a die to completely enclose the metal. This means that less machining is required, and it offers customers a much better finish on products. It is also known for being cost-effective to produce large runs of production and tighter tolerances can be achieved.

Comparing the different types

Both open die and closed die forgings have their advantages and disadvantages. However, this solely comes down to the type of product you want to be produced and the quantity of it. In short, low volume and simple products are better off with open die forgings. Whereas, the higher volume, more complex products are better suited to closed die forging.

What Industries Use Tooling Board?

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Tooling board, also called model board are effectively machinable slabs are used to produce master models and prototype tooling. They were developed decades ago to replace traditional wire, plaster and clay model techniques. Tooling board consists of filled polymer materials which can be bonded together to form larger blocks. This is often shaped using CNC machining techniques.

Although you won’t see tooling board products directly, they usually are behind the manufacturers in a wide range of commercial environments and in day-to-day life.

Tooling Board & Model Board

Motorsport

Epoxy tooling board products are widely used in the motorsport sector. These include car racing such as Formula 1. They are mainly used to develop and test new prototype designs before the final product is built.

Aerospace

Aerospace makes use of tooling board in the design and production of aircraft interiors and exteriors. They help develop new materials and make upcoming aircrafts more efficient and lighter.

Automotive

Automotive widely uses tooling board in concept car modelling, to show mock-ups of upcoming car designs. Polyurethane styling boards help bring designs to life.

Industrial & Foundry

Tooling board in industrial sectors can withstand the demands of tough applications. High-temperature epoxy can be heated to very high temperatures making an excellent choice.

Marine

The Marine industry assists in producing commercial and leisure boats, such as interior designs and help improve high-performance marine yachts.

 

tooling board in motorsport

Low Carbon Steel vs High Carbon Steel

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Steel is defined as an alloy of iron and carbon. There are three different types of steel (low carbon steel, medium and high) which is often categorised according to its carbon content. Each type of steel has different properties which make them best suited to different applications. Commonly used for carbon steel include buildings, gears, shafts, pipeline, fridges, washing machines, blades, springs and axles.

What is Low Carbon Steel?

Low carbon steel, also known as mild steel, it is defined by its low carbon to iron ratio, this is usually less than 0.30% of carbon. Cost-wise, it is usually the cheapest out of the three types to produce. It is also more pliable which makes it useful for applications such as car body panels.

low carbon steel

What is Medium Carbon Steel?

Medium carbon steel is a middle ground in terms of carbon content, containing between 0.30%-0.60%. It is stronger and more durable than low carbon steel, but it still offers some ductility

What is High Carbon Steel?

High carbon steel, also known as carbon tool steel, is the highest ratio of carbon compared to iron. It is characterised by having more than 0.60% carbon and under 1.5%. This is the strongest type of carbon steel but much less ductile making it very difficult to cut, bend and weld.

 

 

Walk In Chiller Room

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Why should I invest in a bespoke cold room?

Many businesses require storage for their products whether they be food items, pharmaceuticals or beverages. These cold rooms need to be accessible and they need to fit all necessary product in to be stored. Consequently, lots more businesses than ever are investing in bespoke walk-in chiller rooms to house their produce. They are also looking to rent rather than buy due to sheer cost, however, that’s another blog post! This blog post will talk you through the benefits of investing in a bespoke walk-in chiller room will be the best thing for your business.

Accessibility

A walk in chiller room provides greater access to the owner than a normal chiller or chest fridge. Being able to walk into the room means you can access any item without moving things around or having to reorganise your chiller, back to the way it was before you got involved. This is especially useful in the catering industry when what is taken out is dependent on what is ordered.

white concrete wall

Organisation

It is much easier to organise a bespoke walk-in chiller room as you will be able to think about the storage facilities such as drawers and racks before having it installed. This means that your entire cold storeroom will be organised with the intention of being organised by you. This works particularly well if you are a small company with different products in one room as you can dedicate each section to each product.

The bespoke cold storage solution also works well with sell-by dates as you can organise the storage facility in such a way that the products that need to be used first can be at the front of the fridge.

Fits your products perfectly

By choosing a bespoke walk-in chiller room, you are getting a cold room built to your specification exactly. The racking and other storage facilities will fit your product to the exact measurement making the process more efficient and saving you costs in the long run. It also maximises the space you have if everything is built to exact measurements.

So, if you are considering installing a bespoke cold room, do it today! There are numerous advantages that we can guarantee you will not regret it.

Great Tips on How Opacity Works and It’s Benefits

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Opacity is the modern measurement of impenetrability to radiations or electromagnetic especially the visible light. The modern opacity is optimized for thin materials such as sheets, papers and plastic films. This instrument is very ideal for checking the colour or clarity density properties as well for ensuring quality of production. This machine can also be taken to laboratory where it can be connected to a computer for data capture, visualization and saving. It gives accurate results easily and very quickly. Below is important information about measuring opacity.

opacity

The great benefit of using this system is its simplicity of use. This is because users do not have to touch the instrument and instead one can use both hands so as to insert and move a sample. The operation of this instrument is as follows

  • It measures light attenuation caused by the material under test
  • Results are usually reported as opacity units or as relative transmittance with resolution of 0.1%
  • It is designed to work best for thin materials such as papers or plastic films
  • It can be used as connected or as standalone to windows PC using USB cable
  • It has integrated LCD display for the operations
  • It easily uses windows software for capturing data as well as visualization
  • It is insensitive and stable to the environment
  • Gives user independent results
  • Has automatic calibration during the start-up and after detecting drift

Generally, opacity meter meets the customer standards and also ensures spec products. It helps user to control the opacity quality and saves one’s money on inks, colourants and other additives. It minimizes chances of errors and is small, portable and lightweight making it more effective to most people.

In conclusion, opacity meter is mostly used in measuring transmission and reflection. The above information is all about it and why you should go for it. You may get one and surely it will work out effectively for you.