Sand Blasting, Painting , Powder Coating

We very regularly refinish items for people as a means of restoring metalwork such as gates, railings, benches and the like. Refinishing can include the following processes: sand-blasting to strip paint etc. from an item; galvanising or re-galvanising to protect the metalwork; repainting to give the existing metalwork a new lease of life. The item can also be repaired or altered.

You may choose a full refinishing package. Alternatively you may opt for a service or two from our range. If you have an item or items which would benefit from refinishing, we would be delighted to help.

Sand-blasting 

Items big or small can be sand-blasted to remove existing paint, rust or other contaminants ready for welding, galvanising or repainting. Just bring your metalwork to us at the forge and we will take care of it for you alongside our regular sand-blasting work. We would usually expect a turnaround of two weeks, but we can offer a faster service if required for a small premium charge. Mobile sand-blasting is also available.

Because all charges are based on the time it takes to complete an item, only a roughly estimated costing can be offered for sand-blasting. To discuss a sand-blasting project please feel free to Contact Us.

Galvanising 

The galvanising process leaves a layer of zinc on metalwork to prevent it from rusting; galvanised metalwork can be painted once treated and indeed galvanising will significantly help increase the longevity of a paint finish. We send metalwork to be galvanised weekly and are pleased to add other people’s items to our galvanising runs. The charge we make for galvanising is dependent on the weight of zinc used on an item. Please don’t let this put you off as the weight of zinc on items is always minimal and the cost of galvanising . To discuss having your metalwork galvanised please Contact Us.

Spray-painting and repainting

We have an in-house spray booth and a stock of specialist metal paint which allow us to offer a finishing service on metal items, undertaken by metalwork experts. In addition we can arrange for items to be powder-coated.
We also offer to treat and repaint existing metalwork at the client’s home or premises, and during the summer months regularly have a team of metalworkers out and about removing existing paint, treating rust and repainting metalwork from garden handrails to balconies, bridges, railings and walkways. To discuss having your metalwork painted please Contact Us.

Powder coating

We are pleased to offer to arrange for items to be powder-coated by our network of partner companies. To discuss having your metalwork powder coated please Contact Us.

Laser & Waterjet cutting of sheet up to 150mm thickness

WATERJET CUTTING

waterjet cutting – We are very proud to introduce our new dynamic head Waterjet cutting machine. The first in the country, with a high-pressure direct-drive pump. This Waterjet cutter will cut through virtually any material and the direct drive means we can provide our clients with fast waterjet cutting at low cost.

Other features include dynamic waterjet cutting, which constantly changes the angle of the head to give the fastest cut around corners whilst keeping the cut edge square. The accuracy of the cut depends on the thickness of the material, but our general tolerance is +/- 0.2mm for premium quality.

Waterjet cutting has advantages over other cutting processes:

Waterjet vs. Laser cutting – Waterjet cutting can cut virtually any material, it can cut much thicker materials than laser cutting, up to 150mm thick, plus there is no Heat Affected Zone (HAZ).

Waterjet vs. Plasma/Gas cutting – The accuracy of Waterjet cutting is much better as is the quality of the cut, plus waterjet cutting has no Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) and can cut a wider variety of material.

Waterjet cutting vs. Machining – The speed of cutting is much faster and therefore cheaper, however it is not as accurate as machining. We can “rough out” parts on the Waterjet, which go on for high accuracy CNC machining later, this way the part is nearly complete only a small amount of additional machining is required which helps reduce the cost of each part dramatically.

Laser Cutting Service

It is a precision cutting technique that uses a high-power laser beam to create complex products on a wide range of materials. The laser that we use can slice through almost all materials to manufacture products such as decorative screens, 3D signages, and LED letters. We can craft, and mold finished products from materials of varying thickness, ranging from 0.5mm up to 100mm. In addition to the high quality of our finished products, we also strive to render a fast and reasonably priced service

Engraving(Laser, Router & Chemical)

A CNC Engraving machine is the art of cutting or carving grooves or characters into a surface. Rotary Engraving, or CNC Routing, is done with a rotating tool or cutter in a motorized spindle

We have an extensive range of versatile manufacturing equipment capable of engraving a variety of materials.

Whether you have the need for large or small quantities we can help you choose the right product and materials for your application. Our in house design team can also assist with designs and layouts if required.

By using the latest engraving and laser technology we are able to maintain our focus of providing you and your company with the highest quality products in a fast and efficient manner.

Our pricing is highly competitive and we offer substantial discounts for bulk orders.

Industrial Engraving :

• Stainless steel tags, labels, compliance plates and nameplates
• New generation UV stable plastics with hard wearing characteristics
• Control panels in Stainless Steel, Aluminium and Plastic
• New self adhesive full colour control panels
• Screenprinted labels

Commercial Engraving :

• Plaques and memorials
• Stainless steel plaques and signage
• Coated Brass and Aluminium plates in various colours
• Acrylics and plastics, engraved and cut to shape
• Brass and stainless steel lettering
• Powder coated Stainless Steel and Aluminium

Residential Engraving :

• Stainless steel Letterbox and House signs
• NEW Metalgraph plastic signs

Laser Engraving

• With specialised machines for various applications we can offer you extremely fast leadtimes on most products.
• High definition laser engraving using the very latest technology.
• Outstanding permanent finish on stainless steel, aluminium, brass and plastics. Complex logos and photos can be included.
• Using lasers we are also able to cut a wide range of materials with high accuracy and repeatability.

CNC Milling & Turning.

CNC Turning

CNC Turning Machines are one of the oldest and simplest forms of machining parts, called “lathes,” and can be either horizontal or vertical depending on the weight and tolerance of the workpiece. The primary function of a CNC Turning Center is that it rotates (or “turns”) your workpiece. Workpieces for this process are usually round, but can be other shapes — like squares or hexagons.

The workpiece is held in place by an instrument known as the “chuck.” The chuck then spins at various RPMs (depending on the capability of your machine). When this occurs, the machine’s tool moves into the rotating workpiece and begins to shave away material to create the desired shape.

The chuck here holds a workpiece in place, while the tool shaves away pieces to shape the workpiece.This picture perfectly illustrates all of the aforementioned components. The cylindrical part on the left is the chuck, which acts like the bit holder on your everyday handheld drill, to hold in the workpiece (which, in this example, looks like a screw end). On the right side of the picture, we have the Tool. This part of your CNC Turning Machine moves back and forth into the workpiece to cut the material into your desired shape.

The first lathes were manually operated by a series of turn wheels that were controlled by the machinist. These turn wheels moved the chuck while holding the workpiece to create back and forth motion into the tool for cutting. Manual mills were also operated by turn wheels that moved the spindle up and down or back and forth into the workpiece.

CNC Milling

Milling is a more specific process that is similar to drilling and cutting. The primary function of a CNC Milling Machine is that your tool will be doing the rotating and moving while your workpiece stays in one spot (generally). These machines can also be either horizontal or vertical, again depending on the tolerance and weight of your workpiece. This process has many axes that allow for a variety of shapes, holes, and slots to be cut into the workpiece at many angles. These axes provide many different maneuvers, either by the spindle or the bed, to cut the part desired to the exact specifications.

difference-between-cnc-milling-and-cnc-turningIn this picture, we have a CNC Milling Machine with all the aforementioned components as well. The top part is the Spindle, which holds the Tool. This part spins at high RPMs and moves back and forth, left and right, up and down (depending on the number of axes your machine has) to mill away the material.

The workpiece, which in this case seems to be a gear or clutch, is held in place by the bed. Some CNC Milling Machines have the capability to move the bed in conjunction with the spindle to attain specific shapes at certain degrees. Because of these capabilities, CNC Milling offers cutting solutions for more complex parts, like engine components, custom tooling, intricate mechanisms and enclosures.