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Category Archives: News

Hallam Featured on ITV Calendar News Highlighting the Impact of Lockdown on Regional Manufacturing

Regional ITV news has featured Hallam in a TV news item around the effects of lockdown on businesses in the “Calendar News” area. The news item included a tour of Hallam’s facilities including pressure casting, CNC machining and powder coating facilities, as well as interviews with staff explaining how they had coped with having to work through lockdown (because of Hallam’s “essential supplier” status) and what their hopes for the future were.

“The Calendar piece was very professionally produced” said MD Rob Pickersgill – “but I wish that we could have emphasised more how hard our people have worked through an incredibly difficult period, and how grateful the company is for their efforts. We may get another chance as I understand that ITV is planning a dedicated feature around manufacturers in our area coping with the pandemic. Manufacturing is particularly important for the Yorkshire and Humberside region as more than 300,000 people are employed in the sector. Companies are heavily dependent on exports to the EU, so Brexit also is a key issue for the region”.

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Hallam Expands CNC Capabilities with New DMG Mori CLX 450 V4 Turning Centre

Hallam is continuing to invest in leading edge CNC technology with the acquisition of a new DMG Mori CLX 450 V4 turning centre to extend the capability of the machining unit. The 450 will be delivered in January 2020 and installed alongside two Mori CMX 800V vertical machine centres purchased new in 2019.

Simplicity and speed in setting up the machine for a wide range of tasks was a major consideration for Hallam and the Fanuc controls allow easy programming of the Y axis and live driven tooling with C axis, providing complex turning capability. The verification and graphics checks ensure a reliable milling and turning toolpath.

The machine removes the need for turning and milling operations on different machines and many components will be completed in one hit. As well as manufacturing parts around 20% quicker, Hallam will save handling and setting costs, and fixtures for different operations will largely be eliminated.

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Hallam Offers Advanced Architectural Powder Coating System with Superior Durability

Independent trials have confirmed that Hallam can now offer market leading powder coating with powders that have significantly longer gloss retention and resistance to colour change combined with maximum film integrity to ensure long term cosmetic and functional protection.

The trials were undertaken in accordance with ISO 4892-3 and ASTM G154 by an independent professional testing house and simulated 10 years exposure to Caribbean sunshine. The test report conclusions were that “the exposure to UV radiation had no noticeable effects on the colouring or surface finish of the components”.

Products powder coated using the system are now available commercially from Hallam. Please contact Rob Pickersgill, 07720591991 anytime, for full details.

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Expands Machining Operations with New DMG Mori CMX 800V Machine

Hallam’ s quest to implement state-of-the-art technology in all manufacturing process  areas continued with the installation in April of a further DMG Mori CMX 800V vertical machine centre, primarily for use within the  machining operations unit. This follows the acquisition of a further Frech DAK 350 diecasting machine in December 2018, creating substantial additional capacity across common technological platforms within the two process areas.

MD Rob Pickersgill explained; “We are standardising on Frech diecasting and DMG Mori machining equipment so that the maintenance overhead is manageable. The main consideration however is the outstanding quality of the two platforms, which has already driven our ISO 9001 BSI Quality KPIs to levels much better than target. As a consequence capacity, turnover and margins are all now much improved, and will continue to do so. We have ambitious plans for the future.”                 

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Hallam Apprentice Advances to Degree-Level Course with AMRC

Hallam uses state-of-the-art CNC machinery in its foundry, machining centre and powder coating factory and apprentices trained at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) are a key element of the workforce needed to work with this type of equipment.

Recruitment is facilitated by the AMRC, which invites applications from prospective apprentices and helps to evaluate and screen applicants on behalf of employers. This service in its own right is enormously helpful for employers. Selected apprentices are then trained jointly at the AMRC and employer’s premises and should achieve the EAL level 3 extended diploma and BTEC level 3 diploma in engineering within 3 years.  EAL is part of Semta – the Science, Engineering, Manufacturing and Technologies Alliance – which is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for engineering skills for the future of the UK’s most advanced sectors.

AMRC Apprentices are now able to progress to University of Sheffield foundation degree level within a further 2 4 months and achieve the University’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering within a further 20 months. Hallam has three apprentices in training at the AMRC currently, one of whom is now progressing to full degree level.

Two of the three were nominated for the AMRC’s “Apprentice of the Year” awards in 2017 and 2018, competing against apprentices from Rolls Royce and Siemens, and one was successful in achieving an award.

Hallam intends to continue to train all its employees at the AMRC as the basis of its skills updating and succession planning and is currently recruiting a further two apprentices for the March 2019 intake.

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Employee Health and Wellbeing: A Vital Driver for Increased Productivity at Hallam

In Spring this year W Hallam was invited to take part in an Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) survey organised by the Institute of Employment Studies to investigate the extent to which investment in health and wellbeing good practice improves productivity and profitability.

This study provides clear evidence to encourage manufacturers to develop their health and wellbeing strategies. Dame Judith Hackitt DBE, EEF Chair, concluded that:-

“The report brings together existing research into health and wellbeing, insights into productivity in manufacturing and survey data from manufacturers. The findings present a compelling case that not only does employee wellbeing affect productivity in several ways, but also that it can be the crucial ingredient which helps a range of so-called ‘high-performance’ and ‘high-efficiency’ working practices in manufacturing (e.g. lean systems) to have real and sustained traction over productivity growth.”

The report refers to international studies identifying productivity gains of more than 15%  where health and wellbeing interventions are introduced into the manufacturing workplace. Interestingly these studies also show that initiatives such as lean, six sigma and total quality management are much more sustainably effective where wellbeing policies are also implemented.

In relation to mental health, the survey reveals that although current practice in the sector exhibits an “enthusiasm for conducting risk assessments of physical hazards” very few respondents carried out stress or psychological risk audits or surveys. However studies in Japan and America identify significantly lower productivity (between 13 and 17% lower) associated with employees with psychological problems.

The report defines employee “health and well being” as follows:

“Employee health and wellbeing relates to those aspects of an employee’s physical, emotional and mental health – whether determined by work or non-work factors – which have an effect on their satisfaction, engagement, attendance and performance at work”

Any policy framework should address job design, employee involvement and employee engagement, and the employer should introduce engagement surveys, stress and psychological risk assessments and detailed scrutiny of sickness absence and patterns.

In terms of specific interventions, Public Health England, in conjunction with Business in the Community, provides a series of downloadable toolkits for employers to apply in specific areas of potential disruption to wellbeing including drug and alcohol addiction, domestic abuse, mental health, musculoskeletal health, suicide risk, crisis management, physical activity, sleep and recovery after illness.

For its part, W Hallam undertakes regular employee screening over and above those statutorily required and including the free NHS blood pressure, cholesterol level and and BMI checks for the over 40s. We find that these measures are a crucial element in enhancing employee engagement and lead to more openness and sharing, which can then be extended to all aspects of the company’s operations

Rob Pickersgill, MD, W Hallam Castings Ltd, South Yorkshire, England.

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High Strength Pressure Diecast Components: Advanced Aluminium Alloys

It’s probably not generally appreciated in the manufacturing world that cast aluminium components can be made with enhanced mechanical properties relatively inexpensively by the selection of an alloy appropriate for the purpose required.

Over 200 different casting alloys are currently registered with the American Aluminium Association and additional alloys have been developed in Europe by recycler/smelters such as Rheinfelden in South West Germany. Castings made from Rheinfelden’s Magsimil-59 for example have ductility and tensile and yield strengths similar to components made from 6061 series extrusion alloys. Such components would have been expensively machined from 6061 in solid form, and the cost savings achievable by casting are clearly substantial.

These effects are achieved through the addition of alloying elements during ingot production by recyclers for the foundries. For example, modification of aluminium-silicon eutectic alloys by inert strontium improves the tensile properties of the alloys. The introduction of strontium leads to additional refinement of the structure and increases the tensile strength and elongation at break.

The addition of magnesium increases solution strengthening and allows further improvement through strain hardening while not appreciably reducing ductility or corrosion resistance.  Magnesium actually improves the ductility of aluminium alloys containing iron and silicon due to modification of Al5FeSi intermetallic inclusions from platelet to cubic form Al15(MnFe)3Si2.  Magnesium also improves low cycle fatigue resistance and increases corrosion resistance.

Silicon improves the castability of aluminum alloys due to better fluidity and lower shrinkage and increases the strength of the alloys. Silicon also Improves resistance to abrasive wear. Copper increases tensile strength, fatigue strength and hardness due to the effect of solid solution hardening, although ductility is reduced.

Hybrid aluminium/zinc alloys have been available for many years to provide exceptional mechanical properties in pressure castings. These alloys are much denser than traditional aluminium alloys but this may not be significant for smaller castings.

Not only can pressure casting replace expensive and time consuming machining or fabrication processes but such alloys can remove the need for processing after casting (e.g. heat treatment) to achieve the mechanical properties required.

Many modern foundries are “switched on” to these possibilities nowadays and designers should be encouraged to contact the foundry to discuss requirements with foundry engineers. For any particular application prototypes can always be machined from cast billet made from the special alloy proposed by the foundry, and stress testing will give a close indication of the mechanical properties which will be achieved in the cast component.

Rob Pickersgill, MD, W Hallam Castings Ltd, South Yorkshire, England.

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Hallam Expands Casting Capacity with Second Frech DAK 350 Cold Chamber Diecasting Machine

In July Hallam took delivery of a second Frech DAK 350 cold chamber diecasting machine to increase the company’ mid-range casting capacity. Hallam now has four Frech cold chamber machines, all with online diagnostic links to Germany. In total the company runs 10 diecasting machines.

The new machine will run alongside Hallam’s existing DAK 350 to provide capacity and contingency. Hallam is also purchasing a second DMG Mori vertical machining centre to create additional machining capacity following the acquisition of the DAK 350.

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Hallam Apprentice Tom Vause Nominated for AMRC’s Apprentice of the Year Awards

For the second successive year a Hallam apprentice has been nominated by staff at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre for an award at the Apprentice of the Year ceremony held at the University of Sheffield in May each year. Tom Vause, a second year apprentice based in Hallam’s CNC machining section, was one of three nominees in the “Academic Achiever of the Year” category. Awards were presented by Harry Gration, the well known TV news personality.

Last year Hallam’s Adrian Salatowski won the award for his category, an achievement that Tom didn’t quite manage to emulate. Nevertheless in a cohort of over 150 engineering apprentices, making the last three reflects outstanding ability and effort. Well done Tom!

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Hallam Plans New State-of-the-Art Factory to Enhance Manufacturing Capabilities

Hallam MD Rob Pickersgill is discussing plans to construct a new state-of-the-art 5,000 square feet factory unit on a “green field” section of Hallam’s 2.2 acre industrial site with Doncaster MBC.

The project depends partly on the completion of supply contract agreements with a highly prestigious UK OEM and also with a large European Manufacturer.

The new factory would be capable of operating to automotive, aerospace and even medical equipment quality standards, and is being enthusiastically supported from all sides’ said Rob.

Hallam has the ISO 9001:2015 standard (BSI) at present and the factory would have machinery utilising the very latest robotic technologies operated by staff trained at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield. Hallam has five apprentices training at the AMRC at present.

Low cost labour countries are still a major threat to UK manufacturers. Installation of the latest manufacturing technologies and staying up-to-date is the only sustainable defence. Hallam staff are familiar with the “Factory of the Future” at the AMRC site, which provides the vision for this development’ added Rob.

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