Laser Engraving is a process used to give products an unique design or a personal touch. Examples include a sports trophy engraved with the winnersname, ballpoint pens engraved with a company logo or a component that is marked with serial number and batch number for tracability. These are typical laser engraving applications. The big advantage: Laser engraving allows virtually any design to be engraved onto different materials.

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Our 20-foot containerised shot blast room represents a huge investment in 2019 and will revolutionise the speed at which we can shot blast and prime steel.

Shot blasting removes burrs, scale or rust that may interfere with the part’s integrity, appearance or definition. For use in almost every industry including aerospace, defence, nuclear, automotive, construction and rail.

Shotblasting is a method used to clean, strengthen (peen) or polish metal. Shot blasting is used in almost every industry that uses metal, including aerospace, automotive, construction, foundry, shipbuilding, rail, and many others. There are two technologies used: wheelblasting or airblasting.

Wheelblasting

Wheelblasting directly converts electric motor energy into kinetic abrasive energy by rotating a turbine wheel. The capacity of each wheel goes from approximately 60 kg per minute up to 1200kg/min. With these large amounts of accelerated abrasive, wheelblast machines are used where big parts or large areas of parts have to be derusted, descaled, deburred, desanded or cleaned in some form.

Airblasting

Airblast machines can take the form of a blast cabinet, the blast media is pneumatically accelerated by compressed air and projected by nozzles onto the component. For special applications a media-water mix can be used, this is called wet blasting.

In both air and wet blasting the blast nozzles can be installed in fixed positions or can be operated manually or by automatic nozzle manipulators or robots.
The blasting task determines the choice of the abrasive media, in most cases any type of dry or free running abrasive media can be used.

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Powder Coating is a dry finishing process that offers a higher quality of painting compared to the traditional wet paint method.

In this practice, the powder paint is electrostatically charged in a spray gun, which allows the powder to evenly distribute.

Once applied the painted-part is then placed in a curing oven, where the powder is able to dry and harden.

Through the use of a curing oven, the molecules within the paint powder react together and form stronger bonds which increases the overall longevity of the product.

4 Benefits

1.Performance- Powder coating have an overall higher resistance and durability than wet paint counterparts. Compared to wet paints, the colour and brightness of the powder paint on average lasts longer and keeps vibrant.

2.Operational Costs- Powder painting is cheaper, time-effective and requires less total cost in terms of manual labour and less waste.

3.Safety- Due to the lack solvents within powdered paint, powder paints do not raise the risks or safety hazards of other painting methods such as wet painting.

4.Environmental- All together the process of powder painting has low waste, so much so that over spray powder paint can be collected and used again. Powder painted items are also not hazardous, therefore allowing for regular recycling.

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What is Anodising?

Anodising, the electro-chemical process that changes the surface of Aluminium, in to a transparent protective layer that is very durable.

Electrolytic colouring can be used to add a range of organic dyes or UV resistant colours. The anodic layer is again 100% pure Aluminium, and can be easily recycled.

The anodised layer is strong, corrosion proof and can be customised in terms of thickness and colour. The anodised layer does not alter the appearance or the sheen of the Aluminium.

Benefits of Anodising

-Natural metallic sheen and aspect

-Excellent corrosion resistance

-No risk of adhesion failure of the anodic film

-No risk of fading

-No risk of chalking

-No risk of filiform corrosion

-Preservation of the original surface texture and design

-Optimal surface coverage

-Anodic film is totally impermeable

-Exceptional abrasion resistance

-100% recyclable

For further information on Anodising services, please get in touch via sales@biemagnum.com

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The Royal Air Force will be celebrating its 100th birthday next month. There are many events and activities scheduled during this period including a 100 day relay, using a baton specially designed by the No 4 School of Technical Training at MOD St Athan.

BIE are proud to be part of this special occasion and have used our engraving and anodising services to complete the original design and prepare the baton for it’s long journey ahead; beginning at the Royal Courts of Justice and finishing 100 days later at Horseguard’s Parade.

More information on the events can be found here – https://www.raf.mod.uk/raf100/about/

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We are proud to have been awarded a GOLD certificate, scoring over 95%!

Lucas Fettes & Partners offer guidance on a range of risk mitigation techniques, and work with strategic partners to provide a full procurement service including managing health and safety, employment law, absence, and business continuity.

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BIE Magnum actively supports an orphanage and school in Northern Zambia; The Mutende Project – www.mutende.com.

The Mutende Project has grown out of a long standing relationship between Bristol based Resound Church (formerly Bristol Christian Fellowship), Linden Church in Swansea, Wales and The Fire Baptised Church of Zambia.

Mutende means Peace in the local language and is the home for 34 children who are either orphaned or were in a vulnerable situation, plus it supports a Primary School educating 160 children from the local community.

Staff and their family members have visited the orphanage and we offer practical support, including the supply of signs for Mutende.

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1.  Anodising does not hide marks present on the surface of the Aluminium before anodising e.g. scratches, clamp mark , die lines. These marks must be removed before anodising.  In some cases chemical etching can be used to reduce the impact of these marks but you will end up with a matt finish.

2.  When sending your job away to be anodised, make sure the parts are packaged in a way that they cant be easily damaged or marked during transit.

3.  If the parts need to be welded, do this before the product is anodised.  The anodised coating has very high electrical resistance, effectively stopping welding and the anodizing needs to be removed before welding can take place.  (To remove the anodized layer for welding either use mechanical means or apply caustic based chemical e.g. oven cleaner

4. When packaging avoid putting any tape directly on the Aluminium, as it is difficult to clean off and is not removed by the anodising process.

5. Avoid leaving finger print marks on un-coated Aluminium products as these can become imprinted on the surface of the metal. In some cases these marks will show through in the final product.

If you have any questions about Anodising and possible want your product anodised, please email us at sales@biemagnum.com

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These past few weeks, BIE Magnum have been extremely busy with different projects, but in particular we’ve been finishing off Engine Transport Containers for Rolls-Royce, who we are an approved supplier for.

 Rolls-Royce is a pre-eminent engineering company that focuses on world-class power and propulsion systems and has been our customer for over 35 years. Following Rolls-Royce specifications, these Engine Transport Containers have been Shot blasted, Sprayed with Zinc Metal to increase life and durability. They have then been spray painted prior to being stencilled.

So, what are Engine Transport Containers? (ETC) – They’re designed to store complete engines, which can be transported by ship, by air or ground. Which is suitable for fork lifts and stack-able to save space.

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5 Advantages of CNC Machining Over Conventional Machining

Do you use conventional machines in your personal shop or business? They do have some benefits, but so do CNC machines. We’ve put together some reasons why you may want to add a CNC machine:

Products Can Be Easily Replicated Thousands of Times –  Conventional machining works well when you need to make a single custom piece. If you have high production quotas where you need to produce the same part  multiple times, CNC machining makes more sense. CNC machinery lets you program your machines to make the same cut over and over with a repeat in quality.

Less Labor is Required to Operate CNC Machinery – Investing in CNC machinery can drastically cut your labor costs. Conventional machinery requires extensive knowledge, experience, and skill, which can drive up your labor costs. With CNC machines, you can get the same high quality while hiring fewer workers and you’ll also continue to have high production levels.

CNC Software Increases Your Production Options –  A more advanced software can help you manufacture products, which are difficult or nearly impossible to make by hand or on conventional machinery. You can also update the software as necessary to improve your CNC machine’s functionality.

No Prototypes are Necessary with CNC Machines –  CNC software lets you simulate your idea before even cutting it out. You don’t have to actually produce a prototype, which costs time and money. The time spent creating revision can be drastically reduced through the utilization of the software. You could potentially save weeks or even months of production time.

CNC Machines Fit the Skills of Modern Workers – Many of the analytical skills necessary to successfully operate conventional machines aren’t as emphasized in schools as they used to be. As a result, in one sense, there’s a less skilled workforce available. While you can’t go wrong with hands-on training, the industry is heading towards the digital age where tech savvy operators may be the ones running the machines.

Depending on the business or industry the modern workforce may have to learn how to operate both types of machinery. While one machine may be a better fit for you, keep in mind where your production may lead to in the future and how you’d like to get there.

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