European Springs Web Team, Author at European Springs

UK manufacturing is still feeling the impact of the last two years’ events. Production and economic disruptions created many challenges that the industry is still struggling to overcome. These obstacles have been exacerbated by more recent events, such as the Russian war in Ukraine and the erratic China lockdowns.

An unfortunate result of these problems is the rising cost increase that UK manufacturing has to manage. Supply chains are still recovering, and energy bills are rising, but the demand for British manufactured products is also growing. This increase in demand is outgrowing the supply to fulfil it, causing an increase in costs. So how do manufacturers address these costs and maintain their competitiveness within the industry?

National Insurance Increase

From April 2022, the UK government increased the National Insurance contributions (NIC) by 1.25% for the tax year. This means manufacturers would be required to contribute 15.05% for each workforce member as opposed to the previous 13.8%. With the industry already struggling to fill positions, there are concerns that this increase will make it difficult for employers to recruit new engineers. If growth is limited due to this, it could increase the existing skills gap and create significant problems for the productivity of many manufacturing companies.

The response to this increase varies, but 38% of businesses have stated that they plan to pass the additionally incurred NIC onto the customers, while others choose not to. Some companies cannot absorb the costs; in this case, letting inflation trickle down to the broader economy is a sensible solution; this can enable managers to protect their employees’ jobs and allow time for the situation to improve.

Increasing Energy Costs

There has been a sharp rise in energy costs during 2022, impacting everyone, domestic, commercial and industrial. However, the high energy nature of manufacturing means that these increases affect them more accurately than in other areas of the UK.

These sharp increases have forced manufacturers to assess every business area to increase energy efficiency and mitigate costs. This can include analysing the energy usage of processes, the requirements of various equipment, and even temporarily halting the most energy-intensive procedures.

Government Support for Industry

The manufacturing industry plays a considerable role in the UK’s economic output. Manufacturers employ roughly 2.6 million people across the country and are responsible for 44% of all UK exports. Despite the many issues the industry has faced, manufacturing remains a vital organ within the larger body of the county. Fortunately, the government may be taking steps to support this vital industry.

The UK government announced earlier this year that it would be providing support for high energy usage businesses that are struggling with the rising energy costs. The plan is to extend the energy Intensive Industries Compensation scheme and, thanks to its increased budget, be broadened to apply to more businesses, including steel manufacturing.

Industry Minister Lee Rowley said he wished to keep UK manufacturing at the forefront of the industry globally by providing this assistance. With the current changes to the scheme already having a positive impact on some areas of the sector, potentially, this support could be extended to include various other manufacturers, such as spring suppliers.

Choosing Local Power Generation

The rising costs of energy will inevitably have an impact on any manufacturer’s ability to remain competitive. These issues have not just been limited to financial expenses either. In a recent survey conducted by Aggreko, 65% of the 251 manufacturers stated that they had experienced an increasing number of power cuts over the last 18 months. The combination of the erratic market and unexpected power cuts harming operations has encouraged the manufacturing industry to explore on-site power and distributed energy solutions.

Distributed energy systems (DES) is a broad term that covers a diverse array of energy generations, control and storage options. This can be applied to on-site power generators and renewable solar and wind power sources. With the advances in renewable technologies, its become increasingly affordable for compression spring manufacturers to decrease their energy costs through solar panels’ on-site power generation. Additionally, with the load management installed, on-site managers can remain unaffected by widespread power cuts from more centralised sources such as national power stations.

Before national power grids were established, each business needed to develop its internal power generation. On-site power enables managers to specifically regulate the power they need as well as provide the desired energy security for their operations. Returning to this may be a solution for manufacturers to cut costs and improve their environmental efficiency.

Manufacturing’s Future

The importance of manufacturing for the UK economy and its high international standing ensures a bright future, but how to reach that destination is still unclear. These rising costs will continue to stress existing processes and test any innovations. Still, we at European Springs firmly believe that the industry’s resilience will be able to overcome any of these challenges.

European Springs plans to rise to these challenges presented and use these obstacles as opportunities to learn and explore. We are committed to constantly exploring new ideas and improving our methods to provide our clients with consistently excellent results with our bespoke pressings and springs.

Metal stamping has been an integral part of the design and construction of an immense amount of products and applications. High-quality stamping has been used in many sectors, from food and beverage storage, mining equipment, healthcare and aerospace, to name a few.

As the designs for these applications become more complex, they require more intricate parts. The level of detail and diversity of these components made it necessary to develop more stamping processes and machinery that could create these pieces to a sufficiently high level of quality. Hence, the development of progressive and multi-slide stamping.

What Are Stampings?

Metal stamping (or pressing) is the creation (or forming) of a shape in metal, and this is commonly achieved with a stamping die (or a pressing tool). Pressings and stamping are so similar that the terms have become interchangeable as they both refer to the same process. Nevertheless, pressings and stampings are an essential part of our modern lives, with the number of items that need this process constantly growing. From humble objects such as coins to complex medical machines and automotive pressings, all require durable, high-quality products to work effectively. You can read more about these applications by reading our blog: imagine a world without pressings and stampings.

The general process of stamping involves adding a flat sheet of metal to a specialist machine, such as a stamping press. This flat sheet is then formed into the desired shape as a stamping die is pushed into the flat surface. This initial process can be further enhanced with additional treatments such as:

Punching
Blanking
Embossing
Bending
Flanging

Stampings can be made from various materials to suit any application. The variety of materials is to consider the different environments that pressings will need to handle. For example, stainless steel is considered to be corrosion resistant, but aluminium is not. Strips of flattened wire can be manipulated in stainless steel, copper, brass, beryllium copper, aluminium and more to provide the best result.

As mentioned previously, the immense variety of increasingly complex designs has made it essential that stamping manufacturers have multiple processes to make the stamping and the equipment match. Two examples we provide at European Springs are progressive die stamping and multi-slide stamping.

What Is Progressive Die Stamping?

Progressive die stamping machines focus on forming a single piece of sheet metal until the final product is produced. The sheet is fed through a series of stamping areas, each designed to complete part of the overall task. This automated feeding system translates the workpiece through several regions, potentially making dozens of small additions until it reaches the end and is complete. These changes could involve cutting, bending, stamping or pressing the piece. A pilot is installed to help translate the piece and maintain precision in the changes. This pilot is fastened to pre-cut holes.

There are many advantages to this method, including reduced set-up time. Progressive die stamping uses 38% less time to set up than alternatives. This enables manufacturers to generate their lots faster and with flexibility when scheduling their projects. The machine’s design and inclusion of a pilot make repeatability with high accuracy easy.

What Is Multi-Slide Stamping?

Multi-slide stamping (also known as Four-Slide) is a process that involves using a series of tools and stamping dies to create stampings from slit coil stock or coils of wire. The stamping dyes will be mounted on opposite sides, moving horizontally in several directions. These features enable engineers to create more complex designs.

The process begins with a coil of metal fed into the machine where a series of actuated cam mechanically stamp and form the material into the required shape. This is the main advantage of using multi-slide. The complex working process can maintain a consistent accuracy as the multiple slides work at right angles to perform multiple folds (including those larger than 90°) and add cuts, punches and bend in a single step of the process. Once that’s achieved, the finished component is ejected, and the subsequent production stage commences.

One of the advantages of using Multi-Slide stamping machines is they produce significantly less waste. As a pressings manufacturer dedicated to improving our sustainability, we embrace multi-slide stamping machines as they can limit the wasted metal to 31% of what progressive die stampings commonly produce.

Our Multi-Slide department is operated by expert engineers using the best Finzer and Latour machines, which provide unparalleled flexibility of production, perfect for when intricate forming is required. Furthermore, as a manufacturer committed to being eco-friendly, we ensure that as many of the stampings we make are made from component-width material, thereby limiting any waste to minimal levels.

We design and manufacture all our tools in-house to offer our customers a low-cost solution when commissioning the creation of intricately pressed parts. If your next application requires complex pressing or stamping, you should contact our experts today and see how European Springs can help you acquire it.

It’s widely known that the manufacturing industry was one of the most significant contributors to harmful greenhouse gases, but this is all changing thanks to adopting new procedures and processes to reduce this environmental damage to minimal levels.

This commitment is heavily connected to the global shift to a greener world, with the most support coming from the UK, thanks to new government policies. This coordination aims to see the manufacturing industry reduce its emissions to staggeringly low levels and create an ecologically sound supply chain that can be sustained indefinitely.

Net Zero 2050 Explained

The UK government’s Net Zero 2050 strategy is an impressive target to reduce harmful emissions by decarbonising all sectors across the UK by the year 2050. These ambitious plans have affected every industry and inspired significant changes nationwide in manufacturing companies. This eventual goal is staggered with various smaller targets preceding it to ensure progress. Examples of these goals are ending the sale of new diesel vans and cars by 2030 and incentives for farmers to use low-carbon methods. Every day more ideas are being developed to assist in this laudable goal of reducing the climate impact of all industries and developing this emerging Green Industrial Revolution.

The Industries Approach to Climate Change

The industry has widely embraced this goal of becoming sustainable, which is no small task considering the industry was responsible for an estimated 20% of UK emissions. The current plan is to reduce this significantly before 2030, and according to the CCC’s annual assessment, whilst there is a long way to go to reach the desired 90% reduction by 2050, progress is being made

Recycling is a vital way of creating a sustainable company. Unfortunately, the raw resources the manufacturing industry requires are not infinite, and mining new natural resources each year requires significant effort and energy that negatively impacts the environment. New methods, such as waste hierarchy, are being introduced to combat this.

Apply the Waste Hierarchy

As a UK spring manufacturer, we know that one of the most successful ways to improve your company’s sustainability is to include the waste hierarchy in your work processes. This hierarchy is a thought exercise that can be applied to any manufacturing company regardless of its context.

It works similar to a flow chart but is usually visualised as an upside-down triangle. This is because the most favourable options are encountered first, and only if these prove impossible do you move to the next step down. This process continues when addressing your waste materials, checking each step to find the highest one that applies with the worst-case scenario (environmentally) at the bottom.

The steps are as follows:

Prevention – This is the first, best step to apply to your waste materials. By preventing materials from becoming waste, you prevent any problems preemptively. This adds the benefit of inspiring a lean, streamlined manufacturing operation that requires fewer resources and helps save financially.

Reuse or Recycle – These two steps have the similar goal of finding new productive uses for your waste. Reuse applies more to refurbishing and repairing objects to extend their life; in manufacturing, this can apply to the equipment used. Recycling waste materials focuses on ensuring that any waste materials are recycled for new uses. For example, any damaged tension springs can be recycled for their reusable materials.

Recovery – This option is a less effective alternative to recycling. Recovery is the process of incinerating the waste materials to regain some of the lost energy used to collect it in the first place. These materials are burnt for electricity production and help reduce the burning of fossil fuels.

Disposal – this is the lowest step of the waste hierarchy and the worst option environmentally. With this choice, your waste material will be sent to a landfill site. Due to this choice’s environmental impact, the UK government is highly taxing landfill usage. Any company pursuing a sustainable future should avoid this step as much as possible.

The hierarchy is a proven effective tool for lowering a company’s waste materials, providing ecological benefits, and adding a financially favourable efficiency to the usage of your materials.

Sustainability Through Innovation

The main challenge of creating a sustainable manufacturing industry is not limited to material usage, and many other areas have been explored successfully for environmental improvements.

Manufacturers are intensive energy users that can gain significant savings by decarbonisation. Switching to low carbon technologies supports both the Net Zero strategy but also the natural financial optimisation of your business.

Many manufacturers are investing in air source heat pumps for their building heating and cooling needs. These relatively new alternatives to conventional systems are significantly more environmentally friendly. For example, ASHP units transfer heat or cold from outside, which is a low carbon operation that awards them with a zero-carbon rating. Choosing these will also open up the possibilities of using green electricity tariffs, which many energy suppliers offer.

European Springs is constantly searching for new ways of improving our sustainability as one of the leading manufacturing companies in the UK. We apply these green processes to the creation of all our wireforms, springs and automotive metal pressings.

Browse our stock catalogue for more details on what we can supply for you.

As medical advancements are conceived, more devices, tools and high-tech equipment are made that ensure that we all enjoy a superior quality of life. Springs are used in almost every application in medicine. These essential components fulfil vital roles within these machines and must be reliable so that the doctors and nurses can perform their work uninterrupted.

Many life-saving treatments are connected to the inclusion of springs and stampings in medical tools. We at European Springs frequently find ourselves commissioned to manufacture a wide range of high-quality components for use in the healthcare industry.

Medical Springs

The main three spring designs used for medical applications are compression, tension and torsion spring. Compression springs are used in devices that require squeezing action, such as a surgical stapler. Tension springs hold objects together, such as stretches and surgical lights. Torsion springs assist with rotational movement. For example, a dental x-ray unit will have a torsion spring inside it to help point it at the right angle.

Biopsy forceps are a commonplace tool in medicine. These specific forceps are employed to remove small samples of tissue for examination. For example, a surgeon may need to remove a piece of liver tissue to examine it for anything unusual or abnormal growth. The small spring inside makes these forceps particularly good at their role. Other forceps create the possibility of mishandling or human error. In contrast, the pressure provided by the spring in the biopsy forceps ensures that the tissue can be removed effectively and safely.

A far more prominent example of springs assisting medical personnel involves the application of a coil tension spring. Tension springs are designed to resist stretching, providing a tension that pulls attached components back together when moved apart. Large coil tension springs are used in stretchers and posable surgical lights, with small tension springs installed in various other medical devices.

Springs are used in dentistry to help people with their braces. These springs are conventionally made of nickel and titanium alloy for their corrosion resistance and increased hygiene. These springs’ role is continuously exerting a minor force over long periods. This is to have the desired effect of moving the teeth successfully without causing additional problems. Therefore, the manufacture of springs for braces has to be very precise. If a stiff material is chosen, that inflexibility will lead to the force application of the spring reducing to nothing much faster than intended. More flexible materials will be able to compensate and provide the necessary tension for the desired time.

Medical Pressings and Stampings

Medical stampings are an essential part of the components we provide for the healthcare industry. Pressing flat sheet metal into custom shapes revolutionised the medical sector and opened a whole new world of possibilities for medical care.

Medicine has embraced the adaptability of this process for its medical devices, and they have embraced the possibilities that bespoke stampings provide. Variable sizes are available without sacrificing the lightweight nature, and durable materials are usually chosen for medical applications. Many complex shapes must be made, often in petite sizes, but despite these complications, they are still required to meet the required tolerance specifications.

Implantable Medical Devices

All implantable medical devices have the same challenge, biocompatibility. In addition, these devices are usually life-saving and must be left in the body permanently without causing additional complications for the patient, which demands that they are hygienically suitable. Orthopaedics and cardiovascular are two areas of medicine that use implantable devices.

Artificial pacemakers send electrical charges to a patient’s heart if it’s beating irregularly or suffering from Tachycardia (fast heartbeat) or Bradycardia (slow heartbeat). Springs are used inside to ensure that the miniature electric leads that send these charges to the heart are never disconnected, called active fixation. Additionally, the exterior must be covered with a medical stamping sufficient to not react to the body’s internal chemicals; this is why titanium and stainless steel are usually chosen.

Both titanium and stainless steel are materials that are corrosion resistant, which makes them fantastic for implantable devices. In addition, titanium has the added benefit of connecting with the human bone without reacting negatively (known as Osseointegration). Titanium is also used as a material for surgical tools such as forceps, drills and retractors. Stainless steel provides similar results thanks to its high resistance and durability.

Gas Spring Applications in Medicine

As the leading UK spring manufacturer, we know that the gas spring is one of the most sought-after components. Gas springs are installed in hospital or physiotherapy beds to allow flexibility in the bed position and provide increased comfort for the patient. You will also find them as a part of flow control valves or pressure valve regulators in medical gas cylinders. Our gas springs have also been installed into surgical applications, such as patient trolleys and robotic-assisted surgery.

The versatility of the gas spring provides a wealth of opportunities for medical applications, and their quality ensures that they operate sufficiently for the products’ entire lifetime.

You can read more about the specific high-quality springs we supply in our spring catalogue. Additionally, if you require a unique component for your next application, consider requesting a bespoke design. Finally, you can contact us directly online; one of our experts will be happy to help you find what you need.

The UK manufacturing industry plays an essential role in supporting the economy. With over 270 thousand businesses in the UK contributing to this sector, the UK is internationally known as a significant contributor to global manufacturing.

STEM is an integral part of this industry as it covers science, technology, engineering and mathematics, all essential skills needed for every role within manufacturing. However, these STEM roles need to adapt and evolve to fit the ever-changing needs of this vital industry, and apprenticeships help with that.

Increased Need for Engineers

The skills gap has been troubling the industry for many years. In addition, recruitment difficulties have plagued manufacturing as many companies struggle to ensure complete teams. At the start of the year, the British chamber of commerce reported record highs in recruitment struggles. This has been credited to several reasons, but they all have the same result of making it difficult for companies to fill team positions. The more a company’s team is affected by the lack of skills, the more it will affect the quality of their products. This is why European Springs prides itself on promoting its STEM apprenticeship schemes and supporting new people as they begin their careers in manufacturing.

Is a STEM Apprenticeship Right for You?

With STEM covering a broad range of roles and job possibilities, it can be daunting to envision your future within it and assess if it’s the right place for you.

The ability to use logic effectively and identify when processes are not as efficient as they can be is evidence that you may be skilled in critical thinking. As bespoke spring manufacturers, we rely on these critical thinkers, people who can spot these problems and then create reasonable solutions to fix them. These skills can be effectively applied to almost any role within the manufacturing industry as, at its core, the sector is grounded in science and mathematics.

To be an engineer for a springs manufacturer, you need to have a detailed understanding of the materials you’ll be using and the machinery involved. But knowing how it works is only a first step.

Despite the initial impression that STEM apprenticeships are a mechanical process, the truth is that they require individuals who can be creative. All industries rely on growth and change to keep up within this competitive field, which is as accurate on a company level as on a personal level. Therefore, successful engineering apprentices need to develop their creativity alongside their critical thinking. These two skills combined will enable them to solve any problem that may arise and recommend new, more efficient processes that will give their associated company an edge in the industry.

STEM Apprenticeship Benefits for Employers

The manufacturing industry has been struggling with a skills gap for some time. To solve this issue within our own company, European Springs has long supported engineering apprenticeships and STEM apprenticeships in general.

This gives us a different perspective on the usefulness of STEM apprenticeships. In addition, as each applicant successfully progresses through their time working in a single area, we have seen a broader uplifting of all the processes we manage. This success can be attributed partly to the unique perspective each apprentice provides our company.

As mentioned earlier, our engineers are encouraged to speak up about ineffective processes and use their creativity to recommend improvements, including our STEM apprentices. Each student we take on will bring new ideas and vision for achieving the most efficient working processes. These new ideas can be assessed and potentially implemented as innovations that will improve our products and processes long term. In addition, with the industry’s focus on upskilling or reskilling team members, apprenticeships can help create a team with more diverse skills, creating a stronger workforce.

How Does an Apprenticeship Work?

The ability to conceive effective project management to meet deadlines, and communicate well with other engineers is an essential part of being a STEM apprentice. These, along with the required skills in IT, mathematics, and physics, are all areas that will be significantly developed during your time as an apprentice. To be a truly productive member of your team, you’ll need to analyse and adapt current processes to find more effective ways of completing your tasks.

You’ll achieve these by learning the trade skills from our more experienced staff and using them to complete day-to-day tasks. These will include:

Shadowing
Supervised work

Shadowing and supervised work are excellent learning tools that far surpass classwork. The benefits of hands-on learning of processes and tasks followed by completing them yourself under supervision cannot be understated for building a skills base as well as your initial confidence.

Studying
Assessment

The classroom study is then combined with practical research to reinforce the skills an apprentice will learn. Consisting of usually a couple of days a week, an apprentice will take the time to study the deep data of STEM roles. Assessments are an essential part of apprenticeships. Completing contextual exams on what you’ve learned and addressing supervisor feedback will help you fill those gaps in your knowledge and assist your growth into a successful STEM graduate.

Each year we offer excellent apprenticeships at European Springs. These are available for STEM students exploring their future as well as experienced staff wishing to reskill themselves into a new role. Thanks to our established development plans, we are committed to maintaining the highest quality learning experience for our successful applicants. During your time as an apprentice, you can earn while you learn about the manufacture of many products such as torsion springs and begin your journey into a profitable career as a member of the most successful industry in the UK.

You can learn more about the success of our apprenticeship schemes in our associate article.

The manufacturing industry is taking many different approaches toward becoming more eco-friendly. The impressive shift to increased sustainability is inspired by government initiatives toward creating a green economy and drastically reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing. As well as optimising work processes and embracing recycling, many manufacturers have replaced their existing heating plans with air source heat pumps (ASHP).

How COP26 Affected the Manufacturing Industry

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) took place in Glasgow in November 2021, and the results of this impressive conference have had a significant effect on the manufacturing industry. Globally, the sector contributes roughly 23% of emissions, second only to energy generation systems and on par with transport.

Many areas were addressed, and plans were implemented to resolve them. Elements such as sourcing raw materials, supply chain vehicles and encouraging a paperless work environment were all highlighted as areas that the industry could improve upon with new green technologies.

Benefits of ASHP

Air source heat pumps are a sustainable way to heat a building, and the technology has become widely popular in commercial and domestic environments. Air source heat pumps are capable of heating large spaces without using conventional fossil fuel sources. They achieve this by extracting warmth from the ambient air outside and drawing it inside to heat radiators or water tanks. This extracted air is funnelled through a compressor, also known as a heat exchange. The amount of heat generated will depend on the size of the unit installed. For example, an average ASHP delivers roughly 4kwh (kilowatt per hour) of energy for every 1kwh used to power it, resulting in a 300% heating bonus for the owner.

Despite the name, they can adapt to either heating or cooling depending on the temperature of the air outside. This has the immediate benefit of replacing the need to purchase a separate heater and air-conditioner with a single alternative, an air source heat pump.

These eco-friendly alternatives to conventional heating have already been adopted in office and school environments, with many more sectors gaining from the benefits. This current progress is estimated to reduce 40-50% of CO2 emissions from these sectors. Manufacturing previously contributed the most emissions, but thanks to ASHPs, this can be drastically reduced.

Costs of ASHP

Spring manufacturers, like any business, are constantly looking for new ways to optimise their expenses. Unfortunately, the unpredictable costs of most conventional fossil-fuel heating systems make planning these costs difficult. In addition, the manufacturing industry’s long-term reliance on fossil fuel-powered heating systems has made reducing heating expenses difficult, especially with rising costs in that area. This makes the development of efficient, eco-friendly ASHP units an attractive prospect as your costs will be reduced to the electricity required to run it. Additionally, these units need little maintenance and can last between 10-25 years, making them a sound investment.

Air source heat pumps are far more efficient than conventional heating systems. They have been rated at 300% increased efficiency in both domestic and industrial environments. The idea of generating three heating units worth of heat for one cost is a gain any manager can’t afford to ignore. A study of the savings produced showed that businesses can save as much as 51% a year with commercial ASHP units while significantly helping the environment.

Supporting Renewable Energy Sources

One of the most prominent benefits of investing in air source heat pumps is their minimal carbon footprint; they’re rated for zero-carbon emissions, enabling you to benefit from green electricity tariffs. Many energy suppliers will provide you with the choice of a green tariff to support renewable energy sources. Choosing a green tariff sends a clear statement that your company endorses renewable sources.

They accomplish this by matching the electricity used for your ASHP units with verified renewable sources rather than taking it from fossil or nuclear sources. This can happen in one of two ways, either your electricity is sourced from renewables, or the energy company purchases a matching amount of electricity from renewables on your behalf. In either case, your supplier should inform you where they source their electricity.

ASHP units also help with industrial plans for carbon offsetting. Carbon offsetting is a significant first step and a successful tool allowing manufacturers to support a sustainable industry more efficiently. A purchased carbon offset represents a reduction of 1 metric ton of CO2 emissions; these purchases financially support the development of renewable energies such as solar, wind and wave.

For example, The more compression spring manufacturers invest in ASHP, the lower the harmful emissions will be, and support for renewable energy will grow. Expanding this example to the whole industry would remarkably improve eco-friendly sustainability across the sector. The green tariffs and carbon offsets simultaneously still support the development of green, renewable energy sources for a brighter future.

At European Springs, we constantly look for new ways to optimise our workflows. Still, we are also conscious of the industry’s environmental impact and are striving to meet these positive challenges of becoming more sustainable.

Browse our complete stock catalogue here, including torsion springs and other high-quality springs, wireforms and pressings.

Author: European Springs Web Team