News & Updates Archives | Page 37 of 75

We have already discussed the basic principles behind gas springs – they are not powered by a metal coil but by the force of a piston, a rod and a cylinder of nitrogen – but we want to focus now on a specific type: lockable gas springs. You may not know much about them but they are very important.

For instance, are you sitting on an office chair while reading this? It’s thanks to them that you’ve been able to regulate its height and back to your maximum comfort!

How Do They Work?

The fascinating feature of a lockable gas spring is that its rod can be locked at any point in its travel – and remain there indefinitely. The tool that activates this mechanism is a plunger. If the plunger is depressed, the rod can operate as usual. When the plunger is released – and this can occur at any point in the stroke – the rod is locked in a specific position.

The release force is the force you need to apply to activate or deactivate the lock. Theoretically, the release pressure is ¼ of the extension force of the piston rod. Nevertheless, in practice it should also be taken into account the force required to break loose the seals on actuation, so when creating a lockable spring the release force must be always slightly higher. An expert company such as European Springs will be always able to determine the accurate release force that a given project requires.

Different Rods

Rods can have different characteristics once they are locked. They can be, for instance, flexible, which means they are very resistant when being pulled or pushed. They can also be rigid in tension: there is no flexibility if rods are being pulled but there is a slight flexibility if they are being pushed. Finally, they can be rigid in compression if they are a bit flexible when they are being pulled but not when they are being pushed.

Why Do We Need Lockable Gas Springs?

Think about lifting the back door of your car. If you wanted to impress your three-year-old child, you could do it with a finger. And not only that, but the door also gets locked at an specific point allowing you to load up all your shopping bags – after the Saturday visit to the shopping centre – without the nuisance of having to open it multiple times.

How is it possible that you can lift something so heavy with such a small force? And how can that heavy weight remain just where you want it? The answer here is: lockable springs. They are also essential for medicine: they allow your dentist to regulate the position of the chair you are sitting in – while you hope for a quick and painless treatment.

Benefits

Using lockable springs can bring lots of great advantages. For instance, they are perfectly safe when the apparatus is in locked position and movement cannot be tolerated. (Think about an operating table, for instance).

Another benefit is that these simple mechanisms don’t require any other special force or source of energy to be activated or to remain in their locking position. This makes lockable springs very cost-effective and also environmentally friendly.

European Springs Lockable Gas Springs

Our catalogue of lockable springs includes no less than 70 different items. Their force ranges from 200 to 1000 N. Their strokes are available from 15 to 210mm. Finally, we can provide you with a number of different release mechanisms to make sure they adapt to the specific needs of your project.

Looking for springs or pressings? We are willing to offer you nothing but the very best! Contact our expert team today and we’ll be delighted to help!

Three months ago, in April 2016, we acquired and unveiled our latest member of the European Springs team, the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B. We were very excited when it arrived and we are still excited by it now! So, after three months of operation, has it surpassed all expectations and has it developed European Springs as a company? Well, we can say that it has!

Specification of the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B

The Bruderer BSTA 500-110B is said to be one of the world’s most advanced high-speed precision presses. It is an amazing piece of machinery, as it is able to produce between 100 and 1120 stampings per minute. But this is one amazing aspect of the machine out of many. The Bruderer BSTA 500-110B is operated through a press control that is governed by a computer. This, along with a touch screen interface, offers the operator a logic overview of all process data that is relevant.

Because of the unique lever system of the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B, it means that the load from the stamping operation is distributed through the mechanism. This means that, along with a precise mass counterbalancing system, the absolute minimum clearances in all bearing and oil lubrication play very important roles in the maintenance, high precision and long life of the machine.

Has It Changed The Manufacturing Process?

The Bruderer BSTA 500-110B provides a larger press bed area, which has a size of 1080 x 650 mm, allowing for multi-progression tooling of complex processes and manufacturing procedures. As well as this, one of the main benefits of this machine is that, because of its high precision construction, it offers reduced die wear on all springs and even high tensile spring quality materials. This is great for European Springs, as all springs will be made quickly and will maintain an extremely high quality.

The computerised control system reduces the set-up time of manufacturing, meaning that it shortens the time to market on new spring products and also improves efficiency on small volume production batches. With the technology developed by Bruderer, this press machine is able to produce springs incredibly quickly and of extremely high quality. So, does this mean that European Springs is going through the start of a new era in spring manufacturing?

Has European Springs Changed As A Company?

The introduction of the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B press has definitely paid off and it has shaped European Springs as a company. In 2016 alone, because of the Bruderer investment, European Springs has grown by a factor of 10% and has also created 35 new jobs. Across the European Spring sites in London, Cornwall and Leeds, sales have increased by £16m and the workforce has increased to 170 employees.

Because of the company’s expertise, European Springs were able to collaborate with Bruderer to make slight modifications to the existing 500-110B machine. These additions include an acoustic sound booth and press monitoring technology. The implementation of these is guaranteed to extend the life of the press and increase machine productivity.

Because of the amount of success that the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B press has brought to European Springs, Bruderer has been commissioned to complete a full refurbishment and update of our Finzer multi-side machine that we use to manufacture strip and wire components.

So, just after the middle of 2016, the Bruderer BSTA 500-110B machine press has settled in nicely in the European Springs family and it has definitely benefitted the company and its workforce. But who knows what the future has to hold in the spring manufacturing industry?

If you would like to know more about anything with regards to our equipment, then please don’t hesitate to contact us. Just give us a call on 0208 663 1800 and one of our friendly members of staff will be more than happy to help.

The first ever solar powered plane has just made history by completing a round-the-world trip. Landing back in Abu Dhabi on July 26th, Solar Impulse 2’s journey was a total of 40,000km and the culmination of 15 years of work.

As seasoned adventurers, both Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have the experience for the job. In 1999, Piccard made the first successful non-stop balloon flight around the world. Borschberg knows how to deal with adverse conditions; as a former Swiss Air Force fighter pilot, he’d brushed up with death through a helicopter crash and an avalanche.

Record Breaking Prototype

The Solar Impulse Project was initiated in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard. He undertook a feasibility study in partnership with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The following couple of years saw them develop their concept before simulating long-haul flights in 2006.

The first prototype, Solar Impulse 1, was built between 2006 and 2009. Both manned test flights and test flights through Europe and North Africa were conducted from 2009 to 2012. From these rigorous tests, Solar Impulse 2 was constructed in order to bring Borschberg and Piccard’s vision to life.

This Swiss experimental solar-powered aircraft is led by Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard, and Swiss engineer André Borschberg. The goal of Solar Impulse was to be the first to circumnavigate the Earth with a fixed-wing aircraft that is completely solar-powered. Bringing attention to clean technologies was another goal.

Solar Impulse 1, the prototype, could stay airborne for up to 36 hours and, in 2010, it flew a total of 26 hours. Other successful flights, like the first international flight by Solar Impulse in 2011, were conducted from Switzerland to Spain and to Morocco in 2012. A multi-state flight across the United States was successfully conducted in 2013.

Solar Impulse 2Solar Impulse 2 was created with more solar cells and powerful motors: powered by 17,248 solar cells and running on battery power at night, Solar Impulse 2 achieved an average airspeed of 46mph. The aircraft, with a wider wingspan than a Boeing 747 at 72m, started its journey in March of 2015 in Abu Dhabi. Weighing 2.3 tonnes and at a maximum speed of 140km/h, Solar Impulse 2 has a maximum flight duration of 5-6 days and zero CO2 emissions per person. The solar panels made up a quarter of the total weight, helping the aircraft to climb to 29,000 feet during the day and glide to 5,000 feet at night. André Borscherg, using only the power of the sun, set out on a record breaking flight lasting five days and five nights, from Japan to Hawaii. It was the longest solo flight for any aircraft with a duration of 117 hours and 52 minutes. The entire flight encompassed a total of 17 legs, starting and finishing in Abu Dhabi from March 9th 2015 until July 26th 2016. The entire duration of the circumnavigation was 558 hours and 7 minutes (23.25 days) that set both a record and a path for future engineers to advance flight technology and take it into an approach which uses renewable energies. At European Springs, we celebrate engineering advancements that will further both the field and improve the world. Our passion about engineering is why we’re market leaders and experts in <a href="https://www.europeansprings.com/" target="_blank">spring manufacturing</a> and pressing technology. For more information about our services, you can <a href="https://www.europeansprings.com/contact/_our-locations.asp" target="_blank">contact us</a> by giving us a call on +44 (0) 208 663 1800. Our highly skilled professionals will happily answer any query you might have. You can also find us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanSprings" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/europeansprings" target="_blank">Twitter</a> to see our news and updates. European Springs

Virtual reality has long since been associated with the gaming industry, although this is not a new concept, as it’s been around since the 1950s.

How is Virtual Reality Being Used?

Most people are not fans of dealerships, and would instead prefer to purchase their vehicle online. With the rise of VR technologies, this concept is now closer to becoming true – while it’s still not doable, the truth is that the experience of buying a car is already changing.

You will probably continue to have contact with the seller at the dealership, but you’re also going to be able to experience what it’s like to be sitting behind the wheel of a car even if you’re standing. An example of how this is done is through the Oculus Rift headset, which seeks to speed up the experience of buying a car.

Is This a Valid Concept?

Despite the innovation of these technologies, not everyone seems convinced of the benefits VR can bring to the automotive industry. They question whether it will appeal to dealership’s target audience or if gamers are the ones truly interested in VR – and whether VR can really meet the needs of their customers.

Because of this, some countries, such as Germany (45%) and France (33%), still prefer to purchase a vehicle by having strong face-to-face contact with the seller; others show interest in online digital experiences, and the VR experience that is already part of many dealerships is turning that into a reality.

A Virtual Reality Example

Audi is taking VR seriously. First they explored the idea of interactivity in their Audi City, the flagship store in London’s Picadilly. Through the use of Microsoft Kinect, the shop has touchscreen walls and display walls that showcase cars and their parts – and allows visitors to configure models the way they like and peek at all the different components.

And now their VR technology is soaring to new heights. To provide potential customers with an idea of how their cars will look and feel after the purchase, Audi partnered with Zero Light to produce high quality images that offer a realistic experience.

</center> How Can VR Benefit the Industry and the Consumer? Virtual reality can offer customers the opportunity of experiencing a vehicle in its entirety without having to leave the dealership – including the possibility of customising them with their favourite colours and features, which adds to the realistic experience. The way customers experience the purchasing of a new car is important to the industry, as it can mean brand perception, awareness and loyalty. We understand the importance of progress and are always enthusiastic about new developments! Visualising small components in 3D is something we already do, especially during their design phase – VR, however, is something altogether. It's becoming increasingly popular in mainstream life and it's allowing brands to distinguish themselves from their competitors. The creation of the Sensorama allowed people to experience a machine designed to engage all senses through a display of 3D images, stereo sound, body tilting and even the release of certain aromas. While the technology didn't progress further than this at the time, since then people have been developing new and more creative ideas that can help bring virtual reality to the forefront again. This means that VR has now gained notoriety once more and is being developed by so many big companies that it's clear it's gone mainstream. This couldn't be more obvious with the creation and implementation of new technologies in the automotive industry. European Springs </div>

Whether it’s embracing apprenticeships or an article on the state of STEM subjects, we’ve always taken a great interest in bringing more of the youth into the world of engineering.

After all, these are the people who will be pioneers of the next frontier, one dominated by digital. We already know that, according to Mark Zuckerberg, video games can help get kids interested in computer programming.

Is there more to video games than meets the eye?

In short, can one of the most dominant forms of media inspire and teach the younger generation of engineers? And not just inspire those who want to create games (they may manipulate code and complex wire-frame designs, but software and computer engineers are still engineers), but for those who want to use games as a springboard for other, more traditional engineering careers.

Could video games hold the key to enlightening a new generation of engineers?

The predominant answer is, games are fun – and education should be enjoyable if children are to be genuinely enthused by what they’re learning. For kids, something like physics can be an intensely tricky subject to grasp – in fact, for some, it’s downright opaque. Video games help by demonstrating the effects of, say, a tumbling building block, in an easily accessible and enjoyable way (as anyone who’s ever played Angry Birds can attest).

More than that, though, they let kids try out their own ideas and theories in a safe and playful space. Video games are, first and foremost, hands-on experiences. Even non-scientific games like Call of Duty help kids develop their sensorimotor skills, or, if you prefer, their hand to eye co-ordination. This offers a unique opportunity, since no other medium can rival the possibilities of a video game, with its emphasis on interaction and creation.

Much like engineering itself, video games require both mental and physical ability and the most inspiring movie about engineering in the world will still render the audience passive; games are an active source of inspiration, letting kids not only see, but do.

Neuro and skill solving development

Like engineering, the video gaming arena is vast. As this article from learningliftoff.com shows, with a range of apps and games that help kids practically and visually enhance the understanding of various engineering disciplines. In fact, just by engaging with each of these, you’d have an elementary knowledge of key industry principles, from quantum physics to civil engineering.

And that brings us to another reason why video games could herald a new generation of engineers – players are always faced with a problem to solve. That’s the very nature of game-play, to overcome obstacles using everything you have at your disposal, from item pick-ups to special abilities.

That’s a pretty fair assessment of a day in the life of an engineer, too, come to think of it; games help kids develop the same critical faculties they’ll need in an engineering career.

We’d be foolish to suggest that video games alone can reverse the trend of declining uptake for STEM subjects; but we’d be even more foolish to suggest they can’t play a part in creating the next round of engineers. To that we say, game on.

Keeping on top of trends

We’re passionate about the world of engineering – that’s why we’re market leaders when it comes to springs and pressings. If you’d like to know more about how we aid the industry, and how we can help you, contact us on 0208 663 1800.

European Springs has a long, proud history of producing high-quality springs and wire forms, and recently we’ve also been involved in creative projects and new and exciting partnerships.

An example is our work with Liberty in London, as we’re always interested in trying new things. Another one of our latest projects has no doubt allowed us that opportunity!

Our location in Beckenham was approached by James and Taylor Ltd, experts in rainscreen cladding and façade engineering, to develop a spring mechanism that would be part of the security supporting an anti-climb zone on the new Tate Modern, which opened on the 17th June 2016.

When Stuart McSheehy, Managing Director here at European Springs, said that ‘this really was a race against the clock as the scaffolding on the Tate Modern was being removed and James and Taylor’s anti-climb installation had to be implemented within days’, he wasn’t kidding!

We had a very limited time frame to deliver our springs to the client, but we absolutely relished the pressure. The overall project included the development of retaining clips for holding face plates onto corbels on the Tate Modern – these face plates cover approximately the first 15 metres up around the base of the gallery to establish an anti-climb zone.

Our part in this safety measure was the creation of a mechanism in the form of fixing clips. We had previously worked on the design of these clips with the client, so they were already developed and sampled, but we were very surprised when we were told we only had ten days to complete the project!

This is because the scaffolding was coming down sooner than expected, and James and Taylor found themselves without these clips, meaning the installation of the anti-climb zone appeared to be unlikely to be completed without delays. Adding to this, the designs of the clips had to be modified to fit better with the project.

Once design was finalised, we found out that our material suppliers, Staystrip Group Ltd didn’t have the necessary materials on hand for this project, so they had to work overtime to provide them. We then laser-cut the blanks for the spring clips and tested them, and eventually ended up with a two-part mechanism with a top and bottom spring.

John Champion, Design Director at James and Taylor, came in person on Saturday morning to collect the 650 springs we had for him, and was over the moon at how quickly we had been able to complete the project – and beyond happy with the quality and sturdiness of the clips.

As he put it: ‘Stuart and his team could not have been more dedicated to delivering our brief. We appreciated it was a really tight turnaround but they were fearless and achieved the near impossible – securing high numbers of an exceptional quality of products and in a matter of days too.’

Being involved in this project was a true pleasure, as we couldn’t be happier about delivering our springs to such a world-renowned art gallery and making our client happy! All of our team members at European Springs understand the importance of quality in the work we do, as precision and reliability are key elements in creating springs and wire forms. After all, without these values, we could never have accomplished this successful project!

Category: News & Updates

Is there more to video games than meets the eye?

Could video games hold the key to enlightening a new generation of engineers?

Neuro and skill solving development

Keeping on top of trends

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