Public Funding for Mollart Engineering Limited

Surface finishing requirements within high value manufacturing are critical to fulfilling a products' key functional purpose. Studies have shown the cost of manual finishing can be between 9% and 30% of a precision product’s final cost (Aurich et al, 2009; Saha & Das, 2010). The abrasive flow machining (AFM) process forces putty containing abrasive grit through/around a component, in order to grind the surface in a precise mechanical manner. The putty within the abrasive media is soft and flowable, with excellent conformation to part geometry as pressure is applied through hydraulic cylinders. This flexibility allows AFM to act on part features inaccessible by hand tools and provide a carefully controlled grinding action which has the potential to replace more traditional manufacturing finishing operations. While AFM has been successful in short parts with simple geometry, the process has never been successfully implemented in long parts with complex geometry. This project aims to; 1) Gain extensive knowledge of the media-part-machine relationship; 2) Manufacture an abrasive media suitable for long cavities; 3) Apply process knowledge to replace traditional finishing operations within MOLLART; 4) Develop modular and reconfigurable tooling; 5) Establish a subcontract capability within MOLLART with a view to automation. Long, complex parts in production at Mollart can be worth up to £40,000 each, requiring a minimum of 45 hours manual deburring. Key sectors served by the AFM process will be oil & gas, medical, defence, aerospace and general engineering. Increasing the process capability of AFM will impact on MOLLART's bottom line, reducing expenditure on labour, tooling, and energy costs. Reducing the use of disposable tooling by developing modular solutions will result in lower raw material consumption and lower waste generation. AFM will remove human error and variability seen on current parts and will provide MOLLART with a robust process to offer as a cost-effect.

The Mollart Acubore project will develop a prototype deep-hole drilling machine for the purpose of producing holes of Ø5-65mm by length 3500mm. Deep-hole drilling in metal and ‘gundrilling’ technology are important to a number of industries; today, the production of many automotive engine parts, components for nuclear reactors and oil & gas exploration tools use technology manufactured by Mollart. The Acubore project aims to deliver a machine which surpasses current deep hole gundrill technology, based on the controlled steering of deep hole drilling tools. Mollart is a British-owned and operated company with over 80 years’ experience in precision mechanical engineering. They operate a successful machine design division established since 1963, in which Mollart played a pivotal role in the development of the first gundrilling machines in the UK. The company also specialises in the subcontract machining of hard metals for use in oil & gas, energy production and telecommunications industries; the prototype machine will fulfil a long-standing requirement of the deep hole drilling process - to produce increasingly high aspect-ratio holes to increasingly tight tolerances. Mollart will utilise their UK-leader status to design and implement the technology. Through collaborative research with a leading machine tool design university and experienced industrial partners, the project will deliver the most advanced technology ever seen in the deep hole drilling market. Mollart will be the only manufacturer in the world to have achieved this technical ability, providing them with a strong competitive advantage resulting in increased exports of subcontract services to market and increased machine tool sales. With strong competition from German companies, the Acubore project will provide Mollart with a unique selling point over European & North American rivals; the future growth of Mollart is dependent on developing this advanced technology.