To enable the doubling of production capacity and to ensure that its Leeds site is able to cope with the growing demand in its advanced Tectite range of metal push-fit fittings, Pegler Yorkshire has recently invested £2.8 million. The company’s newly established advanced Tectite cell, located in the company’s impressive Haigh Park Road, Leeds facility, now manufactures quality engineered, metal push-fit system components at a rate that has more than doubled the company’s previous production capacity.
Pegler Yorkshire describes Tectite as a world-class push fit plumbing system. The comprehensive range, incorporating metal pipe fittings, valves and controls, is able to deliver considerable cost savings as a result of its dependability and speed of installation. In addition Tectite is able to provide metal push-fit jointed technology across a broad range of materials including copper, carbon, stainless steel, PEX. Besides the systems innovative design, the ultra-reliable nature of Tectite is due largely to the consistent high-precision of its components.
Paul Barraclough, Pegler Yorkshire Supplier Development Manager, explained;
“Push-fit components have several major benefits when compared with traditional jointing methods, they are heat free, highly flexible, demountable and they offer fast and cost effective jointing. Our advanced Tectite system, with its unique metal push fit technology and high precision components, ensures reliable, leak-free connections.
“To enable strict adherence to the demanding dimensional specifications of Tectite’s components, our new Leeds manufacturing cell administers a strict quality regime.
Recently, when faced with the vastly increased volume of Tectite parts now being produced on our new, high-yield machine tools, it became clear that we needed to find a high-speed, high-precision method of measuring each of the critical features on the Tectite components.
“Although standard digital gauges that could accurately measure all of the critical features were readily available, we needed a system that offered more. Given the high volumes involved and the close tolerances of our metal parts, it was necessary to source a highly precise gauging system that had the required speed of action and, as much as possible, removed the influence of the operator.
We were unable to find a suitable ‘off-the-shelf’ measuring system, and as we were aware of Bowers Group’s reputation for the design and construction of bespoke measuring fixtures, we contacted the company with our ‘wish-list’. Not only did Bowers understand our demanding requirements, the Bowers sales engineer involved in the project was able to suggest several useful additions to the proposed system. Following the delivery of a range of Pegler part drawings to Bowers and after a couple of meetings, the design of an extremely accurate multifunctional measuring station evolved and we were happy to place an order.
Now in constant use, our Bowers measuring station is providing the promised ease and speed of use, outstanding accuracy and flexibility.
As we produce metal fittings to several different specifications for different global regions, we have programmed our Sylvac D300 Multi-Functional Display Unit with all of the relevant data for every fitting in every category. Now when changing our machines from, for instance the production of metric fittings to imperial fittings, our quality control personnel are able to quickly recall the nominal and upper and lower limits for each measured feature, that are stored in the Bowers measuring station’s Display Unit.
Having pre-set the internal, external, depth and machining datum elements of the fixture with the use of the relevant setting masters, our production operators are then able to use the measuring station to quickly and accurately measure all of the relevant metal fittings’ parameters.
The Bowers designed, multifunctional measuring station uses highly accurate SYLVAC transducer probes to transmit the displacement of its 4 gauging elements – ID, OD, depth and a critical height datum for machining purposes - to an ingenious SYLVAC D300S digital readout unit. The captured readings are then displayed to a resolution of 1um. In addition to showing the required readings, all the readout’s multiple-functions are easily accessed via its highly visible 8.5 inch LCD touch screen.
Popular for use within inspection departments or in shop-floor situations, the robust D300S is capable of accepting readings from multiple Sylvac probe inputs, it is able to store previously input configurations and values and can recall both individual or group preset values. Each of the D300S’ channels has a separate maths function, whilst all channels have switchable numeric / analogue and statistical displays.
Extending the unit’s capability by the use of software, the D300S can manage the readings of up to 64 instruments simultaneously making it ideal for use with multi-gauging systems.
Paul Barraclough concluded,
“Pegler Yorkshire is totally committed to the pursuit of Quality in all of our activities. We take pride in being one of the first manufacturers in the UK to gain BS5750 certification for Quality Assurance and have subsequently gained BS EN ISO 9001:2000. Our products are designed to meet and pass appropriate product specifications and performance standards, such as British Standards.
“We regularly invest in the best available inspection technology and implement modern quality strategies. Amongst other advantages, the high-precision and ease of use of our bespoke Bowers measuring station, enables us to generate Statistical Process Control charts, to carefully monitor our processes and to ensure that our customers receive the highest possible standards of products.”