Holroyd Machine Tools wins Chinese aerospace order
1 min read
Holroyd Machine Tools, Rochdale has just concluded a deal with a leading Chinese aerospace company worth $1.2 million to supply a full turnkey production facility for the manufacture of jet engine drive shafts.
The contract was open to general tender and awarded to Holroyd in preference to cheaper proposals, based upon its capability to meet productivity targets in all materials.
The production cell is based around a version of Holroyd’s large TG350E thread grinding machine, modified to accept a grinding arm attachment that allows the grinding of internal threads.
Recently developed, the internal grinding arm and accompanying software allow high-accuracy internal and external threads to be ground quickly and consistently on one machine, in a variety of materials including hard, heat resistant nickel alloys.
The move towards manufacturing jet engine drive shafts from high-temperature superalloys, in preference to more traditional stainless steel derivatives, is being driven by the requirement for modern engines to deliver ever-increasing efficiency and power from a more compact unit.
The new generation of engines being designed and manufactured in China will follow this trend, running hotter and requiring more exotic, harder materials for the majority of components, not just at the ‘hot end’ behind the combustion stage.
Holroyd machines already have an existing installed base in China and both sales and technical support are provided via parent company Renold Precision Technologies’ offices in Shanghai.
