Keywords
Citation
(2001), "Significant investment in surface treatment plant", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 48 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2001.12848baf.003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
Significant investment in surface treatment plant
Significant investment in surface treatment plant
Keywords: Brookhouse Aerospace, Surface treatment
Significant investment in surface treatment facilities at its new Hyde, Tameside, factory, has allowed Brookhouse Aerospace Ltd, a member of Brookhouse Holdings plc, to dramatically increase both its capacity for surface treatment and the quality of its surface treatment, for the aerospace industry and for the general engineering sector. The investment includes a fully automated plating and pickling plant, a new spray-bake booth and a zinc spraying facility, which is complemented with vacuum blasting cabinets.
The treatments facility consists of baths for anodising and alochrome treatment, as well as sulphuric acid and chromic treatment baths. Each bath is 8ft x 3ft x 5ft deep, with a capacity to handle a wide range of components and machined parts. Loading and transfer between baths are fully automated, with parts being immersed according to a pre-set program. The design and layout of the baths were carried out in conjunction with engineers from BAE Systems. To ensure optimum operating efficiency the installation has been built to the latest European Health & Safety standards, with its own effluent treatment system to comply with discharge requirements and allow recycling of process water.
The new Eurotecno spray-bake booth has a 12ft x 12ft internal working area and both the humidity and the temperature are continuously monitored and recorded on a paperless recording system.
The new treatment facilities are initially intended to assist Brookhouse Aerospace's considerable involvement in the aerospace industry and will enhance its integrated capability, especially in the manufacture of offering parts and metal detail components, from aircraft skin panels and frames to ailerons, engine mountings and floor structures. However, the facilities have been sized to meet future growth needs, both in the aerospace sector and in the general engineering sector.
Consequently, Brookhouse Aerospace reports that it is able to offer its surface treatment facilities to outside organisations that require the high quality they provide, as well as to other members of the Brookhouse Group. These include Brookhouse SPD Tool Company Ltd, which is also located at the extensive Hyde factory and office complex. Brookhouse SPD Tool Company Ltd provides a comprehensive design and manufacturing capability for the precision engineering of tools, jigs and fixtures, employed in sectors as diverse as aerospace, machine tools, automotive engineering, construction equipment and production engineering. It also enjoys an international reputation as a supplier of aircraft testing and ground equipment, which is used in operational and manufacturing procedures.
Other members of Brookhouse Holdings plc, with headquarters in Darwen, UK, are: Brookhouse Composites Ltd, in Darwen, which manufactures and repairs composite components and has particular expertise in the aerospace industry; Brookhouse Patterns Ltd, also in Darwen, which specialises in the design and manufacture of tools in a wide variety of materials for composite components; and Brookhouse Paxford Ltd, in Huntingdon, which has long experience of providing tools and moulds for the automotive industry and in the building of composite simulation equipment.
Details available from: Brookhouse Holdings plc. Tel: +44 (0)1254 706000.