Metal fabrication company Hydram offers the full range of subcontract sheet metal profiling and forming services, tube laser cutting and bending, welding and fabrication services, powder coating and assembly services.
In addition to its core subcontract sheet metal fabrication services, Hydram offers CNC machining (4 axis CNC milling and 2 axis CNC turning) and presswork (with up to 200 tonne capacity).
Other processes offered include NC rolling, shotblasting, insert pressing, grindmaster deburring, rumbling, guillotining, automatic sawing, silk screen printing and adhesive bonding.
The company also has extensive tool making facilities for in-house manufacture of jigs, fixtures and basic tools.
Subcontract sheet metalworking company Hydram has invested in a number of mechanical presses (with up to 200 tonne capacity) and hydraulic presses (with up to 80 tonne capacity) to cope with increasing demand for high volume powder coated metal components, a full service that Hydram can provide in-house. Press machines are supplied by Amada, Aida and Hare.
Hydram has tool making facilities for in-house manufacture of jigs, fixtures and basic tools, and engages with customers and press tool manufacturers to work on cost effective press tool design.
Hydram offers metal presswork facilities for manufacturing larger batch quantities of components where the initial expenditure on tooling can be justified. With a suitable press tool, components can be blanked (profiled), pierced (holes cut out) and formed with strengthening ribs, flanges or upforms, all in a single press cycle. Depending on the part’s complexity, some tools can perform these operations all in one hit. With larger more complex parts, multiple hits with different tool stages may be required. With sufficient press capacity, and a multi-stage/multi-gang progression tool – where components are transferred from stage to stage – a completed part can be obtained from every press cycle. This makes the pressing process particularly efficient and cost effective, once the tooling investment has been made.
With high volume production quantites, the investment in press tooling can be worthwhile. The metal press process is very efficient, and with quick changeover techniques (such as SMED) employed, maximum productivity can be achieved. Hydram works with customers and press tool manufacturers to ensure that new press tool investment is as cost effective as possible.
For lower quantities and increased flexibility, Hydram’s CNC metalworking machinery can produce the same parts using multiple processes, such as CNC punching and CNC folding. Cycle times per part are longer, but there is no up-front investment in tooling, and the consequences of engineering changes on the design are very easy to implement.
4 Hydraulic presses
5 Mechanical presses
To supply a complete metal fabrication service, Hydram manufactures all sub-assemblies in-house, including machined parts. Hydram has up to 4-axis vertical CNC milling machines and CNC lathes for turning. Higher volume repeating parts are manufactured on a KANBAN basis, whilst lower production quantities are produced on a make-to-order basis.
Machinery is supplied and serviced by CNC machine tool manufacturer Haas Automation.
Hydram is one of the largest subcontract sheet metalwork companies in the UK, founded in 1977, and employing over 200 people in its 135,000 square foot facility in County Durham.
The experienced sheet metal manufacturer has been supplying metal products, metal components and precision sheet metal fabrications to many market leading companies in industries such as the UK’s railways, public transport, earth-moving machinery and power generation.
With customers in many sectors, Hydram has a broad range of experience and expertise to offer, including in CNC Machining and presswork, on a subcontract basis. Contact our team and discover how Hydram can assist with your custom sheet metal fabrication project.
