Applications
Hinkell Development Limited can offer turnkey packages from the analysis of the design to manufacture and commissioning of the product. We have a wide Knowledge of machine tools and special purpose equipment, so can offer good advice on the direction you need to go when purchasing machinery and equipment. We also have a good knowledge of different production processes and have been involved with Tooling, Inspection, Programming and Validation so can offer a range of service to suit your company’s needs. We have also been trained in 6s’s and Business Excellence, so know how to work to improve your process towards Lean manufacturing.
Equipment & Machinery
We are by no means experts in all machinery and equipment but have a vast knowledge and can give good advice on purchasing equipment as we have been involved with several projects that have required the purchase of equipment. We have seen some company’s be hasty on their purchases and then struggle to do the work that it was intended just because not enough thought went into what was required or the person doing the purchasing didn’t understand the requirements. Often salesman can exaggerate the claims of the equipment and it cannot do what they say or it requires extra parts, software or upgrades to make things work, obviously all at extra cost.
Tooling & Fixturing
As with machinery having the correct tooling can be vital to have cost effective production methods. Some company’s today are using flexible tooling methods which will fit on all of their machine tools. This means it can be quick to load components from one machine to another, some also include robotic arms, trolleys or gantry systems so that an operator can load pallets in a safe loading bay. Obviously these systems are not cheap but some of these principles can be applied to any manufacturing process to improve production and cut costs long term.
Programming
We can offer a comprehensive programming service on various CNC machine tools. We like to take the approach that almost nothing is impossible and have often rose to the challenge where other have said it can't be done. With good tooling and good Knowledge of the software you can be surprised what can be achieved. Often the software can be manipulated and sometimes you need to think outside the box. If required we can program manually on the machines using G & M codes or using Fanuc manual guide.
We also have some experience of programming PLC's on special purpose equipment . an area we would very much like to expand on.
We also have some experience of programming PLC's on special purpose equipment . an area we would very much like to expand on.
Inspection
Inspection is a very important part in a production process, you do not want the products to go through all the processes to find it is not correct at then end, you need to do various checks through the process at strategic points. Sometimes with complicated parts it is not always easy to check a feature with conventional equipment. We at Hinkell have design and manufacture various inspection gauges and measuring equipment so that this can be done easily in the process and reduce scrap and down time. Most modern machine tools can have probes fitted and provided they are setup correctly can be vital part of the inspection process. These can be very cost effective as you will know if the component is correct directly after its been machined.
Validation
More and more companies today require validation of equipment and processes, especially in the medical product sector. Even if you do 100% inspection they like to know you are control your equipment and processes. Hinkell have been involved with IQ's, OQ's & PQ's ( installation qualification's, operational qualification's & performance qualification's) of various pieces of equipment. We have also been involved with various process validations.
Business Excellence & 6S's
Today many companies practices Business Excellence which involves managing the organisation and achieving results, all based on a set of fundamental concepts or values. These look at the structure of the company and look at organising it such as with Lean Manufacturing
6S's is a practice to keep the work place tidy and in order.
6S's is a practice to keep the work place tidy and in order.