Product category:
General Machining Subcontracting Services
News Release from: Target Precision | Subject: Precision machining
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 June 2004
Precision machined brass pins supplied
locally
Precision machined brass pins are being supplied in nickel-plated condition to a microphone manufacturer from a UK subcontractor on a competitively-priced basis.
A relatively small industrial estate in Hertfordshire is an unlikely location for what can fairly be described as a Great British success story But the Pindar Road Estate in Hoddesdon is home to Coles Electroacoustics, a company that enjoys a global reputation for its BBC model ribbon microphones, the de facto standard for broadcasting and recording studios the world over
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 20 Jan 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Designed by the BBC and manufactured by Coles since the 1970s, one of the most familiar products is the model 4104 commentator's microphone - the extensive picture gallery in Coles' reception area is testimony to that, with names like Murray Walker (motor racing), Brian Moore (soccer) and Ian Botham (cricket) all depicted using the product.
The model 4104 is one of a wide range of sound equipment that the company has produced for film, stage and television, as well as airlines, submarines and medical research, and they complement a raft of manufactured products that is "deliberately as wide and varied as we can achieve to overcome cyclic market conditions", says joint managing director Steve Beanland.
Serving diverse industry sectors such as education (magnet packs and electrical kit cars), commercial vehicles (reverse alarm kits), bathroom fittings (shower 'plugs') and telecommunications (termination boxes and panels), as well as automotive, the Coles operation is mostly self-sufficient in terms of production equipment.
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A specialist sub-contract manufacturer of precision turned parts, has moved its 17 CNC machine tools into a new factory and will concentrate on adding more value to turned parts. work.
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On the surface, selecting sub-contractors is fairly straightforward: the price has to be right; product quality must be spot on; deliveries should be to schedule and yet some consider it an 'art'.
Sliding head auto work is on the increase
Specialist sub-contract manufacturer of precision turned parts has recruited another experienced CNC turning setter/operator to satisfy increased demand for sliding head work.
It includes a comprehensive range of CNC and conventional machine tools, as well as 13 injection moulding machines in addition to capability for presswork, toolmaking, metalworking and assembly.
Microphones remain the core product, and the site incorporates dedicated areas for their manufacture and test.
One crucial component, however, is outsourced, and this is the pin (required in sets of three) for each microphone housing.
The brass pin measures 12mm long and 2.5mm and 3mm diameter either side of a 4mm shoulder.
At one end, it features a through hole 'coned' from 2mm down to 1mm.
These are supplied in batches of 6,000-off by Target Precision, the Harlow (Essex) based specialist sub-contract supplier of turned parts.
The pins are also nickel plated by Target before delivery.
"While we have the capability to machine and produce most components on-site, we've always outsourced such small parts to the specialists," comments Beanland.
"Until they moved to their new site in Harlow, Target were next door to us, so the supply of these pins was literally 'through-the-fence'.
We call off batches of pins, say, once a year.
"In addition, Target also supplies us with a component that is part of an audio connector, and these are produced in batches of 50,000.
"In both cases, Target continually meets our needs in terms of quality, delivery and price." Target Precision specialises in the supply of complex, yet competitively-priced mill/turn parts up to 32mm diameter, and utilises a portfolio of 17 CNC turning machines - including 10 Citizen sliding head automatics from NC Engineering of Watford.
The company supplies a wide range of customers including aviation, defence, telecomms, medical, white goods and jewellery as well as the connector industry.
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