Adding a new dimension: Kingsbury gears up for the future

This month saw the launch of our new Grinding Division. Our goal at Kingsbury has always been to lead through innovation, helping our customers succeed by delivering the best productivity and price performance.

An exciting new venture for Kingsbury, the broadening of our offering to include grinding machines is a logical next step for us, complementing our milling and turning skills while responding to the changing needs of our customers and the sectors they supply.

The story starts last year when we were first approached by Haas to represent them in the UK.  For us, it was never simply about bolting on a new Agency. With many of our clients manufacturing state of the art, complex components, industry knowledge is a prerequisite, with a focus not just on the application but also the end to end process.

Our immersive approach, and one which I believe sets us apart from other agencies involves building in the necessary infrastructure to extend the customer relationship beyond the initial sale.  This means creating a total local support environment, backed by in-depth advice from our own skilled team of technical engineers to maximise production efficiency and the return on investment. In short, introducing a new Agency meant getting the right people in place. Fast forward 9 months and our new Grinding Division is ready to forge ahead with a high calibre supporting cast, led by Dean Kiefer.

The move into a new discipline was also very much driven by wider industry trends.

First, we are all living longer and as with all mechanical assemblies containing moving parts, the longer the active life the greater the wear, consequently there will be an increasing demand for joint replacements over time. Grinding is the technology of choice when it comes to the accuracy and surface finish requirements in producing for example, hip joints, knees and femoral stems.  The medical sector is a major focus for us: Adding in this new capability will enable us to meet the growing demand we are now seeing.

Grinding is also ideal for applications in the Aerospace sector, similarly a very important area for us, where manufacturing specifications become ever more complex, calling for harder materials where conventional cutting may no longer be possible.

Last but not least, is the emergence of a new approach to manufacturing that is creating a buzz everywhere – 3D printing and associated technologies. Additive Manufacturing (AM), has opened the way to more design freedom, offering the ability to manufacture single or multiple components in a single step process from a wide range of materials, some of which were not previously achievable.

AM is a technology which entails the production of three-dimensional forms by building them layer by layer, as opposed to a reductive process such as milling or turning which removes material from a large amount of metal to leave a residual shape. Further work is required to complete the finished product, which, given the relatively small amount of material left for removal, either to achieve size, shape or finish, is best achieved through grinding.

We are pleased to partner with Haas in the launch of our new division as a leading German manufacturer operating at the forefront of technology with an ethos that centres around attention to detail and achieving the best results for customers in the production process.

With the prospect of exciting times ahead, we look forward to sharing our knowledge and experiences with you over the coming months.

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