Aviation Enterprises Ltd (AEL) is an established engineering company which has traditionally specialised I the design and manufacture of high performance structures using carbon fibre and GRP composites.

But in recent years the firm has seen a significant upturn in orders for marine turbine blades and looked for ways in which to update and streamline its manufacturing processes for these complex items. At lengths of up to 10m long, the blades must combine maximum strength with minimum weight in order to maximise efficiency. MD Angus Fleming takes up the story. “Working with composites on these projects is quite a challenge,” he says. Each turbine blade is formed from hundreds of piles and requires literally kilometres of material and cutting that dry and pre-preg cloth is time consuming and labour intensive.”

AEL turned to help them automate their cuttings and eventually purchased an Orion machine. However, like every machine which BW sells, this machine was specially adapted to AEL’s special needs and it is this tailor-made approach is what makes BW stand out in the cutting machine sector.

A 10mxm2m vacuum cutting table was designed in two halves to make it more versatile for smaller jobs, and with vacuum pumps sited 30m away from the machine to minimise noise in the factory. This vacuum action allows AEL to cut multiple layers with a high degree of accuracy.

“Automating the cutting process has brought us many advantages,” confirms Angus. “Not only have we dramatically increased our output, but the staff that were previously spending so much time on manual cutting have now been deployed in much more productive areas.”

The company also values the totally consistent repeatability in cutting without the risk of RSI for its workers as well as considerable reductions in material wastage. “We now number parts for our cut kits which has improved quality control, and being able to digitise patterns and adjust them easily is a real bonus. Our customers like the fact that we are more efficient and can guarantee repeatability and quality – as well as the cost savings we are able to pass on,” concludes Angus.

“If you stand still you go backwards, and this BW cutter is certainly a simple item of modern equipment that justifies the investment we have made.”

Prodrive, founded in 1984, now employs over 500 staff in the English Midlands running motor racing and rallying programmes for some of the biggest names in motoring. The company designs and manufactures all the car body parts using specialist carbon composite materials and these skills are also in demand in the aerospace, offshore and telecoms sectors.

Most of Prodrive’s template cutting was originally done by hand with a Stanley knife but when Composites Manager Ian Hanscombe joined the company, he decided to investigate how this time-consuming and sometimes inaccurate process could be improved, and wastage reduced from its unacceptably high 40% figure.

The answer was an automated Orion cutter from BW. Now the cutting process has been considerably simplified – all he operative has to do is select the pattern, load the material and press the green button! The software - which BW designed - works out the most economical use of the material, even taking into account the weave of the fabric to maximise the strength of the finished item. Prodrive has calculated that the savings in wastage alone will pay for the machine inside twelve months.

“Two years ago the composite shop was running at about 60% efficiency, mainly due to the time taken to manually cut patterns,” says Ian. “Now that figure is between 86 and 92%.”

One unexpected knock-on effects of the new cutter has been an improvement in morale among the team in the composite shop. “Everyone has bought into automated cutting and the guys appreciate that automation saves them time and they get a higher quality result so they’re far more motivated,” says Ian.

Quality has also improved since the improved accuracy of cutting the templates means that the components all fit together perfectly.

“Thanks to the BW Orion machine we have halved our material wastage - automating the cutting process really is a no-brainer for anybody working in composites!”