Category: News & Updates

Environmentally friendly businesses have positive impact beyond the company. Clients are more likely to connect with green businesses, especially when legally proven that good practices are followed on a daily basis.

As experts in spring manufacturing and high-speed pressing technology, we’re proud to see our European Springs London team gain the certification ISO 14001:2015. Don’t hesitate to speak with our team by getting in touch with us on 028 9083 8605. You can also follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages to see our latest news and updates.

The team over at our European Springs London site were recently given some amazing news – they had been accredited with the ISO 14001:2015 certificate. This was in response to their effective and extremely successful Environmental Management System that they had introduced at their London based site in Beckenham.

What is the Certificate?

ISO 14001:2015 is accredited due to an effective Environmental Management System, a system that is described as being a “standard of requirements” that define and establish how companies can reduce their environmental impact through the operations that they carry out every day. It establishes both targets and objectives that need to be met in order to maintain compliance to the certificate.

What are the Benefits?

The idea behind a successful Environmental Management System is to reduce the impact on the environment, such as minimising waste, reducing pollution and correctly using both energy and raw materials.

There are lots of different reasons for why it’s beneficial for companies to seek the certification. These include:

  • Improving the reputation of your company.
  • Demonstrate your compliance with both regulatory and statutory requirements.
  • Gives you a financial advantage due to reduced costs.
  • Encourages more efficient environmental performance.

How Will It Benefit European Springs?

Through gaining the certification, European Springs will use the standards outlined to help them improve their resource efficiency, reduce waste and manage environmental obligations consistently. This will help to promote an ethical standing within European Springs.

We would like to offer huge congratulations to all of our team members over in London – it’s a fantastic achievement that we hope we can follow on from very soon. In fact, ensuring that all of our sites continue to develop and progress is something that we are committed to doing, which is why Leeds and Cornwall will be also working towards achieving the ISO certification. Well done to everyone involved!

If you would like to learn more about this certification, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 0044 7889171165.

 

 

It has been a number of years since the British triumph at the 2012 Olympics. Since then, the Olympic Stadium has been used for a number of amazing events that have lived up to the magnificence of the venue. Now, it will be the home to the football team of West Ham for the next ninety-nine years. It is a deal that will see the stadium be the venue for football tournaments on all scales, drawing in Hammers and other football enthusiasts from across the world.

In the face of this, changes needed to be brought to the stadium in order to give it the West Ham flare and stamp their own mark on the venue. So, how did European Springs help to transform the Olympic Stadium into a home that West Ham could be proud of?

Repurposing the Olympic Stadium

London Stadium

 

The stadium has faced an impressive design overall in order to adapt it to its new purpose. Some of this work was undertaken by Fabric Architecture. A company that specialises in bespoke fabric structures, tailored to the needs of their clients and of the highest quality. They were tasked with designing and creating a large scale fabric canopy in order to cover the retractable seating inside of the stadium. The impressive creation was made in the distinctive colours of West Ham. Fabric Architecture turned to European Springs & Pressings to create a spring solution that matched the engineering requirements of the project.

Solutions Sprung

Retractable canopy

 

The solution was found in a new Fortuna coiling machine that our Cornish branch of European Springs had recently invested in. It allows for an expanded capability between 0.3mm to 26mm; an expansion which has opened up new markets across many industries. This meant that when tasked with Fabric Architecture’s requirements, we were able to work fast and efficiently in order to create a solution for a system that dissipates the load from the canopies.

A personal touch was added to the springs for this new chapter in West Ham’s history. The springs were coated in the claret colour that the club is famous for – a flourish to the end of a very exciting project for the European Springs team.

If, like us here at European Springs, you are inspired by the possibilities for future amazing projects in a wide variety of sectors, why not get in touch? We are always open to new collaborations and would love to share your enthusiasm and ideas. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!

The 3D printer has revolutionised society over the past few years. But, the extent of what these wondrous machines can do is still being tested on a daily basis. One such test, recently, has been the printing of food. This may seem like something that is straight out of a Star Trek film rather than reality, but it has actually been developed and is being adapted daily to achieve better results.

3D printer and hamburger, concept for food printing.

But, what is the future of actually printing food and how will this affect the food industry in the future?

The Difficulties

Of course, this is not a development that has come easily. 3D printers deposit layer upon layer to build up an object, but the food 3D printer is a more complicated issue. Crystallised sugar can be formed in layers in just the same way that a 3D printer works, while chocolate can be dispensed with precision syringes to make complicated designs, and a final method involves compressing fresh ingredients to make a wide variety of different food products. Most of the current 3D food printers currently in existence use a variety of these methods in order to create food.

However, none of these methods are yet capable of making overly complicated food products as you might see in sci-fi movies. That will be many years to come, according to experts. However, this has not stopped people from adopting these methods, making way for a future where 3D food printers will, presumably, dominate the food industry as a standard.

Gourmet Food

The world of gourmet food has already begun to see the development of 3D printed food. Moulds can be made in order to help precision needs, such as for more complicated designs in baking, which makes the process of creating complicated gourmet food that much easier. Many in this high-end, specialist, part of the industry expects 3D printing to become a major component of the industry in the years to come.

Creating food is an art form, experimental and constantly changing. It can be as precise as the springs produced here at European Springs or as wild as the most modern of art. The future of 3D printing may mean that further food experiments can revolutionise the industry on a whole new level.

Benefits

There are many benefits to the development of 3D printing in the food industry. This is especially the case of the ability to reduce malnourishment in the world, whether that is in the elderly and young children who cannot eat whole foods or in third world countries. 3D printers can produce a mix of soft foods, full of nutrients that will help the most unfortunate in the world for relatively reduced costs.

3D printing of food also helps to reduce waste in the future. This is a major concern considering that the food wastage of the world, in comparison to what is being made, is relatively high and often cited as needing to be reduced. It will, theoretically, also make some unappetising food substances more palatable to people in order to use products that otherwise would go to waste, helping both people and the environment.

The world of 3D printing is ever changing and opens up a world of possibilities – if someone has an idea 3D printing may one day be able to print it. Are you looking for the perfect spring for your printing project? Contact our expert team today and we will be delighted to assist you!

It might be the largest planet of our solar system, but since the past 5th of July we can pride ourselves on having conquered it. After a five-year-long journey – in which it has covered no less than 1.7 billion miles – the probe Juno is finally orbiting around Jupiter.

 

What is Juno?

This spacecraft is part of the NASA New Frontier Mission and was launched on the 5th of August, 2011, from Cape Canaveral. Unlike other spacecrafts used in missions in the outer solar system, Juno is not powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators but solar arrays. These are more common in satellites orbiting the Earth. Nevertheless, in the case of Juno, its three solar array wings are the largest ever developed in a planetary probe and help it to stabilise and generate power.

 

Juno Operational Components

1. Propulsion

Juno uses hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide for propulsion, providing a thrust of 645 newtons. The vehicle’s orientation is controlled by a monopropellant reaction control system.

2. Telecommunications

Back on Earth, scientists communicate with the spacecraft using a 230ft antenna that utilises an X band direct link. This system is also being used by Juno to send photographs from Jupiter – such as the beautiful ones in which we can see the planet dancing with its four moons.

3. Solar Panels

Juno has only three, symmetrically arranged. Two of them have four hinged segments, and the third one has three segments and a magnetometer. Each panel is 8.9ft by 29ft long, which makes them the largest ones ever used by NASA on a deep-space probe.

Off

 

Juno’s Travel

1. August 2011

Juno was launched from Earth and placed in a heliocentric orbit.

2. October 2013

After travelling for two years, Juno passed by the Earth again, using the planet’s gravity to propel itself – this manoeuvre has been called a ‘gravitational slingshot’. The spacecraft received a boost in speed of more than 8,800 miles per hour before heading towards Jupiter. But before that, scientists in Earth took advantage of this fly-by and tested some instruments and procedures with Juno.

3. July 2016

When Juno reached Jupiter’s orbit, its trajectory changed from hyperbolic to elliptical. Thanks to this, the spacecraft will be closer to Jupiter than any other machine of its kind before. Besides, it minimises the contact with Jupiter’s dense radiation belts that, potentially, can damage the spacecraft and its solar panels.

4. October 2016

Juno will be orbiting around Jupiter gathering as much information as it can about the planet and its surroundings.

5. February 2018

It is scheduled to disintegrate into Jupiter’s atmosphere. When this happens, it will burn out and disappear very quickly. This has been done so the spacecraft doesn’t collide with any of Jupiter’s moons by accident. This will also reduce the risk of space debris and contamination according with NASA’s Planetary Protection Guidelines.

 

What Mysteries Will Juno Be Able to Explain?

1. Solid Core

Scientists from all over the world keep arguing about the nature of the gigantic planet’s core. Some of them believe it is solid; others that gases present in the atmosphere go all the way down.

2. Sea of Liquid Metallic Hydrogen

Does this exist? Many people believe so, as it will explain Jupiter’s massive magnetic field and its spectacular auroras.

3. The Great Red Spot

This is giant storm that has been alive for hundreds of years. It works like a hurricane but, as far as we know, these need to feed on the liquid that comes from an ocean – and the existence of such thing seems unlikely in Jupiter’s landscape, which is exclusively formed by gas.

 

Here at European Springs Ireland we believe in the power of technology – starting with the smallest elements, such as springs – to change everyone’s life. Looking for the perfect spring for your project? Don’t hesitate in contacting our expert team today and we’ll be delighted to help.

 

 

 

 

We have previously showcased some of our springs that our CNC machinery allows us to manufacture, including wireforms and bespoke solutions. We have looked at compression, tension, and torsion springs, demonstrating how these are found in everyday life.

We will now cover disc, wave, and gas springs, three other springs we create in order to provide the perfect solution for your project.

Disc Springs

Also known as Belleville washers, disc springs are essentially comprised of conically shaped components. Used for more than 150 years, they allow for ease of stacking with similar springs and for ease of carrying very large loads, due to their very resilient shape.

Vehicular clutches and brake mechanisms make use of disc springs, which can be either linear or regressive in dynamic. Glide washers can be fit to avoid friction, which provides the recognisable curves and diverse column length of disc springs.

Gas Springs

Famous for their astounding form variation, gas springs number over 770 different products in our range, with more than 70 diverse fittings and bespoke options. Our experience in manufacturing these springs spans over 60 years, which allows us to easily determine which gas spring is suitable to your personal requirements.

Comprised of a cylindrical body filled with nitrogen gas, a seal, a piston rod, and a guiding function to provide the compression and extension movements as required, gas springs utilise the pushing force exerted by the nitrogen gas to put pressure on the piston. Commonly utilised for opening and closing car hoods or chairs, for example, they allow for ease of regulated movement.

Wave Springs

Unusual in appearance, wave springs’ unique shape is made through “on edge coiling” or “edgewinding”, allowing for a wave shape inside the flat wire to have spring-like properties. These springs are typically compact but can be designed to specified needs, if the one you require isn’t in our catalogue.

If you require a spring that is 50% smaller in height and length than a round wire spring, then wave springs might be an ideal option. They are perfect for replacing coil springs due to their multi-coil framework and cost effective due to the use of less material in manufacturing.

Through our 3D printing abilities we are able to print a replica of your product to scale, allowing to better determine the spring requirements for your project. For more information about our expert and professional services, you can contact us on 028 9083 8605 to speak to our highly-skilled team. We are always happy to answer any query you might have!

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