Essex-based industrial electric heating elements manufacturer Holroyd Components has added another Zund cutter to its growing fleet to support the increasing demand for electric heating elements.
Holroyd Components/Zund
Holroyd Components invest in seventh Zund cutter
Holroyd Components has been specialising in bespoke flexible silicone heater mats that can heat up to 250 degrees Celsius.
Technical Manager at Holroyd Components Andy Fitzpatrick said: “To maintain the high standard of quality and service that our customers have come to expect, Holroyd Components Ltd have an ongoing programme of investment in plant, machinery and resources. This has enabled us to offer high-quality products, in accordance with an ISO9001:2015 Quality System with a fast, flexible and efficient delivery for both small quantities and large batch orders.”
Holroyd Components bought their first Zund G3 Digital Cutter in 2015 as part of a manufacturing process transformation. They have moved away from hand and die cutting the final shape of the silicone heater to using the latest Zund, digital cutting automation.
An S3 cutter quickly followed for the cutting of silicone raw materials.
Fitzpatrick added: “In the past we used to hand cut the silicone glass fibre laminate using a metal template and a Stanley knife. This process was very time-consuming and maintaining the accuracy was very challenging[.]We knew we needed to move with the times and decided to purchase a Zund cutter, which we had been considering for a while.”
Digitising the cutting process has revolutionised the company’s manufacturing process and benefited Holroyd Components in other ways.
“Once we would hand-cut the finished heater to size or used die cutting blades to cut the more intricate final shapes,» Fitzpatrick continued. «We now use the large Zund G3 XL-3200 cutter for this and save so much on time and cost. In the past we used to outsource the tooling of the cutting dies for each job and store them in our warehouse for up to two years incase there was another order from the same customer. The saving in time and warehouse space does make a significant impact, especially when we are producing 30-plus bespoke designs everyday.”
Holroyd Components has grown its Zund fleet to seven cutters, each doing a variety of jobs as part of the manufacturing process. The company bought their latest Zund G3 XL-3200 in March 2021 to increase production capacity. Fitzpatrick concluded: “The versatility of the Zund cutters is exceptional, hence we keep purchasing more cutters. In the past we would have different processes for roll cutting, intricate final cuts and drilling pin boards. The Zund cutters have absorbed all the different processes and reduced the need to move materials between different machinery."