Wallwork Group invests £10M in new UK-based Hot Isostatic Pressing facility

EquipmentNews
July 11, 2023

July 11, 2023

Wallwork Group has established a new HIP Centre in Bury (Courtesy Wallwork)
Wallwork Group has established a new HIP Centre in Bury (Courtesy Wallwork)

Wallwork Group, headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester, UK, has announced it is establishing a £10 million, state-of-the-art Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) centre at its Bury site. Housed in a newly prepared 2500 m2 facility, the first of the new HIP machines is expected to be fully operational in September 2023.

“As the UK’s premier independent heat treatment, vacuum brazing and advanced ultra-hard coatings company, this is a significant expansion of Wallwork’s thermal processing services and is part of a commitment to invest £20 million over the next five years,” stated director, Simeon Collins. “It cements our position as the UK one-stop shop for component manufacturers. All secondary processes are easily accessible on this site or another Wallwork site and backed by our national pickup/delivery transport fleet.”

THE WORLD OF METAL AM TO YOUR INBOX
Subscribe to our twice-weekly newsletter
Register now

James Bailey and David Loughlin are reportedly heading the new Wallwork HIP Centre, along with Andy Day in sales. Loughlin will be joining the company in the new role of HIP Business Manager, having extensive experience in managing a HIP facility in Europe.

“The demand for HIP is growing quickly, in part driven by the leaps forward in Additive Manufacturing technology,” Loughlin explained. “HIP is extremely efficient at removing the porosity from AM parts made from metal powders – this densification process is often the only way for AM builds to fulfil their safety critical potential. With the Quintus URC system to reduce cycle times and high-pressure capability, we are set to meet customer demand and expectations in these developing areas. Compared to the US and Europe, the UK has been lagging behind in HIP capacity. This investment, and those planned by Wallwork, will go a long way to rectify that. In addition to Wallwork’s focus on quality, service and value added, I’m looking forward to developing some new relationships for the company.”

The first of the new HIP machines supplied by Quintus Technologies will be operational in September 2023 (Courtesy Wallwork)
The first of the new HIP machines supplied by Quintus Technologies will be operational in September 2023 (Courtesy Wallwork)

Quintus has over 2000 systems working worldwide in industries including aerospace, energy, medical implants, space, automotive, Additive Manufacturing, Powder Metallurgy, castings and food processing.

Bailey added, “The Quintus Technologies’ HIP operates at pressures from 40 to 207 MPa (5,800 to 30,000 psi) and temperatures up to 1250°C. The new unit being installed has the latest technology capable of rapid cooling and also the ability to increase cycle pressures to aid with new engineering advances particular in Additive Manufacturing. This requires some major engineering and civil works, hence the high investment we need to make to enter this growing market. The ability to improve material fatigue properties, ductility, structural integrity and fracture toughness applies to AM, castings, forgings and subtractive engineered components. Components with complex geometries can also be processed to near-net shape, saving customers additional machining steps and therefore cost.”

Inside the HIP Centre where installation of the new HIP machines has begun (Courtesy Wallwork)
Inside the HIP Centre where installation of the new HIP machines has begun (Courtesy Wallwork)

The design phase for the new HIP centre began during the pandemic and presented many unforeseen challenges for Wallwork and the team at Quintus Technologies. “This has forged a solid working relationship and gives us great confidence in their support for the technology going forward as we continue to invest,” Collins added. “As the Bury site is already the largest single-site UK heat treating facility with an aerospace scope covering nine Nadcap check sheets, we expect to be adding new certifications and approvals for HIP as quickly as possible. We also have a dedicated online customer portal in development that will aid load scheduling.”

As well as its Bury facility, the company also has sites in Cambridge, Birmingham and Newcastle.

www.wallworkht.co.uk

quintustechnologies.com

EquipmentNews
July 11, 2023

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Aluminium Additive Manufacturing: How a new generation of alloys will fuel industry growth
  • Shaping a national Additive Manufacturing ecosystem: The strategic growth of metal AM in Türkiye
  • How metal Additive Manufacturing is transforming modern hydraulic systems
  • High-performance product development in the era of computational design: a case study with nTop and NASA
  • The Additive Manufacturing of record-breaking pure copper heatsinks for high-performance computing applications
  • The Additive Manufacturing of tool steels: how non-linear modelling enables precise hardness control

Join 40,000+ other AM professionals – follow us online

Don’t miss a thing – register for our newsletter

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Register now

Looking for AM machines, metal powders or part manufacturing services?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data
Find suppliers

About Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine

Metal AM magazine, published quarterly in digital and print formats, is read by a rapidly expanding international audience.

Our audience includes component manufacturers, end-users, materials and equipment suppliers, analysts, researchers and more.

In addition to providing extensive industry news coverage, Metal AM magazine is known for exclusive, in-depth articles and technical reports.

Our focus is the entire metal AM process from design to application.

Each issue is available as an easy-to-navigate digital edition and a high-quality print publication.

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap