Timely action, on site, can make all the difference. The vital importance of having a defibrillator on our premises was brought home to us recently when a team member suffered a cardiac arrest. Mites are critical in such a situation. We were fortunate to have paramedics promptly on the scene and our colleague returned to full health but this was a wake-up call. We now have an AED defibrillator installed in reception and members of staff trained in its use. Such a small, straightforward addition to ‘office equipment’, yet one that could be truly invaluable for both employees and visitors.
We are hiring - Senior QHSE Engineer
We have an exciting new role at Powdertech Surface Science as part of our ongoing investment in growth and development. We are looking for a senior QHSE Engineer to work within our Operations team. This key role will contribute to the company’s growth strategy , with a focus on continuous improvement.
Powdertech Surface Science is an innovative company with an enthusiastic and mutually supportive team, proud of our leadership position in the industry. We have a culture of technical excellence, long-term customer relationships and a desire to exceed customer expectations.
Full details of the role can be found here.
If you are interested in this position please contact Phil Tyler by sending your CV and covering letter to the address below.
We look forward to hearing from you.
phil.t@powdertech.co.uk
Expert precision coating in a brand new Powdertech unit.
The recently installed facility for our INTRICOAT service is already improving coating control and throughput for our customers’ machined components. These complex pieces of engineering are guided smoothly through all INTRICOAT masking and powder coating stages in a brand new room created within our plant.
We are receiving increasingly intricate machined parts for precision powder coating, driven as ever by the pace of technological change, together with requirements for sustainability and end-of-life considerations. Powder coating is VOC-free and removable at EOL allowing the metal to be re-used, benefits which are becoming increasingly meaningful to customers.
Visit the INTRICOAT page to learn more.
Powdertech Surface Science appoints Phil Tyler as Operations Director.
We are delighted to welcome Phil Tyler to our team as Operations Director. Phil joins Powdertech Surface Science having overseen manufacturing processes and output in the automotive, rail and energy sectors, most recently working as Head of Manufacturing for Oxford Instruments Nano Science. This high-level technical experience across demanding sectors will be vital in ensuring that our operations are further optimised. From the processes we deliver to our automotive clients to the work we increasingly conduct for clients with complex machined components, Phil’s domain knowledge and understanding of the client base will be invaluable.
Phil said “I’m joining a highly motivated and dedicated team here at Powdertech Surface Science. There are many exciting projects underway and others in the pipeline so I am looking forward to being a part of, and contributing to, the growth of this innovative company.”
Phil Tyler, Operations Director.
Exclusive facility for powder coating work on intricate, machined components
We anticipate huge benefits for clients, especially those in the medical sector, from our new clean coating room. We’re gearing up to have the room and next door lab filmed as a virtual tour so that clients can see how expertly their components are treated. In the meantime, here’s how we built a new room inside our factory.
Looking forward to the benefits from our brand new specialist facility
Our new specialist masking and coating room within our plant is almost ready to go. Everything has come together, thanks to hard work from all concerned. Measurements all correct down to the last mm as you can see as the well wrapped oven enters the building. This new room will give us increased control over output in specialist intricate work and increase turnaround times for our customers.
Recruiting for two new posts - see this entry and the entry below.
In addition to the Operations Director position shown below we are also recruiting a Process Improvement Engineer to take on 6-9 month project. The job title says it all - work from our customers continues to increase in volume and process improvement is needed to enhance capacity within our plant. Our Process Improvement Engineer will have proven experience in analysing engineering production processes and designing and implementing change improvements. They will also need to be experienced in complex Project Management.
We are an innovative company, always looking for ways to help our customers with their technical challenges as well as continually improving our own systems and facilities. We are a friendly and supportive company, proud of everything that Powdertech Surface Science is achieving through great team work.
The position is advertised on a number of recruitment sites. Click HERE to see the full job description on one of those. (The CV Library). We look forward to hearing from you.
Growth at Powdertech continues
Many of our clients are in sectors which continue to grow and they need increased support from us. We feel very fortunate and in order to continue provide the highest possible level of service we are recruiting for a senior Operations Director.
This is an exciting role with opportunities to create a significant impact on our current business and future growth. The successful applicant will be someone who thrives in a technically demanding operation, has a flair for creating positive change and enjoys establishing organisational clarity alongside maximising efficiency. Our new Operations Director will be responsible for the day to day running of all operations functions, and for ensuring a culture of continuous improvement across those activities.
We are known for production excellence, engagement with our clients and their businesses and continuous improvement to exceed client expectations.
We are an enthusiastic and mutually supportive team, proud of our leadership position in the industry.
The position is advertised on a number of recruitment sites. Click HERE to see the full job description on one of those. (The CV Library). We look forward to hearing from you.
Joining in Car Body Engineering
We are looking forward to presenting at ‘Joining in Car Body Engineering 2021 – Detroit meets Bad Neuheim’, 19-22nd April, together with bigHead Bonding Fasteners. The presentation is an exciting update to LeanBonding - namely Lean BondingPP in which PowderBondPP forms easy, secure bonds between metal and PP. Joining technology is central to technical discussions within automotive industry as it transforms and embraces advanced mixed material concepts. Both the US and European conferences will take place virtually, forming an all-virtual Automotive Circle Joining in Car Body Engineering week, 2021. Make sure you are there to hear the latest developments.Register at https://www.automotive-circle.com/en/conferences/joining-conference-week
Investing in sustainability
Our solar panels may only be a drop in the ocean but if, individually, we can all keep a few kilograms of carbon dioxide out of the air, and a few bits of plastic out of the sea, collectively we can make a real difference.
Thank you to Harvest Green Developments for the installation and to Aerial Film & Photography for capturing the effort.
PowderBond as an enabler in EV manufacturing
This week has seen more press coverage of the Watt EV Company Coupe designed by Neil Yates. The vehicle incorporates a lightweight modular PACES platform for EV, referred to as bonded aluminium ‘skateboard’ and this is made super-strong and secure using our adhesive-free PowderBond system, bonding aluminium to PP in a single step and with outstanding results for strength, repeatability and reliability. We are delighted to be making a contribution to the revolution in EV automotive engineering and manufacture.
We feel very proud......
Meet our new Coatings Production Manager
We are very pleased to announce that Andrew Simpkins has joined us in the role of Coatings Production Manager at an exciting time in the company’s growth. With training in LEAN manufacturing methodology and six-sigma principles, Andrew is a strong addition to our management team. He has previously worked in the exacting electronics and vacuum sectors, providing highly specified products for regulated industry sectors including medical, safety, defence and semi-conductors. Andrew brings experience of managing complex production operations where strong people management skills are needed to guarantee the quality of finished products.
Andrew said, “Working with the team at PSS is a great chance to use my practical experience and training in a company that is moving forward at pace, and to ensure that all clients are provided with the quality of work they expect.”
PowderBondPP shortlisted for an engineering award.
Congratulations to our PowderBond team - we are on the short list for The Engineer UK ‘Collaborate to Innovate’ award, for PowderBondPP - strong, easy to apply and reliable bonding process for PP to metal. Thank you also to Stalcom Automotive Technologies Limited, one of our long time collaborative partners, using PowderBondPP in some of its recent designs.
Introducing our Coatings Engineer
We are very pleased to introduce Ian Manning as our new Coatings Engineer. Ian has a wealth of experience in all things powder coating, having recently been responsible for new coating projects at Triumph Motorcycles Ltd including setting up coatings plants overseas. He also brings practical skills in wet paint, assembly and testing. Powdertech Surface Science is growing in exciting new sectors with new technologies, and Ian’s expertise will be invaluable.
Ian said “I’ve had a very warm welcome at Powdertech and I’m excited by the projects that James, Stuart and Nick have discussed with me. The opportunity for further growth within the company is clear, technically challenging in some instances - and that’s a good thing. I am looking forward to being part of an innovative forward thinking team and helping to bring new and improved solutions to clients ”
Unrivalled strength of PowderBondPP confirmed in independent evaluation.
The metal fastener was bonded to PP composite. Under tests the bond reached tensile bond strength reaching 7MPa. The bond remained intact but the composite substrate failed and remains firmly attached to the surface of the metal fastener.
PowderBondPP® is delivering impressive results in its evaluation by bigHead Fasteners Ltd for bonding polypropylene composite to metal. These results confirm that the strength of the metal-PP bond achieved by PowderBondPP surpasses any current adhesive-based methods.
PowderBondPP is an innovative bonding method, developed by Powdertech Surface Science to address the known shortcomings in current polypropylene-to-metal bonding systems. With no need for an adhesive or composite surface preparation it is a lean manufacturing process, quick and simple. bigHead Lean Bonding® process capability offers a fast, clean and reliable way to bond fasteners onto composites and metal substrates. Bonding to thermoplastics, such as PP, is one area that the company is researching and PowderBondPP is being assessed a means of extending the company’s Lean Bonding capability to include polypropylene (PP) composite.
PowderBondPP demonstrates tensile bonds strengths greater than 10MPa, and lap shear strengths above 15MPa. James Grant, Director, Powdertech Surface Science said, “In developing PowderBondPP the key criterion was strength of the bond. Yes, we were looking for a cleaner, simpler and faster method than traditional adhesive application, but none of these benefits would mean anything if the bond itself was not strong and reliable. The rigorous tests underway with the bigHead team are a valuable independent verification of PowderBondPP’s strength and reliability.”
bigHead fastener surface covered in composite from the failed substrate.
Composite surface showing where the fastener was attached.
Further expansion of our team with a second new post
We are now recruiting a technically skilled Powder Coating Engineer to become the technical ‘go-to’ person for our customers. This will be someone who is keen to solve challenging technical issues and can communicate well with customers and suppliers in order to fully understand the customer requirement. As well as designing coating solutions for complex products the role will involve the coating of prototypes and some low volume commercial products.
This position is a vitally important one as our business growth encompasses new technologies in addition to coating intricate products from niche, regulated industry sectors.
We have a culture of technical excellence, long-term customer relationships and continuous improvement to exceed customer expectations. We are a friendly and enthusiastic team and we look forward to hearing from you.
The position is advertised on a number of recruitment sites. Click here to see the full job description on one of those sites (Totaljobs).
Expanding our team to support continued growth
We feel fortunate and very pleased to announce that we continue to grow as our clients move from busy to busier. We need to add to our team in order to support this growth.
We are starting by recruiting a top-class Production Manager. This is a crucial role for our business and requires someone who thrives in a technically demanding operation, has a flair for creating positive change and can think on his or her feet. Our new Production Manager will lead and manage a team of ten people and also liaise with customers.
We have a culture of production excellence, engagement with our clients and their businesses and continuous improvement to exceed client expectations.
We are a friendly, small (but getting bigger) enthusiastic team and we look forward to hearing from you.
The position is advertised on a number of recruitment sites. Click here to see the full job description on one of those (Totaljobs).
Powdertech Surface Science invests in the latest Gema equipment
This month we are excited to see the instalment of the latest GEMA OptiCentre powder management system and GEMA’s SIT dense phase powder pumps to upgrade one of our powder coating lines. This is a big investment during these testing times but we are busy and our focus is on continuing to provide customers with the most efficient, accurate and prompt powder coating work. The GEMA OptiCentre injector technology integrates with the GEMA Magic rapid colour change process we already have in place and the combined system delivers even higher quality finishes whilst maximising throughput.
This upgrade instalment further enhances our plant facilities which include three pre-treatment lines and two spray booths, one for small and intricate pieces, the larger with capacity for up to 4M lengths. You can find out more about our facilities by visiting Our Facilitiy
Lightweight technology for low emission vehicles: £15m ALIVE project
We are proud to announce that we are one of the partners in a group that has been awarded the £15M ALIVE project with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK to develop manufacturing processes for lightweight, crash-resistant battery enclosures, for use in ultra-low emission vehicles. We will be working alongside Constellium, BCAST Brunel, BMW Group, Volvo Cars, WMG University of Warwick, Expert Tooling and Automation Ltd and Innoval Technology. In this latest round of Government and industry funding for low-carbon emissions research, the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) has awarded £73m to 10 projects. The collaborative project we are working on, together with the automotive manufacturers, suppliers and academia named above, is one of ten projects seeking to achieve around 60 million tonnes of CO2 reduction.
