Consultancy
Our extensive research and development collaborations with leading Universities, research centres and OEMs, led to the formation of the Sarginsons Technology Centre. The Centre has five key objectives:
1. To introduce cutting-edge casting technology to early stage product development, enabling true Design for Manufacture
2. To reduce costs and improve quality by continually improving and refining Design for Manufacture philosophies
3. To de-risk decision making for Engineers and Purchasing Directors
4. To use the depth of our expertise to map possible futures for casting and associated technologies
5. To assess the impact of these evolving technologies
Our team encompasses experts in tool design, lightweighting, metallurgy, heat transfer, CAD design, real time 3D simulation with a combined 80 years expertise in low porosity aluminium casting. As leading advisors to British University research into casting technologies, we have unmatched access to the research facilities and expertise at the National Metals Research Park where we are development and lead partners at BCAST, AMCC, AMPC and LiME.
The Centre focuses on the transfer of our world leading liquid metal engineering knowledge at the very earliest stages of product conceptualisation. Engaging us as partners at the beginning the design process has proven to lead to optimal technical and commercial outcomes.
Our ability to communicate clearly current research and to understand emerging technologies, means that the Centre engages in wide-ranging consultancy projects on casting technologies, carbon fibre components, Metal Matrix Composites and the carbon aluminium hybrid structures of the future.
For Purchasing Directors, Product Designers and Engineers, our ability to consult on the commercial implications of new, emerging and existing technologies and allows you to future-proof their decisions.
The Centre has also been instrumental in helping Sarginsons secure major industry awards:
Awards
Cast Metals Federation – 2018: Casting of the Year
The award was won for the development and casting of a front sub-frame for Jaguar. The brief was to create an aluminium solution to replace the existing ferrous fabricated and welded assembly. This had never been done before and there was only a 12 week delivery time for prototypes.
A three-part pattern design was developed to optimise directional solidification and simulations were undertaken in tandem with the pattern manufacture to enable lean delivery times. The final 18kg casting has a sand cast variation of 0.1 per cent across the full sub-frame length and over 500 prototype parts have been supplied.
Coventry & Warwickshire Green Award – 2017
Sarginsons won the award for a concerted investment in low carbon manufacturing technology and for the development of the new recyclable new alloy BD1.
This alloy brings the concept of circular manufacturing closer to reality and will make a significant contribution to reducing the 300,000 tonnes of aluminium sent to landfill every year.
Cast Metals Federation – 2017: Innovation of the Year
This award was won in partnership with the Brunel University Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) for the development of the new secondary aluminium alloy, BD1.
The new alloy offers an 85% improvement in ductility, a 25% increase in yield strength over the industry standard aluminium alloy LM25 and “represents a major breakthrough in the possibilities for structural castings” (Roger Darlington, Director of Technology at BCAST).