Tooling development - New products reduce machining times and lead times for railway components

摘要

New carbide tooling is playing a key role in a multi-million-pound capital investment project at Balfour Beatty Rail Track Systems (BBRTS), having helped to reduce machining and lead times for railway switches and crossing points produced at the company's Sandiacre site in Nottingham. In one particular application - the machining of swing-nose crossings (SNCs) - parts that were previously manufactured over 10 working days using a two-shift pattern now take just 30hr to complete.