Foundry Trade Journal

August 2001

It was in 1896 that Arthur Timson and Charles Bullock set up their shoe manufacturing machine repair business in the Northamptonshire town of Kettering. Today, that business has developed into a world leader in the manufacture of rotary printing presses for the custom book sector.

One essential criterion for the efficient running of any printing press is that it is built to machine tool standards. As a book press requires between 30 and 40 tonnes of castings in the form of bed plates, side frames, fold cylinders, spacers, oil sumps, gear boxes etc, the ready availability of these parts to a press manufacturer is clearly vital.

Arthur Timson began manufacturing printing presses in 1907, buying in his castings from local suppliers. However, to support the company’s expansion into rotary presses during the 1920s, he realised that an uninterrupted supply of high quality castings had to be assured and he should consider producing these vital components in house. In 1927 a local foundry was purchased, this enabling Timsons to undertake the complete press manufacturing process. The first cast under new ownership took place in June 1927.

Top quality mandatory

A selection of recently produced castings

Because of this, the foundry must supply castings that are sound so the often numerous machining operations they undergo prior to assembly into the press may be carried out without revealing any internal defects. The Timsons foundry benefited from a major upgrade in the late 1970s when electric melting was introduced, this being followed a few years later with a new sand system and reclamation equipment. However, as the century neared its end, it was time for a complete re-appraisal of the foundry to ensure that product quality could be maintained and capacity was able to keep pace with the demands of the Timsons machine shops.

By many standards the new foundry may not be regarded as being particularly large, employing just 15 people and selling to its parent company (the foundry acts as a separate profit centre) around 500 tonnes of castings each year. These comprise mainly one offs and very small batches. But what does set it apart from many larger casters is its ability to produce parts exceeding 2,000kg finished weight. The majority of these are in grey iron although some sg is also cast.

Re-planned layout

Heavy castings are a speciality of the Timsons foundry.

West Midlands based FTL - Foundry Equipment supplied the two new sand mixers, the larger processing up to 10 tonnes per hour of furan resin bonded sand. That company was also responsible for the sand reclamation system. Such is the efficiency of the mechanical attrition unit, that moulds comprise 90% reclaimed material.

Post casting operations can often turn a relatively clean foundry into a very dirty one, but this is far from the case at Timsons whose facility is remarkably free from dust, fume and general dirt. The new fettling shop includes two purpose built booths, extraction being via a Gwyn Thomas 538m3 per minute system. Four new cranes, three of five tonnes capacity and one of 10 tonnes and supplied by Morris Cranes of Loughborough who also use Timsons castings, complete the list of capital equipment.

Expertise for an outside market

An aerial view of the Timsons foundry at Kettering, Northamptonshire, England.

Not only does the foundry have some of the most modern plant and equipment presently available and the in house skills to produce high quality components, it also enjoys considerably enhanced capacity.

The latter attribute in particular gives potential customers confidence to purchase from a ‘tied’ foundry as it reduces the likelihood of ‘divided loyalties’ when in house demands approach available capacity. Although the Timsons press business is flourishing, there is plenty of foundry capacity for all.

Mr Brown says that the foundry is now ideally placed to rapidly process orders comprising relatively small quantities but where top quality is mandatory. Certainly, all parts supplied for in house use must comply with those criteria, a fact that augurs well for outside customers.

For further information, please contact Jon Walker at Timsons or complete the reply form.

Return to the TOP

Timsons launch new ZMR press at Print 2001

August 2001

Print 2001 was the launch pad for Timsons’ latest development - the T48A ZMR bookpress.

True zero make ready for one colour work
This offset press with its vertical web line delivers true Zero Make Ready on one colour books. While one unit prints at speeds up to 400 m/min., the pressman is changing plates on the other unit. At the appropriate time the new unit is accelerated and synchronised at web speed. As soon as the last signature is produced, the new unit starts to print - no loss of time and a major saving in paper waste.

Fast make ready for two colour work
This is not the only benefit - the T48A ZMR’s design with a blanket to blanket distance of less than 40 inches, gives greater control for tight register two colour work. Although it is necessary to stop the press for a plate change, it still takes advantage of Timsons Semi-Automatic Plate Changing System; unloading the old plates and loading the new plates simultaneously, first on the bottom unit and then on the top.

Shaftless drive technology
At the heart of the ZMR design is a state-of-the-art AC servo drive, the result of a joint development between Timsons and Indramat - a leading supplier of this technology.

“With America being our largest market, the Chicago Print exhibition is of significant importance,” says Timsons MD Peter Brown. “It was here in 1997 that we launched the T48A and we now have over 30, either installed or in the course of manufacture.”

Custom built for maximum profitability
The T48A ZMR, like the T48A, is designed for optimum performance. Print cylinder circumference and web width are chosen to minimise trim waste and maximise the number of pages in the signature. The folder can be selected from Timsons comprehensive range, creating a press capable of meeting the unique requirements of each individual book printer.

The T48A at the Chicago exhibition was demonstrated in full Zero Make Ready mode printing 1400 copies of a 192 page book in ten minutes..

For further information on the new Timson ZMR press please contact Jeff Ward, Sales Director, at Timsons or complete the reply form.

Return to the TOP