Through a collaboration with Winchester College Head of Design Technology, Simon Tarrant, and educational supplier, Rapid, ENL Limited have brought to market a construction set that enables people of all ages to have fun whilst learn about structures and forces – how to make things stand up!

On display at the Big Bang Fair, was a full-size racing car chassis built from Enstruct parts and a selection of tubes and connectors for visitors to the show to try out on the stand. From robots to aeroplanes, the future engineers and scientists visiting the stand demonstrated that, with a bit of imagination and teamwork, it is possible to build exciting life-size structures with Enstruct.

Saturday, the final day of the show, was probably the busiest, with around 300 people visiting the Enstruct stand. Interest came from primary school teachers through to University lecturers, as well as parents’ and their very excited children.  The show was a success as orders for Enstruct starter kits have been placed with Rapid (the exclusive distributor) since exhibiting.

Other PR events are planned to raise awareness of this new product, designed to transform the learning of science and engineering in schools and to be used for team building activities at universities, engineering firms and architectural practices.

ENL is continuously investing in new equipment to maintain the highest standards of production required for applications in the civil aviation, automotive and defence industries. The acquisition of a new Moisture Analyser means ENL can provide further empirical evidence that the high quality required for these industries is maintained in the manufacture of components made of hygroscopic polymers.

Clients know they can rely on the injection moulding division to produce high-specification, high-performance materials. They are assured that the final product will show no signs of  problems in the field due to deterioration of mechanical properties as they are provided with tangible evidence that the required amount of moisture is removed from all polymers.

ENL is confident and proficient  in adhering to stringent standards set out by their customers and customarily produces documentation that shows the traceability and treatment of materials, including preparation of the polymer. Additionally, processing of materials in the injection moulding machine is controlled, recorded and understood at every stage.

The Moisture Analyser is quick and easy to use and can test different materials at different temperatures for varying periods of time with all results recorded on a database on a standard PC. As such there is demonstrable evidence that materials are always in the correct condition for moulding.

ENL have trialed and tested the moisture analyser on a full range of products and materials before and after drying to an accuracy of 0.001%. This in house in vivo testing showed that all materials are dried below manufacturers recommended levels.

An added advantage to using a moisture analyser is improving ENL’s Green credentials as time, money and energy can be saved by not over drying materials.

The A & D MS 70 moisture analyser is just one tool ENL use to satisfy the PPAP requirements in the automotive industry and conformance to AS 9100 in the aerospace industry.

For example, ENL are proud to be supporting the Airbus A350XWB program.  This new Airbus program brings together the very latest in aerodynamics, design and advanced technologies in the A350 XWB to provide a 25 per cent step-change in fuel efficiency compared to its current long-range competitor. Contributing to this performance are the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines that power the A350 XWB family.

Over 70 per cent of the A350 XWB’s weight-efficient airframe is made from advanced materials, combining 53 per cent of composite structures with titanium and advanced aluminum alloys. The aircraft’s innovative all-new Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) fuselage results in lower fuel consumption, as well as easier maintenance.

ENL are a key supplier for the fuel-pipe application which uses a moulded Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a semicrystalline thermoplastic which operates at extremely high temperatures (260 degrees celsius). PEEK has one the lightest strength to weight ratios and exhibits outstanding resistance to aggressive chemicals.

To celebrate our success, we commissioned a new brochure that describes our aerospace services. You can read it by clicking on the following link: ENL-Aerospace-web.

As ENL continues to widen it’s business horizons with new clients and equipment, it’s sustainable, organic growth is reflected in the 36.2% increase in turnover in 2011. The thriving company order books continue to expand with this months orders up 16.5% on last month.

With growth comes the responsibility to consistently deliver on-time quality and ENL lives up to its customers expectations. In December 100% of scheduled repeat orders were made and delivered on-time with 98.28% rate for remaining clients.

With ENL going from strength to strength and materials utilisation at 96.4%, systems are being put in place to increase this figure to 97.5% over the coming months. Another area ENL is succeeding in is the cost of scrap. It remains at less than half the bench mark at 0.72% enabling ENL to provide the competitive prices clients are looking for while not compromising on traceability or quality.

ENL is accustomed to working with OEM’s and as such is used to being audited.  This month ENL passed an audit made by a new automotive customer with flying colours surpassing the pass rate by over 30%. The management team is continually on the look out for areas where improvements can be made and strategies are in play to make the next audit even closer to 100%.

With production in Slovakia and the UK, ENL is continually winning contracts for plastic injection moulding in the automotive and aerospace industries because they can produce the standards these demanding industries require.

Launched in 2009, The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the UK’s biggest single celebration of science and engineering for young people, aiming to inspire them through engaging and interactive activities, workshops and shows.

The Big Bang Fair also hosts the finals of the National Science & Engineering Competition. Open to all 11-18 year olds living in the UK and in full-time education, the competition rewards students who have achieved excellence in a science, technology, engineering or maths project.

Last Year Professor Brian Cox presented the prizes for these prestigious awards and this year BBC One’s Bang Goes the Theory will be on stage to test, stretch, explain and experiment with science and how it shapes the world around us. The Bang Goes the Theory Crew believe that the best science lets you try, find out and prove things for yourself and this is exactly what Enstruct, a product manufactured by ENL, does.

Enstruct brings the abstract world of forces to life in an exciting way by creating and making life size structures in the classroom. ENL, a specialist in plastic injection mouldings, is excited to produce the components to this fabulous teaching aid and encourages everyone to see the Enstruct stand at the NEC from the March 15 – 17.

In exchange for an exclusive manufacturing license, ENL provided all the tooling that has facilitated this new design becoming reality.

Enstruct is a connector system that is designed for use in educational establishments that teach the basics of structure and forces. It enables individuals or groups to create life size structures including bridges, car chassis or light aircraft, bringing the theoretical forces taught in schools to life. Enstruct can be utilized in Science and Drama lessons and its application extends to team building exercises & problem solving and due to its structural strength, to the provision of emergency shelters in disaster zones.

Enstruct was launched to much applause at the Design & Technology with ICT Education Show, at the NEC last year and can be bought online at www.rapidonline.com/enstruct.

This will help ENL fulfill the new 10-year contract they have signed. This new machine ensures that ENL can continue to deliver exceptional quality in-house as well as managing the increase in volume that follows the new contract.

The Citizen A32 has been commissioned and has already produced 10,000 steel inserts over-molded with plastic for their ongoing automotive contract. As ENL are in a period of rapid expansion and development, we have bought another two lathes that will be delivered in 2013 and 2014.

Ben Sheppard, the General Manager in Slovakia, is very excited about this ‘seriously nice piece of equipment’. It holds a 22μ (micron) tolerance, has a Cpk of 5.3 and is more than 2.5x faster than the current machines used by our closest competitors!’

To support this growth the office team has expanded by 30% including new quality and technical roles.