JJ Churchill to showcase Blue Photon tech at FIA
Aerospace engineering firm JJ Churchill will be showcasing its new Blue Photon technology at the biennial Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) in July, which has reduced by half the number of machining operations per part number.
The technology has already been successfully applied to a titanium aluminide blade component, which is an extremely difficult material to fixture and machine. Each machining operation can need its own fixturing, so any reduction in the number of operations will have a huge impact on the efficiency of the process.
JJ Churchill will also be presenting its EDM capabilities, an area where it has recently invested heavily.
The company is focused on ‘sticky niches’ - niches which require a high degree of technical and organisational skill. It works in areas which require highly skilled engineering in difficult geometries, difficult dimensions and challenging materials – the type of project where the first reaction is: “That can’t be done”.
Mark Cooper, JJ Churchill’s Managing Director, said: “Blue Photon has substantially increased the capacity and accuracy of our machining operations. We have always manufactured the highest quality components. Now we can do it more quickly and more precisely than before. We will build on this by continuing to invest in the latest technology and apply it to the benefit of our aerospace and power generation customers around the world.”
Adrian Maughan, NCMT Engineering Director, said: “Blue Photon technology enables engineers to realise benefits not possible previously with mechanical fixtures alone. JJ Churchill have utilised the Blue Photon technology in a very innovative way to deliver productivity benefits for their customers.”
Based in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, JJ Churchill employs 140 people, and manufactures high precision gas turbine components for the aerospace industry as well as high horsepower diesel engine components and assemblies for industrial and power generation applications.