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Spring steel can't be sprung

A William Hughes product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 30, 2006

Engineers at William Hughes quickly identified a number of possible materials with the right characteristics for a leading manufacturer of security grilles

William Hughes, the specialist spring and bent wire manufacturer, is used to solving unusual problems.

So when a leading manufacturer of security grilles contacted the company about using hardened spring steel bars in the manufacture of window and door grilles, the engineers at William Hughes quickly identified a number of possible materials with the right characteristics.

The security grilles are manufactured by Professional Barrier Systems and used to protect the windows and doors in commercial premises.

Professional Barrier Systems also manufacturer a wide range of security cages to protect critical computer installations and sensitive data for government departments and organisations associated with the critical national infrastructure.

To deter attempts at unauthorised access, the grilles have to be resistant to attack by drilling or cutting with a hacksaw.

Spring steel, being a flexible and hard material, is an ideal choice for this application, taking much longer to drill or cut through than ordinary steel, stainless steel or aluminium.

The hardened steel bars supplied by William Hughes are contained within the profile of the grille, the design of which allows the bars to rotate adding further difficulties to the cutting or drilling attempt.

Extending the time required to gain access increases the chances of detection and gives more time for the security authorities to arrive on the scene.

"Having explained our requirements to the application engineers at William Hughes we were impressed with their knowledge of spring steels," said Peter Donald, Managing Director for Professional Barrier Systems.

"Several sample pieces were provided for our evaluation and rigorous testing".

"One of the samples performed particularly well in our simulated attack tests meeting our stringent demands." William Hughes is now supplying cut lengths of the bars to meet the production requirements of Professional Barrier Systems and as Peter Donald concludes, "We appreciate the help that William Hughes has provided to us and we are very happy with the quality of the products and service we receive".

Special material for security grilles is just one of the many problems solved by the engineers at William Hughes.

Much more than just a spring and bent wire supplier, William Hughes offers its customers the benefit of many years of design and manufacturing experience as well as a rapid design and prototyping service.

Once a final design is agreed, quality systems to ISO 9002 ensure consistency and accuracy of supply.

By investing in the latest CNC machines and quality procedures, continuity of supply is assured.

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