polar-tech-group---sst

Polar Technology’s machining solutions supporting production of 3D printed products

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 10:51:29 GMT

Through utilising solutions from MSP, our machining capabilities have gone from strength to strength.

Two years on from the implementation of CNC manufacturing solutions from leading metrology provider MSP, the production of 3D printed products at Polar Technology continues to be one of our success stories.

In early 2022, we enlisted MSP’s support to increase productivity, reduce setup time and halve the machining cycle. The initial challenge had stemmed from the nature of additive manufacturing, with distortion often occurring within the build process and therefore requiring finish machining on a CNC machine to bring the part into tolerance. This is difficult however, as a precise alignment is needed to cut the part accurately, something which is hard to achieve when it is unknown how the part has changed in the build process.

The solution was to install MSP’s NC-PartLocator on our Mazak Variaxis i-600 CNC Machine. This automates the part setup process by calculating precise alignments for each machining operation, removing the need for any manual alignment and multiple machining steps. The software presents the machine operator with detailed graphic information at every stage of the process to ensure accuracy throughout.

We also utilised MSP’s NC-Checker, which produces automatic reports on the performance and accuracy of the machine tool, before any machining begins, which is crucial to ensure no machine errors will ripple down to the final additive parts.

The Variaxis i-600 offers 5-axis capability, enabling high-accuracy, high-speed machining of multiple surfaces. This machine, coupled with MSP’s software, has transformed our production of 3D printed products, leading to huge improvements in reliability, efficiency and consistency.

Thomas Rogers, Machine Shop Manager, said: “The knowledge we have gained over the past few years has helped us understand the challenges of machining additive products. We utilise the MSP software to optimise fixturing and part-setting. This has led to new and exciting projects for the business, including creating high-precision, intricate development parts for an aerospace supplier that were chosen over parts produced by their approved R&D lab.

“Our reliable and high-quality machining solution, along with inhouse additive manufacturing and fabrication departments, can offer a complete and robust product from design inception to final production.”

Aidan Wigham, MSP Technical Account Manager said: “At MSP it's our goal to enable our customers to achieve right-first-time production of high value and complex parts. It's impressive to see the results being realised by Polar Technology - their drive for innovation makes for an exciting partnership.”

For more information on our full machining capabilities, please click here: Capabilities (sstubetechnology.com)

For more information on MSP’s products, click here: Metrology for the CNC Manufacturing Industry (mspltd.com)

Health and Safety Committee Relaunched

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 12:45:00 GMT

Polar Technology have recently relaunched their Health and Safety Committee.

The committee is made up of representatives from across the company and will meet once a month to discuss all health and safety matters.
The purpose of the monthly meetings is to provide a forum for feedback and open discussion, to represent all employees by having a representative from each area of the business and to share progress on actions and improvement projects.
The inaugural meeting took place in July, and covered topics including dust extraction, noise improvements and new information signs for all doors. The committee are also assisting the QESH (Quality, Environment, Safety and Health) Team with a revised Health and Safety policy.

This relaunch is a further example of our continued commitment to providing the safest and most efficient workplace that we can for all our employees and ensuring the highest operating standards for our customers.

Polar Technology celebrate Cycle to Work Day

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 13:15:00 GMT

To mark the occasion, we were offering an incentive for the person who cycled the furthest distance, and a bacon sandwich and hot drink for everyone who had a go!

Last week, Polar Technology celebrated Cycle to Work Day. The point of the day is to encourage anyone to get in the saddle and experience the brilliant mental and physical benefits that everyday cycling offers.

Our participants all provided the details of their journey, as well as their cycling experience:
Scott Roberts, Co-Founder, said: “I cycled in from Denchworth, which is near Wantage, and back. I picked up Jake at Southmoor on the way in, which made it a 33 mile round trip. I normally cycle in two days a week, up the Ridgeway, on my Specialised Stump Jumper mountain-bike.”
Michelle Lewis, QESH Manager, said: “I cycled 35 miles in total, going a slightly different route home to avoid a busy stretch of road. I have a Trek Emonda ALR 4 Disc road bike in red and orange, which I love! I am a bit of a fair weather cyclist in general, though earlier this year I completed the Ride London-Essex 100.”
Lochlan Gunn, Manufacturing Development Engineer, said: “I completed my normal commute of around 12km from my home in Oxford and back, on my Colnago Titanio CT1 road bike, though unfortunately I got a puncture around the 8km mark on the day!”
Jake Longman, Paint Shop Manager, said: “As Scott said, he met me by my home in Southmoor, near Abingdon and then we completed the rest of the journey together, which is about 12 miles, and then the same on the return leg.”
The winner of the competition was our Laser Technician, Jay Hewlett , who clocked up an impressive 51 miles on the day, starting in Cowley in Oxford but taking a much longer scenic route on the way home to secure victory!
Jay explained: “I did extra on the way home as it was such a nice evening, which was another 40 miles; I must admit I did get a bit lost! The reason I pushed for that is I wanted to hit my first 50 miles in a day.” “I rode my new electric bike which is pedal assist only, so you can’t just cruise along, you still have to put the work in! I also called electric bikes cheating until I got one; it only has a 25-mile range at the most, so you can’t just ride with the power on all the time, you have to pick your moments.”

To further encourage cycling on a day-to-day basis, Polar Technology offer a Cycle to Work Scheme, to help colleagues spread the cost and save money on bike and safety equipment through salary sacrifice. More information can be found on our People page: People (polartechnology.co.uk)

International Women in Engineering Day

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 13:57:00 GMT

Hear from our female colleagues on their experiences

Despite the significant process made in the previous few years, it is estimated that only 16.5% of engineers in the UK are female, with a similarly low percentage for other roles within the wider engineering and manufacturing industries.
International Women in Engineering Day, which takes place on the 23 ^rd June this year, has become a platform to shine a spotlight on the women who are acting as trailblazers within the industry and inspiring future generations.
At Polar Technology, we recognise the issues of representation within the industries we operate in, and we have made significant progress in increasing our percentage of female employees, but we know there is still more we can do. To find out more about the experience of women within our workplace, we spoke with a number of our female colleagues to hear what they had to say:
Kay Bicker, Composite Technician “I’ve been at Polar Technology for six years, and I’ve seen a big increase in the number of women working here over that period. That has definitely changed the dynamic slightly within the moulded composite department, as we’ve moved away from an almost completely male environment.”
“My favourite part of my job is being able to take a product right the way through a process, from start to finish. That means that if I see a car at a show, I can have the satisfaction of knowing that I built a part of that.”
“I think the problem [of representation] is that industries like engineering and manufacturing are still gendered somewhat, and that starts at school. However, I think the increase in different kinds of opportunities, like apprenticeships for example, have given young girls another route in.”
Rosie Wilson, Trainee Quality Engineer “In my previous role, I worked in a manufacturing company in Swindon, where I was one of only two women on the entire factory floor. That can be quite daunting and sometimes your abilities and understanding are questioned, so there was definitely a sense of having to prove yourself.”
“I’m pleased to say that’s not been the case at Polar Technology, where instead it feels as if everyone is expected to arrive at the same level, regardless of whether you’re a man or a woman.”
“I think the issue is the lack of representation. Engineering was not an option that was advertised to me. However, the more women that get into the industry, the more it will be seen as an option for everyone. So, if you can’t see another woman doing the job you want, be the first to do it!”
Melody Leung, Quality Engineer “I think the first thing to say is that this is not just a UK issue, it’s a global problem. I’m from Hong Kong and there were the same prejudices there. Whilst things are definitely improving and ultimately, we are being treated the same as the men, I think it takes more dedication for a woman to get to that point.”
“So, whilst it’s good that we are getting the same opportunities now, a woman might have to do a bit more than a male counterpart in order to prove her worth.”
Iwona Opalczewska, Health and Safety Administrator “Before my role at Polar Technology, I worked in the construction industry for twelve years and I was the only woman. It was fine when I worked for my husband’s company, but then when I changed jobs, it became a massive challenge. Sometimes it felt that my male colleagues didn’t listen to me or respect my opinion.”
“That’s not been the case at Polar Technology thankfully and in our office in particular, there’s much more of an even split between men and women. I think what helps is that I’m not very ‘girly’, so it doesn’t really bother me being in a typically male-dominated environment. You get used to it over time!”
“The best part of my job is seeing the benefits of the changes you implement. People come and see me and tell me that a new policy is working or that their concerns are now being heard and acted on, and that’s very rewarding.”
“My advice to young women who might be considering a career in this industry is: Just go and do it. If you enjoy what you are doing, then there is nothing that should stop you.”

Sharon Barrett, HR Director at Polar Technology, added: “Having a more diverse workforce provides us with a greater range of talent, offering different ways of thinking, better problem solving and more creativity. Whilst diversity is not simply about gender, we did feel this was a real gap for us because the reality is we work in a sector where there is a clear gender imbalance. It has been important for us to develop an offering that is attractive to women and girls and dispel the outdated image that engineering is dull and boring.” This has led to a big focus on diversifying our workforce over the last seven years and we are starting to see the impact of that, with 40% of our trainee roles now filled by females. We also have some great role models here that new women coming into the industry can really look up to, and that’s why we know there is even more we can do.”
For more information about International Women in Engineering Day and the reasons to celebrate it, click here: https://www.inwed.org.uk/

Or if you are a woman looking for a role in the engineering or manufacturing industries, click here for our careers pages: People (polartechnology.co.uk)

It's Men's Health Week

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 07:32:00 GMT

Hear from our colleagues on how they've utilised the support services that are available.

This week is Men’s Health Week, and we are celebrating it by highlighting all the support we have available for our employees, as well as bringing in external experts to further champion everything to do with men’s health and wellbeing.
The purpose of Men’s Health Week is to act as a reminder of the importance of proactively addressing and managing health issues and to encourage men to take charge of their own wellbeing.
This links perfectly with our own internal policies, which centre around the “Five Ways” approach. This suggests that building the following five actions into our day-to-day lives can make a big, positive difference: 1. Connect- Make and sustain connections with the people around you, including family, friends and colleagues. 2. Be active- Discover a physical activity that you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness. 3. Take notice- Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling and savour the moment as much as you can. 4. Keep learning- Trying something new or taking on new responsibilities can make you feel more confident, as well as being fun. 5. Give- Relating yourself, and your happiness, to that of the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and helps to create further connections.
However, sometimes these simple fixes aren’t enough to cope with the pressures on our mind and body, and that’s where our internal support systems and range of benefits are so important. We spoke to our colleagues about how they’ve used the different types of support available to build healthier and happier lives:
Health Cash Plan:
The Health Cash Plan, provided in partnership with BHSF, allows Polar Technology employees to claim cash reimbursements for routine and emergency healthcare. It is available through a number of different packages, for both individuals and families, at different price brackets. The types of healthcare eligible for the reimbursements include dental costs, optical costs, therapy treatments, maternity/paternity and hospital inpatient costs.
Our Production Manager for Moulded Composites, has taken out a ‘Gold Family Package’, meaning his wife and children can also benefit from the scheme. He said “It’s almost paid for itself now, given how many things that we’ve been able to claim for. I went though some bad back problems last year and I’ve been having regular appointments with the chiropractor to help manage and prevent the issues, and I’m able to claim 75% of the costs back each time.”
“The app is so easy to use; you can track all your used and available benefits and the claims you’ve made so far, and then you can easily find the option you’re looking for when you process a new claim. All you need to do is add an electronic receipt or photo and that’s it, the money goes straight into your bank about three or four days later. It’s a no-brainer!”
Mental Health First Aiders/My Possible Self App
A key component of general health is mental wellbeing, and this is an issue that men in particular often suffer in silence with. We have trained Mental Health First Aiders on-site who are available to speak to colleagues when needed, and an app called ‘My Possible Self’ which offers interactive tools and activities to help manage your own mental wellbeing.
One colleague, who wished to remain anonymous, opened up about his experiences of the services available: “I think that I’d been really struggling with anxiety and depression for about three months before I reached out to Frankie, one of our Mental Health First Aiders. Following the discussions I had with Frankie and the management team, I was allowed to take some time away from work and then work out a schedule for easing me back in at my own pace.”
“I never felt any pressure from anyone to rush back before I was ready, and my team were so supportive. Frankie has been incredible; she checked in with me when I was away from the business and having someone to talk to that you trust is so important.”Over a year later, the difference has been significant, with the colleague now working his normal hours and above. He did recognise that this was an issue that may never fully go away and still uses the app occasionally to keep on top of how he’s feeling.
He was keen to encourage others to take advantage of the support that is available: “I honestly don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have the support. It’s also nothing to be embarrassed about and I hope that sharing my experience will help others come forward. If it helps one person, it will have been worth it.”
Employee Assistance Programme
After speaking to our Mental Health First Aiders, they can refer colleagues to our Employee Assistance Programme, a professional counselling service that can offer help with major life issues including stress, debt and bereavement, as well as other information and guidance.
This service is available free of charge for the first six sessions, and is strictly confidential. It only takes a brief description of the issues to be matched with a qualified counsellor, who can then offer support for as many sessions as is required.
One of our Machine Shop Controllers began using the counselling service about two months ago to help manage a difficult situation he was having in his home life: “I was struggling to deal with my partner’s son, who has severe ADHD, in the most constructive way and it was causing tension in our home. I had an initial consultation with the service, who referred me to the right person, and I’ve since had five sessions, with two more booked in the diary.”
“They have helped me to manage my own reactions and reconsider my behaviour, so that I can deal with the situations in a calmer way. I’ve also been able to better understand the behaviour of my partner’s son, through advice from my counsellor and reading online articles about ADHD. It’s definitely led to a better state of mind for me, and a better atmosphere at home.”

He recommended the service to anybody who might be struggling with an issue in their personal lives or at work: “It was so easy to set up and start speaking with someone. Since starting the sessions, I’ve noticed a massive difference.”

Polar Technology becomes members of the FAC

Tue, 21 May 2024 07:58:00 GMT

Polar Technology joins Farnborough Aerospace Consortium (FAC)

We are delighted to announce that we have become members of the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium (FAC), the longest-established aerospace and defence body within the UK, who currently boast over 250 members.
The benefits of an FAC membership include facilitating local and international trading, technology transfer and development and sharing of best practice, ultimately allowing members to boost their market share.
This opportunity is reflective of Polar Technology’s aims to build on our existing relationships within the aerospace and defence sector, as well as exploring new ones.
For more information about the FAC and its membership, click here: FAC Home

Polar presents £3,000 to Maggie's Oxford

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 14:56:00 GMT

Polar raises money to support the local charity Maggie's Oxford

On the 29th February, Polar Technology presented Maggie's Oxford with a cheque of £3,000 which was raised by the team in a series of events carried out in 2023.

Maggie's is a hospice for all cancer care, Maggie's centre is a space for being together or for a moment alone, for getting going again or for meeting people who just get it.

The charity was nominated in 2022 by the team at Polar Technology to be their annual charity to support.

Tracy Dewhirst, Group Marketing Manager said, "it has been a pleasure to work with Maggie's and support them as much as we can. The social committee and I enjoyed thinking up fundraising events to support Maggie's; from bake sales, lottery draws, raffles to racing events. It was great fun and all for a good cause too!"

Pip Dingle, Centre Fundraising Manager Oxford also added, "Wow, what an incredible total! This is great news and will help so many people, thank you so much - to you and all at Polar. Thank you again for everything you have done for Maggie's."

Joint Project between Polar and Moog on hydrogen storage solutions

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:15:19 GMT

"Hydrogen in a box"

Polar Technology Management Group Ltd has developed a novel concept in hydrogen storage and is working with Moog Controls to develop an integrated hydrogen storage and management solution termed “Hydrogen in a Box”. The system benefits are based around optimal packaging efficiency, gravimetric efficiency and the ability to integrate valves and control systems into one optimised solution.

A six-month long technology evaluation process has been completed and test hardware will now be manufactured. The design has been evaluated as Type 3 and Type 4 version for both 350Bar and 700Bar applications.

Kieran Burley, Lead Engineer at Polar Technology said “This is a very exciting time to be working on hydrogen storage solutions, there are so many opportunities for innovation, optimization and integration. Combining novel design solutions along with innovative manufacturing processes we can package hydrogen storage efficiently in a series of co-dependent chambers forming a storage bank, rather than fitting a number of standard independent cylinders into the space.”

Mark Lawton, Moog’s General Manager of the Aircraft Control Components division stated, “It has been great for Moog to collaborate with Polar in providing novel methods to efficiently store and release hydrogen in mission critical environments. This project is an integral part of Moog’s commitment to develop future green technology for commercial air travel.”

The joint project will establish an appropriate specification and set of system level requirements for hydrogen storage and delivery systems for aircraft and other Industrial applications.

Polar Technology Management Group acquires the assets of Concept Tooling Ltd

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 15:46:57 GMT

Working together to meet both our customer’s requirements whilst maintaining the high level of service

On 14 March 2023, Polar Technology acquired the assets of Concept Tooling Ltd, this will support existing customers from both businesses further accelerating growth and diversifying the organisation.

Scott Roberts, Co-Founder at Polar Technology said, “The acquisition of the assets of Concept Tooling significantly strengthens Polar Technology’s composite machining capability and capacity. We are delighted to welcome on board the team at Bicester who bring complementary skills to our operation and we look forward to accelerating our plans for future growth”.

Martin Dorney, Director at Concept Tooling added, ”This is great news for the team here at Concept Tooling as we can draw upon the skills and experience from the team at Polar by working together to meet both our customer’s requirements whilst maintaining the high level of service in place”.

Polar Technology will continue all operations from the same location in Bicester, retain key staff and offer the customers the same high level of service and support.

Supporting the local charity - Helen & Douglas House

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 08:59:26 GMT

SST announces £2000 donation to the local children's hospice

(Above: Polar Technology Group Chairman Mike Dewhirst and Helen & Douglas House Senior Philanthropy & Partnerships Manager Liza Clothier)

Mike Dewhirst, Chairman from Polar Technology Group said, “It has been a great pleasure to work with a local charity that our team chose to support. With the restrictions of the pandemic it proved a little difficult to organise fundraising events at the start but our internal social committee team became very creative with new fundraising ideas so it never stopped us adding to the charity pot!”.

“It was wonderful news and thank you so much for the £2,000 donation. Working with Polar on some events was so much fun. Hopefully our paths will cross again!” said Nardia Bissmire at Helen & Douglas House.

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 10:48:04 GMT

Come and see us at the Advanced Engineering Show in November!

The Polar Group ( Lentus Composites and SST Technology ) are getting ready for the Advanced Engineering Show held next month at the NEC, Birmingham.

The Group will be showing a vast display of engineering excellence in both composites and metallic technology.

If you are planning on attending the show, please pop by and speak to our friendly team on stand P124 . To sign up please click here .

Structural Metallics and Titanium Welding

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 15:23:52 GMT

Welding and Fabricating using exotic alloys

With over 20 years of experience welding and fabricating using exotic alloys, SST Technology, part of the Polar Technology Group has applied its expertise to a wide selection of safety critical applications with great success.

Example applications include winch and weapon frames for helicopters to roll over protection devices for military vehicles.

More recently the integrity and workmanship from SST has proven itself on a global stage. As the only UK approved manufactured of the FIA Halo device found on high performance open cockpit racecars including Formula One, the device has saved drivers from serious injury or worse since its introduction in 2018.

The welded grade 5 titanium structure is manufactured from precise machined and fabricated components welded and controlled against a stringent inhouse developed processes. Many of these processes are used across a number of other Aerospace and Defence based applications.

For more information at Farnborough International Airshow, please see the Polar Team in Hall 3 stand 3820 who will be happy to discuss your requirements.

Integrated Additive Manufactured Solutions

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 12:42:21 GMT

Solutions using additive layer manufacturing at SST

Working with customers in a variety of extremely demanding applications, Polar Technology Group has through its brand SST Technology positioned itself as a leader in the integration of metallic additive solutions.

What was traditionally machined, cast or fabricated can now be selected vs the benefits of additive manufacturing. A mature inhouse capability and thorough understanding of metal additive manufacturing means SST can partner closely with its customer to use additive as part of the overall solution opposed to offering a straight forward bureau service.

SST Technology delivers pipework solutions, complex merged ducts, flanges and housings using this exciting process.

For more information at Farnborough International Airshow, please see the Polar Team in Hall 3 stand 3820 who will be happy to discuss your requirements.

Celebrate with Pizza!

Thu, 12 May 2022 12:30:50 GMT

The Group celebrates achieving last month's target

April was a great month for SST and sister brand Lentus Composites as the Group achieves their monthly target.

Despite the unsettling period we have just experienced, it is great to see a positive turn and we thank the team here in Oxfordshire by having a Polar Pizza lunch to celebrate!

Polar Group asked local company Sartorelli's to provide fresh pizzas to the team. Needless to say, it all went down very well!

New machines installed to help extend our capabilities!

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 11:58:03 GMT

The Polar Group are pleased to announce that a new kit cutting machine and a burn-off oven was installed this week to help extend their capabilities further.

The new kit cutter will improve process speed and the efficiency in material usage which will help with the environment and enhance sustainability.

The burn-off oven has many benefits; it will capture better data, reduce emissions from the burn-off process and increase the speed of process times whilst giving us a bigger capacity in processing more parts at once.

Both machines will be in full use to enhance the engineering capabilities that both Lentus Composites and SST Technology already have.

"We are always looking to improve our processes making them leaner and cleaner for the environment. I am very pleased that these two machines are added to our in-house machine shop allowing us to deliver better products to our customers in the most efficient and effective way. " says Brad Airey, Group Machine Shop Manager.

Investing in the latest Cobot Welder

Thu, 27 May 2021 12:49:38 GMT

SST have recently acquired a Lorch TIG welding Cobot.

Cobot welding translates to collaborative robot welding for mid-sized businesses: quick, flexible and economical – a system made for the automation of small and medium batch sizes.

The TIG version launched last year in Germany and Lorch have only installed ten TIG systems in the UK to date. The COBOT enables welding to be automated through programming or manually positioning the torch at start and stop points. This type of welding automation leaves the welder in full control, while the robot executes the instructions precisely and exactly as given. It was acquired to help some of SSTs’ projects to improve efficiency whilst maintaining the precision and quality of the welding process.

SST have already found the Cobot has helped reduce welding times on a specific part of a project from 3 hours to under 30 minutes!

SST continues to develop and improve on their processes to help productivity for their customers.

Long Service Awards

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 14:56:57 GMT

On Wednesday 18th August saw a group of colleagues being treated to a well deserved lunch with senior members of the Polar Management Team.

The celebratory lunch was for the Long Service Awards at Lentus Composites and SST Technology – celebrating five and ten years of service within the Polar Technology Group.

“It was great to see how many of the team have remained loyal throughout the years. Feels like one big family!”, said Mike Dewhirst, Co-chairman.

The five year service awards were presented with a £400 voucher and the ten year service awards were presented with our personalised special TAG Heuer watch.