Specialist manufacturing through trusted UK partners

Injection moulding, metal pressing, tooling, specialist turning, electromechanical assembly and related production processes, coordinated as part of a Van Driel engineering and manufacturing scope.

A wider manufacturing route

When the right process sits outside our own works

Not every component should be fabricated or machined. Some requirements are better served by moulding, pressing, dedicated tooling, high-volume turning or specialist assembly.

Van Driel can bring those processes into the job through established UK manufacturing partners. We remain the engineering contact, define the requirement with you and make it clear where a partner process forms part of the manufacturing route. We do not present partner equipment as machinery located at East Harling.

This is useful when a product or assembly needs several manufacturing disciplines and you would rather discuss the complete requirement than source each process separately.

Typical starting points

A plastic or insert-moulded component that needs tooling and production
A pressed metal part where machining or fabrication is the wrong production route
A component that needs a dedicated mould or press tool
An existing sample or obsolete part that needs redesign or reverse engineering
A turned component, or a part needed as a moulding insert
An electromechanical product requiring component manufacture, assembly and test

Partner capacity

What the moulding route will take

Stated so you can tell in a few seconds whether your component fits, before either of us spends time on it. These are our partner's machine ratings, not equipment at East Harling.

25–160t

Injection moulding machine ratings in tonnes, low volume through to high

0.5–200g

Finished component weight

4routes

Vertical, horizontal, split-line feed and rotary table insert moulding

1scope

Tooling, moulding, pressing, assembly and test coordinated through Van Driel

Processes available

Specialist production capability

These processes are available through established UK manufacturing partners and can be incorporated into the agreed Van Driel scope where appropriate.

Moulding

Plastic injection moulding

Thermoplastic and engineering polymer components on machines rated 25 to 160 tonnes, for finished part weights of 0.5 to 200 g, from low volumes through to high, with tooling support.

Moulding

Insert moulding

Vertical, horizontal, split-line feed and rotary table routes. Inserts include resistors, diodes, thermistors and coil formers; lead-frames, contacts and terminals in loose or continuous reel form; and turned studs, nuts and washers.

Presswork

Precision metal pressing

Pressed components from ferrous and non-ferrous strip or coil, including work suited to single-operation or progression tooling.

Tooling

Tool making & tooling design

Mould tools, press tools, assembly jigs and fixtures, including cassette-featured insert mould tools. Full product design service with SLA models where a physical prototype is wanted before tooling is committed.

Turning

Turned components

Turned parts for assemblies and for use as moulding inserts, including studs, nuts and washers, where a repeat turning route suits the part better than general machining.

Assembly

Electromechanical & product assembly

Manual and automated assembly through to complete product build, including high-speed CNC insertion of through-hole pins and stamped terminals, and semi-automatic insertion for coil formers.

Electrical

Electrical component integration

Electrical and electronic components moulded in or inserted as part of the component: resistors, diodes, thermistors, coil formers, lead-frames, contacts and terminals.

Test

Automated test equipment

Application-specific test equipment designed and built for the assembly it checks: electrical and electronic function, mechanical assembly, leak decay and flow rate.

Where this work goes

Sectors the specialist route already serves

Our partner's established sectors. Van Driel's own fabrication, machining and site work serves a different set, listed on the industries page; a job can draw on both.

Automotive

Vehicle components and sub-assemblies

Moulded, pressed and insert-moulded parts and the assemblies they go into.

Rail

Rolling stock and infrastructure

Components and electromechanical assemblies for rail applications.

Electronics

Electrical and electronic devices

Components with electrical inserts moulded in, assembled and functionally tested.

Telecommunications

Telecoms equipment

Precision moulded and pressed parts, connectors and terminal assemblies.

Engineering first

Choose the process after the requirement is understood

A customer should not have to decide whether a component needs machining, moulding or pressing before asking for help.

Where the requirement is not fully defined, Van Driel can start with engineering consultancy, reverse engineering or design for manufacture. The production route is then chosen around function, material, quantity, tooling requirement and commercial sense.

Engineering consultancy

How we handle partner work

Clear responsibility and scope

We identify when a specialist partner process is the appropriate route
The partner process is described honestly in the quotation and project scope
Drawings, specifications and acceptance requirements are agreed before production
Van Driel remains the customer-facing engineering contact for the coordinated scope
Core Van Driel and group processes can be combined with specialist partner processes where the job requires it

From part to product

Useful where several processes meet

The strongest use of this capability is not selling an isolated moulding or pressing process. It is solving a manufacturing requirement that crosses process boundaries.

For example, a job may begin with a sample or concept, require design work, then use a moulded or pressed component alongside machined or fabricated parts before final assembly and test. Van Driel can help define that route and coordinate the disciplines that belong in the scope.

Examples of combined manufacturing routes
Obsolete component	Reverse engineering, design update, tooling and repeat manufacture
New product	Product design, mould or press tooling, component production, assembly and test
Mixed assembly	Machined, fabricated, moulded or pressed components brought together into one assembly route
Production improvement	Design for manufacture followed by a more appropriate repeat-production process

Send the drawing, sample or requirement

Tell us what the component or product has to do. We will work out whether the right route is fabrication, machining, moulding, pressing, tooling, assembly or a combination.

Request a quotation Talk to an engineer