Rheinmetall Laingsdale (RHL), Rheinmetall Denel Munition’s producer of fuses and safe-and-arming devices, is investing in new machinery and equipment to back its continued growth and renew its fleet of machine and as part of this process recently took delivery of new X-ray machines.
The investment forms part of its strategy to remain competitive, stay globally relevant and work towards the greater Rheinmetall global vision, Rheinmetall Denel Munition said.
This year, RHL is commissioning a brand new, custom-designed and -built X-ray machine that will automatically X-ray fuses to ensure safety and compliance.
Each fuse will be X-rayed individually along two planes (top and side) and will be evaluated using image recognition software. Once it has passed the examination, the fuse will be marked with a serial number and the stored image of that specific fuse will be filed. Once the system has proven successful, it will eliminate the need for fuses to be X-rayed at other RDM facilities.
“This investment is just the latest in a series of RHL investments designed to ensure the continued sustainability of the company and contribute towards achieving the greater Rheinmetall global vision,” said Norbert Schulze, CEO of RDM and Chairman of the RHL Board.
In 2018, a new effluent treatment plant (ETP) was commissioned to treat all of the waste generated from the RHL plating plant (zinc plating, anodising, passivation and chromic conversion). The new plant is fully automated and requires very little human interaction, RDM said.
Last year, RHL also introduced a new computer numerical control (CNC) lathe. This specific lathe comes fitted with “live” tooling, which enables the turret to drill and mill in one operation. It means that a second operation after machining is no longer required, thus improving the accuracy of drilling and milling. RHL has also replaced a second milling machine, in line with the company’s strategy to renew its fleet of machines.
Rheinmetall Laingsdale is jointly owned by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (51%) of Germany and Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd of South Africa. Its factory covers 7 800 m², and employs a workforce of around 180 people. The mechanical fuse range includes products for 40 mm grenades, 76 mm naval ammunition, 76 mm and 105 mm armour ammunition, 105 mm and 155 mm artillery ammunition and 60, 81 and 120 mm mortar bombs. All fuses comply with MIL-STD or STANAG safeties.
Rheinmetall and RDM purchased Laingsdale Engineering from Tellumat in 2010.
