Allen, the UK marine engineering company, has recently invested in a new injection moulding machine that will be added to its in-house production facilities.
The British company has had installed the top of the range injection moulding machine from BOY, the 100 E. Some of its features include a larger distance between tie bars (430 x 360 mm), a platen opening stroke of 725 mm, with optional 900 mm and a clamping force of 1000 kN. The most important of these features is the clamping force. The higher the force the more it allows for larger products with thinner material to be produced.
This new injection moulding machine will be used to manufacture some of Allen’s most popular products including hatch covers, aerovanes and centreboard slots, to name a few.
This new machine follows on from other investments the marine engineering company has also made over the rollercoaster year that has been 2020. It’s not too long ago the company announced its purchase of a new 3D printing machine to help with rapid prototyping.
Allen is based in Essex, UK, and has been one of the leading sailboat hardware manufacturers for over 60 years. The company prides itself with being more than just a marine specialist but engineering experts. To find out more about some of the in-house recourse available at Allen and some of the custom projects they undertake visit the Allen website – https://www.allenbrothers.co.uk/about-us/allen-in-house-resources/
Choosing the correct Cam Cleat.
Cam Cleats are available in different materials, sizes and have a wide range of accessories to suit many different applications, so it can be daunting to know which type or accessory is needed to suit specific cleating needs. Here you will find all the information required to make the right choice – all from the designers of the original aluminium cam cleat!
First, a bit of history behind the Allen Cam Cleat – The Allen Brothers, Tony and Glenn, were the inventors of the original aluminium cam cleat. They developed the idea whilst building a Hornet “JACK-O-LEAN” number 205. The brothers had started off using Tufnell cam cleats but decided they were not good enough. The Tufnell cam cleat gripped well when they were new but would make releasing the rope difficult. Once they had worn-in, just a few sailing sessions later, they would slip and be useless.
After many months of researching, designing and prototyping Tony Allen had built a machine in which he could pressure die-cast what is now known as the A..76 – Aluminium Ball Bearing Cam Cleat – although the first design did not include ball bearings. Tony and Glenn then went onto sell their version of the cam cleat for 5 shillings each.
Today Allen has two main styles of cam cleats available; Aluminium Ball Bearing or Allenite Plain Bearing. Allen cam cleats are suitable for any rope up to 10 mm diameter and have a maximum working load of 150kg. This makes them suitable for both small dinghies and yachts.
The marketing team at Allen has been working closely with Henk Plaatje for many years to develop the racing rules of sailing poster. Once each edition is ready, Allen kindly makes it available to the public to hang in sailing clubs around the World. This year is no different, the poster can easily be downloaded via the Allen website or a hardcopy can be ordered directly to your sailing club. (more…)
Trapeze Ring A4261 Review
Team Allen 49er sailor, Daniel Budden, reviews the A4261 trapeze ring. The A4261 features double rows of ball bearings and a strong stainless steel loop designed to give you an easily adjustable and reliable trapeze ring that can be used on all types of trapeze sailboats.
New Inboard End Batten Adjuster
UK sailboat hardware manufacturer, Allen, is pleased to announce an addition to its extensive range of sailmakers products. The A.951-10 – Batten Adjuster.
The new inboard end batten adjuster has been developed alongside one of the world’s leading sailmakers. It has been designed to help sail manufactures streamline their sail designs by moving the batten tensioning hardware to the luff of the mainsail, up by the mast where the wind is already turbulent. This allows the sailmaker to reduce drag and improve the aerodynamics of the trailing edge of the sail.
The new batten adjuster from Allen will take a 10mm wide batten and has an adjustment range of 10mm with calibration marks to help gather regular sail settings. It can be easily fixed to a sail using the four nuts and bolts provided, and once attached gives a low-profile streamline finish.
Made from glass-filled nylon and weighing only 33 grams the A.951-10 is a simple yet effective performance-enhancing product for any sailmaker. Check out the video below to see a hands-on video or get in touch with the Allen sales team for more information – Sales@allenbrothers.co.uk
60mm Dynamic Block | DETAILS AND FEATURES
We would usually be welcoming hundreds of people onto our stand at METS over the next few days to discuss new and existing products.
Unfortunately, METS cant go ahead this year. So instead we will be releasing a few short product videos to help keep you informed on Allen products.
In this video, you can find out more details about our 60mm Dynamic Block Range.
“60mm Dynamic Blocks feature our patented Dynamic bearing technology, which comprises of high-quality stainless steel ball bearings running on stainless steel rails. This provides unsurpassed performance under load. The large central hole is for tie-on becket requirements but also give this block range a distinctive style and significant weight reduction.”
Please get in touch if you have any further questions – Sales@allenbrothers.co.uk
Investing in Rapid 3d Prototyping
We have recently invested in a new workstation to assist with rapid product prototyping and testing.
At Allen, we were one of the early adopters of 3d printing technology as the in-house design team could see it would help with many areas of the research and design stages of product development. But as technology has moved on so too has the capabilities of 3d printers.
Our existing 3d printer was somewhat outdated and worn out, and so, as a business which prides itself on innovative product design, we did some extensive research and decided to purchase the new MakerBot Method X.
It may come as a surprise that in the peak of a pandemic we would invest in new hardware for the design department. But, due to the demands of many entrepreneurs looking to develop products to assist in the fight of COVID-19 it became a logical investment for us to upgrade the existing machine.
The MakerBot Method X is one of the latest 3d printers available on the market. The new machine can print in multiple materials including ABS, PVA, Nylon and PETG Carbon fibre – Materials which could be used in final production. The wide range of materials will allow for stronger and more reliable parts to be manufactured. Resulting in better and more accurate testing results. Coupling this with quicker print times will also benefit the customers of Allen, as lead times to get their hands on a sample product will be reduced and the results will be more reliable and accurate than ever before.
If you have a custom project, would like to find out what Allen can do for you or If you need help bringing ideas to reality, contact sales@allenbrothers.co.uk to find out more.
Nick Evans – Allen 29er GP 2
A short report from Allen academy sailor Nick Evans about his weekend at the Allen sponsored 29er GP 2.
Sam and I did our first national event last weekend (10 and 11 October). This was the second GP of the season. It was held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and sponsored by Allen.
The event itself was held over two contrasting days. The first day was one of strong winds, gusting over 25 knots at times. This was challenging as we are on the light side. Gybing in those conditions was a real test of our boat handling skills and unfortunately a couple of times we fell over. The capsizes were costly and meant we missed out on Gold Fleet by a point. It didn’t matter too much as we had an awesome time.
Even the dolphins want to take a look at the Allen products on Chris Taylor & Rhos Hawes 49er… There’s no need, they could have just gone to our 49er fitting guide to get a better look.
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