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Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
A
Brief
Introduction
to
High
Duty
Alloys
Redditch
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
Work
on
the
HDA
Redditch
facility
began
on
October
18th
1938
and
was
officially
opened
by
the
Secretary
of
State
for
Air,
Sir
Kingsley
Wood,
on
Wednesday
16th
August
1939.
During
the
ceremony,
Sir
Kingsley
Wood
inaugurated
a
remarkable
piece
of
machinery,
the
largest
hammer
in
the
world,
the
Erie
hammer.
With
the
Slough
forge
suffering
extensive
bomb
damage
during
the
Second
World
War,
the
Redditch
site
took
responsibility
for
the
majority
of
Britain’s
aero-engine
pistons
throughout
the
duration
producing
over
ten
million
components,
including
the
V-shaped
spars
that
held
the
bouncing
bombs
used
during
the
Dambusters
raid.
By
the
end
of
1941,
HDA’s
Redditch
site
covered
nearly
26
acres
and
employed
1,553
people.
With
a
boom
in
demand
throughout
the
war,
this
total
eventually
exceeded
2,500
with
the
factory
operating
six
days
a
week.
Above:
The
Erie
hammer
at
it’s
inauguration
Left:
Factory
under
construction
High
Duty
Alloys
Factory
Windsor
Road
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
The
factory
was
clearly
a
target
for
the
German
Luftwaffe
who
was
keen
to
disable
one
of
the
allies’
vital
wartime
manufacturers
and
to
combat
this
threat,
major
efforts
were
made
to
ensure
that
the
factory
had
sufficient
protection
from
attack.
There
were
three
Bofors
Guns
located
in
the
surrounding
area
designed
to
protect
the
factory.
During
WW2
the
Redditch
plant
produced
10
million
aero
engine
pistons
as
well
as
many
other
castings
and
components.
As
well
as
producing
ingots
of
raw
alloy,
manufacturing
included
the
initial
forging
or
casting
processes.
Finish
machining
would
be
undertaken
by
the
customer.
Hiduminium
was
so
successful
that
during
WWII
Redditch
made
components
were
in
use
by
all
of
the
major
British
aero
engine
makers.
Right:
The
bouncing
bomb
support
built
by
HDA
Left:
The
Supermarine
Spitfire
High
Duty
Alloys
Wartime
Contribution
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
HDA
also
produced
the
first
forged
aluminium
compressor
blades,
which
would
be
installed
on
the
complex
axial
jet.
In
1950,
under
the
government-backed
“Scheme
100”,
the
original
foundry
area
in
the
factory
was
converted
to
a
specialised
blades
area
with
increased
manufacturing
capacity.
Within
15
years,
25
million
precision
forged
blades
would
be
produced
and
distributed
across
the
world.
In
1945,
an
advance
in
technology
occurred
that
was
to
shape
the
course
of
HDA’s
future;
the
development
of
the
jet
engine.
HDA
made
the
first
impellors
for
Frank
Whittle's
pioneer
engine
(in
what
was
then)
a
top-secret
project!
Whittle
also
wanted
H.D.A
to
produce
blades
for
the
turbine
section
of
his
engine
made
in
a
nickel
alloy
developed
by
Henry
Wiggin
called
Nimonic,
(however,
this
was
such
a
tough
material
that
machining
the
final
shape
proved
a
real
problem)
the
final
solution
was
forging
on
a
20
cwt
drop
hammer.
Above:
The
Bristol
Britannia
was
a
British
mediumk
to
long
range
turboprop
engined
airliner
built
by
the
Bristol
Aeroplane
Company
in
1952.
Right:
View
of
the
High
Duty
Alloys
site
in
Windsor
Road.
To
the
left
can
be
seen
the
‘gasometers’
which
were
for
many
years
a
feature
of
the
landscape
before
‘town
gas’
manufactured
from
coal
was
replaced
by
imported
‘natural’
gas.
Post
War
Developments
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
The
early
fifties
saw
the
installation
of
the
in
the
modern
era
–
a
Loewy
12,000-tonne
hydraulic
press,
weighing
in
at
800
tonnes
and
standing
at
a
height
of
54
feet
The
press
was
the
most
powerful
press
on
light-alloy
work
in
the
United
Kingdom.
The
late
1950’s
saw
a
boom
in
aircraft
production,
with
civil
airliners
such
as
the
Britannia
and
Comet,
alongside
modern
jet
fighters
and
bombers,
filling
the
company’s
order
books.
Production
was
heavily
increased,
with
the
site
working
day
and
night
to
maintain
the
growing
need
for
forgings
by
the
aircraft
and
engine
manufacturers.
Throughout
the
early
1960’s,
ground-breaking
developments
in
the
aeronautical
industry
were
achieved
with
the
concept
of
supersonic
aircraft.
H.D.A
played
a
pivotal
role
in
progressing
Hiduminium
R.R
58
from
a
forging
material
into
a
form
suitable
for
manufacture
of
sheet.
A
result
of
this
was
the
development
of
Concorde’s
structure
and
skin.
The
company
also
supplied
many
forgings
for
the
airframe
and
engine.
Above:
Concorde’s
name
reflects
the
development
agreement
between
the
UK
and
France.
Above:
The
de
Havilland
Coment
was
the
first
commercial
jet
liner.
The
first
prototype
flew
in
1949.
The
1950s
and
‘60s
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
In
1982
it
forged
the
aluminium
wheels
for
Richard
Noble’s
Thrust
2
World
Speed
Record
car,
which
achieved
a
world
record
650mph.
H.D.A
also
produced
the
components
for
formula
one
racing
engines
for
several
years.
In
the
late
90’s,
it
forged
another
set
of
wheels
for
Richard
Nobles
successor
to
Thrust
2,
the
Thrust
SSC.
The
car
broke
its
predecessor’s
record
on
15th
October
1997,
clocking
763
mph,
breaking
the
sound
barrier,
confirming
the
business’
reputation
as
a
world-class
forging
company.
In
2000
H.D.A
was
purchased
by
the
Mettis
Group
and
Marlyn
Precision
was
relocated
to
the
Redditch
site
in
2001.
This
became
Mettis
Aerospace,
which
specialised
in
the
design,
testing
and
assembly
of
complex
forged
and
machined
components.
Mettis
remains
a
valuable
supplier
to
industry
giants
such
as
Rolls
Royce,
Boeing
and
Airbus,
It
continues
to
provide
quality
components
and
innovative
forged
and
machined
solutions
to
all
of
its
customers
on
major
global
aerospace
programmes
and
remains
a
major
employer
in
the
town.
Above:
Mettis
Aerospace
site
entrance
today.
Above:
Thrust
2
HDA
Today
Pocket
Histories
of
Redditch
-
High
Duty
Alloys
Designed
and
Produced
by
Anthony
Green
2015
End
of
Presentation
A
Brief
Introduction
to
High
Duty
Alloys,
Redditch