A PENDLE engineering firm is helping plans for a 6ft bronze figure in a Lancashire park get off the ground.

Innovative Manufacturing Systems, of Lomeshaye Industrial Estate, Nelson, lived up to its reputation for engineering unusual shapes when it was called on to make the casts for the figure's wings.

Staff more used to producing high-tech components for the car and aircraft industries turned their hands to turning out a pair of 4ft wings for the figure which will take pride of place in Williamson Park, Lancaster, next year.

Burnley-born designer Anthony Padgett said the figure represented 2000 years of technology and with IMS's reputation in the aerospace industry it seemed fitting the company should be involved in making the wings.

"I built a scale model of the figure which was scanned by computer and the information will be used by different companies across the country to make the real thing," explained Anthony.

"The figure was broken down into parts and each part will be made of a different material before being cast in bronze." Anthony persuaded companies to back him with £100,000 sponsorship-in-kind to produce one of the largest computer-manufactured sculptures in the world.

IMS used a lightweight composite material called Cibatool BM5120 produced by a specialist chemical company.

Russell Foster, CNC programmer at the firm, said IMS became involved in the project through the Consortium of Lancashire Aerospace, a trade organisation for the county's aerospace companies.

"Anthony was struggling to find a firm with large enough machinery to be able to cope - which we have. We also run compatible software on the computers.

"It took about a month to produce the wings, working on and off around the other jobs we had.

"We enjoyed it because it was something different to what we normally do."

Russell said IMS had a reputation for producing unusually shaped components.

The figure will tour the country around trade conferences and art exhibitions before being erected in the park next year.

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