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MTD Magazine A…uk
Versatile workholding ensures productivity and precision

TecnAir designs and manufactures an extensive variety of pneumatic cylinders, valve assemblies, linear drives, handling equipment, controls and other products. Located in Shipley, the company’s products are used for the assembly of standard and special automation solutions worldwide, predominantly in the transport, semiconductor, railway, marine and off-shore automotive industries.  Characterising this activity above all else is the large amount of metal cutting involved in machining the parts, as well as the extreme accuracy to which they must be machined. To this end, since the early 2000s the manufacturer has entrusted component clamping on its machining centres to Chick workholding products,

MTD Magazine A…uk
Subcontractor gets a grip with ITC

Like any fledgling company, the wind of change can blow qui🎧ckly through a business, and this was certainly the case for Shropshire Precision Engineering (SPE) Ltd. Initially set up as a ‘part-time’ business, it wasn’t until Technical Director Robin Chisnall joined the Shrewsbury business in 2017 that the company set about upgrading its machine tool and cutting tool technology – with XYZ Machine Tools and Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) proving the partners of choice.  As an engineer who has been in the industry for almost 50 years, Robin sold his previous business for a life of happy retirement back in

MTD Magazine A…uk
Collaborative R&D helps take the weight off civil aerospace

Engineers’ obsession with weight and strength is reaching new heights in the aerospace sector. A range of technologies are being developed for manufacture, many with research centre support, that are designed to cut weight and carbon in aviation. By Will Stirling It was a good landing at the end of 2023. Commercial aircraft orders and deliveries are flying high, and up in 2022 by some eye-catching margins. It seems like aerospace production is back to pre-pandemic levels. According to aerospace group ADS, 2,430 total aircraft orders have been placed globally to 6th December, a 43% increase on the same period

MTD Magazine A…uk
Prima Innovations are shear class

In the November issue of MTD magazine, we reported on our visit to the Prima Power factory in Seinäjoki in Western Finland. We toured the manufacturing facility and were absorbed by the efficiency of the plant. In this issue, we take a closer look at the ‘Tech Centre’ – the showpiece for the developments coming out of the Scandinavian facility of Prima Power. By Rhys Williams In 2022, the MTDCNC crew were lucky enough to get an invite to the Prima Power headquarters in Turin. Like the architecture of northern Italy, that facility was incredibly impressive with multi-axis lasers, additive

MTD Magazine A…uk
Offshore subcontractor takes off with Vulcan

Located in Moray, North-East Scotland, an area famous for its Scotch Whisky, Standfast Precision Engineering Ltd provides subcontract manufacturing services that are far more edifying than a tipple. The manufacturer continually invests in machine tools to serve its clients in the offshore and whisky distillery sectors. The latest investment is a Vulcan 710L VMC from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).  Located in Craigellachie where the River Spey meets the River Fiddich, Standfast has continually invested in new technology to enable the production of high quality components. Primarily working with the oil and gas industry, Standfast has witnessed significant growth in

MTD Magazine A…uk
5-axis makes low-cost jobs financially viable

Many prismatic machining contracts are ideally fulfilled on a 5-axis machining centre that enables components to be produced cost effectively. This is because the two rotary axes are able to position the component quickly and automatically in various orientations for milling and drilling without expensive fixtures and multiple set-ups. A problem arises when the components do not command a high selling price, as most 5-axis machines are a considerable investment. Subcontractor G&J (CNC) Services in Paddock Wood has apparently found a solution – the Leadwell V-30iT 3+2-axis BT40 machining centre from WH-Lead, Towcester. The entry-level price of less than six

MTD Magazine A…eu
Starrag HD reduces cycle times by 30%

Now available from Starrag Heckert, the STC1250 HD is the latest addition to the renowned STC Series that has been designed to provide unrivalled economy in the machining of the most demanding aerospace structural parts, multi-blades and casings. For those challenging components with long cycle times, the STC Series provides a whole host of practical options. The latest arrival, the STC1250 HD machining centre provides excellent static and dynamic properties as well as a tried and tested rotatable head, making it the new benchmark for heavy-duty titanium and Inconel machining. Commenting on the latest addition to the portfolio, Lee Scott

MTD Magazine A…uk
Making money in your sleep

Recently rising to the eighth largest manufacturing economy in the world, the route to continued ascension for UK manufacturing isn’t purely down to the well-publicised need for a national manufacturing strategy or government investment – a large burden of responsibility has to lie firmly at the feet of manufacturers and their reticence to automate. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) frequently shines a light on how far the UK is behind other developed nations. The most recent report shows that 71,000 robots were installed in Europe in 2022, the UK accounted for just over 2000 of those installations. As a

MTD Magazine A…uk
Toolmaker dives into cost savings with Guhring

As a family-run business, Canterbury Tools Ltd has been involved in the design and manufacture of press tools since it was established almost 50 years ago. To optimise the production of specialist press tools, the Wallsall subcontract manufacturer utilises wire EDM machines from Sodick, machine tools from Hurco and cutting tools supplied by Birmingham-based Guhring.   The West Midlands manufacturer specialises in the production of single operation tools, progression tools, transfer tools, as well as components and assemblies for automated and robotic processes in sectors as diverse as the agricultural and construction industries through to the medical, IT, aerospace and

MTD Magazine A…uk
Innovation never stops 

Where Innovation Never Stops! is the slogan that appears on the walls of the production facilities at ISCAR headquarters and has been synonymous with the company for several decades. The Covid-19 pandemic did not interrupt the innovation process, and between 2020-2021 ISCAR introduced the NEOLOGIQ marketing campaign comprised of advanced cutting tools and tooling solutions for modern metalworking.  Significant changes in manufacturing, such as intensive digitising, the shift to electric drive in the automotive industry, and growing precise workpiece fabrication, have emerged with new demands for cutting tools. Notwithstanding, the accelerated pace of changes sharpens the demands and requires more

MTD Magazine A…uk
Cutting the chatter

Productive Machines is on a mission to provide a 15-minute turnaround from receiving data on its cloud-based, artificial intelligence platform to delivering a click-and-play machining protocol that enables manufacturers to machine the best part, faster, first time. John Yates talks to the spin-out team whose software-as-a-service is driving step changes in productivity and sustainability. Walking along the second-floor corridor to the Productive Machines’ workspace in the AMP Technology Centre, Rotherham, Dr Erdem Ozturk stops to look through the window at the Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future, whose 3,000sq/m of machining workshops were his research and development laboratory for more than

MTD Magazine A…uk
Ready for ‘Lift-off’ with OPEN MIND

As the name would suggest, Hill Helicopters is a manufacturer of luxury light helicopters. Since its inception, the company has been on a fascinating journey that is seeing the team of 80+ engineers develop and manufacture a complete aircraft from the ground up. To achieve this, the Rugeley manufacturer has enlisted the support of leading manufacturers from the sphere of machine tools, cutting tools and ancillary equipment. When the company needed industry-leading CAD/CAM technology that is trusted by the aerospace industry, it turned to OPEN MIND Technologies and its groundbreaking hyperMILL CAM suite. Discussing the foundation blocks of the Staffordshire

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