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MTD Magazine A…uk
SMEs need financial help and an industrial strategy to support manufacturing recovery

Tata’s £4bn battery gigafactory and a £600m investment in BMW’s MINI factory headline big investments and rising orders across manufacturing in 2023. But the pincer effect of high inflation, high interest rates and high demands from recovering OEMs is putting cash pressures on SMEs. Can they get the help they need to service the recovery and benefit from it, asks Will Stirling 2023 was a year of strained recovery for the manufacturing sector. After severe component supply delays caused by fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War, 2023 edged back to normality – or a new, more expensive

S1 - EP1
MTD Magazine A…uk
Renishaw breaks the ‘glass ceiling’ on encoders

When Renishaw targets entry to a new marketplace, convention is not a path it travels. Renishaw looks at how existing manufacturers develop products and then completely rewrites the script. After over 30 years of producing ‘open optical encoders’, Renishaw instigated the development of ‘enclosed optical encoders’ for machine tools. The outcome is the FORTiS™ encoder and the results are ground-breaking. By Rhys Williams With the majority of Renishaw’s repertoire of products being symbiotic to the machine tool industry, the UK manufacturer sensibly set about applying its expertise in open optical encoders to enclosed optical encoders for machine tools. The concept

S1 - EP2
MTD Magazine A…uk
What is an industrial metrologist?

In the previous issue, metrology expert Ian Wilcox introduced us to the three types of metrology as defined by the Bureau of International Weights and Measures (BIPM). In the article, Ian detailed the three types of metrology – Scientific, Applied and Legal Metrology. In this follow-on feature, Ian delves into the implementation, effectiveness and value of metrology to a manufacturing business. Metrology is a science-based system that as stated by BIPM ‘includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement, whatever the measurement uncertainty and field of application’. We all use the same units of measurement, standards, calibration and traceability and

S1 - EP3
MTD Magazine A…uk
The journey to our first cobot – embrace the automation!

Contracts Engineering Limited (CEL), one of Southeast’s largest contract manufacturers, has set a bold target of becoming one of the largest in the UK by 2028. To achieve this ambitious goal, the company is investing heavily in automation, including the use of robots and cobots. Here, Managing Director Troy Barratt explains the company’s journey of going from no robots to 1 – as going from 0 to 1 is the biggest leap! The company now has a robot and a cobot and is taking steps to scale up robotics and automation integration after recognising the impact it is having upon

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MTD Magazine A…uk
Vintage restorer soars with Mazak

Founded in 1991 and nestled in the heart of Bedfordshire, Kennet Aviation specialises in the renovation and servicing of historic aeroplanes. Over the last 30 years, the company has restored 15 aircraft, including a Supermarine Seafire used in World War II. The company restores aircraft to the stringent standards required by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – to do this the company has invested in Yamazaki Mazak machine tools. “It has always been difficult to source parts to restore and service old aeroplanes,” explains Tim Manna, Director at Kennet Aviation. “Components can be found in barns, sheds and museums across

S1 - EP5
MTD Magazine A…uk
Subcontractor finds 30-taper machine is the clear choice for volume aero production

30-taper machining centres these days are much more robust than ever before and are not only fast, but can also cut tough materials. One company that has discovered the merits of this type of prismatic machining equipment is Staffordshire Precision Engineering (SPE), Newcastle-under-Lyme. The subcontractor recently purchased a Brother R650X2 30-taper 4-axis machining centre with a table-mounted indexing trunnion from the Japanese manufacturer’s sole sales agent in the UK and Ireland, Whitehouse Machine Tools, Kenilworth. Installed at the end of March, the machine is the subcontractor’s first 30-taper machine and is being put to work producing aluminium parts for the

S1 - EP6
MTD Magazine A…uk
Automotive technology for aerospace

Machine tool manufacturer Zimmermann recently brought MAPAL aboard as a technology partner to design a turnkey solution for machining titanium aerospace parts. MAPAL’s line boring technology combined with a new generation of tools made this challenging project a resounding success. F. Zimmermann GmbH is known for its large portal milling machines that are often found in the R&D departments of large aerospace corporations. “We have always been craftspeople and not mass producers”, is how Steffen Nüssle, Head of Sales and Application Technology at Zimmermann describes the manufacturing philosophy. Multiple machines are already being deployed by an Asian aerospace part supplier.

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MTD Magazine A…uk
Guhring keeps spindles turning for sliding head subcontractor

For more than 30 years, Birmingham-based Rowan Precision Ltd has been manufacturing high-quality parts for customers – and for much of this time, the company has relied upon Guhring UK to supply its cutting tools.   As a subcontract machining specialist to industries such as the defence, medical and aerospace sectors, AS: 9100 and ISO: 9001 accredited Rowan specialises in sliding and fixed head multi-axis turning and 5-axis machining. With more than 10 sliding head turning centres on the shop floor, the company has an enviable reputation for medium to high volume lights-out manufacturing of small components. It is here

S1 - EP8
MTD Magazine A…uk
Thread of ingenuity

Founded in 2011, Interface Precision Engineering Limited (IPEL) is a specialist subcontract precision manufacturer based in East Sussex. When it comes to increasing productivity and reducing cycle times, IPEL relies on the most advanced cutting tools in the marketplace – that is why the company is working closely with Vargus for its threading applications. The St Leonards-on-sea manufacturer specialises in machined, fabricated and pressed components for a diverse range of industry sectors. Steve Elliot, the Production Manager at IPEL says: “We mainly make parts for vacuum systems as well as a vast range of diverse work for other industry sectors,

S1 - EP9
MTD Magazine A…uk
Tool craft for aircraft

Titanium, high-temperature superalloys (HTSA), and creep-resisting steel used in the aerospace sector are difficult to cut and can create a bottleneck for the supply chain. Poor machinability results in  low cutting speeds that reduce productivity and tool life. Furthermore, modern aircraft and UAVs feature a considerably increased share of composite materials that demand specific cutting tools, which is the  focus of a technological leap in the aerospace industry. Most geometrically complicated parts of aero engines work in highly corrosive environments and are made from hard-to-cut materials. A combination of complex shapes, low material machinability and high accuracy requirements are the

S1 - EP10
MTD Magazine A…uk
Standing still is not an option

Last month MTD magazine had the privilege of being invited to the Horn Technology Days event in Tubingen, a short drive south of Stuttgart. The threeday event from the 14th to the 16th of June was a genuine masterclass in cutting tool innovations – a fact underlined by the event drawing more than 3,300 visitors from 37 countries. By Rhys Williams The Horn Technology Days event was the first event in four years following the Covid hiatus. The eighth Technology Days event had more innovations than ever before and these were well received by the 3,300 registrations that were added

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MTD Magazine A…uk
It’s Electrifying

MTDCNC looks back at the recent Electric Revolution Skills Hub launch and reveals why a 169,000 jobs bonanza could be on the way if the potential of the new platform is leveraged. 169,000 new skilled jobs. That was the headline figure of the high-profile conference that launched the Electric Revolution Skills Hub (ERS Hub) recently. More than 250 delegates heard how these new positions would need to be created over the next two years if the UK is going to transition to zero-emission vehicles, with industry experts making a passionate call for the power electronics, machines, and drives (PEMD) disciplines

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