Stand and deliver: New industrial strategy must put the fizz back in UK manufacturing.
MTD Audiobook
2024 was a mixed year, with some stellar announcements like Tata Group’s gigafactory investment offset by the cancellation of Phase 2 of HS2 and a budget black hole to pay for, but an Industrial Strategy may give the industry the long-term stability it needs. This article is by Will Stirling The Chancellor Rachel Reeves received a boost a week before her Autumn Budget when the IMF revised its forecast for UK growth this year to 1.1% (up from 0.7% in July) and 1.5% in 2025 – the biggest upward revision for any advanced country. It’s a sign of better things to come, and 2024 was not...
info_outline
Spark of Innovation.
MTD Audiobook
Anotronic Ltd is a well-recognised subcontract machining business and manufacturer of high-quality EDM fast-hole drilling and EDM die-sinking machine tools. Founded in 1982, the Leighton Buzzard business started in ECM, ECD and EDM tooling and machining, evolving to the production and growth of its own ECM and ECD technology brand. Along this journey, the company has worked with Sodi-Tech UK and the Sodick brand of machines. Martin White, Managing Director of Anotronic Ltd, says: “My father started the business in 1982, and I joined the company in 1985. We tend to machine a lot of...
info_outline
Six of the best
MTD Audiobook
With 75% of its turning centres bought from Dugard Machine Tools, it's safe to say that C&K Precision Engineers Ltd is reaping the rewards of working with the South Coast machine tool specialist. The Stoke-on-Trent manufacturer is a subcontract machining, assembly and fabrication business serving the medical, aerospace, surveillance and general manufacturing sectors. Working in these high-end segments, C&K Precision demands machine tools capable of delivering high-quality, tight-tolerance workpieces from the most challenging material grades. Matthew Kelsall from C&K...
info_outline
Research highlights impact of rising business costs
MTD Audiobook
Recent research commissioned by Close Brothers Asset Finance has revealed the significant impact of rising costs on businesses across the UK, with a majority of respondents reporting adverse effects on their operations and financial health. According to the research, 71% of businesses have been affected by the rising cost of doing business, while 25% reported no impact, and 5% were unsure. Among those experiencing increased costs, 56% indicated that it has negatively impacted their cash flow. Conversely, 27% reported no negative impact on cash flow, and 15% did not notice an increase in...
info_outline
Quick holemaking
MTD Audiobook
The design concept of assembled drills with exchangeable solid carbide cutting heads, adopted by ISCAR at the turn of the century, significantly altered the company’s holemaking product program. As part of this concept, a precise carbide head is mounted in a steel holder using the ‘self-clamping’ principle, which relies on the holder’s elastic deformation without any mechanical clamping means. This approach is characteristic of various successful ISCAR products, such as the SELF-GRIP and MULTI-MASTER tool lines. These have substantially improved machining performance and...
info_outline
Prima Additive and Comau respond to Euro 7 standards.
MTD Audiobook
Prima Additive and Comau, two Italian companies and global leaders in their respective sectors have joined forces to showcase the advantages of dual-layer laser cladding. This results from developing a high-speed, fully automated brake disc coating system for Stellantis. The first in a series of robotic-driven Rapid Coating Process cells was presented during the Stellantis Factory Booster Day, held in Turin on September 18th. By hard coating the raw brake discs with resilient steel and composite materials, the solution will enable Stellantis to significantly increase brake disc...
info_outline
Powerful lathe enables stainless broaching.
MTD Audiobook
Architectural ironmongery manufacturer Instinct Hardware has recently invested in a host of equipment that includes an Italian-built Biglia bar-fed, twin-spindle lathe with a ± 45 mm Y-axis turret having and 15 driven tools. Installed in the Stirchley factory where premium quality door knobs and handles, door stops, and accessories are manufactured, the latest turning centre was sourced in May 2024 from the Whitehouse Machine Tools. The company supplied the machine as a turnkey package with a bar feeding unit and a gantry-type system for unloading components onto a conveyor. This...
info_outline
Hexagon and SEAT S.A. partner in digital transformation.
MTD Audiobook
Hexagon, a world leader in digital reality solutions that combine sensors, software and autonomous technologies, has expanded its collaboration with the automotive manufacturer SEAT S.A. The deal builds upon a 25-year partnership working with Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. The companies have signed a strategic agreement that aims to deepen the digital transformation of SEAT S.A, focusing on the digitalisation of vehicle components, the management of digitised information and advanced process simulation. This agreement will enable SEAT S.A. to optimise production and...
info_outline
CERATIZIT delivers success that is ‘Made in Sheffield’
MTD Audiobook
The term ‘one-stop-shop’ is often banded around the subcontract manufacturing industry. It’s not until you find a company like Woodbrook Precision Ltd that you can truly understand what a single source solution provider looks like. The Lancashire manufacturer ventures beyond rivals’ services and continually invests in the latest machine tools fully supported by advanced cutting tool solutions from CERATIZIT UK. The company is located in Ashton-Under-Lyne on the Northeast edge of Greater Manchester. It's plant list includes a complete array of manual and CNC 3 to 5-axis...
info_outline
Automotive subby speeds-up productivity with Filtermist
MTD Audiobook
One of the biggest challenges for any machine shop is workshop air quality and the impact coolant mist has on staff. To stop coolant mist from impacting air quality in the workplace, Tooling 2000 Limited installed on-machine mist extraction systems from Filtermist. In addition to COSHH compliant clean air, the Birmingham subcontract manufacturer is also benefitting in other less obvious ways…. Founded back in 1996, Tooling 2000 offers everything from prototyping and development to 5-axis laser cutting, CNC machining, precision tooling and presswork for marquee customers like Rolls-Royce,...
info_outlineFounded in 1945, TSP Engineering was primarily established to serve the iron and steel industries by manufacturing mining machinery, mine cars and ingot moulds. Now, the company located on Britain’s Energy Coast in Workington delivers high-quality, innovative heavy engineering solutions to nuclear, oil and gas, defence, renewable energy and construction sectors. The company recently encountered a challenge with one of its nuclear and reactor engineering customers - this led the company to find its solution from Quickgrind.
With a colossal shop floor of 20,000m², TSP has the facilities to handle some of the biggest engineering and steel fabrication projects in the UK and beyond – but when it came to finding the right cutting tool solution, the company opted for a solution from the Tewkesbury based cutting tool experts.
TSP was met with a nuclear reactor challenge and what drew the company to Quickgrind was its ability to offer non-standard length carbide tooling that won’t be found in catalogues or brochures. During an initial consultation, Lewis Straughton, the Production Manager of TSP Engineering, revealed the company had always had a problem finish milling slots because the tools could never push to the required length.
In the past, TSP had tried high-speed steel end mills with flute lengths upwards of 220mm. However, they had issues achieving the required tolerances. To overcome this, TSP reverted to the chain boring method. The critical nuclear components required slots machined to a tolerance of +/-0.1mm at depths of 220mm. However, the existing tools were witnessing pushing-off problems as well as creating spindle issues. This was not acceptable for the machining of high-value components. Retaining the in-house machining of the £2.5m contract was of paramount importance for TSP and risking the scrapping and re-working of components worth more than £500,000 was not an option.
After partnering with Quickgrind, the two companies worked closely to develop a cutting tool solution and a suitable machining strategy that could finish the slots to the high surface finish and tolerance requirements.
By adopting a specialist solid carbide end mill from Quickgrind with a new toolholder, TSP could achieve the required surface finishes and tolerances whilst the exceptional quality of the Quickgrind tools delivered consistently high performance and service life. As a manufacturer that has immense pride in its quality and certifications, TSP is ISO: 9001, ISO: 3834 Part 2, ISO: 1090 at execution level 4, ISO: 14001 and ISO: 45001 certified. The company also claims to be the first in the world to achieve the ISO: 19443 standard.
Not only did the Quickgrind long flute end mills resolve the issues of meeting the tight tolerances, evacuating swarf from the deep slots and eliminating the spindle issue – the tools also delivered astounding cycle time savings. The Quickgrind end mills reduced the 260-hour cycle time to just 16 hours, yielding cycle time reductions of 244 hours per component.