Stand and deliver: New industrial strategy must put the fizz back in UK manufacturing.
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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...
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Spark of Innovation.
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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...
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Six of the best
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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...
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Research highlights impact of rising business costs
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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...
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Quick holemaking
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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...
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Prima Additive and Comau respond to Euro 7 standards.
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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...
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Powerful lathe enables stainless broaching.
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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...
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Hexagon and SEAT S.A. partner in digital transformation.
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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...
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CERATIZIT delivers success that is ‘Made in Sheffield’
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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...
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Automotive subby speeds-up productivity with Filtermist
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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_outlinePrima 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 durability, reduce emissions pollution by up to 80%, and keep cycle times at a minimum.
This will allow the automotive manufacturer to fully comply with the Euro 7 standard, which requires a 27% reduction in particle emissions from brake discs by the end of 2026.
With a combined commitment to innovation that spans over 50 years, Comau and Prima Additive developed the robotic cell using a combination of advanced laser systems, high-speed robotic arms, additive manufacturing processes and safe powder management.
Furthermore, the full integration of Comau’s robotic arms with Siemens SINUMERIK Run MyRobot allows the industry-standard software platform to directly control the robotic arm without needing external or embedded robot controllers.
The modular system also allows maximum flexibility and productivity. Indeed, the cells are equipped with adjustable grippers that can handle different sizes of discs, from cars to trucks, to address evolving production mix scenarios.
Finally, besides being highly versatile and energy efficient, the solution is characterised by a reduced overall footprint.
Paolo Calefati, CEO of Prima Additive says “We believe that collaboration and innovation are the driving forces shaping the future of manufacturing.”
“Our collaboration with Comau joins two companies with deep expertise in their respective fields to develop a truly cutting-edge industrial solution in automation and advanced laser systems for material processing.
More importantly, the laser system developed for the brake disc coating application is one of the most profitable and sustainable cases of laser additive manufacturing/laser cladding technology applied in mass production for automotive.
This solution not only contributes to improving the performance of automotive brake discs but also plays a crucial role in promoting sustainability by reducing the overall environmental impact of motor vehicles.”
Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Comau says “This robotised solution represents a great example of innovation, led by two Italian companies who have developed advanced technologies to meet important sustainability targets.”
“In working together to automate high-speed laser cladding safely, Comau and Prima Additive are helping meet a growing demand in Europe and beyond for flexible, turn-key solutions that will help reduce particle emission pollution in response to recent regulations.
We're confident there is significant market potential for this type of solution.”
The jointly developed Rapid Coating system is scheduled to be deployed at the Septfonds plant in France by the end of 2024, making Stellantis one of the first automakers to launch a fully automated line for the hard coating of brake discs in compliance with Euro 7 policy standards.