Blum hails change in measurement attitudes

A global measurement specialist is celebrating after enjoying its best ever appearance at last month’s Southern Manufacturing exhibition in Farnborough. Blum-Novotest says it took 12 strong enquiries on its stand after displaying the company’s new Digilog touch-probe systems. Managing director David Mold says that the firm witnessed a big turning point at the show, with potential customers exploring how they could validate parts while still on the machine: “This is exactly what our technology gives them, ensuring that every part they machine is a good part. In the past, we’ve had to convince visitors of the benefits of on-machine verification. This is no longer the case, which is helping us plan for our record year. In fact, with what we’ve got in the pipeline, I’m pretty certain we’ll secure 20% growth in 2018.

“The 12 leads we took at the show were all enquiries from companies with a real application and interest in how our technology can improve the way they manufacture,” he adds. “It summed up what was an excellent show and one that captured the current positivity surrounding UK industry.”
Blum-Novotest employs 534 people and turns over £77m across its 16 subsidiaries. The company says that it delivers solutions to some of the world’s largest aerospace primes, car manufacturers and a host of CNC machine tool suppliers, including the Engineering Technology Group, Whitehouse Machine Tools and YMT.
For further information www.blum-novotest.com

CMM passes medical at Meridian

Littlehampton-based Meridian Medical Ltd specialises in sterile and non-sterile medical device design, development and manufacture. Products are inspected to ensure quality and compliance to national and international standards. The company’s QA department, which remains completely independent of its production and design departments, sets standard QA/QC procedures relating to all company activities, including purchasing, production, assembly, packing and shipment. Meridian Medical’s highly developed quality culture can be illustrated by the recent purchase of an Axiom Too CMM from Aberlink.

Managing director James Fenton says: “Now fully operational, not only has our Aberlink CMM removed the potential for hold-ups in our QA department, but the machine’s CNC nature and its ability to perform rapid, automated inspection routines, means that it will be able to handle all anticipated future demands.”
Meridian Medical supplies disposable medical devices together with comprehensive sterilisation services and logistics. The company is registered to ISO9001, ISO13485 and FDA 21CFR 820, which ensure that quality and reliability are designed and built into every device produced.
Although Meridian has a range of specialised test and measurement equipment, increased volumes passing through its busy QA department prompted the company to search for a suitably accurate, universal dimensional measuring device that offered both ease of use and speed of operation.
“Our Axiom Too is now busy measuring first-off and last-off medical device components, along with undertaking work such as inspecting a given percentage of each manufactured batch, as dictated by our customers,” says Fenton. “As traceability is vital within the medical industry, it helps that the CMM is able to generate detailed reports relating to the critical dimensions of each inspected component.”
For further information www.aberlink.com

Speed and accuracy aids world record attempt

Having smashed the previous mark by 20 mph, Scunthorpe-based Becci Ellis set a world record of 264.1 mph on 17 August 2014 and became the world’s fastest woman on a conventional motorcycle over a standing-start mile. Achieving the female land-speed record also makes her the fourth fastest rider in the world, just 30 mph behind the overall world record set by late American rider Bill Warner.

Becci’s feat was performed at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire on a 1300 cc Suzuki Hayabusa that, when launched in 1999, won acclaim as the world’s fastest production motorcycle. In preparation for Becci’s record-breaking run, her Hayabusa was highly modified, enabling it to generate 650 bhp.
Not satisfied with being the current holder of the record, Becci is now busy preparing for a new attempt to set the benchmark even higher. In addition to multiple further modifications to the previously record-breaking Hayabusa, particular attention is now being paid to the aerodynamics of the bike.
Rather than use traditional wind tunnel testing methods to analyse and improve the bike’s aerodynamic performance, the team behind Becci’s latest record-breaking attempt are using advanced virtual simulation techniques.
To help gather the raw data needed to enable the best possible virtual simulation outcomes, the team enlisted the help of Manchester Metrology, a specialist in the field of laser scanning and data capture. Mindful of the need to acquire highly accurate data, the staff of Manchester Metrology used a Faro Edge ScanArm HD to undertake the critical scanning routines of the bike.
Philip Knowlson of Manchester Metrology says: “The Faro arm was ideal for this application as it has a scan rate of up to 560,000 points/second.”
For further information www.faro.com

MACH seminars

The MACH 2018 seminar programme is now live on the exhibition’s website, where browsers can find full listings and book space.

Throughout the week (9-13 April), topics such as Industry 4.0, additive manufacturing, workforce development and modern production processes will be discussed, as well as looking at key sectors of importance in the UK, like aerospace and motorsport. Speakers will include Andy Green OBE, pilot of Bloodhound SSC, talking about progress on the high-technology project to design and build a car that will break the 1000 mph barrier and set a new world land-speed record.
For further information www.machexhibition.com/seminars

Training survey

The success of the Apprenticeship Levy is splitting manufacturing opinion according to a new survey. The In-Comm Training Barometer revealed that just 55% of manufacturers believe it is working. Of the 71 respondents, just over a fifth said they had taken on apprentices as a result of the Levy – a small number, but still an increase in the face of an annual decline in the number of apprenticeships commencing over the past 12 months. The results are due to be presented to Anne Milton, Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships, during a special delegation to Westminster involving 50 employers and apprentices.
For further information www.in-comm.co.uk