ALFED relocates headquarters

ALFED, the Aluminium Federation, has relocated its corporate headquarters to the Bragborough Hall Business Centre in Northamptonshire. With state-of-the-art facilities surrounded by picturesque views and excellent transport links, the location is the perfect base for ALFED’s growing team.Demonstrating its commitment to the future, the new site offers breakout areas to host member training sessions and modern, bespoke workspaces for the ALFED team. A step-change from the company’s previous base in Halesowen, it represents the next chapter in the organisation’s journey.
For further information www.alfed.org.uk

Vision Engineering Group names new MD

Microscope, 3D inspection and metrology specialist Vision Engineering is appointing Sam Crossley as the company’s newmanaging director, a role that will draw upon his extensive global leadership and financial experience.Previously a member of the senior leadership team at Rotork, which employs over 3700 employees in 39 countries, Crossley has comprehensive market knowledge in the oil and gas, petrochemical, mining and automation markets. Current managing director Mark Curtis will continue to head the board as CEO, focusing on strategic development and wider group growth opportunities.
For further information www.visioneng.com

World Machinery to stage open house event

World Machinery is hosting an open day at its Bridgnorth headquarters in Shropshire on 19-20 July. The company will use the event to showcase the latest Bodor fibre laser cutting technology, including a 30 kW, 3000 x 1500 mm P3 model. World Machinery will also promote a Bodor T230A tube laser cutter for round, square and rectangular tube, as well as a Bodor i7 compact fibre laser cutter with 6 kW resonator. Several press brakes will also be on show, including a GHBend 1132ES pump-control model (110 T x 3200 mm) and a GH-3512 up-stroking machine with double side quick-release clamp as standard.
For further information www.worldmc.co.uk

CMZ increases lathe production capacity

CNC lathe manufacturer CMZ has taken a step forward in its growth strategy: setting up its new ‘Precitor’ plant. With the target of manufacturing 850 machines a year, the company has invested around €8m in extending its current machining plant in Elorrio, Spain.The new Precitor plant will be working at 100% capacity by the second half of 2023. Notably, the extension of the plant will help the group to increase the manufacture of cylindrical parts by 55% compared with the existing plant. At the same time, closure of the current plant at Elorrio is planned for mid-2023.
For further information www.cmz.co.uk

Smart mini force sensors offer IO-Link

With the advancement of Industry 4.0 and its focus on automation, the IoT and smart factories, manufacturers and system integrators are under continuous pressure to improve efficiency, optimise production processes and increase productivity.With a standardised interface to any PLC, HBK’s newly released, digital, compact, robust and ready-to-go force sensors are suited to industrial environments and for measuring fast processes.

Although digitisation is high on everyone’s agenda, it not only has challenges but also takes time and investment to implement. It is therefore fitting that the U9C and C9C with IO-Link have identical mechanical dimensions and threads to that of their analogue counterparts, making it easy to upgrade existing set-ups to the new technology when the time is right.

By opting for HBK miniature force sensors with IO-Link, users can expect all the benefits of digital signal processing. The sensors have the capability to detect and identify instances of exceeding technical limits, such as maximum usage forces or peak-to-peak values, and subsequently issue appropriate warnings. In addition, predictive maintenance helps to streamline and optimise machine maintenance schedules, reducing costs and decreasing disruption.

Further cost savings are possible due to ease of installation and the use of standard cables, eliminating the need for the special cables required by analogue sensors. More resistant to EMC interference than their analogue predecessors, HBK says that U9C and C9C with IO-Link provide accurate and consistently reliable data, only delivering the data requested, thereby increasing data efficiency and reducing data processing volumes.

Product manager Thomas Kleckers says: “Built with the high-quality technology and expertise of HBK, these intelligent miniature sensors not only enable successful digital transformation but also herald the start of a new chapter in force measurement technology.”
For further information www.hbm.com/en