Sheffield Forgemasters in foundry collaboration

In the spirit of collaboration, Sheffield Forgemasters’ Foundry team has undertaken exchange visits with a foundry in the Midlands. Delegates from Newby Foundry in the West Midlands visited Sheffield Forgemasters’ Brightside Lane Foundry to look at casting processes for ultra-large castings, while the Sheffield Forgemasters foundry team visited Newby’s facilities to see manufacture of smaller-scale, bulk castings.

The reciprocal visits helped teams from both foundries compare vastly different techniques and see if there are any technologies or processes which could be transferred or learned from. Paul Ashcroft, Sheffield Forgemasters’ operation lead – foundry, says: “The initiative to host exchange visits with Newby Foundry was a great way to see the different processes that can be adopted for the manufacture of castings in vastly different sizes.”

More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Key European role for FANUC’s Bouchier

Tom Bouchier, managing director of factory automation specialist FANUC UK and FANUC Ireland, will take on the additional role of northern Europe co-ordinator, vice president FANUC Europe, from 1 September 2025. FANUC says this strategic appointment demonstrates its commitment to strengthening the company’s European sales strategy and reinforcing collaboration across the region.

In his expanded remit, Bouchier will provide co-ordination and guidance across northern Europe, supporting FANUC UK’s continued growth and alignment with the company’s broader European goals. He says: “In my expanded role, I’m looking forward to aligning the goals and aims of FANUC UK and FANUC Ireland with those of FANUC EU, bridging the gap towards a more successful, innovative and productive manufacturing sector.”

More information www.fanuc.eu

Start-up programme to accelerate innovation

Digital transformation specialist PTC has launched a new start-up programme to help early-stage companies bring new products and innovations to the aerospace and defence market faster. The initiative offers free access to PTC software that includes its Creo+ software-as-a-service (SaaS) CAD solution, Onshape cloud-native CAD and product data management (PDM) platform. Firms can also tap into the Codebeamer+ application lifecycle management (ALM) solution, as well as a start-up package for its Arena product lifecycle management (PLM) and quality management system (QMS) solutions.

More information www.bit.ly/3GXIxHc

Boosting UK Offshore Wind Manufacturing

The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has launched its 2025 Manufacturing Facility Support Programme (MFSP). Applications are now open for a new round of funding aimed at boosting the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing capacity. The MFSP is designed to support businesses seeking to build new or expand existing manufacturing facilities that serve the offshore wind sector

With a total funding pot of £2m available, the programme offers grants of up to £500,000 per project to support early-stage, pre-investment activities that pave the way for significant capital investment in UK manufacturing. Successful projects will be expected to generate at least £5m in capital investment within two years, £5m in annual revenue and 20 new UK jobs within five years. 

More information www.bit.ly/41rLxlU

Clearcut winner in ACM delamination challenges

Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has launched its Clearcut range of single-flute balanced routing tools, specifically engineered to eliminate delamination issues when machining aluminium composite material (ACM) panels.

ACM panels have become increasingly popular in signage, architectural cladding and display applications. To meet growing demand for faster turnaround times, more manufacturers are now printing directly on to ACM panels before cutting. This workflow significantly reduces lead times but introduces new machining challenges. ITC says it listened to the industry and developed a solution with its Clearcut range of cutting tools.

“The trend towards printing directly on to ACM substrate before cutting has created a perfect storm for delamination issues,” says Sally Hunt, technical sales manager at ITC. “Manufacturers gain significant time savings in production, but they’ve discovered that conventional cutting tools simply cannot handle the increased complexity of machining pre-printed panels without causing costly damage.”

Traditional cutting tools often leave jagged edges with visible print layer damage, forcing manufacturers to choose between speed and quality. However, with the slow helix Clearcut series of routing tools from ITC, manufacturers can maintain both of the key metrics.

ITC’s solid-carbide Clearcut range is VITREO coated, with the company reporting that the slow helix geometry ensures maximum productivity with unparalleled edge finishes. The single-flute routing tools are available in both coated and uncoated variants, with unbalanced or high-performance balanced tools offered.

The balanced tools are designed for modern digital cutting tables that incorporate high-frequency spindles operating at speeds exceeding 30,000 rpm. Notably, the single-flute balanced design on a 6 mm shank provides construction that eliminates vibration at high speeds, preventing print damage and substrate delamination.

More information www.itc-ltd.co.uk