Alucast targets more automotive contracts

Wednesbury-based aluminium foundry Alucast has completed a £2.25m investment drive by upgrading its casting capability and opening a new 7000 sq ft machine shop to support the growing demand of its automotive customer base for lightweight, complex components.

Following the investment, the company can now call upon a total of 20 CNC machines at any one time, with five of those being five-axis machining centres. This latest equipment, which has been supplied by the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), delivers a 30% increase in capacity to take on up to £3m of new projects.
For further information www.alucast.co.uk

New record for Northern Manufacturing

The Northern Manufacturing show made a triumphant return to EventCity, Manchester last month, where it welcomed 2240 industry professionals over the two days, an increase of more than 10% on the previous event. Over 200 companies and organisations participated from a variety of sectors and specialities.

Visitor demographics for the 2019 show reveal significant increases in attendance from the aerospace, defence, medical and industrial machinery sectors. Materials and composites, rapid prototyping, and toolmaking all saw significant upticks in interest, reflecting a wider interest in advanced manufacturing materials and techniques. Northern Manufacturing will return to EventCity on 7-8 October 2020.
For further information www.industrynorth.co.uk

Around 145,000 expected at ADIPEC

ADIPEC, the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, brings together professionals possessing real buying power, with billions of dollars of business conducted at the event each year.

The oil and gas industry is set to convene at ADIPEC (11-14 November, Abu Dhabi) to not only decide on the future of the industry, but to make purchases, meet with partners and discover new business opportunities.
Over 2200 exhibitors, 145,000 visitors and 10,400 conference delegates are expected to attend from 135 countries. ADIPEC unites professionals with authorisation to invest; in 2018 $17.99bn of business was concluded. Trade professionals are encouraged to pre-register online for free, as registration at the actual event will only be available at a price of AED200 (approximately £42).
For further information www.adipec.com

Mazak invests in UK production plant

Yamazaki Mazak has made a series of major investments at its UK-based European manufacturing plant in Worcester. The multi-million-pound investments include two manufacturing cells making parts for new Mazak machine tools. Each cell is equipped with an Integrex i-Series machine from Mazak’s flagship multi-tasking solutions range, and RoboJob automation.

Specifically, the RoboJob Tower system is designed to deliver extended periods of unmanned running from a small footprint. The 4.6 m-high tower system is equipped with twin-elevator storage trays, with one feeding a robot for transferring workpieces to the machine tool, while the other allows the operator to replenish parts. In addition, a VTC-800 series machine has been installed in the jig-boring area.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

ONA EDM installed at Concours Mold

Concours Mold, which claims to be one of the leading manufacturers of large automotive moulds in North America, is relying on recently installed ONA EDM technology to help it meet the demands of customers that include General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Chrysler, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. ONA EDM technology can be acquired in the UK from CNC International.

To provide a reliable response and the best possible service to such important companies, Windsor, Canada-based Concours Mold has acquired a double-head ONA TQX10 die-sink EDM machine, which is said to be the biggest in the market, with travel distances available up to 3000, 1500 and 1000 mm in the three linear axes.
By combining the machine’s two heads simultaneously and independently it is possible to save 50% of the erosion time and increase productivity by 200%. The TQX10 package purchased by Concours Mold also includes two Erowa robots for changing electrodes.
At Concours Mold, lead time times for moulds are currently between 8 and 24 weeks, depending on size and technical complexity. The company manufactures between 300 and 350 moulds per year.
Sales manager at Concours Mold, Ed Ergun, says: “We are always looking for the latest breakthroughs in machinery and equipment; anything that results in better quality parts and shorter lead times for our clients.”
For further information www.onaedm.com