School prize

An East Staffordshire school showcased its engineering excellence last week when it won the main prize for ‘Efficient Design’ at the Manufacturing Assembly Network’s (MAN) Design & Make Challenge.

John Taylor High School beat off the challenge of eight other schools from across the UK to take the title for its hand-crafted vehicle, which ran the length of the test track in the fastest time. More than 40 year-11 pupils and A-Level students swapped their daily lessons to take part in the competition, which is funded by nine local SMEs and designed to inspire young people to consider a career in engineering.
For further information www.man-group.co.uk

New HQ for Jones & Shipman Hardinge

Following the acquisition of Hardinge Inc by Privet Fund Management LLC during the summer of 2018, a restructuring of the group has resulted in a number of changes at the headquarters of the UK Jones & Shipman Hardinge operations.

The company has relocated from its long-established Leicester headquarters and factory to a new administration, distribution and demonstration facility on the Europark at Clifton Dunsmore, just outside Rugby.
Furthermore, the group’s sister grinding companies – Kellenberger, Hauser, Voumard, Tschudin and Usach – now include the Hardinge identity and are represented under the new Hardinge global umbrella website as distinct brands. There will be no change to the relationship between the UK company and the Okamoto brand, which Jones & Shipman Hardinge represents and supports exclusively in the UK and France.
For further information www.jonesshipman.com

10m vehicles built at Nissan Sunderland

Nissan’s Sunderland plant is celebrating another record-breaking milestone after the 10 millionth vehicle rolled of the production line.

It has taken the plant 33 years to reach the 10 million mark – making it the fastest car factory in the UK to attain the landmark figure. The milestone also means that, on average, a new Nissan has been built in Sunderland every two minutes since production started in 1986. A vivid blue Nissan Qashqai Tekna proved to be the 10 millionth vehicle.
Steve Marsh, vice president – manufacturing at Nissan Sunderland says: “Reaching this huge figure has called on all the ingenuity, commitment and spirit of our highly skilled workforce, many of whom hail from the northeast of England. Together we are determined to continue driving up the high quality standards that our customers have come to expect over the past three decades.”
For further information www.nissan.co.uk

AWI invests £250,000 in production capacity

A manufacturer of round, flat and profile wire has recently completed a £250,000 investment drive to help it build on a record year.

Alloy Wire International, which employs 31 people across manufacturing sites in the Black Country and Yorkshire, broke through the £11m barrier in 2018 and immediately pushed the button on the acquisition of 560 mm single block and 200 mm multi-block drawing machines. These arrivals will help increase capacity and ensure AWI continues to deliver its three-week lead times; so crucial for customers in the automotive, aerospace, nuclear, and oil and gas sectors.
For further information www.alloywire.com

Upgraded rotary table is stronger

Kitagawa, represented in the UK and Ireland by sole sales agent 1st Machine Tool Accessories, has introduced the first in its MK series of general purpose rotary tables.

The MK200, which has a 200 mm diameter faceplate, features increased holding torque compared with the MR-series table that is now superseded. Faster, heavier duty, more productive machining of the clamped workpiece is said to result. The unit is also more compact, minimising any loss of table area and working volume in the machining centre.
Although Kitagawa has stronger and more compact rotary tables of similar capacity in its product range, such as the GT200 and CK200, the MK200 is designed to meet 90% of all customer requirements. The newly developed rotary table provides a rigid fourth CNC axis and reflects Kitagawa’s focus on constantly improving the standard of its tables in three main areas: enhanced performance, improved mounting and breadth of rotary joint availability.
The clamping torque is 40% higher when using the MK200, at 570 Nm, than that of the MR200. As with all Kitagawa tables, this maximum holding torque is determined by the point at which the force on the worm wheel causes it to displace by 30 µm. In contrast, other manufacturers use the slipping torque figure as a maximum, which Kitagawa regards as likely to cause inaccuracy at best, and catastrophic failure at worst.
In addition, drive torque is said to be the highest in class at 270 Nm, while the spindle through-hole diameter has increased from 45 to 70 mm. The faceplate type is specified by the customer, either with T-slots or pre-drilled holes, the advantage being that a chuck, trunnion or other work-holding device can be mounted directly to the rotary table’s spindle, reducing the distance from the spindle bearing.
For further information www.1mta.com