IMTEX debut helps Filtermist target 30% growth

Filtermist, a specialist in providing cleaner, safer and more productive work environments, exhibited at IMTEX at the end of January as part of ambitious plans to expand its business in India by 30%.

The company, which employs over 90 people across its UK headquarters and five international offices, is looking to tap into the sub-continent’s growing desire to improve its environmental performance. IMTEX marked three decades of trade in India and comes a few weeks after Filtermist’s parent company, the Absolent Group, registered Absolent Filtermist India PVT Ltd, which now operates from a sales and technical office in New Delhi.
For further information www.filtermist.co.uk

Seven-figure machine tool investment

To support continued expansion, Middlesex Aerospace has committed to a seven-figure investment with long-term machine tool partner Yamazaki Mazak.

The Basingstoke-based, 150-employee company is one Britain’s leading tier-one suppliers of critical components and assemblies to major OEMs throughout the global aerospace market. Two state-of-the-art, five-axis multi-tasking machines, and one horizontal machining centre complete with an expanded tool storage system, comprise the latest investment.
The increased capacity of the new machines will allow the company to further develop its offering to customers. What’s more, the machinery will enable Middlesex Aerospace to operate lights-out manufacturing, 24-hours a day, improving production volumes. Laurence Foulds, managing director
at Middlesex Aerospace, says: “Our latest investment in machine tools from Mazak is one of the company’s most significant to date,
and will allow us to support a number of new customers and programmes, as we continue to
grow the business.”
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk/aerospace

Success for Chester at SteelFab 2019

Drawing attention from high-ranking officials on the opening day of SteelFab 2019 (pictured), Chester Machine Tools enjoyed success at the Middle East’s premier trade show for metalworking, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication.

“We were extremely proud to exhibit for the sixth year running under the flagship of the British Pavilion, demonstrating our range of CNC and conventional machine tools,” states sales director Anthony Edwards. “As a global supplier, our multiple machine tool solutions support the infrastructure of growth in many countries, and we were extremely pleased to see that our machines received much attention and interest from attending delegates. It proved to be a highly successful five-day event for us, particularly when a customer specialising in oil field component manufacturing purchased our demonstration model – a Kitchen & Walker G62 radial drilling machine.”
For further information www.chestermachinetools.com

More Renishaw AM Solutions Centres

To accelerate the adoption of laser powder bed fusion technology for series production, Renishaw has expanded its network of AM (additive manufacturing) Solutions Centres.

Newly created facilities in Barcelona and Turin are now operational to allow companies in Spain and Italy to access Renishaw’s equipment and expertise at a fixed and predictable cost. Launched in 2016, Renishaw’s AM Solutions Centres provide businesses with a secure development environment to build their knowledge and confidence using 3D printing technology. The facilities are equipped with the latest AM systems, including Renishaw’s multi-laser machines.
For further information www.renishaw.com

Subcontractor upgrades press brake capacity

Bridport-based sheet metal subcontractor, Ackerman Engineering, has installed an Xpert 150-tonne, 3.1 m press brake from Bystronic.

The move adds to the six Bystronic models already on site, one of which dates back to 2001 and is badged Edwards Pearson, which the Swiss manufacturer acquired in 2002.
Managing director Graham Ackerman is particularly impressed with the latest Bystronic Xpert 150, for which he has bought a comprehensive suite of the manufacturer’s RF-A segmented tooling. He says it is twice as fast to set up compared with older style tooling, as the punch and die segments are automatically centred when loaded from the front and hydraulically clamped.
Moreover, the system is fully compatible with the Bystronic bending database in the machine control, and it is practically impossible to insert an incorrect tool due to laser beam recognition of its profile. Part quality is also improved, especially when bending long components, as there are no witness marks where the tool segments meet and there is no need for shimming.
Ackerman says: “Today we have 34 staff working at Bridport, including a fifth generation Ackerman, my son Edward. By the time he takes over the business, with our policy of constant reinvestment, we will have grown further. There is plenty of room for expansion on our current site. The purchase of highly productive production plant like the Bystronic machines will be key to our continued success.”
For further information www.bystronic.co.uk