Expansion of STEM Engagement Fund

Nearly 2000 pupils will have the opportunity to get a better taste of vocational learning thanks to the expansion of the STEM Engagement Fund in the Black Country and Birmingham. The new financial backing is the brainchild of Michael Orlik and his sons, who have gifted £25,000 to the Training Manufacturing Group (TMG)’s charitable fund in memory of their wife and mum Susan – an advocate of giving young people the best start in education and employment. It means that In-Comm Training, an independent provider of apprenticeships and training, can increase the reach of its programme.

More information www.in-comm.co.uk

NCMT Continues Sponsorship Of UWR

Reinforcing its commitment to fostering talent and innovation in motorsport, as well as in engineering and manufacturing generally, machine tool sales company NCMT will continue its sponsorship of the University of Wolverhampton Racing (UWR) team for the 2025 season.

Building on a successful partnership that started in 2023, NCMT will support the Morgan race car and UWR Revolution 500 EVO race car. The latter was launched in conjunction with British manufacturer Revolution Race Cars on 9 January 2015 at the Autosport International motorsport show in Birmingham. This season, the car will compete in the newly-formed Equipe Sports Prototypes series, a multi-class racing championship for lightweight prototype sports cars.

More information www.ncmt.co.uk

Seeking new young robotics stars

The WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition 2025 opens for applications on 3-28 March, with industrial automation specialist FANUC UK continuing its commitment to the next generation of engineers by supporting a search to find the UK’s best young robotics talent. For the fifth year in succession, the company is partnering with WorldSkills UK for the annual industrial robotics competition.

The competition aims at giving young people the opportunity to learn how to program a robot, enhance their engineering prowess, and develop valuable workplace skills such as timekeeping and teamwork. It is open to teams of two young people, who must be within a year of completing a relevant Level 3 Apprenticeship and/or hold qualifications in an engineering-based subject (to a minimum Level 3 or equivalent).

Apply at www.bit.ly/484XXBj

Industry and education collaboration success

A partnership between SIGMA Clermont Engineering School and Fives Machining represents a model of collaboration between the worlds of education and industry that is crucial for training the engineers of tomorrow and ensuring the future of industry in France.

SIGMA Clermont Engineering School, born from the merger of the French Institute of Advanced Mechanics (established in 1991) and the National School of Chemistry of Clermont-Ferrand (founded in 1908), has rapidly established itself as a key player in training engineers in mechanical engineering and chemistry.

In the context of constant evolution, the school has developed a strategic partnership with Fives Machining, a specialist in the manufacture of large-scale machine tools. The partnership, initiated several years ago, is part of a shared commitment to maintaining high-quality industrial offerings in France, particularly in the aerospace, defence, rail, energy and general industry sectors, as well as in the manufacturing of complex, high-value-added parts.

Fives Machining regularly engages with students to enrich their education. Engineers from Fives share their technical know-how by teaching dedicated courses on the design and optimisation of industrial machines. Thanks to a machining centre installed in the school’s workshops, students gain a concrete, hands-on understanding of the challenges faced by industry, whether in complex machining processes, resource management or production optimisation.

“The Fives machining centre we integrated into our workshops is an indispensable tool for our students’ learning,” reports Professor Emmanuel Duc, researcher and professor at the school. “It allows them to machine complex parts each week, which is essential for their practical training and understanding of industrial processes in real-world conditions.”

More information www.fivesgroup.com

Productivity take-off with Starrag machine

By investing in machine tools from Starrag, Missouri-based Seyer Industries has become a major manufacturer of critical aerospace components, evolving a long way from its origins in a farmer’s garage back in 1957.

Today, Seyer is a third-generation family-owned aerospace company that offers four primary product groups. Its activities include supporting customers in the commercial aerospace, military aerospace, military support equipment and maritime industries. The company’s ongoing investment strategy is proving so successful, the AS9100D, ISO9001, ITAR-registered and NADCAP-certified company has grown 20% per annum for the past five years.

Mark Seyer, director of operations, says: “As price and lead time are everything in aerospace, adding the capability of large-capacity machining helps us offer a complete partner solution for more of our customers. To achieve this, we decided to invest in machine tools from Starrag.”

With the project requiring the machining of hard metal parts with dimensions of 1000 x 300 x 300 mm, the billets had to undergo high material removal machining with impeccable precision and surface finishes. The solution was the Starrag Heckert 800 X5 five-axis horizontal machining centre with trunnion design.

Such has been the success of this investment that the company has already committed to machine number two: a six-axis Starrag STC1800-170 set to arrive in autumn 2025. The machine will manufacture large titanium structural parts for the defence industry and, with its 3.3 x 2 x 2 m capacity, the Starrag STC1800-170 will add both capacity and capability to Seyer’s competitive advantage.

“We expect this machine to process stainless steel, titanium and Inconel structural aerospace components, typically in smaller batch sizes in the realm of 2 to 10 pieces,” says Seyer.

More information www.starrag.com