MecWash named UK agent for Sugino Machines

MecWash Systems is now the sole UK agent of Sugino Corporation’s high-pressure cleaning and deburring machines, including the JCC (Jet Clean Centre) range. This strategic partnership strengthens MecWash’s position as a major UK supplier of aqueous parts cleaning systems for precision industries.

Sugino, a global specialist in high-pressure cleaning and deburring technology, has developed the JCC series to deliver accurate results, short cycle times and operational flexibility. The Sugino systems are designed like machine tools with an XYZ column and rotating plinth, to give strength, accuracy and control of the waterjets. The systems are also programmed like CNC machine tools, so they can be used easily by machine tool trained staff.

Delivering high pressures at up to 2450 bar, the machines provide high performance for particularly tenacious contamination and burrs. This power can be particularly valuable in cleaning up die castings, removing casting media or oxidation scale from hardening, leaving an excellent surface finish, reports MecWash.

Pierre Le Noach, sales manager at Sugino Machine France, says: “This is a great opportunity for Sugino and MecWash to combine forces to tackle industry’s toughest cleaning challenges. The partnership gives Sugino access to the UK market, where high-pressure deburring and washing systems are in great demand. MecWash has an exceptional reputation and will help to drive Sugino’s presence within UK manufacturing.” 

Adds John Pattison, managing director of MecWash Systems: “This partnership is a perfect synergy of precision engineering and technical expertise. The Sugino JCC machines complement and extend our existing range by providing capability for applications where accurate ‘brute force’ is critical for cleaning or deburring.”

More information www.mecwash.com

Lissmac implements changes in management team

Important changes in the management team have taken place at metal processing machine manufacturer Lissmac Maschinenbau GmbH. Its long-standing employee and managing director Daniel Keller has left the company, replaced by Thomas Hoffmeister. Hoffmeister has already been in office since earlier this year and is now managing the company together with Dr Hinrich Dohrmann.
 
“In 2024, after careful consideration, I made the decision to reorient myself professionally after more than 25 years at Lissmac and take up a position outside the company,” said Keller. “The decision was not easy for me, as Lissmac has always been a matter close to my heart. We achieved a lot together. Our successes are the result of joint efforts and the tireless commitment of all employees.”

Added Hoffmeister: “At 53 years old, I bring not only experience but, above all, passion and an entrepreneurial spirit. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I was taught from a young age the importance of entrepreneurial thinking, responsibility and sustainable action. After studying Manufacturing Engineering at Boston University and earning an MBA from the London Business School, my career took me around the globe – from Thailand to Egypt to China. Positions at ABB and Dresdner Bank provided me with valuable insights before I founded my own company in 2016, which I have since sold.

“Now, I’m excited to drive Lissmac forward with full energy together with an outstanding team. Our company is excellently positioned to not only meet the challenges of the future but to set new standards. With strong employees, a solid market position and strategic investments in our site in Bad Wurzach, we have everything needed for enduring success.”

More information www.lismac.com

Automated, fast finishing of artificial knee femurs

The expansion of the product range with knee implants made from titanium at a leading implant manufacturer required the purchase of new surface finishing equipment. With the RMSF 4/800 multi-surf finisher, Rösler developed a solution which, compared to typically utilised drag finishing machines, produces the required results in two separate process stages about four times faster.

Depending on the initial surface roughness readings of the raw components, the grinding operation with plastic processing media – specially developed for medical engineering applications – produces surface roughness readings of less than Ra 0.1 µm in cycle times of about 20 minutes. Moreover,  the critical ‘box’ surface area, frequently requiring a manual  grinding operation, can be fully automatically ground and polished.

This was made possible with the novel surf-finishing system, an intensive mass finishing technology. Surf finishing was developed for treating high-value workpieces with complex shapes requiring the targeted finishing of precisely defined surface areas. Similar to drag finishing, the knee femurs are mounted to a rotary spindle equipped with a servomotor. The actual treatment of the work pieces takes place in a rotating processing bowl filled with grinding, respectively, polishing media.

Individually adjustable tilting and rotary motions guarantee the highly precise and absolutely repeatable surface treatment of the various implant components on precisely defined surface areas. Process parameters, such as cycle time, rotary speed and direction, are stored in the equipment PLC as part of workpiece-specific processing programs. Pneumatic clamping of the work piece fixtures and a loading window, as part of the standard machine version, allow easy automation of the loading operation with an industrial robot.

More information www.rosler.com

Major Orders for Automotive Degreasing Work Secured

Lye-based finishing specialist Midland Deburr & Finish has secured major orders for its solvent and vapour degreasing plant to support tier-one automotive component work for a leading UK-based OEM.

As modern manufacturing becomes increasingly complex, precision finishing processes like deburring and degreasing are more essential than ever. These operations are vital to ensuring components meet stringent performance, safety and reliability standards. Yet, with high investment costs and a deepening industry-wide skills gap, many manufacturers are turning to outsourced solutions to meet these needs.

Midland Deburr & Finish says it is playing a pivotal role in helping manufacturers stay ahead of these demands. Managing director Chris Arrowsmith confirms the company’s new orders mark a significant vote of confidence in their capabilities and long-standing expertise: “We’re proud to be supporting tier-one and tier-two automotive supply chains with our solvent and vapour degreasing technologies. These orders reflect the trust major OEMs place in our ability to deliver precision and consistency at scale.”

The investment will support the firm’s growing role in the UK automotive sector, where components must adhere to the highest standards of cleanliness and finish. Vapour and solvent degreasing are critical processes in this space, removing minute contaminants that can compromise the performance or durability of parts – particularly those used in engines, transmission systems and braking components.

“These processes are essential in modern manufacturing,” Arrowsmith notes. “But they require significant expertise, and that’s where we step in – so our customers don’t have to divert their resources away from their core operations.”


By offering a comprehensive subcontract solution, Midland Deburr & Finish enables manufacturers to focus on core production without sacrificing quality.

More information www.midlanddeburrandfinish.co.uk

Perfecting coated brake discs in grinding processes

The car brake disc of the future is coated as it is the only way to meet the stricter particulate matter limits of the Euro 7 standard. The braking surface is also protected against corrosion and wear. But which machining process can guarantee this quality can be achieved reliably and in large quantities? With its VLC 450 DG machine and the combination of laser cladding and subsequent double-sided face-grinding, EMAG says it has the answer.

Jannik Röttger, head of grinding technology at EMAG, says: “Our laser cladding in particular opens up many possibilities: matrix material and hard material carbide are fed into a laser tool and welded to the preheated surface. In this way, first an adhesive layer and then the overlying wear protection layer are applied – at least in the case of so-called two-layer systems. There are also developers who rely on a one-layer solution, such as for the rear axles in compact vehicles.”

He continues: “Our USP is that, on one hand we can control and influence the turning process and the entire laser welding process on EMAG machines if the customer so wishes. On the other hand, we keep an eye on the subsequent grinding process right from the start. After all, the turning process and central coating parameters should be configured in such a way that the surface produced results in the shortest possible grinding cycle times and low grinding wheel wear with the highest component quality. Isolated solutions for just one of the two processes generate problematic performance figures.”

The VLC 450 DG grinding machine is a special solution for brake discs that has been designed for the respective coating system and desired production process.

More information www.emag.com