‘Equip the Recovery’ campaign launches

A UK training provider is throwing its weight behind the UK’s economic bounce back by announcing a new apprenticeship campaign designed to give firms the talent they need to grow. In-Comm Training, which already supports more than 750 apprentices across three technical academies, has launched ‘Equip the Recovery’ to help more employers look at investing in apprentices by removing some of the barriers. The firm has committed to creating an additional 200 positions for young or mature learners between now and September and is asking businesses to get involved by creating roles within their companies.

For further information www.in-comm.co.uk

Super-duplex powder for AM

Sandvik and Beamit are launching super-duplex stainless steel powder for 3D printing operations. Components printed in Osprey 2507 metal powder are near fully dense (>99.9%) and crack-free, even before post processing. More information will be available on 18 May, when the ‘Additive by Sandvik: Material Matters’ interactive webinar will take place. This online event will offer a deep-dive into the game-changing combination of super duplex stainless steel and 3D printing. Participants can help shape the session agenda by pre-registering questions and topics of particular interest.

Register at
additive.sandvik/webinar

NI growth

Northern Industrial has made two new appointments and one promotion in its sales and customer service team to support ongoing expansion. Keith Gledhill joins as customer service account manager, Clive Piercy as sales account manager, while Lydia Chatterton has been promoted to the same team from her existing role as marketing & sales assistant. Blackburn-based Northern Industrial is a provider of new, reconditioned and obsolete parts and repair services, exporting to 146 countries.

For further information
https://nicontrols.com/uk

KMF invests in automated bending

KMF Precision Sheet Metal, the sheet metal fabrication arm of the KMF group, says it is continuing to prove that it is at the forefront of robotic automatic bending systems by investing in and installing industry-leading machinery. As part of plans which began in 2015 to be UK leaders in the introduction of robotic automatic bending systems, KMF Precision Sheet Metal committed to a rolling programme of technology investment.

The latest addition to its ambitious plans is a Trumpf TruBend Cell 7000 complete with wireless ACB (automatically controlled bend) technology, which has already begun delivering products in earnest.

Terry Stanway, KMF purchasing and facilities director, says: “The combined offerings from our current technology will ensure that we can now investigate lights-out production opportunities for larger volume demand, particularly for smaller components, where additional capacity is required.”

He continues: “The installation of the automatic bending cell represents the first phase of investment in 2021, during which we also expect to invest in further technology advancements with an upgrade to our existing automated twin laser cell system. From initial investigations, it is expected that this project is likely to result in production cycle reductions of up to 60% across a range of material types and gauges.”

For further information
www.trumpf.com

The keys to post-pandemic success

As industry in the UK and Ireland emerges from the grips of the pandemic, improvements in production efficiency will be essential to maintain competitiveness in a global marketplace.

However, according to 1st Machine Tool Accessories (1st MTA), the situation is more an opportunity than a challenge. Machine shops currently have time to carry out in-depth analyses of their processes and see where cost reductions are possible without compromising quality.

Unit production cost is everything and there are many ways of reducing it. For instance, one of the most recent agency lines taken on by 1st MTA is the range of electro-permanent magnetic work-holding and handling equipment from Walmag. The manufacturer asserts that swapping from the use of conventional vices to a magnetic solution allows five sides of a components to be machined in one hit, typically raising output by a quarter for no increase in production cost.

Walmag has gone so far as to calculate the comparative cost benefit of producing a part in one operation using magnetic work holding rather than in two operations using compressive clamping. The analysis is based on milling a 400 x 600 x 20 mm component on a VMC in a 30-minute cycle. The saving derives solely from being able to fixture the billet once in one minute instead of twice in eight minutes.

Based on £16.20 per hour to employ an operator and £43.20 per hour for use of the machine tool, the £5079.24 capital cost of the Walmag clamp and control unit is amortised in 49 days in single-shift operation, or in half that time for a double-shift pattern. After that, there is a net saving for the manufacturer of £103.95 per shift, assuming the machining of 15 workpieces.

For further information www.1mta.com