Record production month at Corbetts

One of the UK’s oldest hot-dip galvanisers has recorded its highest-ever volume from a single facility in July, with over £1m of new customer orders secured since returning from lockdown.

Corbetts the Galvanizers, which celebrates 160 years of trading in 2020, has seen a 48% rise in volume from the fencing sector, with ‘wins’ also achieved in utilities, infrastructure and transport. The company is processing all of this demand in just one plant after taking the decision to temporarily close its other facility until early 2021.

In June, the Telford-based company announced 17% more output than its average performance and this rose a further 7% in July, driven mainly by investment in operational efficiencies and a bespoke loading system. “We are bouncing back from what has been a very difficult period of volatile sales due to the impact of COVID-19,” explains Sophie Williams, finance director and general manager. “Now, however, we have average output at an all-time high and some excellent new customer wins that will generate about £1m of additional revenue.”

For further information www.wcorbett.co.uk

Special VMC performs deep-hole drilling

For over 30 years, Taunton-based Pattern Forme Ltd has been at the forefront of thermoforming mould tool design and manufacture, mainly in the food industry. The company can take projects from initial concept to finished mould tool in lead times as short as 2-3 weeks.

Recent demand has been for larger mould tools to increase productivity, which has led to a need to drill deeper holes. Typically, these holes would range in size between 6 and 10 mm diameter, with depths up to 1000 mm. The traditional solution would be to purchase a dedicated deep-hole drilling machine or subcontract the work. However, the former would require significant investment, whereas the latter brings logistical problems and a lack of control over production. XYZ Machine Tools was able to propose and deliver a quicker and more cost-effective solution.

“It was a chance conversation with XYZ Machine Tools, who have supplied us with several machines, where I mentioned that we needed this extra capacity,” explains Paul Wilkins, managing director at Pattern Forme. “They immediately suggested modifying one of their XYZ 1000 LR vertical machining centres to give the extra Z-axis capability we required. The simple and cost-effective solution was to add a 1050 mm riser block to the machine, which would allow us to drill these holes from either end using the 500 mm Z axis.”

By reconfiguring the machine, XYZ Machine Tools was able to increase the minimum distance from spindle nose to table by 1050 mm. Including the standard Z-axis stroke, this made the maximum distance 1550 mm, which is more than enough to accommodate Pattern Forme’s components. The order for the machine was placed in November 2019 and delivery took place in April 2020.

For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Flexible solution for AM parts

Behringer has recently complemented its product portfolio with the new 3D series, which comprises two models (HBE320-523 3D and LPS-T 3D). The high-performance sawing machines were developed for cutting additively manufactured components in different sizes and shapes.

Additively manufactured parts are printed on a base plate via a supporting structure, and this base plate has to be removed. The new 3D series from Behringer is designed to separate the additively manufactured parts from the base plate with high cutting precision, thus ensuring neither the print plate nor the printed parts get damaged.
No matter whether steel, aluminium, titanium, nickel-based alloy or plastic, the 3D saws from Behringer are said to cut all additively manufactured parts in different sizes and shapes without any problems. As the fixture can be individually manufactured to customer requirements, high flexibility is guaranteed.
The HBE320-523 3D, which is based on the existing HBE Dynamic series, offers a fixture for small and medium-sized plates up to 500 x 300 mm. A simple, quick set-up process and compact machine dimensions are among the advantages of this model.
Behringer’s other machine in the series, the LPS-T 3D, demonstrates its strengths when sawing larger printing plates. The vertical design of the machine, with a freely accessible machine table, ensures easy loading and handling of large and/or heavy base plates. Especially when sawing steel or other difficult-to-cut materials, the standard servo-feed system provides a steady saw-feed movement that helps to ensure a quiet and stable cutting process. This capability results in high cutting performance and blade life.
With the blade deflection monitoring system and its adjustable thresholds, both models of the Behringer 3D series ensure high sawing precision.
For further information www.behringerltd.co.uk

Loan support

The UK machine tool business of 600 Group Plc, Colchester Machine Tools Solutions, has secured a £1.2m new-term loan with a three-year bullet repayment under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS).

This loan will help provide headroom in funding the business through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul Dupee, executive chairman, states: “These are unprecedented times. We have taken decisive action to ensure our workforce and technical competencies remain intact through this period of uncertainty so that the group can react quickly as markets improve.”
For further information www.600group.com

HGG partners with Kaltenbach

Kaltenbach and HGG Profiling Equipment, which specialises in high-speed plasma cutting and 3D profiling, have developed a strategic co-operation for the steel construction market across a wide geographical area.

The partnership is focused on thermal cutting, coping, drilling and sawing solutions for profiles and beams.
“In order to push the boundaries of technology and stay ahead of the game, technology suppliers need to achieve a high degree of specialisation,” says Daan van Dee, HGG global channel manager. “By combining the best of thermal cutting with the best of sawing and drilling, we create a total solution that offers a significantly higher value for our clients and stands out from the competition.”
Kaltenbach will add a new coping robot to its product range which is powered by HGG. The new Kaltenbach thermal coping robot is said to be one the world’s most advanced, combining HGG’s software, scanning methods and cutting intelligence with German engineering and manufacturing quality.
“At Kaltenbach we strive to supply our customers with the very best solution for each type of technology,” says Matthias Rummel, Kaltenbach CSO.
In the field of 3D coping HGG has been known for years as the technology leader, and by integrating this technology in our automated steel processing systems we increase the productivity of our customers significantly.”
Right from the start, the partnership turned out to be a perfect fit, and has already been positively received by the market. By combining the development forces of both parties, the possibilities for customers are said to be endless.
For further information https://kaltenbach.co.uk/