Machine investment at Meddings Group

The Meddings Group can trace its roots back to the late 1930s when the current chairman’s grandfather started the business. It was in 1941 that the first Meddings pillar drill was developed, a product, although greatly updated, which remains central to the group’s activities. With drill production growing the decision was taken to relocate to the company’s current location in Ivybridge, Devon. This move would not only give room for expansion and the development of its own products, but the acquisition of swimming pool heating manufacturer Thermalec, along with extensive subcontract machining and fabrication capabilities, and an industrial supplies division.

Says managing director Mark Dibbens. “We have re-shored all manufacturing of the Meddings drills and Meddings Thermalec products. Product development will see new drill designs being launched at MACH 2022, as well as expansion of the Meddings Thermalec range.”

To help meet increased machining requirements, Meddings Group has undertaken a major investment programme, spending over £1.4m in the past 12 months on capital equipment and facilities. The latest arrival is an XYZ UMC-5X five-axis machining centre.

Initially the focus of the XYZ UMC-5X will be on Meddings’ own products, with new developments of the company’s drills and Thermalec heaters benefitting from the capability of simultaneous five-axis machining. One example is the new design of pool heater vessel, which at over 100 kg in weight, means that reducing set-ups is a major advantage. Another product machined on the XYZ UMC-5X has seen dramatic reductions in cycle times, with one-hit machining cutting the original cycle time of 15 hours by 50%.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

MTC sets up in southeast

Future Cube, a new innovation centre designed to support and cultivate London’s innovative manufacturing, logistics and construction businesses, has opened in the heart of the Thames Gateway. Located in Rainham, Future Cube will be home to a range of demonstrators and tools that will help businesses to explore and adopt new technologies. The Future Cube facility is the result of a partnership between Havering Council, SEGRO, the London Riverside Business Improvement District (BID), and the Greater London Authority, with the MTC selected as the lead delivery partner on site.

For further information
www.the-mtc.org

Changing landscape sets tone for SteelFab

Rising oil prices and a growing regional economy has laid the perfect foundation for the 17th edition of SteelFab (10-13 January, Sharjah, UAE). A strong resurgence in the GCC’s economic growth prospects is fuelling growth of the region’s construction, which remains the biggest sector by project value, while infrastructure industries are the demand drivers of the local metalworking segment. Continuing infrastructure spending, stimulus packages, reforms and growth in the non-oil sector are also providing industry impetus.

SteelFab is the only dedicated trade fair of its kind and has provided consistent growth since its launch. The exhibition is the largest regional showcase of this type of technology, attracting visitors from across the globe (7200 from 70 countries at the last event in 2020). Notably, SteelFab enjoys strong support from industry associations and exhibitors can expect high sales, bookings and business leads.

For further information www.steelfabme.com

Outlook remains positive for XYZ

Confidence within the manufacturing sector continues to increase, as reflected by a growing order book at XYZ Machine Tools. Invoiced sales and new orders for the first six months of its financial year show a strong recovery from the previous year and are now at pre-pandemic levels. This continuing growth in sales has prompted XYZ Machine Tools to review its machine order and build strategy. Planning as far ahead as October 2022, XYZ will be able to maintain the traditional high machine stock levels held at its Devon headquarters.

“Supply chains have been a common topic in the news recently,” states Nigel Atherton, managing director. “We are therefore planning ahead and currently have 263 machines in transit to the UK, with a further 600 machines in the pipeline. This commitment will ensure that we can continue supporting our customers by responding as quickly as possible to their orders.”

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Take the bridge to success

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has introduced a new bridge-style vertical machining centre into the market. The BVM 5700 is a premium machine that, owing to its rigid design and build, is said to deliver high levels of accuracy, flexibility, machining performance and reliability.

The machine’s stability is the foundation for its performance. A rigid, thermally stable construction ensures that thermal deformation is minimised and, as a result, high accuracy is possible irrespective of workpiece material or machining parameters.

Says Tony Dale, CEO of Mills CNC: “There is a tendency among some manufacturers to think that bridge-style machining centres are only for large part processing. This is not the case.With the BVM 5700, Doosan have focused their efforts on creating a compact, powerful and highly rigid machine with a wide application potential and appeal. Irrespective of whether high material removal or super-fine finishing are required, the BVM 5700 delivers.”

The BVM 5700 offers travel distances of 1050 x 570 x 460 mm in the X, Y and Z axes, and a well-proportioned work table measuring 1300 x 570 mm, with a 1000 kg maximum table load. A 30/40 tool ATC with a 1.3 second tool-to-tool changeover time supports rapid traverse rates of 42 m/min.

The machine’s built-in BT40 spindle (37 kW/15,000 rpm) can generate 214 Nm of torque.

Doosan’s BVM 5700 features the Big Plus dual contact face and taper spindle/tooling interface and a smart thermal compensation system comprising multiple sensors strategically positioned around the machine. The machine is equipped with the Doosan Fanuc i Plus control featuring 15” touchscreen and intuitive iHMI.

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk