Kanav Jain wins big

The winners of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition have been named. The Big Bang Competition, run by EngineeringUK, is a national competition for young engineers, scientists and technologists aged 11 to 18. The top three winners each receive £1000 prize money. Kanav Jain, a student from Broxburn, Scotland is crowned UK Young Engineer of the Year 2026, supported by Thales, for his project ‘AeroAid: Autonomous VTOL quadplane’. Kanav is currently in S4 and entered via community group, First Step Robotics.

More information www.bit.ly/3QHkot6

NCC names advisors

The NCC (National Composites Centre) has appointed Mark Garrett and Tim Minshall as non-executive advisors.The organisation is entering a period of sustained expansion, with growing demand for its expertise from businesses of all sizes. With its strengthened board, the NCC will provide independent oversight and strategic challenge as it continues to scale delivery and impact.CEORich Oldfield says:“Our mission is to translate advanced research into real industrial capability. Mark and Tim’s experience across innovation, governance and academia bolsters our ability to do that at pace and with national reach.”

More information www.nccuk.com

ARMC sets out to de-risk hydrogen switching

The University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has secured £1m funding to establish HyDecarb, a first-of-its-kind, open-access research capability dedicated to the decarbonisation of industrial natural gas. It provides a real-world, industrial-scale testbed for manufacturers to trial hydrogen fuel-switching in a controlled environment. The AMRC’s open-access infrastructure removes the technical and financial barriers that have traditionally made the transition to low-carbon energy too risky for individual manufacturers to attempt alone.

More information www.amrc.co.uk

NUM drives efficiency and flexibility in tool grinding

At the recent GrindingHub 2026 exhibition in Stuttgart, NUM showcased new developments in its NUMROTO tool grinding software, including advanced feed-rate optimisation capabilities and the launch of the next-generation NUMROTO X platform.

The latest enhancements to NUMROTO are designed to help tool manufacturers improve productivity, flexibility and process reliability. A key innovation is the new feed-rate optimisation feature within NUMROTOplus, which automatically adjusts machining feed rates based on the calculated material removal volume generated through 3D simulation.

The technology is particularly beneficial for applications involving variable material removal, including grooving, tapered tools, multi-spiral cutters and step drills. By dynamically adapting feed rates to actual grinding conditions, manufacturers can reduce cycle times without compromising quality or tool life.

According to NUM, the new functionality has already demonstrated significant productivity gains in real-world applications. Grinding times for a multi-flute milling cutter were reduced by 14%, while the production of a stepped tool with insert seats delivered time savings of 29%.

NUM also unveiled NUMROTO X, a completely redeveloped software platform designed to provide greater flexibility and future-proof functionality for digital tool manufacturing. Built on a modular architecture, the new software introduces enhanced movement strategies between grinding operations to minimise idle time and improve axis efficiency.

Additional capabilities include a significantly expanded range of configurable geometric elements for complex tool designs such as barrel and circular segment cutters.

NUMROTO X is available in modules, including ‘Infrastructure’ and ‘Milling Cutter’, each offered in basic, advanced and professional tiers. This structuring allows manufacturers to tailor the software to specific production and tool design requirements while benefiting from a modern, scalable licensing structure.

More information www.num.com

Record entries for manufacturing festival awards

A record number of entries have been received for this year’s Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards, as manufacturers across the region continue to invest in young talent at a time when employers in other sectors warn entry-level roles for young people are disappearing. The awards, which take place next week, attracted 45 nominations from 19 companies, up from 38 entries from 18 businesses last year. Organisers say the increase reflects growing recognition of the role manufacturing can play in providing long-term career opportunities for young people.

More information www.leedsmanufacturingfestival.co.uk