Free courses for those furloughed

Furloughed apprentices and employees are being given the opportunity to learn new skills thanks to a new package of support from the Training and Manufacturing Group (TMG).

The not-for-profit organisation is working with its technical partners to deliver a suite of technology courses to members that will help bridge the skills gap, increase R&D and support the post COVID-19 recovery.
Industry experts Bauromat, Guhring, ETG, Hexagon MI and Ceratizit WNT, alongside business specialists BDO, FBC Manby Bowdler and In-Comm Training, have agreed to host the interactive sessions completely free of charge and will cover crucial topics ranging from automation, robot/CNC programming and cutting tools, to arc/resistance welding, PLC programming and pneumatics. The courses will initially be delivered through short webinars or one-to-one sessions at partner sites, adhering to social distancing rules.
For further information www.in-comm-tmg.co.uk

Coolant benefits engineers and the NHS

Rocol will be donating 5% from sales of its new semi-synthetic cutting fluid to NHS Charities Together for the remainder of 2020, the company has confirmed. Ultracut 370 EP has been specially formulated for use on a range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in both cutting and grinding operations.

Ian Fenney, Rocol metalworking fluids segment specialist, says: “As is the case for many businesses, we wanted to show our support to the NHS and the amazing work that people working in the health service have done during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Ultracut 370 EP is bright blue when diluted, it seemed fitting to donate a percentage of each barrel we sell for the rest of 2020 to NHS Charities Together.”
For further information www.rocol.com

Pendle Engineering installs another XYZ

While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented concern for many in the manufacturing sector, there remains an air of positivity.

For example, machine orders continue to be taken by XYZ Machine Tools and, as a result, deliveries continue to take place on a daily basis to customers across the UK and further afield. A case in point is the recent despatch of an XYZ 3010, the largest vertical machining centre in the XYZ range, to Pendle Engineering in Nelson, Lancashire.
The XYZ 3010, which weighs in at 25 tonnes, is the fourth XYZ machine purchased by this fabrication and CNC machining specialist. Pendle’s decision to make the investment at this time was driven by the confidence it was seeing from customers, while at the same time delivering a significant increase in machining capacity with its axis travels of 3000 x 1000 x 800 mm, backed by an 8000 rpm spindle. Pendle Engineering now has the capability to machine pieces weighing up to 4000 kg.
“Our subcontract steel manufacturing services are supplied to a broad range of sectors, and the encouraging levels of customer demand gave us the confidence to invest,” says Chris Smith, managing director at Pendle Engineering. “This new machine not only bolsters our existing capacity, but allows us to bring the machining of larger (>1 m) workpieces in-house. These unprecedented circumstances have without doubt added an extra dimension to our investment decision-making, but we’re planning for the long term and are delighted to be working with XYZ once again.”
XYZ Machine Tools has continued to support its customers throughout the pandemic and this has been rewarded by a steady influx of new machine orders. The company currently has around 50 machines in build and under pre-delivery test.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Comau launches global solutions network

Comau has introduced a global web-based networking platform designed to support SMEs by creating a win-win ecosystem between ‘verified’ system integrators and companies exploring automation opportunities.

To help different sectors reap the benefits of automation in an intelligent and cost-effective manner, the Comau Marketplace platform features case studies, targeted solutions and industry guidance on how automation can help increase productivity and lower overall costs. The platform also helps system integrators propose solutions and interact with potential customers.
For further information www.comau.com/marketplace

Ford EV production gets 5G boost

Ford and its consortium partners have received government backing for the introduction of 5G connectivity to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing.

A 5G mobile private network delivered by Vodafone Business will be installed this autumn in the new E:PriME (Electrified Powertrain in Manufacturing Engineering) facility on Ford’s Dunton campus in Essex. The Vodafone Business 5G solution is set to overcome many of the issues surrounding wireless connectivity in industrial settings, promising reduced delays, wider bandwidth, improved security and reliability, and faster deployment time.
Once installed, E:PriME Dunton will have the fastest possible connectivity alongside the consortium’s second network at welding research specialist TWI, based in Cambridge. Ford will focus on the connectivity of its welding machines. The batteries and electric motors within an EV require around 1000 welds. For a single EV product, the solution could generate more than half a million pieces of data every minute.
For further information www.ford.co.uk