Ward CNC passes latest ISO9001 audit

Ward CNC has achieved continued recognition from its July 2020 ISO 9001:2015 quality management audit from the BSI. The achievement was underpinned by the fact that no non-conformities were found during both the July audit and the original awarding in December 2019.

Executive director Stephen Bodsworth (pictured front, centre) says: “Like many organisations during this time, we’ve had to adapt to the threats of COVID-19 and implement new ways of working for the safety of our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Throughout this period – and despite these challenges – we’ve been able to ensure that customer experience is at the high standard we demand of ourselves and that our customers would come to expect. Despite the audit taking place in a virtual form, we were still able to demonstrate the processes and management systems that enable us to keep these standards in this unique environment.”
For further information www.wardcnc.com

XYZ sees return of customer confidence

At the height of the pandemic, XYZ Machine Tools reduced overall staffing levels while maintaining those crucial areas of customer support, service, programming support, spares and sales, with a core of 22 employees.

A strengthening in sales throughout June and July have seen that number increase to 56, with the prospect of more people being pulled off furlough in the coming weeks.
“Thanks to our strong financial position we’ve been able to weather whatever COVID-19 threw at us,” states Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools. “We were resolute in maintaining core customer service functions and this has paid dividends as customers have continued to accept existing orders, while we’ve also seen relatively strong sales of new machines during the pandemic. We must obviously remain focused and wary of the ongoing situation, but it’s encouraging to see customer confidence returning, with positive signs of a willingness to invest in new machine tools.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

2500T hydraulic press for DMP

Beckwood Press Co has been awarded a contract by Diverse Metal Products (DMP) to manufacture a 2500-ton hydraulic forming press.

Scheduled for delivery later this year, the press will be used to make embossed heat exchanger plates in nuclear missile tubes for the US Navy.
The custom press will feature an eight-point square gib guidance system that is fully adjustable left-to-right and front-to-back to minimise lateral movement under load. The 1.2 x 1.65 m bed and ram bolsters will be machined to accommodate DMP’s existing tooling. Safety features include light curtains on the front opening, fixed polycarbonate guarding on the rear, and a UL-certified electrical enclosure.
Like every Beckwood press, DMP’s new machine includes several uptime-focused features. For instance, the structure is engineered for ‘infinite life’ using FEA software, while dual linear and pressure transducers offer reliability and redundancy. In addition, Beckwood’s proprietary PressLink module facilitates fast, complementary remote support.
“We are proud to support companies like DMP, who supply critical components to the US military,” says Josh Dixon, Beckwood’s director of sales and marketing. “Our unwavering commitment to engineering and manufacturing presses in the US results in safe, reliable machinery and gives every Beckwood customer a competitive advantage.”
“DMP is proud to partner with Beckwood on this project,” adds John Keith, one of DMP’s owners. “Selecting a US manufacturer to help us support the US Nuclear Navy was our number one objective. Beckwood has done what they said they would. We are excited to deploy this asset in the coming months.”
For further information www.beckwoodpress.com

£1.45m investment in robotics firm

Foresight Group, an independent infrastructure and private-equity investment manager, and Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), have made a £1.45m follow-on investment from the Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund into Inovo Robotics.

This investment will allow Inovo to grow sales internationally and brings the total invested by the fund to £2.95m, having originally invested £1.5m in October 2018 to support the company’s first product to market. Inovo is developing a competitively priced ‘cobot’, a collaborative robot designed to operate safely
within a human work environment.
For further information www.wae.com

Ready-to-integrate servo-press modules

IEF Werner says that its aiPRESS differs from other brands of servo press in that it features a torsion-resistant steel C-frame with precise ram guidance that absorbs transverse forces.

This capability ensures the drive chain remains rigid throughout the cycle to eliminate positioning errors. Now, this concept has been further developed to provide system designers and machine builders with a flexible servo-press module that can be integrated into manual workstations and automatic assembly lines.
These new aiPRESS JM modules are available in the UK from RARUK Automation in three sizes with press forces of 3, 15 and 36 kN, and strokes of 75, 125 and 175 mm respectively. Maximum speed is 150 mm per second, while repeat accuracy is <0.002 mm. Although the stroke of each model is fixed, where it starts and stops is fully controllable and it can therefore be adjusted to suit the application. The module can also be installed in any orientation (vertically, inverted or horizontally) and combined with turntables or sliding tables. A choice of mounting components is available to provide this flexibility. Integration into any machine control system is easily achieved via standard protocols, or the module can be specified with IEF Werner’s aiQ-CONTROL. This intelligent force path monitor measures position and force, and illustrates the pressing process graphically and monitors its course. Another option is aiLIGHT intelligent process area lighting, which supports set-up and operation by changing from white to blue and green, to signify the process step. A red light alerts the operator to a failure. The aiPRESS JM modules are especially suited to fully automated handling and assembly lines, for example, as a precision pressing or joining station in an IEF Werner posyART transport system (also available from RARUK Automation). For further information www.rarukautomation.com