Scanners win Red Dots

Creaform’s recently launched HandyScan Black and Go!Scan Spark have won Red Dot Awards for product design.

Marco St-Pierre, Creaform’s vice president – innovation and technologies, says: “These are Creaform’s fourth and fifth Red Dot Awards in the past few years, which attests to how much we believe in the crucial role that design and ergonomics play in the overall user experience.” Each year, over 5000 entries to the Red Dot Awards are received from more than 50 countries. Entrants are judged on several criteria, including degree of innovation, functionality, formal quality and ergonomics.
For further information www.creaform3d.com

APT invests

AS9100 and ISO9001 accredited APT Leicester, a subcontract machining specialist, has invested in a Keyence dimension measurement system.

The Keyence IM-7030T has increased productivity by speeding up the inspection of components, says the company. APT’s new machine has the ability to measure multiple parts in seconds, enabling the company to spend more time on the production process itself. This strategy ensures that APT customers are consistently and rapidly provided with quality products.
For further information www.aptleicester.co.uk

Medical device subcontractor expands

A total of 24 Cincom sliding-headstock CNC bar autos were installed between last summer and the beginning of 2019 by Citizen Machinery UK at one of the two factory units operated by Shannon-based medical component manufacturer, Smithstown Light Engineering.

The major investment followed Smithstown’s receipt of a contract from a multinational medical firm for machining multiple variants of two types of endoscopic device parts from 303 stainless steel bar. Annual quantity is currently 18 million for the production of nine million assemblies.
Managing director Gerard King had identified the business opportunity in 2017 and machined sample parts on a 20 mm bar capacity Cincom L20 installed three years previously to fulfil another contract, which is still running, for turning a 316 stainless steel spindle used in a medical delivery device.
Discussions progressed and, to develop the process further, he decided to buy on-spec a 12 mm bar capacity Cincom L12, which is of more appropriate size for producing the endoscope parts in short cycle times.
Says King: “The first of the L12s started arriving in July 2018, and the last ones were on site by January this year. All are operating 24/7. The lead-time from the customer signing the contract and our shipping the first parts in production quantities was five months. Citizen supported us well during this ramp-up phase.”
All of the latest sliding-head lathes are equipped with Citizen’s patented LFV (low frequency vibration) software, part of the control’s operating system that assists chip breaking when machining materials that tend to generate long, stringy swarf during turning.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Camloc invests in second CNC lathe

Gas spring and damper solutions manufacturer Camloc Motion Control has continued the growth of its manufacturing and product development arm following significant investment in a second CNC lathe.

The DMG Mori Sprint 32|8, worth £175,000, further increases the company’s capacity to manufacture and develop more complex, bespoke products for customers at its Leicester facility.
Engineering director at Camloc Motion Control, Matt Warne, sees the investment in a second CNC lathe as a significant step forward for the business as part of its long-term growth plans: “Following the success we have seen over the past 18 months as a result of our investment in the first CNC lathe, we made the decision to bring forward our acquisition of the second from DMG Mori.”
This latest investment allows Camloc to accelerate new product development, reduce specialist component lead times and further improve flexibility in providing bespoke customer product solutions.
“Investing in the latest technology and machinery means we can take our products to the next level, delivering tailored functionality that meets specific customer needs,” concludes Warne.
The Sprint 32|8 is a small automatic lathe with six linear axes and a C axis that is suited to workpieces measuring up to 32 mm in diameter and 600 mm in length, from a footprint of less than 2.8 sq m. Productivity is boosted with the automatic workpiece discharge function and a workpiece transfer conveyor, which is offered as standard.
For further information https://uk.dmgmori.com/

MTC apprentice at WorldSkills

Jack McCarthy, an apprentice trained at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) in Coventry is to represent the UK at the WorldSkills 2019 finals in Russia.

McCarthy, who was one of the first cohort of apprentices to be trained at the AMTC – part of the Manufacturing Technology Centre – will compete at the WorldSkills competition in Kazan in August, having successfully competed at WorldSkills UK to win his place. Aged 20, he began his apprenticeship at the AMTC in 2014, completing it last year. McCarthy now works for DMG Mori, and will compete in Russia in the CNC turning category.
For further information www.the-mtc.org