Social media is currently ‘alight’ with UK engineers doing the country proud in meeting the ‘Ventilator Challenge UK’ demand to support the battle against COVID-19. Likewise, the supply chain is flying the flag for UK manufacturing with its response to keeping this critical infrastructure in motion.

Guhring UK, which is part of this supply chain, has stepped up to the plate with the critical supply of cutting tools. As a UK manufacturer with a factory floor space of over 60,000 sq ft, Guhring UK is holding in excess of £5m of standard cutting tool stock items. This stock is being directed to F1, aerospace and medical OEMs involved in the ‘Ventilator Challenge UK’, as well as the subcontract supply chain. In fact, with the impact of the pandemic on imports and the wider supply chain, Guhring UK is even delivering its products to recognised cutting-tool manufacturers and competitors that cannot meet the urgent demands of their customers.
Despite Guhring UK holding a plentiful stock of thousands of standard cutting-tool items for next-day delivery, it is the UK manufacture and coating of special tools that are really “saving the bacon” for pockets of the supply chain at such a critical time. One particular customer, Bellurgan Precision Engineering Ltd, based in Ireland, urgently required a three-step special drill for the production of ventilator components. Guhring stepped up to the mark by delivering within 48 hours.
Within that timeframe, Guhring UK had liaised with Bellurgan, designed and created a tool drawing that was subsequently approved, and then the race was on. The Guhring UK team immediately manufactured 16 identical cutters at its Birmingham headquarters and coated all tools in-house with its Signum coating technology before delivery to Bellurgan.
For further information www.guhring.co.uk

Sandvik Coromant has launched online application training to share knowledge and best practices for metal-cutting operations.

The eight-part programme has been released online and is accessible via the Sandvik Coromant website. Embarking on the programme, customers will develop theoretical and application-based knowledge in turning, milling, drilling and threading for both indexable and solid-carbide tools.
Communicated through pre-recorded presentations, the online training courses will provide customers with insights into the best practice strategies for machining. The programme includes specialist topic areas such as solid-carbide tools for drilling, milling and tapping, which is led by expert, Ben Lodge, solid round tools product specialist for north Europe at Sandvik Coromant. During the sessions, customers will learn the fundamentals for successful metal cutting, including the importance of process control and developing the correct machine set up.
A module on indexable drilling is led by Mikael Carlsson, indexable drilling and boring specialist for north Europe. Here, learners will develop an understanding of the vital process considerations for drilling deep holes and how to optimise chip formation for different drills and workpiece materials. A separate module on indexable milling is hosted by Barry Cahoon, indexable milling specialist for north Europe.
Lee Kendall, turning product specialist for north Europe, delivers modules on parting and grooving, thread turning and general turning, where learners can expect to develop new knowledge of different insert geometries and grades.
Each training module is approximately 30-minutes in length. As pre-recorded courses, the modules can be viewed at any time, allowing customers to complete the programme at their own pace.
For further information www.sandvik.coromant.com