EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Tribute to Sir David McMurtry

Metrology specialist Renishaw is sad to announce the death of its co-founder and non-
executive director, Sir David McMurtry. Sir David founded Renishaw in 1973 with John Deer,
a fellow Rolls-Royce engineer, to commercialise the 3D touch-trigger probe for CMMs. He
had invented the probe the previous year to solve measurement problems faced in the
manufacture of Olympus engines that powered the Concorde supersonic aircraft.
A brilliant engineer, he was employed at Rolls-Royce in Bristol for 17 years. Sir David went
on to be named on over 200 patents for Renishaw innovations. The company he co-founded
over 50 years ago today employs over 5000 people in 36 countries. His Knighthood was
awarded ‘for services to Design and Innovation’ and he was appointed a Royal Designer for
Industry (RDI) in 1989.
More information www.renishaw.com

3D printing for Xmas

Renishaw empowered students in Bristol to experience 3D printing first hand with a Christmas-themed initiative. Continuing its commitment to STEM education, Renishaw has partnered with the SS Great Britain Trust’s Future Brunels Programme. As part of the collaboration, Renishaw is sponsoring the Christmas tree in Brunel Square, next to Brunel’s famous SS Great Britain steamship, where students have designed and 3D-printed unique baubles to adorn the tree. The festive project aimed to motivate students to explore careers in engineering and science, encouraging them to become the next generation of innovators.

More information www.renishaw.com

Anopol buys Poligrat

Anopol, a UK specialist in electropolishing and chemical surface treatment processes, has acquired Poligrat UK. For over 60 years, Poligrat has specialised in the development, production and application of processes for metal surface finishing from its plant in Aldershot. Anopol operates from ISO9001 and ISO14001 accredited facilities in Birmingham and Hampshire. Specialties include electropolishing, pickling, passivation and further surface treatment processes of stainless steels and other metals. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

More information www.anopol.com

Make the right connections with GFMS

GF Machining Solutions (GFMS), a supplier of EDM, milling, laser texturing and additive manufacturing machines, has introduced its ‘My rConnect’ digital service and support platform. The My rConnect service provides remote, cloud-based connectivity between individual customers and GF Machining Solutions, anytime and anywhere. Any GFMS machine model can benefit from the secure My rConnect as long as a computer is linked to the same network as the machine in question. Even machines lacking direct network access, but connected to the internet, can still access and use the platform’s functions.

More information www.gfms.com

NASCAR names official 3D printing partner

Stratasys has become the official 3D printing partner of NASCAR. 3D printing technology from Stratasys will now see use for the design and production of parts and tools across NASCAR. The official partnership cements Stratasys’ role as a technology provider for NASCAR, with a new 3D printing lab set to open at the NASCAR R&D Centre in Concord, North Carolina. The facility features multiple Stratasys technologies, including F370, 450mc and F900 FDM printers and a NEO800 SL printer to support research and development, parts production, and tooling for NASCAR’s three national series.

More information www.stratasys.com