EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Open House

Registration is now open for Mazak’s 2026 open house at the company’s European headquarters in Worcester, UK. Visitors to the three-day event on 1 to 3 December will be able to see 19 CNC machine tools and laser cutters performing live demonstrations. Whether visitors are looking to increase capacity, improve efficiency or solve production challenges, Mazak experts are ready to help. Step inside an actual UK machine tool manufacturer from 09:00 to 15:00 each day. Mazak will provide a welcome breakfast, guided factory tours and lunch. 

Register at https://bit.ly/4hUDWnq  

Tool Prize

ANCA named the winners of its 2026 Tool of the Year awards at the recent IMTS 2026 exhibition in Chicago. ARCH Medical Grinding (USA) won with a multipurpose surgical tool concept. TDM from Türkiye took second place and Roder Ferramentas from Brazil third. ARCH Medical Grinding’s winning entry was a cannulated tool that combines drilling, reaming and tapping. It also has a milled pocket for a nitinol wire and a screwdriver at the opposite end. The team designed the tool with ANCA’s ToolRoom and CIM3D software, before grinding it on an ANCA MX7. 

More information www.anca.com 

Steve Jones Named New Chair of Automate UK

Automate UK has appointed Steve Jones as its new chair, tasked with aiding the continued growth and evolution of the organisation. Jones, who has been involved with Automate UK in a non-executive board role since 2021, will work closely with CEO Dan Thombs, outgoing chair James Causebrook, COO Scott McKenna and policy director Peter Williamson. He says his key focus will be the progressive development of Automate UK, ensuring relevance while continually evolving an automation community, adding that providing value to members is pivotal to the association’s success. 

More information www.automate-uk.com 

Driving Onshore Next-Gen Engine Component Builds

A ceramic matrix composite (CMC) aerofoil demonstrator has been produced and precision-finished by an engineering consortium – Archer Technicoat Ltd (ATL), the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) – establishing advanced high-temperature manufacturing capability across the aerospace, nuclear and defence sectors. Notably, the AMRC deployed advanced CNC abrasive grinding to finish curved aerodynamic surfaces, while using small-diameter core drills to precision-machine intricate fastening features. 

More information www.amrc.co.uk 

Rheinmetall Opens Gun Hall in Telford

Rheinmetall has officially opened its new ‘UK gun hall’ in Telford in the presence of British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, thereby marking the return of independent production of large-calibre weapons to the UK. The facility forms part of Rheinmetall’s wider investment of more than £200m across its UK operations over the past five years. 

From concept to reality at pace, Rheinmetall transformed an empty facility into an operational manufacturing capability in just eight months. The new gun hall will manufacture 120 and 155 mm weapon systems, including those supporting Challenger 3 and future artillery platforms. The facility offers 11,500 m² of production space. At peak capacity, it can produce up to 245 barrels per year across both calibres, as well as more than 50 breeches annually. 

More information www.rheinmetall.com