EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

MTC to train Britishvolt apprentices

Apprentices at low-carbon battery manufacturing pioneer Britishvolt are to carry out their training at the Coventry-based Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre run by MTC Training. They will spend their first of four years at the AMTC before dividing their time between the centre and Britishvolt facilities. The first cohort of apprentices will begin in September, with the potential for hundreds more to follow in coming years. Britishvolt expects to employ more than 3000 people at its Northumberland gigafactory and recently announced a £200m battery manufacturing scale-up facility at Hams Hall in Warwickshire.
For further information https://the-amtc.co.uk

35,000 visitors attend BIEMH 2022

It was a long-awaited return for the BIEMH exhibition last month and it returned with figures that speak for themselves: an estimated 35,000 visitors from a total of 52 countries; more than 1400 exhibiting companies from 28 countries; more than 3400 machines, products, services and innovations; and 300 major buyers invited. The BIEMH biennial machine tool exhibition held its 31st edition in Bilbao at a key moment to observe developments in the sector. In addition to the show, 230 national and international speakers delivered 68 hours of conferences.
For further information https://biemh.bilbaoexhibitioncentre.com/en

Deal signed for FITMA-Latin America

Gardner Business Media and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) have signed a co-operation agreement to organise, produce and promote FITMA, Latin America’s premier manufacturing trade show connecting contract manufacturers, OEMs and equipment technology suppliers from around the world. After its successful launch in 2022, the first biennial FITMA event to operate in partnership between Gardner Business Media and AMT will debut in June 2023 in Mexico City.

Rick Kline Jr, president of Gardner Business Media, says: “After a successful launch of FITMA in 2022, the addition of AMT’s work with us going forward is going to accelerate the growth of this event and help us build a major metalworking opportunity in Mexico and for all of Latin America.”
For further information www.fitma-la.com/en

PECO fast-tracks another Sodick machine

A manufacturer of products for model railway enthusiasts has placed an order for another Sodick EDM machine. Devon-based PECO, which supplies its products to model shops across the UK and around the world, is about to enhance its toolroom with the addition of a Sodick ALC400G ‘i Groove edition’ wire-erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM. It will join three existing Sodick machines on site.

Established in 1946, PECO (Pritchard Patent Product Co Ltd) has its headquarters and manufacturing plant in the picturesque Devon fishing village of Beer, where the 150-employee business produces model rolling stock and track across eight different scales (from Z to G), as well as lineside/scenic and electrical accessories. Manufacturing in-house is clearly important to this progressive business, which is why the company runs a fully equipped tool room.

With its existing Sodick wire EDM passing a decade of service – and despite its ongoing excellent performance – PECO decided it would be prudent to look at a second wire-cut model.

“It was only ever going to be another Sodick,” states innovations manager Paul. Hitchcock. “Not just because of machine quality, accuracy and ease-of-use, but also the support and relationship we have with Sodi-Tech EDM. We saw a press article about the Sodick ALC400G with its ‘i Groove’ rotating wire mechanism and decided to undertake some trials.”

Applying rotation to the wire reduces wire consumption and allows the constant use of new wire surface for enhanced finishing and accuracy from the top to the bottom of the workpiece. This capability brings further peace-of-mind regarding precision and reliability, which is vital to a busy company such as PECO. The plant works a single shift but often leaves its Sodick machines to run overnight unattended.
For further information www.sodi-techedm.co.uk

PP C&A signs new Winbro deal

A strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has signed a major new deal to support the development of a UK-built EDM drilling machine. PP Control & Automation, which employs over 230 people at its facility in the West Midlands, will assemble the EDM generator module that forms the heartbeat of Winbro Group Technologies’ new HSD-351 model.

A new production cell manned by eight PP C&A experts has been set-up to complete the build, with work on the first 25 units set to begin shortly for use in drilling holes in complex aerospace and industrial gas turbine blades and nozzle guide vanes. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that has spanned a decade and 10 different model variants, with the decision to outsource continuing to provide production ‘flex’, reduced assembly time and improved supply chain management for the Leicestershire-based firm.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP C&A, says: “If you’re going to write a book about strategic manufacturing outsourcing and how it can work, I’d like to think this relationship would be in the case study section. To work with a company that operates in such a demanding field for 10 years is some achievement, and we’re delighted to be entering our ‘testimonial year’ with a new machine tool to help them build.”

He continues: “The HSD-351 is an EDM machine that packs so much power in so little space and we have been instrumental in helping produce the heartbeat of the model – the EDM generator module.”

With a footprint of just 2.5 sq m, the HD-351 boasts a capacity of almost 700 electrodes across a range of diameters.
For further information www.ppcanda.com