EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

25th anniversary for Kautex Unipart

One of the UK’s longest-established joint ventures is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Kautex Unipart Ltd (KUL), a joint venture between Unipart Group and German partner Kautex Textron GmbH, has now produced 12.3million plastic fuel tanks at its state-of-the-art production line in Coventry. Fuel tanks have been manufactured for 19 different vehicle models since 1998, with £50m invested in the latest robotic cells, finishing stations and traceability technologies.

A celebration event was held to celebrate the 25th birthday, with all 122 employees at KUL praised for their commitment.They heard from management teams at both businesses about key achievements, which included the way the company supports STEM and the next generation of engineers, and how it has successfully embedded Industry 4.0 best practice across its 11,000 sq m site.

For further information www.unipart.com

SolidWorks co-founder invests in Flexxbotics

Flexxbotics, which delivers work-cell digitalisation for robot-driven manufacturing, is announcing investment and mentorship from industry luminary Scott Harris, co-founder of SolidWorks and Onshape. “Flexxbotics is at the forefront of a transformative movement in manufacturing, where robotics and digitalisation play a pivotal role in creating smarter, more efficient production environments,” says Harris.“Their capability to adapt robot performance on-the-fly in response to feedback is unique. I’m excited to contribute to their mission of redefining how robots and industrial machines work together in manufacturing.”

For further information www.flexxbotics.com

DLM opens machine shop

Dynamic Load Monitoring (DLM) of Southampton has opened a machine shop in collaboration with sister company, Vulcan Offshore.Having taken a new lease on two buildings already fitted out as a machine shop in Vancouver Wharf, Southampton, each company will occupy an adjacent unit. A state-of-the-art suite of machining and milling equipment will give DLM full control of its manufacturing processes, reducing lead times.

DLM’s new CNC machine shop will include two Doosan Puma lathes, a Haas lathe and a Haas mill. The lathe, for example, can machine load pins to 200mm diameter and over 1m in length.Supporting the machine shop will be a dedicated team of five professionals, including a workshop manager appointedjointly by DLM and Vulcan. The team will be responsible for processes such as quotation, machining, gauging, documentation and shipment.

For further information www.dlm-uk.com

Over 150 attend Ceratizit Technology Day

The recent Technology Day at Ceratizit UK & Ireland saw more than 150 guests attend to see the latest advancements in cutting tool technology. As well as numerous machining demonstrations running constantly throughout the day, there were interactive work-holding displays and vending machine presentations. Live machine demonstrations showcasedCeratizit tooling on Mazak Integrex I-250H, XYZ 800HD, XYZ TC 320 LTY and XYZ UMC 5X machine tools. Guests were able to see the machining of various itemsfrom materials ranging from aluminium to steel.

For further information www.ceratizit.com

1st MTA gains sales agency for Sinco

1st Machine Tool Accessories (1st MTA) is now the sole sales agent in the UK and Ireland for the modular range of zero-point work-holding products manufactured by Slovakian firm Sinco. The versatile MultiZero is said to be the most capable on the market as it incorporates more zero points than any other: up to 273 in a single solution.

Established more than 40 years ago, Sinco manufactures in excess of 250 standard MultiZero modules, comprising base plates, pallets and fixtures. The product family offers five different pallet types for manual or automatic clamping of parts on a machining centre, die-sink or wire-erosion EDM machine, measuring machine, or assembly station. Sinco also produces fixturing arrangements to suit the bespoke work-holding requirements of users.

For further information www.1mta.com