EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Get inspired at MACH 2024

MACH 2024 (NEC, Birmingham, 15-19 April) is the perfect platform to discover cutting-edge
manufacturing technologies and solutions, providing visitors with an opportunity to
experience the latest industry advancements. This five-day event features the largest
display of working machinery in a single venue, allowing visitors to make informed
investment decisions by seeing before they buy.

Alongside a comprehensive display of live working machines and innovative manufacturing
solutions, visitors to the exhibition can discover how their businesses can sustainably adopt
new technology and techniques to improve productivity, efficiency and reduce waste. They
will also learn how to adopt new processes and techniques at MACH Knowledge Hubs –
from automation to additive, through AI and data, to sustainable manufacturing. Readers
will find a round-up of some key exhibitors further on in this issue.
For further information www.machexhibition.com

PM visits Xtrac

Automotive and motorsport transmission and mechatronics specialist Xtrac welcomed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to its Thatcham headquarters in Berkshire last month. Laura Farris, MP for Newbury, arranged the visit and accompanied the PM. “It was great to meet the team at Xtrac today and talk about their world-class apprenticeship schemes,” the PM said on social media. “Xtrac is a business that’s now at the heart of Formula 1, Indycar and NASCAR successes all over the world. It’s also a shining example of apprenticeship success in manufacture and advanced engineering.”

For further information www.xtrac.com

£3m upgrade at college

Leicester College is set to formally open its advanced manufacturing and engineering facilities at the Abbey Park campus following amulti-million-pound investment in resources, equipment and teaching space. The move will enable the college to provide industry-standard technical training to students and employers across the region. Included in the project is the installation of engineering laboratories and workshops to develop skills in robotics, PLCs, mechanical systems, and hydraulic and pneumatic systems, together with a range of mills, lathes, grinders, rigs, testing equipment and simulators.

For further information www.bit.ly/4arcnNm

Swiss Steel Group drives green steel

Swiss Steel Group has placed an order with SMS group for the delivery of Viridis Carbon software for the company’s Steeltecproduction plantin Emmenbrucke, Switzerland. This milestone marks a major step forward in enhancing Swiss Steel Group’s sustainability initiatives. In a first phase, the melt shop, rolling mill and bright bar plant will use the software.Viridis Carbon softwareenables near real-time tracking of a plant’s emissions. It uses a methodology based on robust computational models, which can compute and report the amount of CO2 equivalent.

For further information www.sms-group.com

University to use Prima metal3D printer

Prima Additive will supply a system for metal additive manufacturing based on powder-bed fusion technology to the University of Birmingham. The Print Genius 150 Double Wavelengthmodelwill find use at the Advanced Materials & Processing Laboratory (AMPLab) within the School of Metallurgy and Materials.The system is a unique configuration on the market, featuring two lasers of different wavelengths: a 300 W infrared laser and a 200 W green laser which can work alternately within the same 150 x 160 mm diameter cylindrical work area.

For further information www.primaadditive.com