EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Bentley Motors marks 25 years of AM

Bentley Motors is marking 25 years of additive manufacturing (AM) – widely known as 3D
printing – at its headquarters in Crewe, having invested significantly into its facility and
technologies in recent years. The journey, which began with a commitment to in-house 3D
printing to support the development of Bentley’s first generation Continental GT, has
evolved into a state-of-the-art facility that is home to 13 machines operating six different
technologies.
Originally housed in the oldest building at the Pyms Lane site – which is now undergoing a
transformation into the future assembly line for Bentley’s first BEV – the 3D printing facility
now has a home in the company’s new Engineering Technical Centre.
More information www.bentleymotors.com

College invests in XYZ machines

City of Wolverhampton College has made a major investment in a range of machine tools
from XYZ, ensuring local businesses have access to a pool of young talent to help grow and
develop engineering facilities in this industrial heartland. The college first purchased XYZ
machines back in 2015.
The new XYZ models – a selection of manual mills, manual lathes, CNC bed mills with
ProtoTRAK RMX touchscreen controls, and a vertical machining centre and CNC lathe fitted
with Siemens Sinumerik CNCs – are located in the new £8.1m Advanced Technology and
Automotive Centre. Jim Wilkins, curriculum manager for engineering, says: “The purchase of
the XYZ machines has proven to be the right choice over the years due to their build quality
and XYZ’s service and support.”
More information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Automating material handling and storage

Architectural Grille manufactures in its Brooklyn, New York City factory an extensive range
of custom architectural metalwork from materials that include aluminium, brass, bronze,
steel and stainless steel. With such a wide variety of sheet metals to process, the company
wanted to streamline storage of its large inventory of materials, with an eye to optimising
material flow and maintaining operator safety.
For the solution it turned to KASTO, installing UNITOWER and KASTOecostore tower storage
systems. The systems were deemed the ideal way to alleviate the previous inefficient
manual storage arrangement. Architectural Grille has now significantly improved its logistics
processes, enhancing both efficiency and safety at its workstations.
More information www.kasto.com

Digital Catapult chair

Digital Catapult’s board of directors has appointed Professor Keith Jackson as its new chair. He will succeed Juergen Maier CBE from May 2025. A successful entrepreneur and engineering leader, Jackson brings wide ranging experience from industry and academia to Digital Catapult. He co-founded the successful start-up business Pi Technology, which grew to provide engine control systems used in millions of vehicles around the world. Jackson also designed a £10m industry 4.0 digital manufacturing project for Meggitt, working with IBM and the Innovate UK Catapult Network’s AMRC in Sheffield and MTC in Ansty.  

More information www.digitalcatapult.org.uk

Inspiring the next generation of engineers

Accu, a Huddersfield-based engineering business that says it supplies 50% of the world’s top manufacturers with precision engineering components, will be inspiring the next generation of engineers at the Makers Central event at the Birmingham NEC on 17-18 May. Visitors can experience live demonstrations of Accu’s ant weight combat robots called AccuBots, made possible with Accu components and 3D printing technology. The stand will also offer visitors the chance to build their own modular combat robot as well as learn from engineers about how precision engineering is shaping manufacturing innovations.

More information www.accu.co.uk