Editor’s Pick

Boosting Tube-Cutting Efficiency With Integrated Workflows

Bodor Laser has officially launched Z, its flagship two-chuck integrated laser tube-cutting machine. The Z tube-processing system combines cutting, drilling tapping and automated material handling on one platform, helping manufacturers reduce workpiece transfers, repeated clamping and production delays. The machine is available in the UK from Bodor representative World Machinery. 

An optional drilling and tapping module, equipped with a 14-tool magazine, enables drilling, milling, tapping and friction drilling alongside laser cutting. Automatic tool changes allow multiple operations without moving components between machines, reducing handling, secondary processing and positioning errors. 

Suitable for round tubes, square/rectangular tubes, channels, I-beams and other profiles, Z serves sectors like structural steel, construction/agricultural machinery, elevators and fitness equipment. 

Intelligent sensing maintains accuracy throughout production. Chuck sensors adjust clamping force according to material, diameter and wall thickness, preventing thin-walled tubes from deforming while securing heavier sections. The system also checks clamping status and compares tube dimensions with the processing drawing, stopping if material is missing or incorrect. 

Laser scanning detects tube contours and tracks the centreline, compensating for rust, deformation and positioning deviations. A vision camera identifies weld seams, enabling the machine to avoid them or adjust its cutting path. After cutting, a 3D laser sensor checks that each section has separated completely. 

A high-speed laser-head motion axis improves cutting performance on thin-walled and small tubes, while bevel cutting up to 45° reduces grinding and preparation before welding. 

Optional automation manages loading, replenishment, unloading and sorting, with interfaces for wider production-line integration.  

Bodor Laser, which serves customers in more than 180 countries, says it ranked first globally in sales of laser cutting machines rated at 1 kW and above for seven consecutive years, from 2019 to 2025.  

More information www.worldmc.co.uk 

High-Density Component Fixtures Maximise Output At Hy-Pro

Hydraulic Projects (Hy-Pro), a Dawlish-based manufacturer of hydraulic control valves, pumps and marine steering systems, has increased production capacity significantly over the past decade, turning repeatedly to work-holding specialist 1st Machine Tool Accessories (1st MTA). 

Following the initial installation of a US-made Chick Multi-LOK tooling column on an Okuma horizontal machining centre in 2016, a second flexible manufacturing cell was installed in 2021. Six Chick Multi-LOKs now support production across the two cells, enabling unattended machining 24 hours a day, six days a week. Components are set up offline at pallet-pool loading stations, minimising spindle downtime.  

Paul Vicarage, Hy-Pro’s quality engineering manager, says: “We’re getting about six 24-hour days’ worth of machining for about four and a half days of single-shift operator input.” 

Hy-Pro maintains around 20 compact, multi-part fixtures, each fitted with in-house-machined soft jaws or other work-holding equipment. Fixtures can be changed in just six minutes, providing flexibility without the expense of dedicated systems for every component. 

For aluminium components, Abbott Tenzaloy tooling columns supplied by 1st MTA accommodate 60 parts per cycle across four sides. Combined with OK-Vise work-holding and Mitee-Bite clamps, the arrangement completes two machining operations in just over 70 minutes. The rigid set up delivers gear-pocket accuracy within a few microns, consistently across each face. 

“The excellent work-holding rigidity means there is no variation,” says Vicarage. 

A separate set up handles heavy machining of grade 250 cast iron, using hardened fixtures and low-profile clamps to prevent tool interference. Even aggressive 4 mm cuts and 11.5 mm diameter drilling remain stable, without workpiece pull-out. 

Vicarage concludes that 1st MTA’s solutions provide manufacturing efficiency, flexibility and precision, with equipment longevity contributing to cost-effectiveness as Hy-Pro expands its use of pallet-based production. 

More information www.1mta.com 

Visitors Flock To Mills CNC’s Innovation Day

Mills CNC’s Innovation Day technology event, held at the company’s Technology Campus in Leamington earlier this month, attracted over 100 visitors. Those in attendance were able to check out 10 DN Solutions multi-tasking machine tools performing several challenging machining demonstrations. Also sharing centre stage was a Heller HF 5500 FLEX horizontal five-axis mill-turn machine. 

Says Tony Dale, Mills CNC’s CEO: “The Heller machine proved to be a popular draw, alongside notable DN Solutions models like the two DVF 4000 five-axis machining centres and a DNX 2100S mill-turn machine. We’re now actively following up the leads and enquiries and I’m confident that many will, in the coming weeks and months, convert into sales.” 

More information www.millscnc.co.uk 

ADIPEC Technical Conference Set to Stage 190+ Sessions 

As energy systems face rising demand, greater complexity and increasing pressure to perform, technical expertise is central to improving reliability, efficiency and long-term resilience. The ADIPEC Technical Conference 2026 (Abu Dhabi, 2 to 5 November) convenes engineers, operators, researchers, technology leaders and technical specialists from across the energy value chain to exchange applied knowledge, benchmark solutions and advance practical innovation. 

Across more than 190 sessions, over 1100 expert speakers will examine the technologies, processes and capabilities needed to improve operational performance, strengthen system resilience and deliver scalable solutions across real-world energy systems. Themes will include: asset development, engineering and project delivery; digital and intelligent energy systems; and sustainability, decarbonisation and environmental stewardship. 

More information www.adipec.com/conferences/technical-overview 

New R&D Centre ‘Mazak Innovation Hub’ to Open in 2027

Machine tool builder Yamazaki Mazak will open a new R&D centre, the Mazak Innovation Hub (MIH), in Oguchi, Japan in August 2027. The MIH will consolidate the company’s research, engineering and prototyping functions into a single location. Serving as a hub that connects diverse talent and technologies, the facility is set to enhance the efficiency of next-generation technology research and product development. 

The MIH will feature an open office layout to encourage communication and collaboration across organisational boundaries, including meeting areas that naturally facilitate interaction among employees. Offices will also be located adjacent to a machine tool prototyping and evaluation area, enabling a seamless workflow. In addition, a dedicated collaboration area is set to support technical exchanges and joint development projects. 

More information www.mazak.com