Editor’s Pick

Introducing a smarter way to rough bore

Hole-making specialist Big Kaiser is expanding its modular CK family with new head types for rough boring. Available in the UK from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC), the new SW head for the CK1, CK2 and CKB3 boring tools includes Big Kaiser’s Smart Damper technology. This innovation minimises vibration and eliminates chatter, which is of critical importance when conducting rough boring operations.

Big Kaiser says the modular CK system is the world’s most versatile tooling system and, with support from industry experts at ITC, will exceed the performance and results of any other hole-making system. The new additions to the CK modular precision tool system are also available for the full Big Kaiser SW rough boring family.

“The Smart Damper SW heads offer six times higher boring efficiency with twice the cutting depth and three times the cutting conditions of other rough boring heads,” states Giampaolo Roccatello, chief sales and marketing officer for Big Kaiser Europe.

Based on a cylindrical connection with a radial locking screw, the CK system has been continuously improved over the years to meet changing needs and increases in machine tool performance. Compatibility with existing tools remains a stringent requirement for newly designed products. As well as interchangeability within the Big Kaiser family, the CK system is also fully compatible with all machine tool interfaces and enables customers to create tool assemblies specific to each machining application.

The integration of the Smart Damper shortens the distance from the damping mechanism to the cutting edge. This minimises vibration and enables the CK system to achieve better surface finishes and improved metal removal rates, while also prolonging tool life and enhancing surface finish.

More information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Plans for landmark machining plant

Sheffield Forgemasters has submitted a planning application for a landmark 30,000 m²machining facility on brownfield land in Sheffield’s Meadowhall district. Located on a 16-acre plot at Weedon Street, the new facility will form one of the world’s most advanced large machining facilities, supporting the company’s manufacture for the UK defence programme.

With work on the site planned to start in Q4 2024, the building will cover a space equal to 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools and contain 17 new machines, including some of the largest and most advanced five-axis vertical turning lathes (VTLs). Gareth Barker, COO, says: “The planning application covers an ambitious new project to create a facility that will deliver some of the world’s most advanced, large-scale machining capabilities.”

More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Government’s industry focus welcomed

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) says it welcomes the new government
and its robust commitment to revitalising the UK’s manufacturing and technology sectors.
For over a century, the MTA has championed the cause of a comprehensive industrial
strategy, and it is thrilled to see this vision finally seeing recognition and implementation by
the new administration.
The Labour Party’s manifesto promises a strategic partnership through a new industrial
strategy that is both mission-driven and future-focused. According to the MTA, this initiative
is precisely what industry needs to seize emerging opportunities and remove barriers to
growth. Establishing an Industrial Strategy Council on a statutory footing – ensuring
representation from all regions, businesses and trade unions – marks a significant shift
towards long-term economic planning and stability.
More information www.mta.org.uk

Record submissions for ADIPEC Conference

The ADIPEC 2024 Technical Conference has received a record 5977 submissions, a 16%
increase over last year, with major submission growth seen in categories such as AI/digital
transformation and energy transition/decarbonisation. There is also an increased level of
submissions from African and Arab states.


The Technical Conference is a key part of ADIPEC, the world’s largest energy event, which
takes place in Abu Dhabi on 4-7 November 2024. This year, the conference will feature 159
sessions across 12 categories, for which energy experts and engineers from around the
world submit their work for consideration as a presentation. The ADIPEC Technical
Conference is renowned for bringing together the brightest minds and technical experts
from across the energy value chain.
More information www.adipec.com

Work-Holding Upgrade Doubles Productivity

At the Elland, West Yorkshire factory of Archway Engineering, which manufactures drilling equipment for site investigation, mineral exploration, water well construction and environmental monitoring, a Leadwell V-50L three-axis vertical machining centre performs some of the shop floor’s more arduous machining operations. Remarkably, the company has seen a doubling of component productivity on this machine simply by changing the method of workpiece clamping.

The transformation is courtesy of investment in three US-made Chick OneLOKs from sole UK agent 1st Machine Tool Accessories. One of the units remains permanently at one end of the machine’s 1420 x 610 mm table, where it has been clocked into a known position to within 10 µm across the 152 mm face of the clamp’s fixed hard jaw. The other two OneLOKs are removable to make room to mount a 4th-axis indexer, but they are quick to set up again relative to the permanently-positioned clamp by means of a parallel bar.

During frequent small-batch runs, it is a simple matter to secure three parts side by side, write a sub-program to machine the workpiece in the permanent One LOK, probe the position of the parts in the other two clamps, repeat the sub-program twice at the appropriate offsets, and run the complete cycle in one go.

Danielle Toner, production manager at Archway Engineering, says: “The quicker set-up times using the Chick OneLOKs and the faster machining cycles that their secure clamping allow means we can produce a typical short batch of parts on the Leadwell in two days, compared with up to one week previously.Overall, our investment in Chick work-holding solutions has been a fantastic success and the advice and service provided by 1st Machine Tool Accessories have been first class.”

More information www.1mta.com