Editor’s Pick

Mills CNC reports strong sales growth

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, and a supplier of industrial and collaborative robot automation, has reported that 2022, from both a sales performance and market share perspective, was another great year for the company. In fact, with final figures pending, it looks increasingly likely that it could be the best in the company’s history.

Says Tony Dale, Mills CNC’s CEO:“We started 2022 strongly on the back of what was already a buoyant last quarter of 2021 – and maintained momentum throughout the year, especially with many component manufacturers taking advantage of the Government’s Super-Deduction tax scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. This helped to generate significant new business for us at the start, and throughout 2022.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Mazak hails success of Discovery Week

Yamazaki Mazak welcomed over 500 attendees to its European Technology Centre in Worcester last month as part of its annual open house. Themed ‘Discovery Week’, the event aimed to address some of the key production challenges facing UK manufacturers and subcontractors, with support from over 25 dedicated partners in the areas of tooling, tool management, swarf management, CADCAM and finance.

Alan Mucklow, managing director UK, Eire and National Distributors, said: “Our annual open house is key to ensuring that we remain connected to UK manufacturers and subcontractors, which has redoubled in importance given the emergence of new market challenges. With the launch of technologies such as the VCN-700 machining centre and Mazak iCONNECT, we hope to help our customers address these challenges and seize new opportunities in 2023, and that UK manufacturing can continue along its upward trajectory.”
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

18th edition of SteelFab set to open

The 18th edition of SteelFab will open its doors at the Expo Centre in Sharjah next week (9-12 January). This international exhibition for metalworking, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication will build on the last event in 2022 when the 12,000 sq m show floor hosted 150 exhibitors from 25 countries. In total, over 6000 visitors from 42 countries were in attendance.

Demand for manufacturing equipment derives from the Gulf region’s steel production sector, with sheet metal fabrication as its largest segment. The sector manufactured 3.3 million tons of steel in 2020 with a value of around US$3.1bn. At SteelFab 2023, special focus areas will include machine tools, tube and pipe machinery, and welding and cutting. The complementary SteelFab Conference will see global leaders, experts and suppliers discuss key challenges and opportunities for the global steel industry.
For further information www.steelfabme.com

ATA acquires cutting tool firm ITC

ATA, an Irish precision engineering multinational, has acquired UK-based cutting tool manufacturer and distributor Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC), as well as Dutch manufacturer Van Hoorn Carbide. Along with ATA’s existing operations in Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the US, the transactions bring the group’s pro-forma 2022 revenue to circa €100m and its global headcount to circa 500.

The transactions significantly enhance ATA’s reach and expertise in the carbide round tool market, the largest segment of the more than $20bn global cutting tool arena. Ralph
Van Hoorn, managing director of Van Hoorn Carbide, and Peter Graves, managing director of ITC, will continue in their current roles and join the ATA senior management team.
For further information www.atagroup.com

Toolmaker punches above its weight with Dugard

Since its inception in 1970, AW Precision has grown and evolved continuously to become one of the leading manufacturers of punch and die products in the UK and Europe. The Rugby-based company is undertaking a course of investment, with the latest capital asset to arrive being its second Chevalier SMART-B818 III surface grinding centre from Dugard.

Discussing the business and the reason for the Dugard investment, Andy Whitworth from AW Precision says: “We produce punches and dies for the automotive stamping market. We bought the Chevalier machine as we have to produce location flats on a lot of our products. We also produce blade punches for radiator manufacturers, for which the Chevalier is ideal.”

Speaking about the requirements of those components, he adds: “The location flat has to be accurate because it locates the part in the press tool. So, if that location is out, there’s going to be a big smash in the press tool. If you can imagine that the tool is working at 150 to 180 strokes per minute, or maybe even faster; that is going to make a big bang when it goes wrong. As a result, we have to achieve very tight tolerances, down to 10 µm and often better. Such demanding tolerance and surface finish requirements can also depend upon the grinding wheel. To help, the Chevalier machine has automated wheel dressing, which means we can do lights-out machining while maintaining consistent quality, surface finish and tight tolerances with much-improved productivity.

“I would absolutely recommend this machine to companies using manual grinders,” he concludes. “The Chevalier from Dugard is a real workhorse for us.”
For further information www.dugard.com