Editor’s Pick

Industry boom creates buzz for SteelFab

With the industrial sector playing a key role in the biggest growth of the UAE economy in over a decade, there is a strong build-up for the region’s premier metalworking, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication industry. Besides economic growth and policy decisions, new industry developments too have put the spotlight on SteelFab, the region’s premier trade event, which has been anchoring the growth of the metalworking industry for the past two decades. Preparations are already underway and bookings and enquiries have started for the 18th edition of SteelFab, taking place at Expo Centre Sharjah on 9-12 January 2023.

According to UAE Central Bank’s Quarterly Economic Review 2022, the UAE economy grew by 8.2% in the first three months of this year and there is a high probability of stronger growth due to increased oil production and a government pledge to double the size of the manufacturing industry. Government initiatives and its move to continue investment in the industrial sector have already started bearing fruit, with more than 200 new factories going live last year alone.
For further information www.steelfabme.com

XYZ Machine Tools to open new showroom

With 19 machine tools under power ready for demonstration the Grand Opening of the new XYZ Machine Tools showroom in Huddersfield will take place on Wednesday 21st September. This will provide an ideal opportunity for anyone considering a machine purchase, with XYZ Machines on show ranging from the entry level KMX 2000 turret mill, through the ProtoTRAK range of bed mills and lathes, as well as Siemens controlled machining and turning centres, including the UMC-5X simultaneous five-axis machining centre and the brand new SS65 twin spindle turning centre. The doors are open between 9 am and 3pm with no requirement for pre-registration. XYZ Machine Tools team of area sales managers and applications engineers will be on-hand to provide demonstrations on any of the machines and to discuss individual machining requirements. Located just off junctions 24 and 25 of the M62 at Innovation 25, Unit 7 Bradley Business Park, Dyson Wood Way, Huddersfield HD2 1GN the XYZ Machine Tools Huddersfield showroom is ideally located for customers along the M62 corridor. In addition to refreshments being served throughout the day a buffet lunch will be available at midday and every visitor will receive a free vernier caliper, delivered after the open day, as a thank you for attending.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Join the MTI Pavilion at UMEX 2022

MTI is inviting pre-owned machine tool dealers in Europe to join the established and successful MTI Pavilion at the UMEX 2022 exhibition (25-27 August, New Delhi, India). MTI is the official partner for UMEX, which this year will be the 17th edition of the show. UMEX 2022 will run concurrently with five other complementary exhibitions, serving up Asia’s biggest business carnival for the machinery, manufacturing and metal industries.

UMEX 2022 provides a unique opportunity to sell or buy all pre-owned metal-cutting and metal-forming machine tools to the rapidly growing marketplace in India. The exhibition is co-sponsored by Ministry of Steel, Ministry of External Affairs and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, and supported by the World Metal Forum. To be a part of the MTI Pavilion at UMEX 2022, please get in touch today as exhibition space is allotted on ‘first-come, first-served basis’.
For further information bob@machinerytradeinternational.com

£400m turbine blade facility

Earlier this month, work began on a new £400m offshore wind facility on Teesside, which is set to become the biggest of its kind in the world and create 750 direct jobs. SeAH Wind Ltd’s 1.13m sq ft facility will produce bases for offshore wind turbines from Redcar’s Teesworks, the UK’s biggest industrial zone.

To mark the occasion, politicians, business leaders and key stakeholders visited the site for a formal signing event, followed by presentations and a Q&A session ahead of the ground-breaking ceremony. When complete, the facility will produce between 100 and 150 monopiles per year, with subsequent transportation directly from the factory to Teesworks’ under-construction South Bank Quay before heading to the North Sea for installation using specialised pile-driving equipment.
For further information www.seah.co.kr

Automation ups lathe productivity by 25%

German subcontractor Euler Feinmechanik, based in Schöffengrund near Frankfurt, has invested in three robotic machine-tending systems from Halter to automate the loading and unloading of DMG Mori lathes. The Halter range of LoadAssistant robotic machine-tending equipment is available in the UK from 1st Machine Tool Accessories.

Established more than 60 years ago and with around 75 employees, Euler Feinmechanik machines complex turned and milled parts such as optical bearing mounts, components for camera lenses, rifle scopes for hunting and the military, medical and aerospace parts, and housings and stators for vacuum pumps. Materials machined are mainly aluminium, brass, stainless steel and various plastics, such as PEEK, acetal and PTFE.

Managing director Leonard Euler says: “Automation and robotisation are important aspects of our continuous improvement. We’re constantly thinking about whether we can optimise individual processes so that they interface even more smoothly.”

In 2016, Euler Feinmechanik bought a new CTX beta 800 4A CNC turn-mill centre from DMG Mori for the production of particularly complex components for vacuum equipment. Euler considered several brands of machine-tending equipment, as he was keen to find the best solution and make a future-proof choice on which the subcontractor could standardise.

“Halter is a specialist in this field and not only had a good automation solution, but also great references and a working demonstration that showed exactly what we wanted,” says Euler. “In the end, we opted for one of its Universal Premium 20 cells.”

A year after purchasing the first DMG Mori turning centre and retrofitting it with automated loading and unloading, Euler Feinmechanik bought two more lathes from the same source.
The two new machines were immediately equipped with Industry 4.0-compliant Halter loading robots identical to the first. Production on all three twin-spindle lathes can continue unattended for an average of half a shift, which maximises productivity and reduces labour costs.
For further information www.1mta.com