Dyson has secured an order from the Government to manufacture 10,000 ventilators as the UK steps up its fight against COVID-19.

In a statement to staff seen by Reuters, James Dyson said that since receiving a call from Boris Johnson, the company had refocused resources, working with Cambridge-based TTP (The Technology Partnership), to design an entirely new ventilator, the CoVent (photo: Dyson). The race is now on to get it into production.
“We have received an initial order of 10,000 units from the Government, which we will supply on an open-book basis. This is clearly a time of grave international crisis, I will therefore donate 5000 units to the international effort, 1000 of which will go to the UK.” He added that Dyson and TTP will be working with the MHRA and the Government to ensure that the product and manufacturing process is approved.
For further information www.dyson.co.uk

Additive manufacturing (AM) expert Renishaw is collaborating with Simufact to enhance the success of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) builds through accurate simulation and streamlined AM preparation.

The collaboration includes the integration of Renishaw’s QuantAM build preparation software into Simufact Additive 2020. Also, the two companies are working together on improving the simulation of complex material metallurgies found in the process to enable the successful prediction and compensation of stress and distortion during printing operations.
Included within Simufact Additive 2020 is an integrated Renishaw QuantAM API for build job preparation and export, which provides the user with an error-free data transmission from Simufact Additive directly to Renishaw systems. This functionality also improves productivity because the entire work process, from design to printed part, is possible within the software. QuantAM API now enables multi-laser build file preparation for Renishaw’s RenAM 500Q quad-laser machine.
For further information www.renishaw.com

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), which owns and runs the MACH exhibition, has taken the decision to reschedule the show from April 2020 to January 2021.

Given the spread of Coronavirus, the MTA has decided that, in order to minimise the risks to visitors and exhibitors, the event will now take place on 25-28 January 2021. The show will still be held in the same halls at the NEC. All exhibitors that had booked for MACH in April will be offered the same stand space at the event held on the new dates.
James Selka, MTA CEO, says: “We believe that this decision, which has not been taken lightly, is in the best interests of the industry and those who work in it. Our first priority is, of course, the health and safety of the 30,000+ people who will visit and work at MACH. In addition, we believe that by moving MACH to January 2021 we are going to be able to offer a better experience for our visitors, and better value for our exhibitors, than by holding it in April under the conditions likely to be in place at that time.”
For further information www.machexhibition.com

Showcasing live, digital production systems in one space, under one roof, hundreds of millions of pounds worth of business is set to be discussed, secured and completed at MACH 2020 (Birmingham NEC, 20-24 April).

Attracting 25,000 visitors and in excess of 600 exhibitors, MACH is the platform to connect UK manufacturing engineers, decision makers, buyers and specifiers with suppliers of new technology, equipment, services and processes.
MACH is owned and organised by the Manufacturing Technologies Association, which says the show is not just a five-day exhibition, but rather creates a large pipeline of high-quality leads and opportunities that will keep sales team busy for a long time after the event has ended. Exhibitors attending the last MACH in 2018 report that their expectations were exceeded, and the show was a resounding success, raising their profile, creating tender opportunities and generating in-market sales leads.
For further information www.machexhibition.com

Nacom Automation Ltd and its range of Flexopress printers rose from the ashes of liquidation when current owner Nick Cadby, who was a creditor to the original owner of the printing machine business, realised the only way to get his money back was to buy the intellectual property and turn the businesses around.

Part of that transformation was adopting in-house machining in partnership with XYZ Machine Tools.
Flexopress machines are designed and built to order, meaning parts must be designed and manufactured quickly, but the company’s reliance on subcontract machining was causing unnecessary delays. The solution was to bring machining in-house, a daunting task given Cadby’s limited machining experience. However, the XYZ ProtoTRAK control system came to the rescue.
“It was while visiting another business run by a friend that I saw an XYZ 2-OP machine and my curiosity was aroused,” says Cadby. “The compact nature of the machine was perfect for our situation, so I gathered up a few drawings, visited XYZ Machine Tools’ showroom and asked the question: how hard can it be to make these? The answers highlighted just how easy it was with the XYZ ProtoTRAK control, which fills the gap between an experienced CNC programmer and someone with basic machining skills, like myself.”
With that reassurance, the XYZ 2-OP portable vertical machining centre became Nacom’s first step along the road to self-sufficiency. It was quickly followed by an XYZ SMX 5000 bed mill, then an XYZ SLX 355 ProTURN lathe and an XYZ LPM vertical machining centre, with the common thread that all were controlled by a version of ProtoTRAK.
“Eliminating the reliance on subcontracting has cut lead times by at least 50%, and we are in total control of costs and quality,” says Cadby.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com