IMTS 2020, which was due to take place in Chicago this September, has been cancelled for the first time since WWII due to health and safety requirements imposed by the state of Illinois for holding conventions, which include the availability of a vaccine for COVID-19 or a highly effective treatment protocol.

IMTS will, however, offer two comprehensive digital programmes, IMTS Network and IMTS Spark, over the coming months to assist exhibitors and the manufacturing community. IMTS is fully committed to returning to McCormick Place as scheduled for its normal rotation on 12-17 September 2022. Visitors who have registered for IMTS 2020 have the choice of receiving a refund on registration or transfer their registration to a tax-deductible donation in favour of ‘Miles for Manufacturing’, where every dollar is given to programmes that prepare students for careers in manufacturing technology.
For further information www.imts.com

MA Exhibitions, which owns and runs Subcon, The Engineer Expo and The Manufacturing Management Show, has taken the decision to reschedule the events from 28-30 September to 26-28 January 2021.

The shows will now take place in halls 7 and 8 at the Birmingham NEC, running alongside MACH 2021, as well as Air Tech, Fluid Power & Systems, Drives & Controls, Plant & Asset Management and Smart Industry Expo.
According to the organiser, the absolute priority remains the health, safety and wellbeing of all exhibitors, visitors and staff. The new January dates will facilitate the delivery of the best possible event experience for everyone involved. All existing exhibitor bookings will be automatically transferred to the new dates and a member of the team will be in touch over the coming days to discuss any questions.
For further information www.subconshow.co.uk

When Darren Chisnall created Warrington-based Roant Precision Engineering back in 2001, it was as a small precision subcontractor relying on a selection of manual machines.

Now, 19 years on, the company has just completed the takeover of its biggest customer, Eiger Torrance, a manufacturer of mixing, milling and de-aeration systems for the production of paints and printing inks. This investment will secure machining work for Roant Precision Engineering, as well as providing further growth opportunities for both businesses.
“We’ve had a 15-year relationship with Eiger Torrance, working on fabrication and machining of their range of products, and have invested in machinery over the years to support that work, such as the recent arrival of an XYZ XL 1100 large capacity lathe,” says Chisnall. “Therefore, when the opportunity arose to buy the company, it made perfect sense as it protected the future of our business and opened up even greater potential.”
The arrival of the XL 1100 is the latest in a long line of XYZ machines at Roant Precision, the first of which, an XYZ SM3000 bed mill, was a prize won at MACH 2002.
“That first XYZ machine changed how we approached work and was the start of our success,” says Chisnall. “The ProtoTRAK control has served us well as we expanded our machining capacity with more XYZ ProtoTRAK mills and ProTURN lathes. We did need larger capacity though, hence the decision to go for the XL 1100, which was bought specifically for Eiger Torrance work. However, once word got around that we had the capability to swing 1100 mm components weighing up to 4000 kg, we soon found work coming in from other customers.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

JCB has initiated a partial re-starting of production at four of its UK factories.

The news comes as a comprehensive package of safety measures is rolled out to protect employees in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. JCB’s British production lines fell silent on 18 March and the vast majority of the company’s 6500 UK employees have been furloughed since April. The business has now resumed low levels of production, with a far-reaching package of safety measures introduced to fully protect employees. The Loadall division at the company’s global headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire, as well as JCB Earthmovers and JCB Landpower in Cheadle, Staffordshire have resumed production. Two further sites have also recommenced: JCB Transmissions in Wrexham and JCB Cab Systems at Uttoxeter. The move means a return to work for more than 400 employees.
For further information www.jcb.com

When approached by one of the UK’s leading thermoforming toolmakers with a request to increase the Z axis on one of its vertical machining centres by 1000 mm, XYZ Machine Tools was not in the least bit daunted.

By reconfiguring the machine using a specially designed riser block, XYZ managed to increase the standard minimum spindle nose to table dimension of 100 mm, taking it to 1050 mm, while maintaining the standard Z-axis travel to give a range of 1050 to 1550 mm from spindle to table. These changes were achieved in a short period of time, with the modification being accommodated within new guarding and sheet-metal work designed by XYZ.
With the build complete, the machine was put through the standard testing procedure undergone by every XYZ Machine before despatch, which includes the Renishaw Ballbar test. Once testing was complete, the customer was happy to take delivery straightaway. The machine was shipped on 24 April.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com