In its centenary year, Yamazaki Mazak headed to the recent EMO 2019 exhibition in Hanover, Germany, with plans for its biggest ever stand, hosting the largest number of machines and automation solutions ever exhibited by the company. At the show, Mazak gave seven machines their world debuts, alongside two further European debuts, with new Integrex multi-tasking, five-axis, hybrid and turning machines among those on display.

Exhibiting under its EMO 2019 theme, ‘Discover more with Mazak’, the company showcased 27 different machines in total, two more than for EMO 2017, along with 16 integrated automation solutions.
Richard Smith, European group managing director at Yamazaki Mazak, says: “Our theme for this year’s EMO spoke of our relentless focus on productivity, and was a call-to-action for machine users to discover the true potential of their machining operations. Never before did we commit to bringing so many machines and different automation solutions to EMO.”
The 3000 sq m Mazak stand was split into seven separate zones – Integrex multi-tasking, hybrid machining, five-axis machining, laser, vertical machining, turning and horizontals – with all 27 machines in live cutting action during the show. In addition, the Mazak stand featured demonstrations of Industry 4.0 solutions, including Mazak iSmart factory and Smooth Technology.
Integrated automation was a major focus, with a variety of different solutions on display, including Palletech and Multi-Pallet Pool (MPP), gantry loaders, and the AWC auto work changer. In addition, Mazak machines were integrated with a number of third-party automation providers, including machine-tending and bar-feeder solutions.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Metalex Vietnam 2019 is set to take place on 10-12 October at the SECC venue in Ho Chi Minh City, where organisers are once more expecting a bumper crowd through the doors to see the latest innovations in the world of machine tools, precision engineering and metalworking technologies. A total of 18,848 visitors attended the 2018 event.

More than 500 brands from 25 countries are expected to be on show at Metalex Vietnam. Those looking to upgrade their production or grow their business will be able to access unprecedented ideas and collaborative partnerships, not just through the exhibition, but via concurrent seminars and networking opportunities. Among focus areas at the show will be machine tools, machine accessories, sheet metalworking equipment, mould and die technologies, industrial robots, cutting tools, abrasives, metrology solutions and surface treatment systems, to list but a few.
For further information www.metalexvietnam.com

The MTC, which has its headquarters in Coventry, is to open a manufacturing technology centre in Liverpool to support growth and innovation in the region. Housing a staff of more than 60, the facility at Liverpool Science Park (LSP), which sits within Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool), will be one of the biggest lettings on the site in more than five years.

Associate director for strategic development at the MTC, Dr Charlie Whitford, says: “We’re excited to be expanding our footprint in Liverpool, and broadening our services and support for the wider northwest by supporting skills, productivity and growth in the region. We are looking forward to continuing our work with Liverpool John Moores, as well as working with the University of Liverpool and other regional stakeholders to help manufacturers in the area stay competitive. We can also help manufacturers improve product development, tap into new technologies and translate academic research into innovative solutions for industry.”
For further information www.the-mtc.org

After the grand success of last year’s show, the 14th edition of UMEX is set to get underway at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India on 20-22 September.

Some 468 exhibitors participated at UMEX 2018 and its co-located events, attracting some 11,346 focused business visitors from 16 countries. As always, the show is organised in co-operation with MTI magazine.
UMEX is thought to be the only event of its kind in Asia which focuses specifically on pre-owned industrial machinery, and this year will be co-located with five other exhibitions centring on different industry segments, helping to draw even more visitors to the venue. Metalworking and metal-forming machine tools, automation and associated equipment will be particularly prominent at show. At UMEX,
MTI’s friendly team will be busy handing out copies of its show issue, highlighting the industry’s best way of buying and selling machine tools.
For further information www.umexonline.com

Metallic Elephant, based near Colchester, developed its own range of hot-foil presses around five years ago, a move that led to the company fulfilling demand to many household brands around the globe, including Samsonite, Next, Harrods, Burberry, Hackett, Prada and Tiffany.

Demand is such that Metallic Elephant typically builds and delivers 350 presses along with associated dies and letter sets every year. Key to Metallic Elephant’s success is its speed of response to customer orders for both machines and dies. However, with 25% year-on-year growth over the past four years, the company was drawn to the prospect of bringing machining in-house.
“Delays caused by quality were beginning to impact on our ability to maintain deliveries, so we had to make changes,” says Wayne Mason, Metallic Elephant’s manufacturing manager. “The first step was our turning capacity, so we replaced an old manual machine with an XYZ SLX ProtoTRAK-controlled lathe. This addition made us realise
the potential of CNC
as the ProtoTRAK control was so straightforward and it certainly influenced our next purchase,
an XYZ 1000 LR vertical machining centre.
“The arrival of these two machines has given us control over manufacturing as we are now machining around 30% of our parts in-house, a figure that is sure to increase,” he adds. “As a result, we’re also making things better and more efficiently, which in turn makes us more cost effective and able to compete globally.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com