Award presentation marks record year

New micro-precision tooling capability has put a Birmingham manufacturing specialist on
course for its best performance in 164 years. Brandauer, which exports 75% of the
components and tools it makes to 26 different countries, made the announcement during
the recent presentation of its King’s Award for Innovation by Derrick Anderson CBE, the Lord
Lieutenant for the West Midlands. This year has been a whirlwind period for Brandauer,
with more than £4m invested in high-speed Bruderer UK and Yamada presses, a 1-µm
capable wire EDM, a laser micro-cutter, and a rapid prototyping area.
More information www.brandauer.co.uk

Vision Precision invests in driven-tool lathe

Nottinghamshire-based Vision Precision Engineering has complemented its two XYZ
machining centres, which include an XYZ 710 featuring a 4 th axis, with a new XYZ TC 320 LTY
driven-tool lathe. The machine will better help the company keep pace with rising demand
for its services. Prominent among existing orders is the machining of parts for coffee
machines in Costa Coffee stores.
“The ability to produce milled and drilled features on our turned parts was taking up
capacity on our XYZ 710, so it made sense to purchase a machine that could produce our
parts in one hit – hence the arrival of the TC 320 LTY,” explains managing director Ian
Gibson.

With the machine’s hardened box ways, Y and C axes, and driven-tool capability, Vision
Precision set about getting the most from its latest purchase. Indeed, the company is now
quoting for work previously beyond its reach, partly due to the maximum turned diameter
of 320 mm and maximum turning length of 550 mm. In addition, with a bar capacity of 78
mm, Vision can produce more parts from bar rather than billets. Thanks to its investment in
a bar-feed, lights-out machining has become a regular occurrence.
“The machine just seems to tackle everything we throw at it, and the material removal rates
are phenomenal,” states Gibson. “From 20 mm depths of cut when turning, to drilling a 70
mm diameter hole with a modular drill in super duplex material, I think we can justify our
nickname for the machine as ‘The Beast’. It’s a well-built lathe with great power and it holds
the tolerances we demand of it all day, every day.”
More information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Sheffield Forgemasters signs agreement

The signing of the Trinity House Agreement marks a fundamental shift in the UK’s relations with Germany and for European security. The agreement between Europe’s two biggest defence spenders aims to strengthen national security and economic growth in the face of growing Russian aggression and increasing threats.

A proposed new UK Rheinmetall factory will see the UK manufacture artillery gun barrels, with steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters. Gary Nutter, CEO at Sheffield Forgemasters, says: “I’m delighted to confirm that Sheffield Forgemasters is working to reinstate the manufacture of gun barrels after a 20-year hiatus, to supply large-calibre gun-barrels to Germany’s Rheinmetall AG, servicing UK defence contracts and exports.”

More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Automotive firm set for growth

An automotive prototyping firm based in Coventry is gearing up for accelerated growth after landing a five-figure grant for new equipment to meet rising demand. Futura Design received a £25,000 grant from the Business Growth West Midlands team at Coventry City Council, with funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The £22m turnover company manufactures prototype models predominantly for the automotive industry, and the money will fund nearly half the cost of a new paint booth to help with the finishing of high-end prototypes. It means the firm can now meet rising demand for its paint development and finishing services from major names such as JLR, Bentley and Aston Martin.

More information www.cwgrowthhub.co.uk

MTL completes £10m facility

MTL Advanced, a UK-based engineering and manufacturing company, has completed a new 6225 m² factory adjacent to its existing 27871 m² unit in Rotherham. The expansion represents a £10m investment towards the future growth of the business, driven by the award of a long-term multi-million-pound contract in partnership with a key customer. Production will begin next month.

As part of the investment, MTL has enhanced its manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of several new machine for this new ‘factory of the future’. Among the arrivals is a large-format LVD press brake, two Doosan horizontal machining centres with automatic pallet changers and seven Yaskawa robot welding centres.

More information www.mtladv.com