SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

CBE+ celebrates five years of excellence

CBE+, a multi-disciplinary subcontractor specialising in precision engineering, celebrated five years of engineering excellence with a recent open day at its 100,000 ft² manufacturing facility in Chesterfield. The event offered an exclusive opportunity for customers, prospective customers and suppliers to explore CBE+’s capabilities. More than 30 attendees witnessed the advanced manufacturing processes that position CBE+ as a major supply chain provider within the engineering industry. The business was born out of the 2017 acquisition of BG Engineering by Marie Cooper and Chris Brown.

More information www.cbeplus.com

Ceratizit makes bespoke step drill for Volz

Rochdale-based Volz Engineering is a subcontract machining company that services the
automotive, aerospace and agricultural industries. With six CNC machines running 18 hours
a day, Volz sends out more than 500 parts a week.
Constantly looking for process improvements, a standout example of a tooling
recommendation which had tremendous impact was for a bespoke step drill. Required for a
job needing the drilling of one hole at different diameters at depths, Volz previously used

multiple inserts. However, swapping tools throughout the process reduced the overall
reliability and accuracy of the finished product, making it difficult to achieve the critical
tolerance of 0.02 mm. The machine process, with the necessary changes to tooling, took a
total of 26 minutes. This is where Ceratizit identified an opportunity to optimise the process.
Purposefully created to fulfil Volz’s exact specifications, Ceratizit designed and
manufactured a unique step drill. After installation, the total machine process time reduced
by more than 50% to just over 10 minutes. Moreover, using step drill requires just one
machine process to achieve the different diameters.
“The step drill was a game changer,” states James Alletson, operations manager at Volz
Engineering. “Not only did the time taken to machine each part dramatically decrease, but
with no machine interruptions we could achieve a greater level of precision. Since using the
step drill we haven’t had to replace it yet, despite the 500 parts a week it’s drilling.”
Impressed by the initial results of Ceratizit tooling, Volz began to switch out more tooling.
Indeed, a Ceratizit vending machine arrived on the shop floor around 18 months ago.
More information www.ceratizit.com

Mapal gains foothold at Kramer+Grebe

To stay competitive in mould and die making for the automotive industry, efficient production with a high degree of process reliability is vital for Krämer+Grebe of Biedenkopf-Wallau. Manufacturers such as Krämer+Grebe also judge cutting tool suppliers by their applications engineering. Mapal is earning trust in this respect with its reamers and high-feed milling cutters.

Machinery at Krämer+Grebe is all state of the art. The 16 machining centres are predominantly from DMG and Hermle. There is also a deep-hole drilling machine, two turning centre, three EDM machines and 3D printers. The company has 11,000 m²

of production space at its disposal, where the transition to electric mobility is well underway. Powertrain parts here include stator housings for the electric motor.

Co-operation between Mapal and Krämer+Grebe is reaching its five-year anniversary, a partnership which began with multi-bladed reamers. Mapal was the only manufacturer Krämer+Grebe could find that was able to produce these tools with the necessary quality and short lead times. Bores with H7 quality are needed to insert heating cartridges in low-pressure moulds.

Mapal’s application engineers left a lasting impression. They provided user training on site and helped commission the process on the machine. As part of process optimisation, Krämer+Grebe parted company with some of its former tool suppliers, of which there were many.

After such a good experience with the reamers, Krämer+Grebe began adopting Mapal’s high-feed milling cutters. The tools demonstrate long tool life and generate large chip volumes during roughing, thus reducing production times. The milling cutters are also extremely reliable to allow for multi-machine operation.

More information www.mapal.com

Largest order book for ASG

In a landmark announcement at the Farnborough International Airshow last month, Manchester-based aerospace manufacturing conglomerate ASG Group announced its largest-ever group order book. The multi-million-pound orders, facilitated through collaborations with major global aerospace OEMs, signify a significant growth for the group in both single-aisle and long-range platforms. With a client roster that includes Airbus, Boeing, Collins, Eaton, Moog, Rolls-Royce and Spirit, the company’s operations span eight locations across the UK and Germany.

More information www.asg-group.co

CPE wins £85m Rolls-Royce contract

Rolls-Royce has awarded Glasgow-based Castle Precision Engineering with a contract worth more than £85m for the manufacture and supply of precision-machined rotating aero engine parts. The new agreement, which was endorsed by the UK Government’s Scottish Secretary and runs through to the second half of the decade, continues a 40-year relationship with the firm. Formalising the continuation of the long-standing relationship with Castle Precision Engineering, reiterates the commitment of Rolls-Royce to the UK supply chain and UK skills.

More information www.rolls-royce.com