Britain’s biggest equipment rental firm is buying 2100 new JCB machines in a deal worth £65m, the biggest-ever order from a UK customer in the company’s 75-year history. Sunbelt Rentals is expanding and renewing its fleet as the construction industry rebounds strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rental specialist is investing in JCB Loadall telescopic handlers, mini and midi excavators, site dumpers, tracked excavators, and rough terrain fork lifts – all manufactured at JCB’s Staffordshire factories. Sunbelt Rentals is also investing in 350 JCB access platforms – JCB’s biggest-ever UK deal for this equipment following its entry into the $8bn powered access market in 2017. The massive order comes as JCB recruits hundreds of new shop-floor employees following soaring demand.

For further information www.jcb.com

With its new ByTube 130, Bystronic says that sheet-metal processors can quickly and easily get into tube processing. The fibre-based machine opens up a wide range of applications for all metallic materials in diameters from 10 to 130 mm, and material lengths up to 8.5 m. In addition, the machine has a loading capacity of 17 kg/m, while the 2D cutting head allows the processing of a large proportion of customer requests, since vertical cuts account for 90% of the market.

Notably, the ByTube 130 has the potential to substitute complex and cost-intensive processing steps: a growing number of manufacturing companies are discovering laser cutting as an alternative to sawing and drilling. The fibre laser performs both processes at once and, according to Bystronic, considerably faster. Thanks to clean cutting edges, deburring is also a thing of the past. This capability not only results in reduced labour costs, but reduced cost per component thanks to elevated throughput speeds.

The machine is available in two performance levels, 2 or 3 kW. Due to its shorter wavelength compared with CO2 laser technology, the fibre-based ByTube 130 has no problems with highly reflective non-ferrous metals, such as copper and brass.

With the new ByVision Tube user interface, Bystronic combines all the functions relating to the laser cutting of tubes on a single touchscreen. Even entry-level users without extensive experience can immediately start producing with the ByTube 130, says the company. The intuitive software supports new users with the import and creation of cutting plans, which ensures the straightforward handling of cutting sequences.

For further information
www.bystronic.co.uk

QFS Technologies, a specialist supplier of body-in-white (BIW) parts to the automotive industry has invested in a new Trumpf TruLaser Cell 5030 five-axis (3D) laser cutter. Although the company has an older Trumpf five-axis machine that has given many years of reliable service, QFS knew that investing in the higher performance and richer feature set of the TruLaser Cell 5030 would provide a number of competitive advantages, particularly in relation to new project work for a major customer.

“Once the investment decision had been made, it was always going to be a Trumpf machine,” states managing director Neil Holloway. “I’ve worked with other laser cutters in the past, but Trumpf machines are a lot more reliable. When you think about the curvature and complex shapes of a car panel, it’s easy to imagine the essential role of a 3D laser cutter at QFS. We cannot afford to run an unreliable machine.”

With its low machine-hour rate, the TruLaser Cell 5030 is suited to small and medium batch sizes, and for applications where components are frequently changed. Furthermore, TruTops Cell Basic software enables users to make quick adjustments to programs directly at the machine.

BIW parts produced on the new TruLaser Cell 5030 at QFS are mostly cut from aluminium, although some are made from high-strength steel, typically 1-3 mm thick.

“Our guys became accustomed with the machine really quickly,” says Holloway. “The controls on the TruLaser Cell are easier to use than on our older five-axis model. In addition, we were already familiar with the TruTops offline programming software, so our learning curve has been pretty shallow. We’re now in the process of migrating programs over to the new machine.”

For further information
www.trumpf.com

Hull-based Rubitec Engineering Ltd has recently purchased a Victor Vturn NP20 CNC turning centre from GM CNC Machine Tools, the first Victor machine on site.

Andy Shores, managing director of Rubitec Engineering, says: “The machine has cut our run times and it’s a nice feeling to have a level of support from GM CNC that ensures with just one phone call, we can have everything we need.”

Commenting on why the company needed the Victor Vturn NP20, Shores says: “We had an ageing turning centre of similar capacity and capability to the Victor, but it was unreliable. And even though we service a lot of our own machines, the maintenance costs were escalating. We needed a new machine with a compact footprint and Victor fitted the bill.”

Looking closer at the specifications of the Victor Vturn NP20, it has a 52 mm through-spindle bar capacity. However, with the slant bed construction, the turning centre offers a 650 mm swing over the bed, providing 320 mm maximum turning diameter.

“The stability and kinematics of the Victor Vturn NP20 have increased productivity by at least 20% compared to our other machines,” says Shores. “In addition, the rigid tool turret and powerful coolant supply have improved the tool life on our milling tools by over 30%, while the overall machine construction has also helped to increase tool life for turning tools by 30%.”

Concluding on the service from GM CNC, Shores says: “To provide a score, I would certainly give GM CNC 10 out of 10. We trust GM CNC, its staff and levels of service implicitly.”

For further information
www.gm-cnc.com

The UK’s subcontract manufacturing sector is emerging from lockdown with exceptionally strong sales pipelines, according to a cross-section of industry leaders. For instance, Chris Shield at Leicester-based Shield Group, says: “The pipeline is very strong and we’re feeling a lot more positive compared with six months ago.” Andrew Whitham at Manchester-based Brooks Ltd agrees, adding: “We’ve enjoyed a period of sustained growth and investment despite the challenges of COVID and lockdowns…the order book is very strong.”

The story is similar at Stoke-based John Hyde Engineering. “We’re more positive than six months ago and the pipeline is looking increasingly robust,” says John Hyde. Alan Mucklow, managing director UK and Ireland sales and service at Yamazaki Mazak, says the optimism of the subcontracting sector is a much-needed boost for UK manufacturing. “It is very striking, when I talk to customers, how positive the outlook is.”

For further information
www.mazakeu.co.uk