The Esab Group Inc and robot specialist Yaskawa have signed a global co-operation agreement to jointly develop and market a line of pre-engineered robotic welding systems called XCellerator. Yaskawa will engineer and build XCellerator, with Esab providing the marketing through its global sales channels. The cells target small and medium-sized manufacturers and fabricators seeking easy installation, set-up and operation, enabling them to take a confident step toward automating their welding operations.

For further information
www.esab.co.uk

Coventry-based Park Sheet Metal recently became the UK’s first company to invest in the newest version of Trumpf’s TruLaser Cell 7040 five-axis laser-cutting machine. Adding to a fleet of existing, previous-generation TruLaser Cell 7040 machines, the latest model brings a number of advantages to this specialist in low-volume automotive metal parts and assemblies, including greater energy efficiency.

Established in 1947, Park Sheet Metal is a £16m turnover business that occupies five sites covering a total of 85,000 sq ft. The company, which is certified to IATF 16949, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, supplies to prestigious customers that include Aston Martin, Bentley, Lotus, Jaguar Land Rover and LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Co), to list but a few.

“Although we already had three TruLaser Cell 7040 machines, the need arose to invest in another as one of our major customers, Aston Martin, has opened an additional factory at St Athan in Wales,” explains director Graham Penter. “In turn, there was a clear requirement to expand our capital expenditure and facilities, and continue supporting their expansion over the coming years. The same is true for LEVC, with the introduction of their new electric van. Due to these developments, extra five-axis laser cutting capacity was an obvious need.”

Speaking about the new investment, he adds: “It’s really nice having four TruLaser machines, giving us the flexibility to grow, which is the main reason we have retained Trumpf as our preferred supplier of five-axis laser-cutting technology.”
Park Sheet Metal invests in the latest technology for many reasons, not least to achieve accuracy and repeatability through all of its laser cutting. Furthermore, the latest TruLaser Cell 7040 enables significant improvements in energy efficiency without compromising on cutting speed or productivity.

For further information
www.trumpf.com

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the focus was on ventilators, but as things developed testing became the priority of Government. Step forward Atherstone-based Shield Marquee Manufacturing. While its usual customer base, the hospitality industry, continues to face strict restrictions, Shield Marquees became part of the marquee hire industry’s National Emergency Testing Stations Network (NETS). Working with the Government, NETS has been central in supplying the network of test centres for COVID-19 with temporary structures. The demand for a quick response, however, placed significant pressure on Shield Marquee’s manufacturing capability.

“With every structure containing multiple machined components, such as leg and ridge knuckles, we found that our existing machine capacity was limited, and the volumes we were asked to produce were leading to backlogs,” says director Matthew Faizey.

While speed was crucial, Faizey was cautious and carried out due diligence online of a select group of machine-tool suppliers, with XYZ Machine Tools coming out on top.

“If I’m going to spend a significant amount of money, I want to do my research and check on a supplier’s viability, history, reputation and ability to support my business,” he says. “XYZ Machine Tools impressed in all respects. In particular, was the knowledge that we could get support in terms of service and programming very quickly, as we can’t afford for the machine to be down for any length of time.”

With that reassurance and time ticking away, Faizey contacted XYZ Machine Tools at 09:30 on a Friday morning. XYZ’s area sales manager jumped in his car and by lunchtime the order was placed and paid for. The following Tuesday the machine, an XYZ 1000 LR vertical machining centre, was delivered, commissioned and ready for production.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Hardinge plans to shift the manufacturing of its machining centre and turning centre solutions from the Hardinge Taiwan plant to its facility in Elmira, New York, USA. This strategic manufacturing transition condenses product development, supply chain and assembly operations for the company’s American and European turning and milling business to a single US-based location. Hardinge will now supply customers with a stronger line of milling and turning products assembled in the USA.

The company will be repatriating the manufacturing of its Bridgeport XR series of vertical machining centres and the Hardinge Talent series of turning products. Hardinge is modernising its Elmira facility, investing significant resources in new assembly capabilities, as well as state-of-the-art heat-treatment equipment. Following the transition, the Taiwan location will continue to operate as one of Hardinge’s regional sales and fulfilment facilities, as well as a global engineering centre supporting the needs of international customers.

For further information www.hardinge.com

A survey about how coronavirus has affected the perceptions of cleanliness and hygiene in manufacturing workplaces has been conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Professional, showing that 86% would avoid a facility if they did not think it was COVID-secure. Moreover, only 31% think hygiene practices in factories are currently adequate.

Kimberly-Clark Professional has introduced its 360˚ Hygiene & Protection programme to help businesses get back on their feet and restore confidence. A free no-obligation ‘Virtual Hygiene Walk’, which can be booked using the link below, reviews a facility and provides expert guidance on cleaning and hygiene protocols, recommending the right product solutions to tackle key hygiene hotspots.

For further information https://is.gd/malewo