Small and medium-sized manufacturers are continuing to bounce back from the pandemic, despite experiencing significant supply chain and recruitment struggles. The latest Manufacturing Barometer, which surveyed more than 400 SMEs across the UK, shows that nearly two thirds (64%) of companies are expecting to grow over the next six months and 52% plan to invest in capital equipment and manufacturing.

For the first time in over a year, the report also revealed that more firms are trading at higher levels than before Covid-19, highlighting the resurgence in fortunes since lockdown eased. This encouraging data was set against a backdrop of disruption, with 60% of respondents stating that staff are having to spend additional time liaising with suppliers and, despite growing sales, just over half are having to increase product prices to recover some of their additional costs.

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One of the major themes of MACH 2022 (4-8 April, Birmingham NEC), the first national gathering of the UK engineering community post Covid-19, will be the need to concentrate on skills development within the manufacturing industry and inspiring the UK’s next generation of engineers. The exhibition will have a strong focus on encouraging more young people into the industry, with special displays and a dedicated exhibition zone showcasing the changes that have taken place within manufacturing.

MACH 2022 will features a dedicated Education & Development (E&D) Zone, with special displays from Airbus Defence & Space, University of Wolverhampton Formula 3 Race Team, Lincoln Electric Virtual Welding and the Bowers Group Mobile Metrology Centre. Student visitors from Year 7 upwards will also be able to access guided tours of the exhibition. Apprentices and graduates who are already working within the industry will lead the tours.

For further information visit www.machexhibition.com

Amada has released its latest high-power fibre laser cutting machine, the ENSIS-AJ 12 kW, which adds to the currently available 3, 6 and 9 kW versions. For the 12 kW version, 3 x 4 kW diode modules (the highest power, single module yet produced by Amada) are utilised to ensure very high beam quality for faster cutting speeds. This technology also opens new avenues for thicker mild steel processing with nitrogen, up to 15 mm. The new ECO WACS system for thick mild steel processing with oxygen further enhances the overall package.

WACS (Water Assisted Cutting System) has been standard on the fully featured ENSIS-AJ fibre lasers since the original launch in 2014 and allows very high-quality oxygen processing of thick mild steel. ECO Cut was used for lower thickness oxygen processing (10-15 mm), for speed increases and running cost reductions. Now, ECO WACS combines both these features to allow very thick mild steel processing with an extremely high edge quality and improved bevel angle, while maintaining fast cutting and piercing capabilities.

Higher power also brings the advantage of processing thicker mild steel with nitrogen to give an oxide-free cutting edge. The 12 kW ENSIS-AJ can now process up to 15 mm mild steel with nitrogen and utilises Amada’s Clean Fast Cut (CFC) process to increase cutting speeds and reduce gas consumption by up to 70% compared with standard nitrogen processing. This capability opens new opportunities for customers in the construction, agricultural and yellow goods markets. In particular, the significantly higher cutting speeds (compared with oxygen) result in quicker deliveries for the end user.

Central to the advanced capability of ENSIS-AJ fibre lasers is Amada’s Variable Beam Control technology, whereby the laser beam mode is automatically adapted to deliver stable cutting across all material types and thicknesses.

For further information
www.amada.eu

Sales of XYZ Machine Tools’ range of machine tools, particularly its ProtoTRAK controlled mills and lathes, are showing strong growth across Europe, with sales now representing 13% of company turnover. From the turn of the year sales have steadily increased thanks to renewed manufacturing confidence, particularly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Belgium. Overall sales in 2021 to date are already 33% higher than the previous year, and are predicted to double by the year-end.

September saw 10 machines despatched to customers in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Spain. While travel to visit these customers has been restricted, the export team at XYZ has remained active. In addition, a Norwegian dealer has just come on board, further extending the distribution network for XYZ machines.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

With a new development in the hexagonal chuck series from Hainbuch, the German clamping device manufacturer says it is taking precision to a new level. The new Toplus Premium Chuck introduces a host of additional advantages.

Hainbuch’s portfolio of chucks has always been very precise and, once chucks alignment is complete, runout is near to zero for repeat clamping. If the various chuck heads are then changed, runout is usually between 3 to 7 μm without alignment.

With the new Toplus Premium Chuck, Hainbuch guarantees a runout of ≤5 μm without alignment, regardless of which clamping head is used. Until now, this was only possible with an expensive hydraulic expansion or a diaphragm chuck. These systems have limitations entailed by their design. In many cases, runout of ≤10 μm is perfectly sufficient. However, components or machining processes that demand a runout of ≤5 μm are increasingly commonplace within the industry. By utilising the new Toplus Premium Chuck with the associated premium clamping heads and, by clamping against the workpiece stop, this level of accuracy is always achieved. As a result, manufacturers no longer have to lose time making alignments for small batch sizes.

To reduce set-up times, improve machine utilisation and reduce costs, a robot is often used to load the workpieces in the machine. This strategy can become a problem if the clamping stroke is too small. With the Toplus Premium Chuck combined with a clamping head, the stroke is increased to make loading easier, even if the robot works somewhat imprecisely. In addition, the Toplus Premium Chuck is very robust and not as sensitive as some other clamping devices. Any slight contact with the workpiece during loading has no effect on the chuck and the process remains stable. The chuck is also sealed against contamination and vibration.

For further information
www.hainbuch.com