Lloyds Bank will be the headline sponsor of MACH 2020 for the fifth consecutive show, says organiser, the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA).

The next edition of MACH is scheduled to take place on 20-24 April 2020 at the NEC, Birmingham. This latest commitment showcases a decade of support for the show, Lloyds Bank having been a long-standing supporter of MACH and the manufacturing sector. The bank has recently reaffirmed this commitment by increasing its lending commitment to UK manufacturers. Having originally pledged to lend in excess of £6bn to manufacturers between 2013 and 2018, Lloyds has committed a further £1bn per year of new lending through to the end of 2020.
For further information www.machexhibition.com

A two-day ‘Made for Space’ conference being staged by the MTC will be held on 2-3 May.

The event will host international experts who will explain the opportunities available for manufacturers in the space industry. Keynote speakers are set to include: John Vickers, principal technologist, Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA; and Thomas Rohr, head of materials and processes at the European Space Agency. Also speaking will be Graham Peters, chair of UK Space, and Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency.
MTC chief technologist David Wimpenny says the UK space sector had trebled in size since 2000, with further growth predicted. This ongoing expansion presents a significant opportunity for high-value manufacturing companies in the UK. Topics covered at the Made for Space conference will include additive manufacturing, automation and robotics, surface engineering, high-performance coatings, and advanced joining technology. Early bird tickets are available until 31 March.
For further information www.the-mtc.org/madeforspace

Last month’s Southern Manufacturing 2019 achieved a new record attendance, according to figures released by the organisers.

The show received a total of 8644 unique visitors, an increase of around 13% on the previous year. Some 800 companies from all over the world took part in the event, occupying all the available exhibition space of the recently-opened 20,000 sq m Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Exit polls reveal that visitor interests remained broadly consistent with previous years, but with interest in automation and robotics, machine tools, tooling, and inspection systems all showing positive growth. There was also heightened interest in the full range of subcontract services present at the show, including contract fabrication, machining, laser processing and plastics. Southern Manufacturing returns to Farnborough International on 11-13 February 2020.
For further information www.industrysouth.co.uk

Clamason Industries, which provides a single-source design, development and value-added engineering solution, saw orders hit £30m in 2018 for the first time in its 70-year history, and is now setting its sights on a three-year expansion plan.

Growth is expected to come from its global client base across sectors such as automotive, medical, assisted living and industrial products, with the latter covering anything from telecoms and power distribution products, to electric bikes.
Underpinning the company’s ambitious expansion plans is a £1.1m investment drive in new presses, technical cleaning capability and the launch of a new corporate identity, website and digital media campaign. Since 2015, Clamason has added £12.5m of revenue. The company says that its facilities in Kingswinford, UK, and Slovakia give it a global footprint that will help attract more customers and contribute to expansion plans.
For further information www.clamason.com

The smallest model in the range of eight KASTOwin automatic bandsaws was exhibited on the Kasto stand at last month’s Southern Manufacturing 2019 exhibition. The saws are suitable for processing a variety of materials in stockholding and manufacturing across diverse industry sectors such as automotive, aerospace and general engineering.

Incorporating many features that are said to boost productivity, the KASTOwin 3.3 on show had a maximum cutting capacity of 330 mm, which rises to over 1 m for the largest model. The machines are suitable for the mass production sawing of solid material, tube and profile. In addition to five standard models, there are three further variants: one specifically for processing additively manufactured parts; an up-stroking machine intended for tube cutting; and a saw designed for use with carbide blades.
The bandsaws feature a frequency-controlled drive that enables cutting speeds of 12 to 150 m/min. Importantly, the saw band is hydraulically tightened and looped around band guides that have interchangeable carbide inserts, saving the cost of replacing an entire carbide guide. A touch-screen SmartControl monitors and controls all relevant order requirements and sawing parameters using an in-built material library.
Also worthy of note, ball-screw drives have replaced hydraulics to ensure tight control over material feed movements. KASTOrespond measures the force on the band and continuously optimises down-feed pressure to keep the chip load constant. This function allows the machine to adapt to material quality, shape and heterogeneity, maximising productivity and blade life,
and virtually eliminating scrap, says Kasto.
For further information www.kasto.com