Established in Burgess Hill in 1969, Heidenhain (GB) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German manufacturing group Dr Johannes Heidenhain GmbH, is this year celebrating 50 years of supporting industry.

Employing 24 people, the company is the sales, service and distribution centre for the UK and Ireland. Application engineering as well as customer service and support are also provided, covering the firm’s CNC systems, digital readouts, encoders, length gauges, measuring probes and machine calibration equipment.
A network of trained, regionally based distributors specialises in offering local sales and service of Heidenhain encoder products. All distributors are authorised, have exclusive access to the manufacturer’s technical databases, and are assisted as required by specialists in Burgess Hill. The test equipment they use is calibrated every two years.
For further information www.heidenhaingb.com

Coolant pumps from Spandau Pumpen are now being deployed for the machining process and a modular island filter system, including chip conveyor, at the SKF Lubrication Systems plant in the Czech city of Chodov.

Supervisors have been noting lower energy and operating costs, and higher system availability, ever since installation. The filter system serves two production lines, each with three machine tools and a single-station solution. Full-flow cleaning of chips up to 25 µm in size is facilitated, plus up to 5 µm by a second fine-filter stage. Spandau Pumpen supplied three low-pressure and three high-pressure pumps (PS and LMP series), each with frequency converters.
For further information www.skf.com/spandaupumpen

The UK’s first ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’ celebrated its largest graduation recently, when 29 students received their BEng and MEng qualifications.

A joint collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing, the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) saw its second cohort graduate in style, with many of the industry-ready engineers going into high-profile jobs at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Wipac Ltd, Precision Castparts Corp and Unipart.
Marking a successful four years in operation, the initiative was designed specifically to give young people the opportunity to learn on real-world manufacturing projects. Over 100 students are now currently working their way through the hands-on course at AME, aided by a specially compiled textbook that is linked directly to what ‘first’ and ‘second’ year students will be trained on.
For further information www.ame.co.uk

Compound tables for converting a three-axis VMC into a four-axis or five-axis machine are becoming increasingly popular.

Such tables boost output by reducing the number of component set-ups, often enabling one-hit production, and minimising tolerance build-up for higher accuracy machining. Fixture costs are lower, handling is less and smaller batches can be produced economically, reducing cost per part.
Provided that a rigid, high quality table is purchased, the metal-cutting configuration will be just as robust and accurate as the rotary axes on true five-axis machines.
Kitagawa, which is represented in the UK by sole agent 1st Machine Tool Accessories, manufactures the world’s largest range of NC rotary tables, covering single- and multiple-spindle, tilting, and waterproof models. The tables can be configured with the motor on the right, left, back or top. Table diameters range from as small as 100 mm, including some with built-in 5C spindles, up to 500 mm.
Most models can be supplied with a number of options – including integral ports in the faceplate to enable hydraulic fixture operation – allowing workpieces to be secured automatically.

The most popular tables can be configured for use in conjunction with the Kitagawa Quinte controller. Using a simple M code, a table can be operated from any CNC system, providing the versatility to swap work between three-axis VMCs with different controls. Another option is to operate the Quinte controller through an RS232 connection, which allows the rotary table to be controlled via the machine CNC, eliminating the need for two separate programs.
Through 1st Machine Tool Accessories, Kitagawa offers various options to complement its rotary tables, such as manual, pneumatic or hydraulic tailstocks, tail spindles with built-in clamping system, trunnion assemblies, rotary joints, air/hydraulic intensifiers, and manual, pneumatic and hydraulic
chuck systems.
For further information www.1mta.com

Dugard has appointed Colin Thomson to support ongoing growth of the Hanwha brand. Joining the company as product sales manager, Thomson will be tasked with managing the range of Hanwha sliding-head turning centres throughout the UK.

Dugard was appointed as the UK agent for the South Korean Hanwha brand at the tail end of 2018. The Hanwha range of machines will also be supported by the existing Dugard sales team.
With almost 30 years of experience in manufacturing, Thomson started his engineering career as a machine shop apprentice at a prominent aerospace subcontract company in Essex, during which time he became team leader. Leaving this post in his late 20s, Thomson has since cut his teeth in technical sales and account management by working with machine tool and cutting tool manufacturers. With much of this period spent at a prominent sliding-head lathe manufacturer, he is well positioned to give the Hanwha brand a foothold in this niche industry segment.
For further information www.dugard.com