Peter Falkner has been recruited by XYZ Machine Tools to take on the role of service manager, with a target to streamline service activities and make them more accessible and visible to customers.

The move comes after the company achieved a record turnover in its 2018/19 financial year, which has increased demand on XYZ’s service team due to the number of machines being commissioned.
Joining from the power generation sector, Falkner worked in service orientated engineering/project management roles for a business that generated around 75% of its £250 million turnover from service support. At XYZ he has been tasked with developing a more proactive approach to service, with increased customer interaction. An online portal and app-based user interface form part of that plan.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

To satisfy the needs of its expanding customer base, Citizen Machinery UK has employed nine extra staff since the beginning of 2019, bringing the total number of employees to 58.

Located at the company’s headquarters in Bushey and the new turning centre of excellence in Brierley Hill, the new recruits have been selected to cover core functions within the operation, including applications engineering, machine service, software development and sales in mainland Europe. Sales of Cincom sliding-head lathes and Miyano fixed-head turning centres in the UK and Ireland were at a record high last year, at 164 machines.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Yamazaki Mazak is partnering with Rigibore to incorporate the ActiveEdge boring-bar system into its VCN-530C machining centre.

ActiveEdge technology is an auto-compensating boring-bar system that is said to allow extremely high bore tolerances to be held on a machine automatically. The boring bars, which are manufactured in the UK at Rigibore’s headquarters in Cornwall, are being made available as an option on Mazak’s VCN-530C machining centre.
ActiveEdge tooling has a separate drive mechanism integrated into the rotating tool which can be adjusted to within individual microns on a wireless closed feedback system. The tools enable multiple critical diameters to be machined simultaneously, significantly reducing cycle times and increasing process efficiency. Typically, ActiveEdge users are working within a tolerance of circa 0.002 µm on bore diameters.
The tooling has a number of advantages, including its ability to enable machine operators to meet critical tolerances without removing the tool from the machining envelope. As a result, machine uptime, productivity and operator safety are improved, while scrap is reduced due to the system’s highly accurate cutting.
Managing director UK and Ireland sales and service division at Yamazaki Mazak, Alan Mucklow, says: “Boring-bar work has often slowed cycle times due to the need for extremely high tolerances and manual adjustment by the operator. The option to specify the ActiveEdge technology with the VCN-530C offers Mazak users working in boring-bar applications the ability to maintain cycle times while improving cut accuracy, due to wireless adjustment of the cutting tool during the process.”
Yamazaki Mazak Europe is now working with Rigibore and other Mazak manufacturing facilities across the world to integrate ActiveEdge technology into horizontal machining centres and Integrex technology, as well as a retrofit option for machines that are already in the field.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

The Manufacturing Technology Centre’s fifth annual digital manufacturing conference will bring together some of Europe’s leading experts on the digital revolution sweeping through the manufacturing industry.

This high-level conference, which takes place at the MTC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry on 4-5 November, is aimed at helping UK manufacturers embrace the latest digital technologies to improve their businesses.
Named ‘Digitalising Manufacturing 2019: Making Digital a Reality’, manufacturing leaders from across Europe will inform delegates that digital advances and smart factories are as much about people as technology. While Industry 4.0 opens up huge potential for UK manufacturers, companies have to invest in people and skills to reap the benefits of technology and industrial automation. The conference will aim to give manufacturers support on how to progress the digital journey in their own organisations, based on previous experiences and lessons learnt.
For further information www.the-mtc.org/digital2019

Formed by Henry Barrett in 1866, Barrett Steel Ltd has grown to become the UK’s largest independent steel stockholder, today consisting of four divisions with more than 40 companies operating from 26 sites.

Due to higher business levels being experienced by the Barrett Engineering Steel division, a search was recently commenced for an efficient sawing solution that would meet requirements at two sites in the Midlands and northwest. This search prompted the company to invest in a pair of Amada PCSAW 430X/AX pulse cutting automatic bandsaws from Accurate Cutting Services.
In comparison with conventional bandsaws, Accurate Cutting Services says that Amada PC series machines deliver faster cutting by employing a novel mechanism to ‘pulse’ the blade feed pressure. This pulse forces the bandsaw’s tips to overcome any work hardening through the cut, and eliminate the unwelcome vibration harmonics that create noise and damage tip material.
Rob Fern, Barrett Engineering Steel’s Midlands branch manager, explains the reasons for purchasing the bandsaws: “In addition to build quality, the pulse capabilities provide the speed – especially on large diameters – and accuracy that we require. The main consoles also clearly display an estimated finish time for each job, which permits operatives to plan upcoming cuts, while the ability to download data related to blade performance is extremely useful for monitoring KPIs and promoting continuous business improvement.”
At Barrett Engineering Steel, the 430 mm cutting capacity Amada machines are currently being used to saw carbon and alloy grade steel, in both black and bright bar, including the company’s latest EN30B stock.
“As well as the bandsaws, we bought an RT feed conveyor,” says Fern. “The conveyor gives us the benefit of semi-automation and has resulted in a significant reduction in downtime. Indeed, the saw can run unattended for up to two whole shifts.”
For further information www.accurate-cutting.co.uk