The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) has been named as the UK spoke in a northwest Europe project designed to transform the machining sector, helping 1300 SMEs to stimulate turnover and employment through the uptake of Industry 4.0 technologies.

A three-year project funded by Interreg, ‘Machining 4.0’ has received an investment of €4.25m. The project will help boost growth for SMEs within the machining sector, which despite an annual turnover of €24bn, has suffered due to a lack of innovation and increased competition from low-wage countries over the past five years.
Within the UK, the only partner is AFRC, with the other nine participants based in countries across northwest Europe, including lead partner Sirris, headquartered in Belgium, and a further eight across France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland. Some 1000 of the 1300 SMEs targeted will receive knowledge on innovative manufacturing technologies. In addition, around 250 will be encouraged to experiment with new technologies and collaborate with research and development partners, while a further 50 will receive intensive business support.
For further information www.strath.ac.uk/research

Mazak has made important changes to its leadership structure. President Tomohisa Yamazaki is now the company’s chairman, while vice president Takashi Yamazaki has been named the new president.

The transition, which took effect on 24 June to coincide with the company’s 100th anniversary, is the result of a long-planned leadership evolution designed to position the company for continued growth. Takashi Yamazaki’s key objectives will be to reinforce Mazak’s position in the increasingly globalised manufacturing market, and the promotion of new technologies and products.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Over 50% of engineering firms in the UK have taken on an apprentice in the past two years, a new survey by the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) and Close Brothers Asset Finance has found.

The survey looked across a range of sectors, including food and drink, retail, recruitment and services, discovering that construction was the only other industry employing apprentices at a similar rate to engineering firms.
One of the most interesting points to emerge from the survey was that the biggest barrier to employing an apprentice was not the Apprenticeship Levy, but the lack of suitable candidates, and as well as problems with training providers. Steve Gee, CEO of Close Brothers Asset Finance’s Industrial Equipment Division, says: “Over the past four years Close Brothers Asset Finance, working in partnership with the MTA and the University of Sheffield’s AMRC Training Centre, have funded the training of 60 apprentices. It is very encouraging to see the results of this survey and we’re proud of the part we have played.”
For further information www.mta.org.uk

Following investment in a Renishaw AM 400 additive manufacturing (AM) system, Frazer-Nash has produced a novel fastener for its customer, Kwikbolt, for use during aircraft assembly.

The component can be made quicker and at a lower cost when compared with traditional subtractive machining methods. Frazer-Nash now produces 25,000 AM parts a year and has expanded its range of components.
Paul Mortlock, managing director at Frazer-Nash, says: “The Kwikbolt project is a true AM success story. Using AM means we can easily produce a bespoke component based on each aerospace customer’s requirements. Renishaw’s AM systems have been flawless since we started working together. Over the past five years, we’ve developed a close relationship. We originally chose to partner with Renishaw due to its support services, and we’ve found these to be invaluable.”
For further information www.renishaw.com

After the success of last year’s event, Faro, Optimax, Bruker Alicona, Aberlink, Heidenhain, Manchester Metrology and the NPL are joining together to stage an even larger Northern Metrology Networking Day.

The event will take place on 18 September at the Eithad Stadium in Manchester, and will provide visitors with the opportunity to witness practical demonstrations of the metrology sector’s latest innovations and discuss their specific measurement problems with industry experts. If feasible, attendees are encouraged to bring parts along so they can be scanned and measured on the day. The free event is open from 09:30 to 16:30.
For further information https://measure-anything.faro-europe.com/