THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Funds support large-scale manufacturing

Swiss start-up SAEKI has closed a $6.7mseed fundinground that it says will support the company’s efforts in helping totransform large-scale manufacturing. As AI accelerates design capabilities, manufacturing must evolve to keep pace. SAEKI is addressing this challenge head-on, developing autonomous factories that integrate quoting, 3D printing, machining and inspection into a fully automated process.

“There’s an exponential and widening divide between what we can design and what we can actually build,” says co-founder and CEO Andrea Perissinotto. “While engineers can use AI to create hundreds of optimised designs, legacy manufacturing simply can’t deliver these components cost-effectively. By automating the entire process, from quoting to final inspection, we can make these advanced designs manufacturable at scale.”

More information www.saeki.ch

Horn secures Industry 4.0 award

Cutting tool manufacturer Paul Horn GmbH has received a second Allianz Industrie 4.0 Award Baden-Württemberg, underlining the company’s continuous pursuit of innovation and its pioneering role in digitalisation. Horn’s innovation has been to map the lifecycle of tools digitally, principally to enable the recording of quality-critical data using a web-based solution customised for specific groups of tooling products. The Horn Service Platform (HSP) prevents errors and reduces lead times by digitally automating and accelerating administrative tasks.

More information www.horn-group.com

New era for Floyd Automatic Tooling

UK cutting tool distributor Helix Tool has acquired Floyd Automatic Tooling following the decision of Richard and Chantal Floyd to retire from the business after 35 years. “Over the decades, our offering has expanded exponentially in line with both the technology and the requirements of the marketplace,” says Richard Floyd. “We’ve built partnerships with suppliers and clients that have spanned decades. The staff and management team at Floyd Automatic will undoubtedly take the Floyd brand, relationships, service and product portfolio forward with new vigour – and I wish our new owners every success in the future.”

More information www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Milestone Test For New VTLs

The first of 11 large, bespoke vertical turning lathes (VTLs) in construction for the proposed
new machining facility of Sheffield Forgemasters, has passed a milestone test ahead of
shipping it to the UK. German machine specialist, Waldrich Siegen, which is designing and
building the machines, has completed assembly and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) for
the first machine. 
Fully configured for Industry 4.0, the VTL offers digital connectivity, advanced analytics,
automation and advanced manufacturing technologies for complete integration into a
network. Sheffield Forgemasters’ new machine shop will cover 35,000 m² and, with 21 new
heavy-duty machine tools from Waldrich Siegen, the company says it will become the most
advanced facility of its kind in Europe.
More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

NCMT Launches Five-Year Warranty

Machine tool sales and service agent NCMT has introduced an extended service warranty to
cover the Japanese-built Makino and Okuma machines it sells into the UK and Ireland.
Covered by the warranty are the supply of the manufacturer’s mechanical, electrical and
electronic components, which are replaced according to the machine’s original specification,
and NCMT’s travel and labour costs for carrying out repairs. The maximum amount that can
be claimed is up to the invoice price of the CNC machine, excluding VAT. Customers with an
existing NCMT service contract can also opt to purchase the extended warranty.
More information www.ncmt.co.uk