THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

VO specialist launches £1m giveaway

Voltage optimisation (VO) specialist, Powerdown220, is launching a scheme for companies looking to save on their energy bills. Successful applicants will receive a free VO machine and can expect savings on their energy bills and a reduced carbon footprint from day one.As well as providing a VO, Powerdown220 will complete every aspect of the project from survey to installation, free of charge. The scheme is only available to businesses that consume over 300,000 kWh of electricity annually. The only thing required from applicants is information about their current energy consumption.
For further information www.bit.ly/3YwKX3C

Making way for UK’s largest open-die forge

Demolition has started at Sheffield Forgemasters to facilitate construction of the UK’s largest open-die forging line.Parts of the site north of Brightside Lane are undergoing controlled demolition to create space for a 13,000 tonne forge, which will house a new 12,700 sq m structure adjacent to the Sheffield to Meadowhall train line.Sections of disused forge and foundry buildings that date from the Victorian era, will make way for the new facility, creating one of the most efficient open-die forging operations in Europe and the largest within the UK.

According to the company, the whole project is working to the best environmental standards, so all spoil from the site will be graded and recycled as far as is possible. Estimates suggest that the multi-million pound project will see completion of the foundations by 2025.The new facility will service defence and commercial work in sectors such as civil nuclear power.
For further information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Perfect 10 for MACH Machine Tools

MACH Machine Tools, a supplier of CNC and manual machine tools to UK, Irish and European component manufacturers, and part of the Vigilance Group, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in September.Over the past decade, the Bristol-based company’s product portfolio has increased and improved significantly, and its range of CNC machines today focuses exclusively on the DynaPath control. MACH Machine Tools is now looking forward to the next 10 years, starting off with MACH 2024 in April where the company will be introducing a new range of 6”, 8’ and10” chuck slant-bed DynaPath-controlled lathes.
For further information www.machmt.co.uk

300 new JLR jobs in Midlands

JLR is recruiting 300 new technicians and test engineers in the West Midlands. The roles will support the continued growth of Range Rover production and development of next-generation electric vehicles (EVs).Of the 300 roles, the UK-based car manufacturer is recruiting around 100 maintenance technicians for its Solihull plant to operate and maintain automated production facilities in a new body shop costing around £130m.

In addition, JLR is recruiting around 200 technicians and test engineers for its Gaydon Engineering Centre and Whitley Powertrain facility, where they will support with testing and development of JLR’s next-generation EVs as part of a global family that exceeds 38,000 colleagues. The company will upskill all technicians and test engineers with electrification training as part of JLR’s ‘Future Skills Programme’, to ensure they are equipped with vital skills for the production and maintenance of EVs.
For further information www.jaguarlandrover.com

Stockholder cuts lead times with Kasto automation

A steel and non-ferrous metals stockholder in Germany, is using a new sawing centre from Kasto for the close-tolerance cutting to length of its various bar, tube, profile and other products. At Bieber + Marburg, the demand for sawing in particular is increasing enormously, so the company needed to examine how best to expand this side of its business and determine what technology to target.

During a demonstration, the impressive speed of an automatic production circular saw from the KASTOvariospeed range impressed the stockholder’s management and it quickly became apparent that it would be the optimum solution to the shortfall in cutting capacity.

Nextto the circular saw, a KASTOsort robot is responsible for cut piece container management. The robot recognises the containers, which already contain the relevant delivery label, and loads the required parts into them automatically, even unattended over the weekend.

Bieber + Marburg’s new KASTOcenter Varioplus 4 warehouse is 50 m long by 7 m wide and 9 m high. It contains about 1500 shelves with space for material up to 7 m long and 330 mm in diameter. A gantry crane stores and retrieves stock at up to 60 m/min. It serves both the KASTOvariospeed C 18 automatic circular sawing centre and a bandsawing area, where a newly installed KASTOtec SC4 is part of the expansion.

“The KASTOcenter varioplus 4 has enabled us to reduce set-up time from 15-20 minutes on the bandsaws, to less than two minutes on the circular saw,” reveals Marcel Finkernagel, director of administration and organisation at Bieber + Marburg.“Operation is then automatic, with consistent quality of cut on material up to the saw’s maximum capacity of 330 mm diameter.”
For further information www.kasto.com