THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Weather Forecasts aid Sustainable Manufacturing

In a significant step towards sustainable manufacturing, University of Sheffield AMRC engineers have found a way of using weather forecasts to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing processes. Tace Morgan, sustainability theme lead at the AMRC, says: “While using renewable energy offers lower carbon intensity, its availability varies, making it an inconsistent source. Our research addresses this by leveraging the predictable link between carbon intensity and weather patterns. It allows us to schedule energy-intensive tasks for greener times, lowering environmental impact without hindering productivity.”

More information www.amrc.co.uk

25 years of Starrag Sprint Z3

Machine tool builder Starrag is looking back on a special engineering anniversary: 25 years of Sprint Z3. The inconspicuous machining head of the EcoSpeed series was officially presented for the first time in 2000. What began as a solution for a military aircraft soon became a key module in modern aircraft production.

The Sprint Z3 parallel kinematic machining head has proven to be a real drawcard and, despite its compact design, is always a talking point.Even after 25 years, Starrag says the technology behind it still amazes. The drive head contains a highly dynamic, three-axis kinematic system which, unlike conventional fork heads, swivels via articulated kinematics to enable rapid yet precise tool movements. More information www.starrag.com

Success for Hurco Demo Deals Day

Strong customer engagement and sales were reported at Hurco Europe’s annual Demo Deals Day, which took place last month at the company’s High Wycombe showroom and technical centre. In total, 39 visitors representing 22 companies attended the event,all looking to take advantage of ex-demonstration and used machines at discounts of up to 20% (on selected models).

Demand was strong in the lead-up to the event, with several machines sold or reserved with deposits before the doors even opened. Among the most sought-after models that sold quickly were the five-axis VMX42UDi and VMX30Ui, the latter fitted with a ProCobot Profeeder-X five-drawer system. The popular VM10i and VM30i machining centres also attracted significant attention and were swiftly reserved, reports Hurco.

More information www.hurco.com

Big Turnout at Mills CNC Tech Show

Machine tool supplier Mills CNC reports that ‘The One Show,’ the company’s recent one-hit machining technology event at its campus facility in Leamington, was a roaring success. Over 180 visitors attended the event, where two new machine tools from DN Solutions made their UK debuts:the DVF 5000 Mk II simultaneous five-axis machining centre and the entry-level DNX 2100SB multi-axis mill-turn machine.

CEO Tony Dale says: “We wanted to do something different and host an event relevant to the future productivity and process efficiency needs of component manufacturers.As a result, we focused the whole event around one-hit machining, and it definitely paid off.A number of enquiries for the new DNX 2100SB and DVF 5000 Mk II are being actively followed up as we speak.”

More information www.millscnc.co.uk

Subcontract Market Continues to Grow

The UK subcontract manufacturing market carried on growing in the third quarter of 2025. It was up 10% on the previous quarter, which had already seen dramatic growth from April onwards. The CMI is produced by sourcing specialist Qimtek and reflects the total purchasing budget for outsourced manufacturing of companies looking to place business in any given month (representing a sample of over 4,000 companies).

The baseline for the index is 100, which represents the average size of the subcontract manufacturing market between 2014 and 2018.The CMI for the third quarter of 2025 was 113, compared with 103 for the second three months of the year.One a month-by-month basis, July was impressively strong – by far the strongest month of the year so far and a third higher than June.

More information www.qimtek.co.uk