THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

UR reports record revenue

Universal Robots, a Danish collaborative robot (cobot) company, has reported Q4 revenue of $85m, bringing 2022 annual revenue to $326m, up 5% on 2021. On a constant currency basis, growth over the year was 12%.The company’s CFO Kim Andreasen says: “We are proud to have continued to grow our business despite facing a difficult macro-economic environment in 2022. We focused on things we were able to control, overcoming supply chain challenges to report our highest annual revenue to date.” In 2022 UR also began construction on its new headquarters and exceeded 1000 employees worldwide.
For further information www.universal-robots.com

Seco buys Premier Machine Tools

Ireland-based PMT Premier Machine Tools, a supplier of machining solutions for the medical industry, has become part of the product and service offering from cutting tool specialist Seco. With this acquisition Seco will increase its presence in the medical segment by offering integrated manufacturing solutions.PMT will continue to operate as an independent company and sell its products and services under the PMT brand. PMT’s business consists of supplying cutting tools and providing expertise, alongside a thriving machine tool supply business.
For further information www.secotools.com

Airbus to recruit 13,000

Building on a 2022 recruitment drive that added over 13,000 new staff members, Airbus is launching another round of hiring for 13,000 more employees with the skills necessary to support the company’s long-term projects. Approximately 25% of the recruitment will focus on jobs in fields such as decarbonisation, digital transformation, software engineering and cyber technology. Airbus will allocate a third of the total recruitment to young graduates, from which it plans to evolve future senior function and business leaders through technical and leadership development, networking and exposure to top management.
For further information www.airbus.com/en/careers

Innovative tooling at heart of partnership

MSC Industrial Supply Co UK (MSC) and Walter Tools have entered a new supplier partnership focused on ensuring machine shops receive high-precision tooling and value-added service.

“Walter Tools’ focus on innovation and new product development matches closely with MSC’s values of providing products and services of the highest possible standard,” explains James Howarth, head of category management at MSC. “Many industries, from automotive and energy all the way to aerospace, require high-quality suppliers with whom they can work closely; who understand their needs and can recommend the right tools for the job. Walter Tools’ focus on helping customers streamline their processes resonated with MSC and is a key reason behind the forming of this partnership.”
For further information www.mscdirect.co.uk

Ball valve specialist installs IMET bandsaw

Dafram SPA, a specialist in the production of ball valves for the oil industry, chose the IMET XT4 automatic bandsaw to help boost its workflow and production requirements. IMET says it was extremely happy to provide a reliable and efficient working tool to such an important partner in a market (valve construction) where precision is crucial. IMET machines are available in the UK from Addison Saws.

XT series automatic double-column bandsaws offer full material cuts up to 560mm. All the machines of the XT series are equipped with an integrated feeder and 10” touchscreen display that includes automatic cutting parameters and a materials library, allowing users to start a cutting cycle in just few minutes.

Regarding the XT4 model, clamping vices move at the same time to ensure optimum clamping of the material. Furthermore, bars which are not completely straight can advance through the system without issue.All vice pressures are adjustable, while the system also allows the vices to ‘back off’, thus avoiding the blade rubbing on the cut surface during the ascent of the saw frame for the next cut.

TCT bandsaw blades are suitable for this machine and it features hydraulically pressured TCT blade guides for maximum precision and squareness of cut. A further feature are adjustable lateral roller bearings that take the blade twist load prior to entry into the guides. The moving guides position automatically close to the cutting area, again for maximum precision. As a point of note, the machine software controls a hydraulic cylinder to tension the sawblade accordingly, while an automatic trim cut option is also available.

Finally, if the material has an acceptable pre-sawn face, it will locate accurately and automatically relative to the blade ‘zero’ position.
For further information www.addisonsaws.co.uk