THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Digital literacy will unlock power of data

Digital literacy and data engineers will be key to manufacturers unlocking the potential of data for their businesses, says the director for industrial digitalisation at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). Professor Rab Scott delivered the message at ‘Power of data and digital in industry’, an event held at Barnsley Digital Media Centre to explore the initial outcomes and learnings from NextGen, a project to embed low-cost digital technologies at manufacturers across South Yorkshire and Wales.

FourJaw’s Chris Iveson and Connexin’s Rikki Coles also spoke at the event and, together with Scott, made a powerful case for how adopting a digitally-focused culture – and unlocking the power of data – can help productivity, save energy and reduce waste. Scott said ‘digital literacy’ is a crucial first step for manufacturers who want to start their digital transformation journey – and that step is one NextGen can help them take with confidence.
For further information j.stammers@amrc.co.uk

Gripple celebrates billionth fastener milestone

Gripple, a Sheffield-based employee-owned manufacturer of wire joiners and tensioners for agriculture and suspension solutions for construction and the solar industry, is celebrating a notablemilestone: producing its one billionth fastener.A celebration event took place at Riverside, Sheffield, one of Gripple’s six manufacturing facilities in South Yorkshire to mark the achievement, which included current staff and retired employees who had been involved with the manufacture of the first generation of Gripple fasteners. In 2022, the company manufactured 70 million units across 100 variants.
For further information www.gripple.com

MSC becomes Renishaw Channel Partner

MSC Industrial Supply Co (MSC) has joined Renishaw’s Channel Partner Programme, marking the latest in a series of strategic partnerships to enhance its portfolio of metalworking and MRO industrial consumables. Launched in 2021, the Renishaw Channel Partner Programme aims to increase the level of local customer service and support. Renishaw selects partner companies based on their sector-specific expertise and range of metrology and manufacturing disciplines.

Under the partnership agreement, MSC will stock a broad portfolio of Renishaw machine tool probes and styli. The company will also install a series of Renishaw products at the newly built MSC Technology Centre in Wednesbury to further improve its technical engineering support offering for customers.
For further informationwww.mscdirect.co.uk

Big Kaiser delivers quality to MS Feinmechanik

Founded in 2005 by Markus Schenk, MS Feinmechanik GmbH, based in the Bavarian town of Unterammergau,focuses its core technological expertise on milling.

Recent years have seen not only a dramatic rise in the volume of machined parts, alongsideincreasingly strict requirements on precision and final product quality. To keep on top of these growing requirements, MS Feinmechanik has taken the strategy of continuous investment in the latest machinery and tooling solutions, leading the company to invest in Big Kaiser technology (available in the UK from Industrial Tooling Corporation – ITC).

“To manufacture high-precision components, the entire system must function flawlessly, with no weak spots,” states Markus Schenk, founder and managing director of MS Feinmechanik.“In other words, the machine, the clamping system, the spindle, the tool holder, and the tool itself – all have to merge into a tuned holistic system that outputs high-precision components.

To achieve this, MS Feinmechanik has five-axis Matsuura machining centres featuringBig-PLUS spindles. Depending on the Big-Plus holder application area, the company utilises a variety of clamping technologies, such as various collet systems, power chucks and hydraulic expansion chucks from Big Kaiser.

“Choosing the right tool holder has a defining impact on the lifetime of the tool and quality of the final product,” says Schenk. “For example, we use the hydraulic expansion chuck from Big Kaiser for a finishing cutter with a 16mm diameter and 80mm cutting edge length. We mill stainless steel parts with this chuck and you can see a visible difference both in terms of smooth operation and surface quality.”
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Manufacturing collective launches MANifesto

Eight manufacturing SMEs have responded to the lack of a coherent industrial strategy in the UK by launching their own MANifesto.The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), which comprises of seven subcontract manufacturers and an engineering design agency, has responded to the Government’s faltering strategic vision for industry by delivering its own blueprint for making the country globally competitive.

Bosses believe the four pillars of ‘Investment’, ‘People’, ‘International Trade’ and ‘Sustainability & Net Zero’ should lead the overarching approach and form the guiding principles for individual businesses inside the collective.MAN is now calling on the powers in Whitehall to facilitate growth by providing tailored support and removing some of the bureaucratic barriers currently in place.
For further informationwww.bit.ly/3B0gVdC