X-Pro joins Mapal Group

The Mapal Group has acquired X-Pro Srl, an Italian specialist in fixture design and manufacture. Mapal has been working successfully with X-Pro in the Italian market for several years. Claudio Gabos, chief sales officer at Mapal Group, says: “We are convinced that the acquisition of X-Pro will enable us to tap additional market potential – even in these challenging times – and generate momentum for further development.”X-Pro was founded in 2001 in Bologna and employs around 35 people. Stefano Vitali will continue in his role as managing director and remain in charge of the company.

More information www.mapal.com

Advanced Engineering names speakers

Advanced Engineering 2024, a leading annual exhibition for the engineering and manufacturing sectors, has announced this year’s keynote speakers. The six industry leaders — and 150 plus other speakers — will share their expertise and insights on critical industry issues during talks across several different forums. The two-day show takes place at the NEC in Birmingham on 30 and 31 October.

The keynote speakers include: Brian Holliday, head of Siemens Digital Industries for the UK and Ireland; Matthew Atkinson, lead research engineer at Jaguar Land Rover; Shaun Harris CBE, director of support and chief engineer at the Royal Air Force; Solange Baena, UK lead for the aviation environmental roadmap at Airbus; Leonie Moffat, laser radar sales account manager at Nikon; and Stefan Lawrenson,senior polymer chemist at Scott Bader.

More information www.advancedengineeringuk.com

Colchester to host open house

Colchester Machine Tool Solutions will host its next open house event on 6-7 November at the company’s European Technology Centre in Elland, West Yorkshire. Running between 07:30 and 15:00 on both days, this multi-axis machining event will showcase the company’s latest CNC machine offerings, including the all-new Tornado sub-spindle turning centre with Y-axis machining and Bridgeport five-axis VMCs.

The five-axis single-hit machining of the Tornado SL25 MSY allows manufacturers to complete complex components with high levels of efficiency. By automatically transferring the workpiece from the main spindle to the sub-spindle, the machine ensures seamless turning, milling and drilling on both sides of the component, reducing cycle times.

More information www.colchester.co.uk

Mitutoyo aids quality control at HB Bearings

Based in Huddersfield, HB Bearings specialises in the manufacture of metric and imperial bearings that are difficult to source. Bearing types manufactured include radial, deep groove ball, cylindrical roller, angular contact, duplexand others.In accordance with the company’s policy of regularly updating its facilities, HB Bearings took the recent decision to replace its existing bearing run-out test rig.

Darren Mawhinney, technical director at HB Bearings, says: “Having previously established an excellent relationship with staff at close-by Mitutoyo in Elland, I contacted them with my ideas for our proposed new bearing run-out test rig. They quickly understood our requirements, then, through close liaison and co-operation, a design soon evolved into the required system.”

He continues: “Now up and running, we’re delighted with the system’s speed, ease of use and accuracy. Simplicity is critical in the test application and we can operate the new rig with just one click. Compared with our previous rig, a major improvement is the inclusion of a coarse scale, enabling the fast and easy alignment of components. In addition to inspecting our HB bearing range, the new system is able to perform accurate quality control checks on our Gamet Bearings brand, super-precision bearings with a radial runout specification of 0.5 µm.

“Even though our previous jig was fit for purpose, our new bespoke Mitutoyo system has further improved confidence in the premium quality of our bearings.”

Simon Elliot, general manager at Mitutoyo Gauging Technology, adds: “We were delighted to work closely with the staff of HB Bearings to enable the delivery of a system that exactly matched the company’s requirements, at a cost effective price.”

More information www.mitutoyo.co.uk

Amada hosts sector-first event

Amada held a successful exhibition for the apprentices of its customers in a showcase dedicated to the education of future engineers. Believed to be the first event of its type in the sheet metal sector, the exhibition took place at the company’s UK Technical Centre in Kidderminster earlier this month. Hosting the event were Amada’s own apprentices, engaging on an equal footing with the apprentices of customers.

The informative, educational exhibition proved a complete success, with a total of 85 visiting apprentices in attendance. One company brought all 10 of its apprentices, three of which only started two days before the event.The structure of the exhibition provided visitors with the opportunity to attend technical presentations, watch machine demonstrations and participate in a Q&A session.

More information www.amada.eu