THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Trumpf to expand smart factory

Trumpf Group will add 55,800 sq ft to its production building for the manufacture of laser cutting, bending and welding machinery at Farmington, Connecticut. The project is part of ongoing recovery efforts related to damage sustained after an aircraft crashed into the production building in September of 2021. Trumpf will invest an estimated $40m into the project, which will include a smart factory that demonstrates advanced automated and connected precision sheet metal production. Completion is expected in May 2024.

“North America remains our most important business market outside of our domestic market in Germany,” says Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, CEO of the Trumpf Group. “This project is an important step toward the next generation of manufacturing for Trumpf and our customers across the United States.”
For further information www.trumpf.com

NCMT sponsors university racing team

University of Wolverhampton Racing (UWR) has gained a new official sponsor – machine tool supplier NCMT, best known in the UK and Ireland as the sole agent for selling the Japanese Okuma and Makino brands. The agreement was struck in mid-February 2023, in time for the first race of the Britcar Prototype Cup.UWR is the only student-run team that competes in the Prototype Cup using a Praga R1, a Czech-manufactured racing car eligible for the competition.

Jonathan Smart, managing director of NCMT, says: “We are delighted to start sponsoring UWR, which unlike all other student teams in the UK competes against professional racing teams. It gives their graduates the edge when trying to enter professional motorsport or other employment.Moreover, the Department of Engineering is especially committed to extending opportunities and promoting diversity in engineering and motorsport.”
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

OPG invests in brand new surface grinder

Gateshead-based Omega Plastics Group (OPG) has recently been successful in securing orders of over £2m for a wide range of multi-impression fully hardened production tools. This results in the manufacture of hundreds of core and cavity inserts, together with side cores and other ancillaries for customers.

OPG’s recent business-winning success was instrumental in its investment decision to extend the company’s surface grinding capability, thusimproving efficiencies and catering for multiple insert set-ups and larger X, Y and Z-axis grinding capacities. The machine is also equipped with dust extraction, an 800 x 400 mm magnetic table and a coolant filtration system.

Following a frustrating six-week period of window shopping and searching for a viable solution,the agility of the team from RK International Machine Tools resulted in the delivery of asurface grinder within three weeks from placement of order.

The new PERFECT PFG-D4080AH surface grinder was supplied and delivered to OPG on a short lead time and included the installation of a digital readout prior to shipping.This acquisition will allow the company to reduce its reliance on the laborious task of sub-contracting this type of work. Also through the ability of NC programming and auto down-feed will expand the multi-tasking approach of the company’s skilled workforce, and allow the machine to run unattended.

A survey based on the workflow of current production demands estimated that the time saved by investing in the new surface grinding machine will result in efficiency gains of 3%, resulting in saving over 180 hours compared with the company’s smaller manual machines.
For further information www.rk-int.com

More seeing economics of planned maintenance

Manufacturers of every size are coming to realise the peace of mind that comes with having a planned preventative machine maintenance scheme, says machine tool supplier Starrag UK as it reflects on a recent flurry of new service deals that complement a host of similar contracts which have been in place for some years with a number of existing users.

In addition to an annual machine service and maintenance plan, Starrag’s ServicePlus programme covers every eventuality, assuring service response times, inspection and repair, as well as an uptime guarantee in some cases.Starrag UK has a team of 20 customer-facing service specialists covering the UK and Ireland, including 16 very experienced, highly-trained and skilled ‘mobile’ service engineers who each have an average of 17 to 22 years’ experience of Starrag machine technologies.
For further information www.starrag.com

Tube bending specialist celebrates 50 years

Unison Ltd, the UK-based inventor of all-electric tube manipulation, celebratesits 50th anniversary on 3 April 2023. To mark reaching a half century, the business is planning a special birthday party at its Scarborough headquarters on 24 May, when several of its latest tube bending technologies will be on display, alongside fibre laser cutters from its sister company, Nukon Lasers UK.Customers, colleagues, friends and neighbours of Unison will all receive an invite to the event, as will members of Made in Yorkshire.

“All in all, it’s been an incredible journey,” says managing director Alan Pickering. “One made possible by having fantastic people on our team, and amazing customers around the world who, every day, put their trust in our uncompromising technologies. Moreover, having invented all-electric tube bending, we intend to stay at the top of our game. Here’s to the next 50 years!”