The latest Bystronic ByBend Smart press brake offers high-quality Swiss bending technology and numerous new functions at an affordable price. Bystronic says that the machine is 30% faster than conventional bending, and even 50% faster with the new ‘Efficiency Booster’ option. Furthermore, insert and stroke length expansion extends the insert height for bending tools from 480 to 580 mm. The additional 100 mm boosts the ByBend Smart’s flexibility by as much as 30% because this means that higher tools can be used, which enables users to produce parts with lower bending edges. This feature is particularly useful when bending boxes and drawers.

Another new option is the five-axis back-gauge. Until now, users had the choice between a two-axis and a four-axis back-gauge system. Customers who choose the five-axis system can now also use the ByBend Smart to form complex 3D parts, such as when the bending edges are not just parallel, but also at angles to each other. The basic version of the ByBend Smart comes with a two-axis back-gauge system.

In addition to a wide spectrum of applications, fast bending sequences and short manufacturing cycles frequently play an important role for users. Here, increasing process speeds and shortening set-up times are key. The new ‘Efficiency Booster’ is an optional feature that ensures a fast return of the upper beam, accelerating the bending process by up to 20%. Furthermore, the main drive is only active when the machine is actually in operation. This is the logic of ‘Energy Saver’, which reduces the power consumption of the machine while also boosting productivity and offering the added benefit of minimising noise and waste heat.

For further information
https://bybendsmart.bystronic.com

A new report by Oxford Economics has revealed the full extent of the contribution that Airbus makes to the UK economy in terms of GDP, employment, tax and investment. Operating from more than 25 sites across the UK, Airbus is the largest civil aerospace company in the country, the biggest civil aerospace exporter, Britain’s largest space company, the biggest supplier of large aircraft to the Royal Air Force and is responsible for around 50% of the UK’s civil helicopter fleet.

In terms of key highlights, the analysis found that in 2020: Airbus directly and indirectly supported a £5.6bn contribution to UK GDP; £1 in every £92 earned by UK firms from exported goods were products manufactured by Airbus; Airbus supported approximately 86,400 jobs in addition to its own workforce; SME’s accounted for 30% of all Airbus UK suppliers; and Airbus invested £260m in R&D.

For further information
www.airbus.com

Subcon returns on 7-9 June 2022 at the NEC in Birmingham. Now in its 45th year, Subcon remains the UK’s premier event dedicated to subcontract manufacturing buyers, enabling them to source suppliers, benchmark capabilities and form new manufacturing partnerships. This June, Subcon will once again be co-located with The Engineer Expo and Manufacturing Management Show, bringing together even more of the best suppliers, latest innovations and practical advice.

Across the three show days, Subcon will deliver the contacts, connections and content that UK engineering and manufacturing businesses need to succeed. Visitors will be able to harness new innovations from over 200 suppliers to help increase capacity, optimise productivity, improve flexibility and drive down costs. Subcon exhibitors span a range of manufacturing and engineering businesses, including assembly, CNC machining, fabrication, 3D printing and many more.

For further information
www.subconshow.co.uk

The debut appearance of the GM Group at MACH 2022 in April can only be described as a resounding success. The company presented the Victor Vturn-A20YCM and the Vturn-S26/60CM single-spindle turning centres, as well as the compact Vcenter-P76 machining centre. All three were well received with several machine sales and some very serious enquiries taken.

GM Group director Nicola Howard says: “As a first-time MACH exhibitor we didn’t necessarily expect to sell machines off the stand, but we did. The Victor brand has been well respected in machine shops nationwide for decades due to its build quality and longevity, and the feedback we repeatedly had from show visitors is how delighted they were to see the re-emergence of the Victor brand in the UK. Our attendance at MACH has elevated the Victor profile and may have helped to awaken a sleeping giant. We’ll definitely be re-booking for MACH 2024 as this show has given us a debut to remember.”

For further information www.gm-cnc.com

Established in 1988 and employing over 150 staff, family-owned Irish manufacturing firm PB Machine Tech produces more than 5000 customised hydraulic cylinders per week at its factory in Bagenalstown, County Carlow. To boost production capacity, in November last year the company purchased its third Taiwanese-built Leadwell V-40iT five-axis VMC.

Supplied by sole sales and service agent in Ireland and the UK, WH-Lead, the 12,000 rpm BT40 machine was required due to increasing demand for its hydraulic products from manufacturers around the world in the agricultural, access platform, construction, environmental and materials handling sectors.
Ray Kehoe, general manager – component division at PB Machine Tech, says: “We introduced one-hit manufacture in our factory some years ago following heavy investment in turn-mill machines, and were keen to replicate this on the prismatic machining side of our business. We started that process in June 2018 by augmenting our three-axis VMC capacity with the purchase of our first five-axis machining centre, a Leadwell V-40iT. With one-hit machining, perfect components are produced easily every time. Multiple sequential set-ups on several machines are a thing of the past, as is the manufacture of expensive fixtures.”

After seeing the benefits in terms of raised quality and reduced lead-times resulting from installation of the first V-40iT, its capacity was quickly filled, prompting investment in a second at the end of 2020 and now a third. Control is by Fanuc 0i-MF Plus that, in the case of the machines supplied to Bagenalstown, is able to interpolate four CNC axes simultaneously, although full five-axis operation may also be specified.

Kehoe’s concluding remark was that PB Machine Tech is happy to recommend both Leadwell machines and WH-Lead as important partners in addressing the current economic challenges facing Irish and British manufacturers.

For further information
www.wh-lead.co.uk