In a new survey conducted by auction specialist BPI Auctions, only one in eight (12%) of those questioned said they were aware of the super deduction tax break. The support runs until 31 March 2023 and enables companies to claim a 130% capital allowance on qualifying plant and machinery investments, along with a 50% first-year allowance for qualifying special rate assets. The super deduction also allows businesses to cut their taxes by up to 25p for every £1 they invest.

David Boulton, managing director at BPI Auctions, says: “The super deduction tax break is a significant support to businesses across the manufacturing and engineering sectors, especially those that have been affected most in the past two years. If you’re looking to take advantage of the relief to upgrade your plant and equipment, disposing of used or old items through online auctions is an efficient and easy way to raise funds quickly.”
For further information www.bpiauctions.com

Having used Studer grinding machines for its high-precision grinding tasks for many years, machine tool manufacturer Mazak recently installed a Studer S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine at the company’s Worcester-based European manufacturing plant.

On the rare occasion that the need for a machine tool cannot by satisfied from Mazak’s product portfolio, the required production aid is submitted to a rigorous selection procedure. When comparing the offerings from five leading grinding machine manufacturers, this list included: high-precision dimensional and surface finish capabilities, efficiency, flexibility, and thread-grinding abilities.

Having carefully evaluated each machine, it was found that only the Studer S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine met, and in some cases exceeded, Mazak’s list of operational criteria. Furthermore, the levels of support previously provided by Studer and the company’s UK agent, Micronz, aided Mazak’s purchasing decision.

“Our new Studer S41 will be used for the highly precise external grinding of various components, including parts that have single figure micron dimensional tolerances, such as our spindles,” explains Michal Saletra, new investment lead for the UK at Mazak. “In addition, many of our components have demanding geometric and surface finish specifications, including parameters such as roundness and roughness. As all of these attributes require grinding to an extremely high degree of accuracy, we have been very impressed with the highly-precise results, and the speed and ease of operation of our new S41 machine.”

He adds: “Another major reason for the Studer S41’s purchase was its ability to very accurately and efficiently grind external threads. Previously we were using a subcontractor for much of this work.”
For further information www.micronz.co.uk

Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has published the latest edition of its tapping and threading catalogue. Issue 7 of the catalogue features a series of innovations for 2022 with a range of UK manufactured carbide thread mills appearing alongside the latest taps from Widia and Bass Tools. Indeed, the latest publication includes an expanded thread-mill range that now features full form thread mills, mini thread mills and a new range of single-point thread mills. The latest products added to the publication are capable of producing threads at 2xD and 3xD.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk/products

Over 19,000 visitors attended LAMIERA 2022, the international trade show for sheet metal-forming machine tools and related technologies held in Milan. Promoted and organised by UCIMU, it was the quality of visits that distinguished the audience of operators attending the four-day event. Most exhibitors, interviewed on their stands, reported the presence of knowledgeable visitors and received guests mainly intent on making purchases.

Of the total visitors, 12% were from abroad, representing about 60 countries. The most numerous delegations came from Austria, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the US. Over 365 exhibitors covered a total exhibition surface area of over 40,000 sq m. The next edition of LAMIERA is scheduled for 10-13 May 2023.
For further information www.lamiera.net

CNC Software LLC, the developer of Mastercam, announces that with the closing of its reseller 4D Engineering Ltd, a new business entity, Mastercam UK, will now support the UK. 4D Engineering, based in Cirencester, said recently that after supporting the Mastercam community for 32 years it would cease operations as of 23 March 2022. Due to the unique nature of this transition, Mastercam Corp will now provide industry-leading support and resources for users in the UK under the name Mastercam UK. Mastercam UK will operate independently and locally as a member of the global Mastercam reseller network.

For further information www.mastercam.com