UK demand for VERICUT drives changes

Due to continued expansion of the VERICUT user base and increasing demand for CGTech’s CNC machine simulation, verification and optimisation products, the software company has restructured its UK sales operations and expanded its technical support division.Jonathan Hollinworth, formerly UK technical support engineer, moves into a sales position delivering technical sales to existing and prospective customers in the north of England and Scotland.CGTech has also appointed two new technical support engineers: James Williams and Paul Goodson. Bothhave already completed intensive initial training.

For further information www.cgtech.co.uk

Kasto sets out digital and ecological credentials

Kasto, the German manufacturer of automated warehouses for storing and retrieving raw material, both long stock and sheet, and which also produces sawing machines for cutting it to size, has been enhancing the connectivity and operational efficiency of its equipment. Whether it is a stockholder or a manufacturing facility using the storage systems and/or sawing machines, they now benefit not only from higher productivity but also lower running costs through more economical use of electrical power. As an added bonus, more data is available to drive end-to-end decision-making, from order to delivery.

The company says its solutions ensure continuously controlled, intelligent material flow. Machines, systems, goods and load carriers communicate autonomously, enabling flexible, resource-efficient, economical storage and fabrication. In this way, users remain competitive despite the rising costs of energy and materials, while at the same time improving their ecological performance.

KASTOlogic is a modular warehouse management system (WMS) designed for bar and sheet metal storage requirements. The software enables users to manage and monitor not only processes in the warehouse itself, but also upstream and downstream operations. It is also possible to integrate manually operated storage areas into the system using the mobile app.

KASTOenergysave is an energy recovery concept developed for automated storage systems. It enables excess potential or kinetic energy to be converted into electrical power, which is stored in double-layer capacitors for later use.

During sawing operations, users face the challenge of making the best use of stock and avoiding waste to lower material consumption and costs. The KASTOoptisaw software module optimises the assignment of long stock to every cutting order, taking into account the parameters of the various sawing machines. KASTOapp provides a status overview of all sawing machines in the system.

For further information www.kasto.com

25th anniversary for Kautex Unipart

One of the UK’s longest-established joint ventures is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Kautex Unipart Ltd (KUL), a joint venture between Unipart Group and German partner Kautex Textron GmbH, has now produced 12.3million plastic fuel tanks at its state-of-the-art production line in Coventry. Fuel tanks have been manufactured for 19 different vehicle models since 1998, with £50m invested in the latest robotic cells, finishing stations and traceability technologies.

A celebration event was held to celebrate the 25th birthday, with all 122 employees at KUL praised for their commitment.They heard from management teams at both businesses about key achievements, which included the way the company supports STEM and the next generation of engineers, and how it has successfully embedded Industry 4.0 best practice across its 11,000 sq m site.

For further information www.unipart.com

DLM opens machine shop

Dynamic Load Monitoring (DLM) of Southampton has opened a machine shop in collaboration with sister company, Vulcan Offshore.Having taken a new lease on two buildings already fitted out as a machine shop in Vancouver Wharf, Southampton, each company will occupy an adjacent unit. A state-of-the-art suite of machining and milling equipment will give DLM full control of its manufacturing processes, reducing lead times.

DLM’s new CNC machine shop will include two Doosan Puma lathes, a Haas lathe and a Haas mill. The lathe, for example, can machine load pins to 200mm diameter and over 1m in length.Supporting the machine shop will be a dedicated team of five professionals, including a workshop manager appointedjointly by DLM and Vulcan. The team will be responsible for processes such as quotation, machining, gauging, documentation and shipment.

For further information www.dlm-uk.com

Productive Machines joins AMRC

Productive Machines has joined the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) as a new member with the aim of helping to increase productivity and reduce carbon emissions in manufacturing. Productive Machines, an AMRC spin-out company, specialises in AI-based technology designed to reduce waste and optimise machining processes through easy-to-use solutions.

The partnership between the AMRC and Productive Machines signifies a strategic alignment of expertise in the pursuit of precision engineering. As the newest member of the AMRC, Productive Machines brings its knowledge and disruptive technologies to the collaborative table, contributing to the AMRC’s mission of driving net-zero manufacturing.

For further information www.productivemachines.co.uk