Morgan Rushworth is celebrating 150 years of trading this year and says it is proud to be the longest established supplier of metal fabrication machinery in the UK.

From humble beginnings in 1872 with the opening of the Rushworth factory in Sowerby Bridge for manufacturing plate working machinery, and the establishment of Morgan and Co in 1906 as a manufacturer of manual sheet metal machines, Morgan Rushworth has become a familiar name in the supply of specialist sheet metal and fabrication machinery built to exacting specifications and standards.

To mark the start of its anniversary year, the company has unveiled a new look Morgan Rushworth website, complete with detailed specifications on its machine range and a timeline of its history. The company will be adding new content on its machines and anniversary celebrations as the year progresses.

The company also points out that the Government’s Super Deduction scheme means that now is a great time to upgrade to a new Morgan Rushworth press brake. A new press brake with an easy to use CNC control can deliver considerable time savings over older machines. In some case studies Morgan Rushworth has been able to reduce production time to 10% of the time taken with a manual machine.

Morgan Rushworth can also support financing arrangements through its selected partner Amica Finance, a specialist machinery finance broker.

For further information
www.morganrushworth.com

LVD used the recent Blechexpo towards the end of 2021 to introduce a new bending cell that requires no robot teaching. The new Ulti-Form robotic bending cell keeps bending productivity at its peak, handling short and long production runs efficiently, says the company. The innovation was nominated for the Blechexpo Award 2021.

According to LVD, Ulti-Form offers a fast ‘art to part’ process based upon the company’s programming software. CADMAN-B automatically calculates the optimal bend program and imports all bending data into the robot software CADMAN-SIM. Notably, no robot teaching is required. CADMAN-SIM automatically calculates gripper positions, generating the fastest collision-free path for the robot before feeding the information back to CADMAN-B, enabling the operator to work with just one program.

LVD’s auto-adapting gripper accommodates a number of part geometries, automatically adjusting to workpiece size. This smart design saves investment in different grippers and gripper changeover time.

Ulti-Form features a 135-tonne automated tool-changing press brake with built-in tooling warehouse integrated with an industrial robot. The cell handles parts from 50 x 100 mm, up to 1200 x 800 mm, and weighing up to 25 kg.

Equipped with LVD’s Easy-Form laser-adaptive bending system, LVD says that Ulti-Form guarantees angle accuracy, ensuring consistently accurate bending results.

LVD also took the opportunity at Blechexpo to demonstrate the Phoenix FL-3015 fibre laser cutting machine with new 20 kW power source, as well as the updated CADMAN v8.7, a software suite designed to empower the smart factory.

For further information
www.lvdgroup.com

Despite numerous external challenges, including the continuing impact of the pandemic, the end of the Brexit transition period and significant supply chain issues, Mills CNC has reported strong machine tool and automation sales results for 2021. When the order books closed just before the Christmas break, the company had taken orders for well over 400 new Doosan machines and experienced a 100% increase in sales of its SYNERGi automated manufacturing cells and Doosan cobots.

Says Tony Dale, Mills CNC’s CEO: “Despite the obvious challenges and turbulence experienced throughout the year, 2021 was incredibly positive for Mills CNC. Machine tool sales were up almost 40% on 2020, representing our best year ever for machine tool orders.

“Similarly ground-breaking results were achieved by our Automation Division, with sales of our SYNERGI automated manufacturing cells and Doosan cobots both doubling in the same 12-month period.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

As the UK gradually returns to post-pandemic levels, Dugard has appointed Alex Newman to support the unprecedented growth that the company is enjoying across all brands in its portfolio. Joining the company as area sales manager, Newman will support customers and expand sales in the southwest of the UK. With a degree and a Masters degree in mechanical engineering, he spent the past seven years with a leading work-holding and ancillary equipment supplier to the machine tool industry. This experience will be a real asset to Dugard.

For further information
www.dugard.com

Neoprec, the new 8000 sq m machining plant of Spain-based lathe-building specialist CMZ, is taking its first steps. After the completion a few months ago of construction works and assembly of the machinery necessary to start running, Neoprec has started to supply the production line for CMZ’s digital-control lathes. The aim now is to reach a cruising speed, so that in five years’ time the company will reach its target of delivering over 800 lathes a year.

The plant has an automated warehouse capable of handling 1752 pallets, while the metrology room has temperature control to within 0.1°C and features a trio of 3D measuring machines. Once the Neoprec plant is fully equipped it will be capable of running for 48 hours without human intervention.

Neoprec starting its operation is one more step in the strategic plan that aims to double CMZ’s current manufacturing capacity in the coming five years. The arrival of new machines is imminent: bit by bit the plant is receiving all of the machinery it needs to carry out its activity at full throttle.

Construction of the Neoprec facility entailed an investment of €17m. CMZ strives for continuous growth aimed at increasing the company’s production capacities. The first estimates already suggest that the target of 800 machines delivered annually will be reached within its desired timeframe.

Word about the new plant is spreading fast. Students taking a higher diploma in industrial mechatronics and mechanical manufacturing production programming visited Neoprec recently and had the opportunity to look around the recently opened facility.

For further information
www.cmz.com