Coventry robotics firm secures €1.4m deal

Coventry-based Expert Technologies Group has won a multimillion-pound contract in Spain following a €1.4m financing deal involving UK Export Finance (UKEF). Expert Technologies designs and delivers robotic assembly systems, tools and special machinery that support automation in industry. The manufacturer has begun a new project with the Spanish arm of Sumitomo Electric Bordnetze (SEBN), a global supplier of parts for the automotive industry.

The project will comprise two brand-new automated auxiliary harness assembly lines for electric vehicles. Support from UKEF means that Expert Technologies Group has been able to access €1.4m in working capital from NatWest to help it deliver this contract, which will support up to 10 jobs within the group.

More information www.ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Genius Facades invests in automated panel bender

Genius Facades, a manufacturer of A1 non-combustible rain-screen façade systems, is taking its production capabilities to the next level by investing in a Trumpf TruBend Center 7030 fully automated panel bender. Adding to the company’s growing range of Trumpf machines, the speed and right-first-time capabilities of the new TruBend Center 7030 is helping Genius Facades keep pace with increasing demand for its aluminium rain-screen façades.

With a fast-expanding order book, Genius Facades has been investing heavily in new manufacturing technology for its two purpose-built factories in the Midlands. This progressive manufacturing business saw the acquisition of a new panel bending machine as the next step in the evolution of its production proficiency.

“We were keen to expand our in-house manufacturing capabilities to keep up with rising customer orders for our A1 non-combustible rain-screen facades,” confirms Richard Bland, production director at Genius Facades. “We looked to Trumpf in the first instance due to our long-standing and successful working relationship.”

In 2022, Genius Facades installed a Trumpf TruPunch 5000R XL punching machine and a Trumpf TruBend 5170 press brake, adding to a long line of Trumpf models at the company. Indeed, Genius Facades even has a 21 year-old Trumpf punching machine that is still fully operational, speaking volumes about the reliability and longevity of these machines.

“We knew that investing in a fully automated panel bender such as the TruBend Center 7030 would significantly increase our bending speed and offer excellent automation capabilities,” states Bland.

Panel bending is ideal for complex bending applications with radius bends, short sides or narrow profiles. Trumpf’s TruBend Center 7030 offers automatic part loading and unloading for forming panels up to 3 m in length. The machine features both rotary and two-axis part manipulators.

More information www.trumpf.com

50th Anniversary open house for Citizen

Sliding- and fixed-head turning machine supplier Citizen Machinery UK will hold an open house on 8-10 October 2024 at its Midlands facility, where the company has its main showroom and configures turnkey production solutions, frequently with automation. This year is a key milestone for the company, as it is half a century since Citizen’s Cincom sliding-head lathes were introduced to the UK and Ireland by forerunner NC Engineering.

The event will mark the launch of a new version of the company’s best-selling sliding-head turning centre, the Cincom L32, which can now feature an optional B-axis automatic tool changer for machining complex workpieces up to 32 mm (optionally 38 mm) in diameter. The show will host various machines performing live cutting demonstrations.

More information www.bit.ly/3XazxlX

Electrification sector receives boost

An £800,000 initiative – designed to provide a ‘single source of truth’ for electrification skills and capabilities – is nearing its first big milestone.The Electrification Skills Network (ESN), which is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and delivered by Coventry University, is weeks away from launching the UK’s first-ever framework for a sector that has the potential to create more than 100,000 jobs by 2025.

Extensive research, interactive workshop sessions and the creation of a dedicated forum are all complete, involving more than 100 academic partners, training providers, accrediting bodies and employers, including Aston Martin and Bentley.All this knowledge and real-world experience has been channelled into the ongoing development of an interactive website, which will house the framework and lay out a common set of skills.

More information www.bit.ly/3XusjJV

Hurco Europe to hold Demo Deals Day

Following the inaugural event last year, machine tool company Hurco Europe will host its Demo Deals Day 2024 on 25 September at its facility in High Wycombe. Every machine on show will be available at a discounted ex-demo price. The event will be open from 08:30 to16:30. Premium offers on the day will include a VC500i five-axis machining centre with 40-station tool magazine, linear scales and 500 mm diameter rotary table.Flexible finance is available, including pause payments at the start, and Hurco reminds manufacturers that the 100% capital allowance is still in place for new machine purchases.

To attend email sales@hurco.co.uk