Manufacturers of every size are coming to realise the peace of mind that comes with having a planned preventative machine maintenance scheme, says machine tool supplier Starrag UK as it reflects on a recent flurry of new service deals that complement a host of similar contracts which have been in place for some years with a number of existing users.

In addition to an annual machine service and maintenance plan, Starrag’s ServicePlus programme covers every eventuality, assuring service response times, inspection and repair, as well as an uptime guarantee in some cases.Starrag UK has a team of 20 customer-facing service specialists covering the UK and Ireland, including 16 very experienced, highly-trained and skilled ‘mobile’ service engineers who each have an average of 17 to 22 years’ experience of Starrag machine technologies.
For further information www.starrag.com

Unison Ltd, the UK-based inventor of all-electric tube manipulation, celebratesits 50th anniversary on 3 April 2023. To mark reaching a half century, the business is planning a special birthday party at its Scarborough headquarters on 24 May, when several of its latest tube bending technologies will be on display, alongside fibre laser cutters from its sister company, Nukon Lasers UK.Customers, colleagues, friends and neighbours of Unison will all receive an invite to the event, as will members of Made in Yorkshire.

“All in all, it’s been an incredible journey,” says managing director Alan Pickering. “One made possible by having fantastic people on our team, and amazing customers around the world who, every day, put their trust in our uncompromising technologies. Moreover, having invented all-electric tube bending, we intend to stay at the top of our game. Here’s to the next 50 years!”

After their work developing a highly successful track bike for the Tokyo Olympics, Renishaw and the Great Britain Cycling Team have extended their partnership. As an official supplier to the team, Renishaw will use its expertise in additive manufacturing to create lightweight, complex parts for an upgraded track bike design, which aims to reduce drag and improve overall speeds for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Stephen Park, performance director for British Cycling, says: “We have a fantastic relationship with the team at Renishaw. They’ve been integral in helping create what we believe is the fastest track cycling bike in the world and one which we are now refining towards Paris. The partnership allows us to create world-leading parts, so we can optimise our bike for each individual rider, which is unlike anything we’ve been able to do in the past.”
For further information www.renishaw.com/am

The third annual National Manufacturing Summit will focus on digital manufacturing and how to accelerate a digital revolution to transform the UK economy. Hosted in Coventry by the Manufacturing Technology Centre on 29-30 March, the hybrid event sponsored by Lloyds Bank will feature live, face-to-face presentations and discussions, as well as an interactive virtual audience.

Professor Chris White, director of the Industrial Policy Research Centre (IPRC) at Loughborough University, formed in collaboration with the MTC, says: “The agenda will be broad, engaging and interactive, covering a wide range of manufacturing issues. However, the over-arching theme will be the acceleration of digital manufacturing and the drive for productivity through digitalisation and automation.”
For further information www.nmsummit.co.uk

3D Systems is reporting that the BWT Alpine F1 Team has purchased four SLA 750 3D-printing systems to accelerate innovation and speed to track. Based at Enstone in Oxfordshire, the team made the decision to purchase the systems after it extensively tested the product in its beta phase. BWT Alpine F1 Team is currently using the SLA 750 systems and 3D Systems’ Accura Composite PIV material to build models for wind tunnel testing, including complex aerodynamic parts with pressure tappings, as well as small composite tools and high-temperature bonding jigs.

“We are very impressed with the depth of precision engineering that went into the development of 3D Systems’ SLA 750,” says Ben Mallock, deputy head of aerodynamics, BWT Alpine F1 Team. “We have a long-standing technical partnership with 3D Systems. With the SLA 750 we achieved the best part quality we’ve seen so far in the market with considerably improved productivity.Today we’re able to produce 25,000 additively manufactured parts each year.”
For further information www.3dsystems.com