THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Airbus to recruit 13,000

Building on a 2022 recruitment drive that added over 13,000 new staff members, Airbus is launching another round of hiring for 13,000 more employees with the skills necessary to support the company’s long-term projects. Approximately 25% of the recruitment will focus on jobs in fields such as decarbonisation, digital transformation, software engineering and cyber technology. Airbus will allocate a third of the total recruitment to young graduates, from which it plans to evolve future senior function and business leaders through technical and leadership development, networking and exposure to top management.
For further information www.airbus.com/en/careers

Innovative tooling at heart of partnership

MSC Industrial Supply Co UK (MSC) and Walter Tools have entered a new supplier partnership focused on ensuring machine shops receive high-precision tooling and value-added service.

“Walter Tools’ focus on innovation and new product development matches closely with MSC’s values of providing products and services of the highest possible standard,” explains James Howarth, head of category management at MSC. “Many industries, from automotive and energy all the way to aerospace, require high-quality suppliers with whom they can work closely; who understand their needs and can recommend the right tools for the job. Walter Tools’ focus on helping customers streamline their processes resonated with MSC and is a key reason behind the forming of this partnership.”
For further information www.mscdirect.co.uk

Ball valve specialist installs IMET bandsaw

Dafram SPA, a specialist in the production of ball valves for the oil industry, chose the IMET XT4 automatic bandsaw to help boost its workflow and production requirements. IMET says it was extremely happy to provide a reliable and efficient working tool to such an important partner in a market (valve construction) where precision is crucial. IMET machines are available in the UK from Addison Saws.

XT series automatic double-column bandsaws offer full material cuts up to 560mm. All the machines of the XT series are equipped with an integrated feeder and 10” touchscreen display that includes automatic cutting parameters and a materials library, allowing users to start a cutting cycle in just few minutes.

Regarding the XT4 model, clamping vices move at the same time to ensure optimum clamping of the material. Furthermore, bars which are not completely straight can advance through the system without issue.All vice pressures are adjustable, while the system also allows the vices to ‘back off’, thus avoiding the blade rubbing on the cut surface during the ascent of the saw frame for the next cut.

TCT bandsaw blades are suitable for this machine and it features hydraulically pressured TCT blade guides for maximum precision and squareness of cut. A further feature are adjustable lateral roller bearings that take the blade twist load prior to entry into the guides. The moving guides position automatically close to the cutting area, again for maximum precision. As a point of note, the machine software controls a hydraulic cylinder to tension the sawblade accordingly, while an automatic trim cut option is also available.

Finally, if the material has an acceptable pre-sawn face, it will locate accurately and automatically relative to the blade ‘zero’ position.
For further information www.addisonsaws.co.uk

In-Comm launches £3m Technical Academy

A new £3m technical academy, located just a few miles from the home of the industrial revolution, is now officially open to the public.In-Comm Training, which already operates two facilities in the Black Country and Shrewsbury, is looking to train more than 350 apprentices and upskill 2500 existing workers at its T54 centre near Telford over the next 12 months.

The ‘Ofsted Outstanding’ provider has created 20,000 sq ft of manufacturing training space, fitting it out with new equipment and state-of-the-art technology, spanning from the latest CNC machines, robotics, material testing and CADCAM systems, to welding, electricaland metrology equipment.A team of 20 expert trainers will guide the engineers of the future bydelivering best-practice courses.
For further informationwww.in-comm.co.uk

Subcontractor turns to SMEC turning centre

With the turned components at DGF Engineering increasingly needing secondary milling operations on machining centres, the Royston-based subcontractor recently acquired a SMEC SL 2000M turning centre from Dugard.

“We picked this machine as we needed an upgrade,” states Liam Fernard workshop manager at DGF Engineering.“The machine that we had was only a two-axis machine and we were getting more and more work needing additional milling work. As we were happy with the service we had received from Dugard on our previous acquisition, a Dugard 1000 three-axis VMC, we naturally looked at their lathes and this one ticked all the boxes.”

The SMEC SL 2000M slant-bed CNC turning centre has a 570mm swing over bed and a 460mm swing over the cross slide with a maximum machining diameter of 360mm and a machining length up to 540mm. The 8inch chuck machine has a bore diameter of 76mm that accommodates a maximum bar capacity of 68mm. As with all machines in the SMEC range, Dugard says that the SMEC SL 2000M is a powerhouse with its 15/18kW spindle motor that drives the spindle at a speed up to 4500rpm and a 3.7/5.5kW motor that drives the driven tooling stations in the 12-position tooling carousel.

Discussing the components machined on the new Dugard SMEC turning centre, Fernard says: “We’re a typical subcontract company, so batches are varied and volumes of up to 200 parts is a big batch for us. We will machine a bit of everything on this machine;it will help our production move much faster. Dugard have been excellent and the investment is 100% worth it.”
For further information www.dugard.com