UK NEWS

Making way for UK’s largest open-die forge

Demolition has started at Sheffield Forgemasters to facilitate construction of the UK’s largest open-die forging line.Parts of the site north of Brightside Lane are undergoing controlled demolition to create space for a 13,000 tonne forge, which will house a new 12,700 sq m structure adjacent to the Sheffield to Meadowhall train line.Sections of disused forge and foundry buildings that date from the Victorian era, will make way for the new facility, creating one of the most efficient open-die forging operations in Europe and the largest within the UK.

According to the company, the whole project is working to the best environmental standards, so all spoil from the site will be graded and recycled as far as is possible. Estimates suggest that the multi-million pound project will see completion of the foundations by 2025.The new facility will service defence and commercial work in sectors such as civil nuclear power.
For further information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Four machines in one week

In just one week, Rochdale-based PTG Holroyd secured orders for four of the company’s EX series CNC helical rotor milling machines from two German-based screw compressormanufacturers. The machines will despatch in 2024.Two of the machines, both 3EX-R models (for helical parts of up to 350mm in diameter), are destined for a leading producer of screw compressors for refrigeration applications. The other two EX rotor milling machines, a 3EX-R and a 4EX-BL model (for milling parts of up to 420 mm in diameter and Roots-type blowers) will see service at a specialist in screw compressors andblowers.
For further information www.holroyd.com

Toolmaker upgrades capabilities with Mazak VMC

Toolmaker SJ Dimmock has upgraded its manufacturing capabilities with the purchase of the company’s first UK-made Yamazaki Mazak VCN 530C vertical machining centre.The family-owned firm, based in Dunstable, was set up in 1985, since building a reputation for manufacturing high-specification injection moulding tools for the aerospace, medical, food and drink, automotive, and Formula One industries.

Company director Jamie Dimmock says: “Following the retirement of one of our long-serving employees, I found myself in the position of having three machines that I’d need to train myself to operate. As they were older machines, I thought it would be more effective to sell the machines to finance a new, larger vertical machining centre.After a lot of careful consideration and time spent evaluating the performance of comparable machines, I chose the VCN 530C vertical machining centre from Mazak. Each day that goes by confirms it was a fantastic decision.”

The VCN 530C is a high productivity vertical machining centre made at Mazak’s European manufacturing facility in Worcester. Equipped with a 40-taper spindle, Mazak says the machine excels at delivering high-speed machining with maximum stability and rigidity thanks to its heavy-duty casting.

Typically, SJ Dimmock is working to exceptionally tight tolerances of ±0.005 mm to meet the surface finish requirements of its customers. Here,Dimmock says the VCN has transformed the company’s machining operations. “We’ve replaced three machines with one and vastly improved the surface quality of the moulds, while reducing the volume of second operation work. The processing speeds are exceptional with the Mazak, which has not only helped with the quality of work, but has also doubled our capacity.”
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Perfect 10 for MACH Machine Tools

MACH Machine Tools, a supplier of CNC and manual machine tools to UK, Irish and European component manufacturers, and part of the Vigilance Group, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in September.Over the past decade, the Bristol-based company’s product portfolio has increased and improved significantly, and its range of CNC machines today focuses exclusively on the DynaPath control. MACH Machine Tools is now looking forward to the next 10 years, starting off with MACH 2024 in April where the company will be introducing a new range of 6”, 8’ and10” chuck slant-bed DynaPath-controlled lathes.
For further information www.machmt.co.uk

Cognex vision system enables AI-based inspection

Cognex, a specialist in industrial machine vision, has released the In-Sight 3800 vision system. Designed for high-speed production lines, In-Sight 3800 offers an extensive vision toolset, powerful imaging capabilities and flexible software to deliver a fully integrated solution for a range of inspection applications.

“The In-Sight 3800 offers twice the processing speeds of our previous systems, performing tasks like quality inspection in as little as one-third of a blink of an eye,” says Lavanya Manohar, vice president of Vision Products. “This added power allows users to maximise throughput and accommodate faster lines while delivering the high accuracy that they have come to expect from the In-Sight product line.”

The new system features an embedded set of vision tools that includes AI-based edge learning technology and traditional rule-based algorithms. Easy-to-use edge learning tools solve tasks with high variability and are set up in minutes with just a handful of training images. These industry-proven, rule-based tools are suited to solving deterministic tasks with specific parameters. Customers have already begun using the In-Sight 3800, with impressive results.

“When we selected Cognex, we were under the assumption that the processing time of the In-Sight 3800 would be 30% faster than the current In-Sight 7900 vision system in use,” says Nicolas Chomel, technology development director at SIDEL, a provider of equipment, services and solutions for packaging consumer products. “However, during qualification tests, the In-Sight 3800 proved to be 50% faster in our application.”

In-Sight Vision Suite software, a common platform across all In-Sight products, powers the In-Sight 3800,offering both EasyBuilder and Spreadsheet development environments.
For further information www.cognex.com/in-sight-3800