UK NEWS

Surface finishing specialist secures NADCAP accreditation

Surface Coating Ltd has been awarded NADCAP accreditation, the globally recognised quality benchmark for special processes used across the aerospace and defence industries.

The Weymouth-based company is now one of the only providers in the south of England with this accreditation for coating and finishing processes, strengthening the region’s capability to support high-specification aerospace and defence manufacturing.

NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defence Contractors Accreditation Program) is an industry-managed accreditation system that verifies whether specialist processes such as coating, painting and finishing meet the stringent standards required by major aerospace manufacturers and defence contractors worldwide.

Achieving the accreditation confirms that Surface Coating Ltd’s processes meet internationally recognised requirements for quality, traceability and repeatability – key requirements for companies operating within complex global supply chains. For manufacturers, it means they can access NADCAP-accredited coating and finishing services within the south of England, rather than relying on suppliers elsewhere in the UK.

The accreditation follows significant investment by Surface Coating Ltd in its technical capabilities, quality systems and staff training. The company provides specialist finishing services including: wet spray painting, integrated finishing, powder coating and blasting.

NADCAP accreditation is widely regarded as the gold standard for special processes within the aerospace sector and requires companies to pass rigorous audits and maintain strict ongoing compliance.

Tom Williamson, director of Surface Coating Ltd, says: “Achieving NADCAP accreditation is a major milestone for our business and reflects the dedication of our team to operating at the highest standards required by the aerospace and defence sectors. The process is extremely rigorous, so gaining accreditation demonstrates that our systems, processes and quality controls meet the expectations of some of the world’s most demanding industries.”

More information www.surfacecoating.co.uk

NCMT to host ‘Engineered for Power’ event

Manufacturing technology provider NCMT will host a two-day technical event at its Coventry Technology Centre on 9-10 September 2026. Entitled ‘Engineered for Power’, the event is dedicated to precision grinding and advanced manufacturing for turbine blades, vanes and high-value engine components. The new Makino G5 grinder with Pro6 control will be a central focus, combining grinding and machining in a single platform for complex component production. As the exclusive UK and Ireland partner of Makino and Okuma, the event will also highlight supporting technologies such as EDM and machining solutions.

More information www.ncmt.co.uk/event/efp

XYZ Expands Renewable Energy Commitments

With energy costs continuing to rise and events around the world creating an uncertain marketplace for power supply, XYZ Machine Tools has taken control by installing a further 352 PV solar panels on the roof of its 100,000 ft² facility in Devon. The company has already witnessed occasions when the whole factory has been powered by green energy. The amount of power created, used and fed back to the grid is monitored using software.

“We continue to investigate ways to help protect the planet here at XYZ,” states Chris Hellier, operations and finance director. “Biodiversity is a topic that’s important to us, as we’ve shown with our ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation. We now plan to utilise the roof space of our new 30,000 ft² extension, due for completion in mid 2026, for even more solar panels.”

More information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Ceratizit heralds MACH 2026 as its best of all time

Ceratizit UK & Ireland has reported its most successful MACH exhibition to date. The company’s stand attracted strong interest throughout the week, with manufacturers visiting to explore the company’s latest cutting tool, tooling management and work-holding technologies.

The exhibition showcased Ceratizit’s machining portfolio across milling, turning, drilling, threading, grooving and parting applications, supported by demonstrations from the company’s UK Technical Centre. Among the standout attractions was the CTC5240 titanium indexable milling system display, developed in collaboration with the University of Sheffield AMRC, Heller Machine Tools and Siemens NX.

Designed specifically for difficult-to-machine materials including titanium, Inconel, Hastelloy and Waspaloy, the CTC5240 grade generated significant attention from engineers attending the exhibition. Ceratizit demonstrated how its proprietary coating technology improves heat resistance, chip formation and tool life in demanding titanium machining operations.

A key highlight was a live machining demonstration using the new RADX porcupine cutter paired with SXHU 120408ER-F41 CTC5240 inserts during a full-slot milling operation in TiAl6V4 titanium alloy. The application achieved a material removal rate of 318.78 cm³/min while benefiting from eight usable cutting edges per insert, creating a highly competitive solution for heavy-duty titanium roughing applications.

The Ceratizit UK & Ireland engineering team is currently working with manufacturers to implement productivity and cost-saving improvements identified during MACH.

The company also continued its long-running MACH charity initiative, with visitors entered into a prize draw to win a Hope HB160 mountain bike in exchange for donations to the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK. Over the past 16 years, the initiative has raised more than £100,000 for the two charities.

More information www.ceratizit.com

Rainford Precision: “MACH gets better every time”

“Every MACH exhibition keeps improving on its predecessor,” said Miles Evans, managing director of Rainford Precision, following a successful week at the show.

As a specialist in micro machining, Rainford Precision attended the exhibition to showcase its portfolio of tooling solutions for small-part machining, hard material applications and composite machining. Representing globally recognised brands including Union Tool, Louis Bélet, IWATA, Hufschmied, Delmeco, HOBE and Osawa, the company attracted strong interest.

According to Rainford, many visitors arrived at the stand after struggling to find tooling elsewhere at the exhibition capable of meeting the precision, dimensional accuracy and material demands required by their applications. The company’s range of micro-machining solutions demonstrated capabilities for producing extremely small features and drilling difficult materials beyond the scope of conventional tooling systems.

Particular interest was shown in Union Tool’s HGLB, HWLB, HWLB-S and CWLB series of two-flute ball-nose end mills for machining materials up to 60 HRc. With radii from 0.05 to 3 mm, diameter tolerances of 0/-0.006 mm and ball radius accuracy of ±0.002 mm, the tooling highlighted the level of precision increasingly demanded across industry.

Rainford also introduced the Louis Bélet Excalibur series at MACH for the first time. Featuring inserts brazed to carbide bodies with laser-machined helical geometries, the tooling offers significantly extended tool life compared with solid carbide alternatives, while supporting diameters as small as 0.1 mm.

For manufacturers in aerospace, motorsport, mould and die, and defence, IWATA Tool’s deep-hole drilling technology also attracted strong attention, particularly the ALT-coated three-flute drills capable of achieving H7 tolerances in materials up to 72 HRc.

Evans concluded: “MACH consistently generates a high volume of high-quality leads from manufacturers new to Rainford Precision, and we’re already converting enquiries from the exhibition into new business.”

More information www.rainfordprecision.com