Investment in Ficep UK’s automated drilling and profiling lines has helped Wolverhampton-based Advanced Cold-Formed Sections (ACFS) to maximise its levels of factory pre-fabrication, reduce fabrication time, improve quality and save significantly on material costs.

ACFS, which is part of the Metek group, manufactures light steel frames, stud and tracks, as well as floor and mezzanine cassettes and cladding rails, primarily for the residential, hotel and student accommodation markets. The investment in two new Ficep systems, which include an Excalibur 12 drilling system, comes as part of ACFS’s continued commitment to driving innovation and meeting long-term sustainability objectives.

The new Excalibur system is now in situ at ACFS’s 7900 sq m facility in Wolverhampton. Since purchasing the machines, company owner Oliver Rogan reports a 120% increase in output of materials and a significant reduction in welding time with 42% fewer welders needed to produce the product range.

ACFS’s Excalibur is a CNC drilling system with an 18-m bed that allows ACFS to carry out tasks that include scribing, ID marks, notches and copes, as well as drilling. The system’s milling capability has enabled components to be connected with a single bolt, helping with cost reduction. According to Rogan, the Excalibur alone has enabled ACFS to process a record-breaking 60-tonne job in five days with only five welders. It also allowed the company to process beams beyond the capabilities of its stockholders.

Ficep’s software interface is another huge benefit. The Excalibur’s CNC software allows for remote diagnosis that allows Ficep’s service team to perform system diagnostics and routine checks.

“The results have far surpassed our expectations,” says Rogan. “Ficep’s systems help our welders to speed up production and reduce NCRs, giving us an end result that fits together seamlessly.”

For further information
www.ficep.co.uk

Terry Turner is the new area sales manager for machine tool supplier WH Lead in the Midlands and north of England. WH Lead, headquartered in Towcester, is the sole sales and service agent in the UK and Ireland for turning centres and vertical machining centres built by Leadwell, Taiwan. Based in the Sheffield area, Turner holds a BTEC NC and an HNC in Manufacturing Engineering, as well as a BEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Open University. He subsequently benefitted from 18 years of highly relevant experience in the machine tool sector.

For further information www.wh-lead.co.uk

The latest Contract Manufacturing Index has revealed a fall in the subcontract manufacturing market of 19% in the first three months of 2022 compared with the final quarter of 2021. However, although the quarter started badly, it picked up strongly in February and, by March, it was 20% up on the average for the previous quarter – with suppliers winning work despite soaring energy prices, ongoing material supply worries and the war in Ukraine. In fact, March was the best month since August. Within the latest figures there was a strong increase
in machining business, up 14% on the
previous quarter.

For further information
www.qimtek.co.uk

Industrial metrology specialist The Sempre Group is now partnering with non-contact gauging systems manufacturer Third Dimension. The collaboration will expand The Sempre Group’s non-contact optical profile measurement portfolio to include Third Dimension’s automated 2D profile measurement technology, giving manufacturers easier access to automated metrology and the accuracy, repeatability and traceability benefits that it offers. For instance, Sempre Group customers will now have access to Third Dimension’s flagship product, Vectro2, which can integrate with conventional industrial robots and collaborative robots (cobots).

For further information
www.thesempregroup.com

Continued growth at Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has seen the cutting tool manufacturer add another technical sales engineer to its ever-expanding team. The appointment of Luke Insley will bolster the support provided to manufacturing companies in the southeast region (Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Middlesex). Most recently, Insley spent the past five years with another leading cutting tool manufacturer as an application engineer, delivering a proven track record of process improvements and cost savings to customers.

For further information
www.itc-ltd.co.uk