Produmax has achieved Fit 4 Nuclear status (F4N), a prestigious award handed over by the Nuclear AMRC that benchmarks performance against the highest standards stipulated by nuclear top-tier companies. A tailored action plan of business improvements has been agreed and put in place through a series of on-site visits to close gaps in operations and processes. Reviewed practices include safety and continuous improvement, business strategy, and shared communications. An active S5 programme and near-miss reporting also featured high on the list.

For further information
www.produmax.co.uk

A manufacturing and engineering recruitment consultancy is celebrating a 10-year association with one of the UK’s major industry success stories. Stratford-upon-Avon based Consilium Recruit was appointed by the Manufacturing Technology Centre in 2011, since when it has recruited more than 700 highly-skilled and talented engineers and technicians for the MTC’s facility in Coventry, plus satellite operations in Oxfordshire and Liverpool. Many of the company’s efforts focus on the most up-to-date engineering skills, including robotics, AI, data science and advanced manufacturing project management.

For further information www.the-mtc.org,
www.consiliumrecruit.com

A European start-up in metal additive manufacturing systems has become the latest member of the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. AIM3D, a university spin-off company based in Rostock in Germany, is a specialist in 3D printing systems and has developed equipment for the low-cost production of various metal parts. The company’s equipment handles a range of materials, such as stainless steel, hard metals and non-ferrous metals. As part of its membership, AIM3D is installing its ExAM 255 additive manufacturing system at the MTC, which will be the only system of its kind in the UK.

For further information
www.the-mtc.org

On 12 October Ceratizit will open its new 3600 sq ft technical centre on Sheffield’s AMP. A total of eight machines will be operational, including an XYZ UMC-5X five-axis machining centre, a Mazak Integrex I250H multi-tasking machine and a Star SR-20JIIB sliding-head lathe. All machines will be available for demonstrations of Ceratizit’s tooling and work-holding systems. Also, the applications team will be able to take customer components from drawing to finished part, with the entire process optimised for maximum productivity.

For further information www.ceratizit.com

Protolabs is looking to boost supply chain capacity in the UK and help customers manage costs with the launch of a new flexible lead-time option for CNC machining services. The service will give clients in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical and prototyping markets the opportunity to choose a manufacturing solution for the shipping of parts from 6 to 12 days when placing an order on its e-commerce platform. Protolabs’ latest introduction is in addition to its standard delivery of just 3 days, and as little as 1 day for expedited projects.

David Ewing, product manager for Protolabs’ CNC machining service, says: “We are known in the market for the rapid delivery of prototypes and finished parts. However, not every order requires an ultra-fast response, so our new CNC flexible lead-time option allows customers using our e-commerce platform to upload their CAD files and see how changing the delivery date alters the price.”

For further information
www.protolabs.co.uk