UK NEWS

Pheonix Tooling rises to the proving-out challenge

A Black Country specialist in precision press-tool design and manufacture is targeting £3m turnover by 2025 after it completed a £1.1m investment drive that included the installation of a complete new press line.Phoenix Tooling & Development, which supports customers in the automotive, construction, white goods, electric vehicle and medical sectors, has extended its long-standing relationship with Worcester Presses to purchase a new 500-tonne Ching Fong press and full coil line.

The GTX 500-D offersa long tool bed (3.4 x 1.5m) and is equipped with a 3-in-1 Tomac decoiler, straightener and feeder line that allows the business to build larger tools and, more importantly, prove-out complex tooling projects.This is a major development for the Aldridge-based business, with the company now able to give its growing customer base full confidence that the tooling produced will stamp components to the required production rates, quality and consistency. The business also has the equipment needed to simulate full production testing and support a seamless handover process to its clients.

“We relocated last year and thought about whether to persevere with our 1930s Wilkins and Mitchell 300 tonne press,” says Martin Mulvey, managing director of Phoenix Tooling & Development.“After careful deliberation we decided to use the move as the perfect time to search for a more powerful press with better control and ancillary equipment that could accelerate our try-out and commissioning processes.”

He continues: “Worcester Presses has been superb. Russell and his team spent lots of time exploring our requirements, challenging our approach, and then identifying possible solutions – the best one being the impressive Chin Fong GTX 500-D and Tomac 3 in 1 TLF4-800 coil line.”
For further informationwww.worcesterpresses.co.uk

Ground-breaking agreement

The Manufacturing Technology Centre and the Herefordshire-based New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering have signed a ground-breaking agreement, leading the way to regional partnership and industrial and educational growth.The collaboration will build on the advanced technologies of the MTC and the academic quality and distinctiveness of NMITE, providing students with hands-on access to the latest manufacturing equipment and techniques. MTC@NMITE will also work with local businesses in transferring and adopting knowledge to boost manufacturing productivity and sustainability.
For further information www.the-mtc.org

Howells on track forsuccess with ITC

Founded in 1946 as a radio and TV repair shop, Howells Railway Products has travelled a long way since its early days. Today the company has an extensive list of marque clients that include household names like Siemens, Network Rail, Alstom, Transport for London, Bombardier, Babcock Rail and others. To work at the cutting edge of technology, Howells Railway Products has added a new 40,000 sq ft CNC machine shop with 26 Haas machine tools and cutting tools from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC).

The company has worked with ITC since 2018. A recent project saw ITC introduce the Widia line of indexable cutting tools with modular drills and high-feed shell mills on CLA3 alloy steel castings (end bracket components for rail stretcher bars).

A 63 mm Widia M8065HD face mill set about removing 6 mm of excess casting stock in a single pass as part of a facing and shoulder milling process. With the previous high-feed face mill removing material at a rate of 1mm per pass, the M8065HD significantly improved cycle time.

Always looking to take productivity gains to the next level, ITC then introduced the benefits of aBig Kaiser system to the end bracket components, helping to produce an 88.1mm diameter bore at a depth of 65mm. Previously performed using a 50mm diameter indexable shell mill helical interpolating inside the bore, the process took 3 minutes 30 seconds.

The idea to change the process from helical interpolation to a plunging application paid dividends using a Big Kaisertwin-bore tooling system (SW rough boring head). Howells Railway Products runs the twin-bore head at 542rpm and 81mm/min feed rate, reducing the cycle time by 2 minutes 50 seconds per part.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

New initiative equips teachers for 3D printing

Daemon3D Print is launching a new initiative that equips and supports teachers to deliver highly effective lessons on how to use and apply 3D printers and scanners. The initiative, which is part of the company’s Makerspace services, targets both STEM and arts subject specialists for key stages 3 and 4.Makerspaces help teachers create and deliver engaging learning experiences so that students of all abilities can find their strengths and realise their potential. Working individually or in teams, students are able to constantly motivate and support each other in their individual tasks and learning.
For further information www.daemon3dprint.com/makerspace

ASG Group championsapprenticeships

ASG Group, a Manchester-based manufacturer supplying detail parts and tooling to OEMs, risk-sharing partners (RSPs) and associated supply chains, has taken on a new cohort of manufacturing apprentices in partnership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry.By partnering with the MTC, ASG Group is able to offer its apprentices access to state-of-the-art facilities and training from experienced industry professionals.

The decision to take on these apprentices is an important step for both ASG Group and the wider UK manufacturing industry. With the sector facing a shortage of skilled workers, investing in apprenticeships is crucial to ensuring a sustainable future for manufacturing in the UK. By recruiting these apprentices, ASG Group is doing its part to address the skills gap and secure its future workforce, with over 150 CNC machine tools, coupled with the latest technologies and cutting techniques.
For further information www.asg-group.co