AME (the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering), which is a collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing Group to equip engineering graduates with the experience and skills employers need, is to be extended after receiving over £5m of funding.

Work is due to start on refurbishing one of the site’s buildings, with a view to it being officially opened by the end of 2019. AME was established at Unipart Manufacturing in Coventry four years ago. Around 120 students are currently studying at the site and, since AME was launched, 100% of those graduating have been employed in engineering jobs.
For further information www.coventry.ac.uk/ame

Wimborne-based Loadpoint Bearings, a UK manufacturer of air-bearing spindles, has invested in a Studer FavoritCNC universal cylindrical grinder to help increase its output following the company’s move to a new, three times larger facility.

Operations director Richard Broom says: “Our air-bearing spindles are used for a range of exacting applications, such as in precision rotary tables for metrology-based systems. To make sure that Loadpoint spindles are manufactured to the highest quality standards we use a range of advanced machine tools, not least our 18-year-old Studer S36 grinder. In addition to our old Studer delivering the levels of sub-micron precision and first-class surface finish characteristics that we require, over the past two decades it has proven to be highly productive and extremely reliable.
“Despite having enjoyed a first-class experience with Studer and the company’s regional agent, Advanced Grinding Supplies, when an additional high-quality grinder was needed, mindful of possible technical advancements made by other manufacturers, we did look at a couple of other brands,” he adds. “However, having had an impressive demonstration of a Studer FavoritCNC, we were convinced that this was the ideal machine for our grinding needs and we were happy to continue our loyalty to the brand.
“The help of Peter Harding, the owner of Advanced Grinding Supplies, was invaluable when specifying our new Studer machine and ensuring that it corresponded with our specific requirements. Now in constant use, our Studer FavoritCNC is producing impressive volumes of premium-quality, highly precise components.”
For further information www.adgrind.co.uk

The developer of Vericut CNC simulation, verification and optimisation software, CGTech, is partnering with Kyocera SGS and LMg Solutions to hold an event which will demonstrate emerging technologies that help manufacturers realise productivity improvements.

Taking place at the Kyocera SGS head office in Wokingham on 22 May, the theme of the ‘Lunch & Learn’ event is single operation manufacture and optimisation of complex components. CGTech will shine a light on the features and benefits of its Vericut Force Milling module with live software demonstrations and presentations.
For further information https://is.gd/efedeq

From its shared stand at last month’s Southern Manufacturing 2019 exhibition in Farnborough, representatives from Fintek found themselves busy discussing a range of surface finishing requirements. Achieving superior surface finish on components for applications in the aerospace, automotive, motorsport and medical sectors has never been more important.

Reducing friction, extending maintenance intervals, and increasing component life and performance, are desirable benefits when choosing the right surface finishing process.
Offering a range of deburring, edge-honing, fine-grinding and polishing equipment, Fintek works closely with engineers to achieve their design aims and commercial objectives. Cost-effective component surface finishing often takes just minutes, sometimes seconds, and is a repeatable process with a consistency impossible to achieve by hand. On visual inspection alone, finished parts look superior and this is borne out by surface smoothness measurement in the laboratory.
As UK agent for the sales of OTEC Präzisionsfinish drag, disc and stream finishing systems, Fintek provides a service to manufacturers wanting to establish in-house surface finishing. OTEC also offers fully automated systems for inline production, including options for robotic loading and unloading.
Fintek’s own subcontract services use OTEC machines. Choosing the right finishing technique comprising machine, media/compound and processing time is crucial to meet quality and commercial goals. Often, Fintek achieves multiple finishing processes in a single cycle time – for example: deburr, edge round and polish at the same time. Cycle times can be measured in as little as seconds.
For further information www.fintek.co.uk

A specialist in precision engineering, Dawson Shanahan, is celebrating 10 years since the buyout of automotive component manufacturer FloForm and its plant in Welshpool.

As a business that had been in decline over a two-year period, FloForm finally went into administration in 2009 and 80 jobs were sadly lost. Hertfordshire-based Dawson Shanahan took the decision to purchase the business and all its assets, and made the strategic decision to retain the Welshpool site, reinstating 12 employees. Dawson Shanahan had been in business with FloForm for 30 years, and knew the employees with their skills and expertise, had to be harnessed.
For further information https://dawson-shanahan.co.uk/