Cornwall-based Flann Microwave, a manufacturer of precision components for satellite and Earth-based communication systems, has been helped to de-risk and explore options for a new machine tool thanks to support from engineers at the University of Sheffield’s AMRC. A machine tool trade study and zero-point fixturing recommendations were supplied to Flann Microwave at the end of the project, with recommendations for desirable machines and appropriate fixtures. Feasibility studies are now taking place between Flann Microwave and some of the machine tool OEMs suggested by the AMRC.

For further information www.amrc.co.uk

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has appointed Dr Alice Bunn as its new chief executive. She will take up the role in July following the retirement of Dr Colin Brown.

Since 2018, Bunn has been international director at the UK Space Agency, responsible for increasing the UK’s global influence in science, security and trade through space. She is also head of the UK delegation to the European Space Agency, and sits on the board of directors at the US Space Foundation and on the World Economic Forum’s future council on space technology.

For further information
www.imeche.org

An MTC apprentice has won the Best of British Engineering Award, the top accolade at the 2021 Enginuity Skills Awards, where she also won SME Apprentice of the Year. The two awards recognise 19-year-old Davina Kaur’s inspirational personal and professional transformation through her apprenticeship, as well as marking her commitment to the manufacturing sector as an ambassador for STEM careers and apprenticeships.

Now in the final year of her training, Kaur joined the MTC’s apprenticeship programme in September 2018.

For further information www.the-mtc.org

To satisfy the needs of its widening customer base, Citizen Machinery UK has taken on five new employees. The company’s managing director Edward James says: “It is essential we keep our headcount commensurate with the increasing level of business to ensure our long-term success. This is especially important for our UK operation, as we are also the distribution hub for Citizen machines going into France, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa. The most recent recruit is Aaron Lewis, who joined from a work-holding equipment supplier, where he was a design/project engineer.

For further information
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Printing Portal has overseen the largest installation of HP 3D Jet Fusion printers in the UK, helping it break out of prototyping and into the mass market. The machines, which include HP Jet Fusion 4210 and 5210 models, are housed at the company’s facility in Dartford. James Hawkins, founder of Printing Portal says: “The quality of parts from the HP system; the thought that has gone into post-processing – the system which reclaims the powder gives a refresh rate 80% higher than some competitors; and the excellent HP support, all made up our minds
for us.”

For further information www.hp.com