UK NEWS

Major casting award for William Cook

Sheffield-headquartered William Cook Holdings, a supplier of safety-critical steel components, beat off the challenge of the other finalists to secure the ‘Company of the Year’ title at the recent UK Cast Metals Industry Awards. William Cook impressed judges with landmark rail contract wins, support for the war effort in Ukraine and a £5m investment programme that reinforces its position in the nuclear power supply chain.The group also protected vital foundry skills when it saved 75 jobs by acquiring HI Quality Steel Castings of Chesterfield out of administration.

Organised by the Cast Metals Federation (CMF), there were also major accolades for Tamworth-based Foseco (Innovation) and Sylatech, which claimed the Component of the Year Award.The latter was for work in producing a prosthetic aluminium thumb for use by children.
For further information www.castmetalsfederation.com

SOUTHERN MANUFACTURING RETURNS IN FEBRUARYWITH ANTICIPATION RAMPING UP FOR SOLD-OUT EXHIBITION

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2024, which has evolved into an international event hosting a larger number of overseas companies than ever before, is set to unfold on 6-8 February at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre. Despite space reallocation to accommodate an increased number of stands, the event is sold out again, as in previous years.

Originating as a regional affair in 1997, Southern Manufacturing moved to its current Hampshire location in 2008 and holds the accolade of being the first show to be held in the new, world-class expo centre when it was rebuilt a decade later. The event’s ongoing success is evident in its consistently high rate of return bookings, reflecting its efficacy as a forum for forging business relationships and generating ideas. Approximately half of the stands are dedicated to mechanical engineering, while the other half caters to the electronic and electrical sectors.

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics is now the most comprehensive annual industrial exhibition in the UK calendar and a major showcase for new technology, attracting visitors and participating companies from all over the world. It was not always like that. When European Trade & Exhibition Services started the project, it was a small gathering of local engineering firms. That it has grown to its elevated stature is testament to the strength of the original concept that saw two engineering disciplines merge into one event. Although somewhat counterintuitive, it has indeed worked very effectively for the last 27 years.

Part of the reason is that there is no demarcation between the different technologies, allowing visitors to walk freely between stands and perhaps discover things that they were not expecting to at the outset. It is this cross-fertilisation of ideas that visitors say is one of the show’s main attractions, especially as ‘Technology Trails’ grouping firms having expertise in similar areas help to guide visitors around the aisles.

It is an event of sufficient importance to attract big-name manufacturers, but it is also extremely accessible to SMEs. The organisers operate a policy of open access, discouraging larger companies from dominating the space to the detriment of smaller vendors. This mixture engenders a vibrant, dynamic atmosphere. With so many exhibitors under one roof displaying advanced, innovative technology across a multitude of sectors, the show addresses multiple sourcing requirements efficiently, especially in times when supply chains are under pressure.

The exhibition is a vital hub for professionals involved in design, production, procurement or management. It is the place to see all the latest in machine tools, tooling, workholding, additive manufacturing and other production equipment, as well as test, measurement, inspection and metrology solutions. There will also be mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic components and assemblies, mechatronics assemblies, plastic injection and rubber mouldings, connectors, sensors, drives, encoders, fasteners, pressings, springs, gaskets, and more. In addition, a wide range of subcontract services will be on offer.

Other essential products and services for the successful running of factories will encompass business software, production and planning aids, oil and coolant supply, workshop equipment, dust and fume extraction, humidity control, workplace storage systems, bespoke case and foam manufacture, plastic packaging, injection moulding, hand tools, adhesives, industrial flooring, waste removal and recycling, training, freight services, and financial consultancy.

Automation will feature strongly, driven by a skills shortage in the UK and across mainland Europe. Manufacturing industry is also facing a battle to recover from the impact of Brexit, supply chain disruption and soaring costs, so the show will address these themes via numerous firms keen to explain the benefits of Industry 4.0, end-to-end digitalisation, and autonomous handling such as robotic and cobot (collaborative robot) machine tending. There will also be improved green energy technology and a greater stress on machines that draw less power, plus renewed interest in the reshoring of production.

Alongside the exhibition and demonstration areas, over the three days there will be free technical seminar programmes, one covering mechanical engineering and the other addressing the electrical and electronic sectors. They will give visitors and exhibitors alike valuable learning opportunities, with a particular focus on the technical, managerial and environmental issues facing manufacturers today.

Presentations will include digital process management, advice for small manufacturers looking to improve their relationship with customers, how to enhance a sales team’s performance, CE and UKCA marking compliance, sustainable practices in manufacturing, and management skills coaching (including how to address the challenges of hybrid working).

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2024 will co-locate with AutoAero, a specialist theme within the exhibition devoted to aerospace and automotive engineering. There is ample car parking, whileextensive road and public transport links serve the site well. A regular, complimentary bus service runs between Farnborough’s Main and North Camp railway stations and the showground. Parking and admission are also free of charge.
For further information www.industrysouth.co.uk

Apprenticeships and graduate jobs

BAE Systems is set for another record-breaking recruitment drive in 2024 with almost 2700 new apprentice and graduate opportunities available across the UK.The company has more than doubled its early careers intake in the past five years, offering more young people than ever the prospect of long-term careers. Over 1400 apprentices will join BAE Systems, with the majority of roles based in the north of England, alongside other opportunities across the south of England, Scotland and Wales. The company also plans to recruit almost 1300 graduates in 2024.
For further information www.baesystems.com

ITC unveils Widia seven-flute milling line

The Widia VariMill range of solid-carbide end mills, available in the UK from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC), is seeing yet another evolution with the arrival of the new high-performance machining line of VariMill Chip Splitter end mills.

Suitable for cutting materials in ISO groups P, M, K, S and H, the new series is a high-performance tool that ITC says delivers exceptional material removal rates. The Chip Splitter series is for high chip control in dynamic milling, ramping, helical interpolating and side milling at high speeds and feed rates. This capability enables the tool to run with a longer axial depth of cut while diving into deep pockets in high-temperature alloys, steel and stainless steel. The Chip Splitter series is available as a five- or seven-flute variant with Widia’s WP15PE and WS15PE carbide grades to accommodate the machining of various materials.

Widia’s VariMill Chip Splitter offers features that improve chip evacuation by breaking the chips into small segments. This simplifies swarf removal from the work area and significantly improves cutting speeds and feeds when processing small pockets up to 5xD, or when machining at full depth of cut.

The seven-flute end mills are available with a straight or Weldon shank in 3xD or 5xD variants. Straight-shank 3xD end mills are available in 10, 12 and 16mm diameters with the Weldon shank designation also offering a 20 mm diameter variant. The 3xD tools have a flute length from 32 to 50mm with an overall length of 80 to 110 mm. Similarly, the 5xD plain shank variant is available from 10 to 16mm diameter with the Weldon shank also offering a 20mm diameter variant.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Enhancing the UK’slaunch capability

Skyrora and Spirit AeroSystems are announcing a new collaboration on orbital launch capability. UK-based launch-vehicle manufacturer Skyrora is developing an agile, end-to-end launch service to provide access to space for small satellites globally. Having conducted a test launch of the suborbital Skylark L vehicle in October 2022 as part of the company’s incremental learning approach, Skyrora is well on track to become the first UK company to vertically launch satellites from the UK, expecting to conduct up to 16 launches per year once at scale.

Spirit’s presence in the UK space sector is growing. Its broad offering of adaptive manufacturing and testing solutions in metallics and composites, at both its Scotland and Northern Ireland facilities, brings significant industrial capacity to Skyrora’s launch proposition. Leveraging Spirit’s aero-structures expertise, the companies will explore opportunities to transition Skyrora’s orbital launch vehicles from development to full-scale production.
For further information www.spiritaero.com