UK NEWS

Subsea demand drives growth

Global demand in subsea markets for oil and gas continues to help drive growth at manufacturing, assembly and testing specialist Express Engineering, which is investing in capital equipment and its workforce. TheGateshead-based international business has been enjoying buoyant growth during the past 12-18 months. The current order book stands at around £70m, with the group receiving an intake of £10m in new orders in the past month.

Chris Thompson, chair of Express Engineering Group, says: “I’m delighted to say our orderbook has reached record levels, the highest in our 50-year history, and it’s only expected to increase further across the remainder of 2024.With demand for product high, we hope to invest further in our capability this year, which will include a new CMM machine and a horizontal borer.”

More information www.express-engineering.co.uk

Apprentices raise £1300 for MAAC

Apprentices from Yamazaki Mazak have raised more than £1300 for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC) thanks to a bank holiday car wash. Mazak apprentices washed just shy of 100 cars outside the company’s European headquarters in Worcester, with the manufacturer matching the total raised to double up the donations for the charity.MAAC provides support to residents across six Midlands counties from three different air bases, including Strensham on the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire border, and has responded to more than 75,000 missions since its inception in 1991.

More information www.mazakeu.co.uk 

Factory of the Future build begins

Construction has started on a state-of-the-art Factory of the Future at Global Point in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.Led by Queen’s University Belfast, the project is key to an exciting future for advanced manufacturing in Northern Ireland.US Special Envoy to NI for Economic Affairs Joe Kennedy III joined Queen’s University vice-chancellor Sir Ian Greer and Mayor of Antrim Neil Kelly on a site visit along with key representatives from industry, government and academia.

They marked a major milestone for the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) through a £100m investment, expected to create up to 1500 jobs across Northern Ireland, contribute £1bn to the economy and train 300 apprentices by 2050.Due to open in 2026, the 10,000 sq m manufacturing and engineering innovation centre with capacity for 150 staff, will provide open access to the latest digital, automation and robotics technology.

More information www.qub.ac.uk/Business/AMIC

UK MICRO MACHINE MANUFACTURER PARTNERS WITH OPEN MIND TECHNOLOGIES

The world of precision machine tools is a remarkably niche area that is increasingly in demand as certain industries demand ever smaller components with dimensions and tolerances in the ‘micron’ range. Loxham Precision, a UK manufacturer of ultra-precision machine tools is making waves in this sector, but such a rapid rise to prominence would not have been possible without partnering with Open Mind Technologies and its HyperMILL CADCAM system to develop its machine solutions and market presence.

Industries as diverse as consumer electronics and jewellery, automotive to the semiconductor, aerospace and many more – the world is demanding smaller parts with tighter dimensions. Achieving this objective is only possible with machine tools capable of delivering micron precision. All machine tool manufacturers want to claim they can achieve it, but only the top echelon actually does. Sitting at the top of this pyramid is Loxham Precision, a company that spun out of Cranfield University in 2011. Located on the campus of the university, Loxham specialises in the development and manufacture of next-generation ultra-precise machine tools and motion systems.

The company’s product range includes the BoX freeform grinding machine, the μ6 Micro six-axis turn-mill machine, the μ5 turn-mill machine and the AeroloxSeries 200 linear motion slides.As a niche manufacturer, Loxham also offers services such as product development, FEA (finite element analysis), dynamics and modal analysis, specialist optic fabrication, ultra-precision fabrication, electrochemical machining, complex device fabrication, and specialist bearing manufacturing.

Machine tools produced by the company can perform everything from diamond turning and micro milling for quantum devices, electro-optics, medical devices, watch components and sensors. The machines provide high flexibility in precision turning and milling suitable for finishing near net complex shape AM substrates, laser targets, electro-optics and air bearing components, as well as precision free-form grinding.

As an ex-head of the engineering division at the NPL and also the Cranfield University Precision Institute (CUPE), Loxham Precision CEO Professor Paul Shore has worked at the very highest levels of academia, industry and cutting-edge research – the perfect background for developing machine tools that break the boundaries of convention. However, when it comes to manufacturing and selling these innovative advances, Loxham Precision has chosen to work with Open Mind Technologies.

Recalling the start of the relationship, Shore says: “As a machine tool builder, we wanted to work with an industry-leading CAM vendor to not only develop and manufacture many of our machine components but also validate our machine tools. We identified Open Mind as the industry benchmark and entered discussions in 2021. As a small UK machine tool manufacturer, Open Mind provided us with a development licence for HyperMILL, their CADCAM software solution.”

He continues: “In the three years that we have worked with HyperMILL, we’ve been bowled over by their level of expertise, innovation and willingness to provide us with support. We were looking for a CAM developer that has an impeccable reputation for innovation, so we can sell our machine tools with a competent CADCAM system that is capable of not only driving our machines but also meeting the very diverse demands of our end users.”

Recalling the decision to work with Open Mind, Shore says: “From the very outset, the people and the level of communication was exceptional. Open Mind recognised that we are a small UK machine tool builder and they wanted to support us. Additionally, HyperMILL is a CADCAM system supported by a team with no boundaries. For example, our machines operate in the ‘nano’ scale, not ‘micron’, which deterred some CAM developers from wanting to work with us. Open Mind instantly said that was not a problem. They have not only enabled us to become CAM-competent, they have also taken charge of certain challenges and made our partnership a seamless and easy process.”

Highlighting an example of this willingness to work with any situation, Shore adds: “We don’t use conventional Siemens, FANUC or Heidenhain CNCs on our machines as we prefer an open architecture system. Open Mind had no problem with this, informing us that whatever CNC system we chose to power our machines they would ‘make it work’.”

Loxham Precision supplies its machines to market segments that were once niche but are all rapidly expanding to become the norm. As the relationship blossoms, Loxham Precision is offering its machine tools with licences for HyperMILL incorporated to help customers drive their five-axis investments.

Concluding on this point, Shore says: “The relationship with Open Mind is certainly a huge benefit to both parties. They supported our CAM competence and given our customers confidence in purchasing machine tools that are driven by an industry-leading CADCAM software suite. Likewise, our ultra-precise machines are being sold to rapidly ascending market segments and we are opening the doors of these niche areas for Open Mind.”

For further information www.openmind-tech.com

UK-manufactured large-format 3D printer

New additive manufacturing technology – designed and manufactured in the UK – was launched at TCT 3Sixty earlier this month.LANDR, which spun out of fast-growing RYSE 3D, is looking to unlock engineering-grade technology and materials for SMEs, disruptors and entrepreneurs with the arrival of LANDR 500.

Featuring a 500x500x500mm build volume, the large-format FDM printer gives users the scope to build larger and more complex parts suited to rapid prototyping and volume production for end-use in the automotive, aerospace, healthcare and consumer sectors.

The machine is the brainchild of Mitchell Barnes, who recognised the need for a cost-effective 3D printer that delivered high power and flexible capability. At £11,398.80 including VAT, LANDR says its nearest competitor is 10 times the cost, three times the weight and twice the size, making it difficult to fit into shop-floor operations.Nearly £200,000 of pre-orders are already in the pipeline and LANDR used the TCT 3Sixty event to give potential customers the opportunity to register their interest.

“I was frustrated with what I was seeing in the marketplace, especially the lack of options that were within financial reach,” says Barnes.“Like most difficult things I encounter in life, there’s no choice but to take them head-on and develop innovative solutions from scratch.

Over the course of the next 12 months, the team has designed, tested and built LANDR 500, a 3D printer that will support a wide range of engineering-grade materials.”

He adds: “We are successfully using 10 printers at our sister business RYSE 3D. With 30,000+ hours of use so far, there’s no better testing ground than a company supplying parts to 18 of the world’s hypercars.”

More information www.landr3d.com