UK NEWS

Zenith closes loop on boring adjustments

The development of Zenith by Rigibore has eliminated any manual intervention or machine downtime to achieve micron-level automatic adjustments on fine boring tools.

Industry 4.0 compliant Zenith is a closed-loop system providing a practical solution that works with in-process gauging and the machine tool’s control system.
Making minute adjustments to fine boring tools has, in the past, required the tool to be removed from the machine and adjusted manually in a pre-setter, a process which interrupts production, is time consuming and demands a skilled person to be involved. Having developed its ActiveEdge wirelessly adjustable boring bars, the next step for Rigibore was to “close the loop” on this semi-automatic system, and make it fully autonomous. The result is Zenith, which can automatically compensate for insert wear, temperature drift and material inconsistency without the necessity of removing the tool to a presetting station.
Zenith makes use of Rigibore’s ActiveEdge boring tools, which feature boring cartridges that can be wirelessly adjusted. This wireless capability is powered by batteries in the tool’s ‘yoke’, which means that the system can make adjustments to the boring tools wherever they are in the machine, either in the spindle or the tool carousel.
So confident is Rigibore that Zenith will deliver on its promises that, subject to carrying out a survey and analysis of current manufacturing requirements, Rigibore will install and make all necessary changes to the machine’s control free of charge. Customers can then take one of two options to pay for the system, either in full after one-month’s trial period or, over six-monthly instalments.
For further information www.rigibore.com

Boeing contract seals record year for MetLase

A mechanical engineering specialist is celebrating a record-breaking year after securing a landmark contract with Boeing.

MetLase, which is a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Unipart, has been announced as the tooling and fixture partner for Boeing’s new Sheffield facility in a deal that will initially increase the workforce by 15%.
The company will use its 3D design capabilities, laser-cutting technology, and patented assembly and joining systems to create lightweight, optimised machining fixtures that will hold 11 different castings used in the production of actuation system components for the 737, 767 and 777 passenger jets. This contract is the latest in a line of new business wins that mark a 70% annual increase in sales for the Sheffield-based firm.
For further information www.metlase.com

F1 team extends DMG Mori partnership

Formula One team Aston Martin Red Bull Racing has extended its innovation partnership with machine tool builder DMG Mori.

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The relationship between the pair has been in place since 2004, with DMG Mori becoming an ‘Innovation Partner’ in 2012. By the end of 2018 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Milton Keynes manufacturing facility will feature 19 DMG Mori machines, with the addition of a DMU 40 eVo linear and a DMU 60 eVo linear this year.
The five-axis capability of the DMG Mori machines plays a crucial role in the efficient and accurate milling necessary to meet the demands of Formula One competition.
For further information www.dmgmori.com

Colchester appoints sales manager for south

Colchester Machine Tool Solutions has expanded its growing sales and support team by appointing Sean Luck as the company’s new southern area sales manager.

Luck will sell a full range of machine tools, including Colchester and Harrison lathes, and Clausing mills, drills, saws and grinders. Based out of Portsmouth, Luck is a time-served engineer, starting as a toolmaking apprentice in the subcontract industry and working his way up to works management. He now has around 25 years of both machine and cutting tool sales experience, and is very well known within the industry.
Paul Rushworth, sales director at Colchester Machine Tool Solutions, says: “We’ve known Sean for a number of years and he has huge experience of machine and cutting tools, which already includes a great knowledge of Colchester and Harrison lathes. As we continue to introduce innovations to the market, Sean’s recruitment underpins this continued expansion and further bolsters our UK sales, applications and service effort, supporting our customers’ needs for Colchester, Harrison and Clausing products.”
For further information www.colchester.co.uk

Top of the food chain

Dowson Food Machinery was established in Yorkshire in 1982 under the skilled entrepreneurship of founder John Murgatroyd.

He set about designing new products for slicing and bagging bread, and before long was supplying bespoke equipment and service support to many of the UK’s leading bakery groups, as well as to smaller independent and artisan bakers.
Now run by managing director Nick Lacey, the company exports across five continents and has machines installed at customers such as Warburtons and Hovis.
The success of the business meant that expansion was inevitable and, in 2015, it moved to a new 48,000 sq ft facility in Bradford, nearly three times the size of the original factory. Now employing 60 people and with the space for more equipment, new lines were designed to include products for speciality breads, flatbreads, rolls and tortillas.
The company’s main asset today is its in-house CNC machining capability.
“We offer more than our competitors,” explains James Carson, sales and marketing manager. “To have our own Haas machines on-site is not only economical, it gives us a level of control over quality and lead-time which we would never have by outsourcing.
“We can alter or modify a component to change the way a piece of equipment works, then test it straight away in-house.”
In 2017, Dowson decided to replace one of its lathes and, after careful research, invested in a Haas ST-15 turning centre with a 15 kW, 4,000 rpm spindle and 210 mm chuck. “You get a lot of bang for your buck,” says purchasing manager Andrew Sands. “We paid less for the ST-15 than we did for a lathe we bought 10 years ago, and it more than matches it for accuracy and reliability.”
For further information www.haas.co.uk