UK NEWS

Bringing automation and robots to life

The return of Automation UK is fast approaching, with the show once again taking place at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 18-19 June 2024. The event is organised and owned by the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) and promotes the uses and benefits of automation and robotics in the UK. Over 50 companies will be exhibiting their products and services, which will include robots, robotics systems, systems integration, automation control parts and systems, and sensors and machine safety. Visitors will benefit from meeting exhibiting experts, suppliers, technicians and advisors.

For more information www.automation-uk.co.uk

William Mitchell seals Ford Q1 Award

A critical automotive supplier has secured one of the industry’s leading awards for quality and performance. William Mitchell, which is part of the Rical Group, has been recognised with the Ford Q1 award, marking the 20th year it has been supplying fine-blanked components to the carmaker’s plants in the UK, Germany, South Africa, Argentina, India, Turkey and the US.

The certification was presented to the management team and staff at the Black Country firm’s factory in Smethwick last week. It is only given to companies who demonstrate excellence beyond the ISO/TS standard in five key areas: capable systems, continuous improvement, on-time delivery and quality, superior manufacturing processes, and customer satisfaction.

For more information www.ricalgroup.com

Aberlink wins King’s Award for innovation

Aberlink has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise 2024 in the Innovation category. The accolade is in recognition of the design innovation and error mapping demonstrated during the development of the company’s Extol CNC CMM. Company owner Marcus Eales says: “This prestigious award underscores 30 years of constantly pushing to create unique solutions to metrology problems that have applications worldwide. The Extol CNC CMM is an excellent example of this in practice.” Employing 44 people, Aberlink was founded in 1993 and claims to be the largest UK-owned manufacturer of CMMs.

For more information www.aberlink.com

Record growth for ANT Industries

ANT Industries, a precision engineering firm headquartered in Atherstone, Warwickshire, is celebrating a year of unprecedented success and growth by announcing new orders in excess of £30m for the next three years. The company machines components for aerospace and gas turbine engines that include engine rings, casings and prismatic parts for customers such as Eaton Aerospace, Rolls Royce and ITP.

Central to success at ANT Industries is its investment in cutting-edge machinery. Over the past 18 months the company has invested heavily in new CNC machines that include a Haas UMC 1000SS five-axis machining centre and an Anca FX5 Linear tool and cutter grinder. Additional investments will arrive in Q2 2024 through The Engineering Technology Group.

For more information www.antindustries.com

Showtime for motor spindles

Following MA Ford Europe’s appointment as UK distributor and technical partner by Japanese manufacturer Nakanishi, its range of high-speed motor spindles was unveiled at MACH 2024 in Birmingham last month. This is the latest appointment for MA Ford Europe, which now handles the HES, iSpeed3 and HTS products from Nakanishi’s range of electric and air-turbine units, which are capable of spindle speeds up to 150,000 rpm. The units mount in CNC machine spindles with various shank types, including BT, HSK A63, IT and straight.

For further information www.mafordeurope.com