After a slack final quarter in 2017, the subcontract manufacturing market seems to be shrugging off concerns about Brexit. The value of the UK contract and subcontract market rose by nearly 11% in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the final quarter of 2016, according to the latest Qimtek Contract Manufacturing Index (CMI) figures. Machining proved particularly strong in the first quarter of 2017 – up 15% on Q4 2016. It was down by 8% though compared with a particularly strong period for machining in the first three months of 2016. Fabrication more than held its own, up 13% on the previous quarter and 19% on the equivalent quarter last year.
For further information
www.qimtek.co.uk

Yamazaki Mazak is taking part in the 2017 Get Up to Speed (GUTS) Engineering and Manufacturing event at the Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham, on 26 April. The event, which is in its seventh year, is aimed at profiling the opportunities available to young people in the north of England who are keen on exploring a future career in engineering or manufacturing. Mazak, which runs an extensive apprenticeship programme from its European headquarters in Worcester, will also be exhibiting at the event.
A team of engineers will be on hand to provide visitors with insight into the world of advanced
CNC metalcutting.
For further information www.getuptospeed.org.uk www.mazakeu.co.uk

A new £1m factory extension has been unveiled by PP Control & Automation as the company singled its intention to double sales from £20m to £40m by 2021. The company, which works with machine builders around the world, has added a further 1000 sq m of production space to its existing 4,500 sq m facility in Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire, in order to facilitate growth in new technology markets and interest from a wider international customer base.
For further information
www.ppcanda.com

Yamazaki Mazak has appointed Richard Smith (pictured centre) as its new managing director for all of the company’s European operations. He takes over from Marcus Burton (left), who will remain with the company in a new non-executive role. Smith, who takes up his new position this month, first joined Mazak in 1987 as a graduate production engineer, and over the past 30 years has undertaken a number of key roles in manufacturing, purchasing, customer service and product management. His most recent position was deputy group managing director Europe (operations), and before that as managing director – UK and Ireland sales division.
Smith will be supported by Bruno Munier (right), who recently assumed the role of deputy European managing director – sales. Munier joined the business from SandvikCoromant, where he worked for 19 years, reaching the position of Europe and Middle East (EMEA) president. He will be responsible for overseeing the sales and marketing strategy for Mazak’s European operating companies.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

At an exclusive preview event for the press held earlier this month at the company’s headquarters in Tiverton, XYZ Machine Tools demonstrated full simultaneous machining on its new UMC-5X five-axis machining centre.
“We took our time in sourcing the UMC-5X in order to be confident that we had the right solution to five-axis machining that could meet the needs of a wide variety of customers, from those just starting out in the five-axis arena, to those already well-versed in this technology,” says managing director Nigel Atherton. “The machine is a perfect fit with our existing range in that it combines value for money with high specifications, which we know will make it attractive to XYZ customers.”
The gantry-style machine with trunnion table offers Siemens 840D slShopMill control (or HeidenhainiTNC 640 HSCI option) and Heidenhain LC183 linear scales on the X, Y and Z axes. Furthermore, direct drives for the ballscrews deliver circularity of 6-7 µm.
Among the notable design features of the 600 x 600 x 500 mm (XYZ axis travels) UMC-5X is the availability of 500 mm of Y-axis travel forward of the table surface when the table is tilted 90° towards the rear (component facing forward). This is said to be greater than many competitor machines, including those quoting the same axis travels as the UMC-5X, thus allowing larger workpieces to be machined.
Full 360° C-axis rotation of the Italian-built LCM table is achieved via a direct-drive high-torque motor, giving 90 rpm, while ±120° is available in the tilting A-axis. Traori/Kinematic functions support five-axis simultaneous machining for improved accuracy.
Loads of up to 600 kg can be supported on the 600 mm diameter table, while maximum feed rates are 36 m/min in the three linear axes. A 40-taper, 12,000 rpm, 30 kW, 239 Nm in-line Siemens spindle is offered as standard (15,000 option). Alternatively, a Kessler HSK-A63 18,000 rpm (24,000 option), 25 kW, 40 Nm motorised spindle can be fitted. Through-spindle coolant at 20 bar (70 bar option)
is supplied with both spindles.
Among a number of ‘smart machining’ functions offered as standard are tool-tip positioning control, axial accuracy control and spindle vibration supervision.
Dubbed by XYZ as ‘The Challenger’, the list price for a standard UMC-5X is £153,000 + VAT. A selection of machines to various specifications will be held in stock, although machines can be ordered to exact requirements with delivery inside four months.
“In Europe, 25% of VMCs are five-axis models,” says Mike Corbett, applications manager at XYZ. “However, although the UK lags behind countries such as Germany by volume, numbers here are rising and we want to be part of that growth.”
This ambition follows a record-breaking period at XYZ, where profit has increased in each of the previous six years. In fact, the company reports “scorching” March trading figures that could set it up for yet another “best ever year” once calculations are complete.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com