Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence recently hosted a special event to demonstrate its latest measurement solutions to businesses in the Midlands. The breakfast meeting, held at the company’s Telford head office, was attended by 70 delegates who were able to watch six product displays
and listen to a series of talks. The event also gave visitors an opportunity to showcase their companies and highlight areas for collaboration during a 60-second pitch session.
For further information
www.hexagonmi.com

Nick White, Mills CNC’s sales director, announced his retirement from the company at the end of last month. White joined Mills CNC, then located in Norwich, in December 1988 as the business manager responsible for sales growth in the southwest of England and Wales. This was a position he held for a number of years, during which time the company changed its name, relocated to Leamington Spa, and became the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland. He was appointed as the company’s UK and Ireland sales manager in 2008 and, following a management buyout in 2014, became Mills CNC’s sales director and a major shareholder in the business.
For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Manufacturers could be missing out on up to £65m of unclaimed refunds and incorrect charges on their energy bills, according to business energy experts Inenco Group. Inenco has conducted analysis on business bills, identifying that one in five energy bills contain errors that frequently go unnoticed by organisations. The most common issue in the manufacturing sector is incorrect rates applied to bills, followed by meter read errors. Inenco’s team of data analysts process and validate over one million invoices each year on behalf of businesses.
For further information www.inenco.com/missingmillions

Expert CNC Ltd, a subcontract supplier of precision milling and turning services, has invested in a pre-owned Bridgeport Interact 4 CNC milling machine from Sorted Machine Sales. The move comes in response to ongoing customer demand for greater flexibility in the machining of 1-off components.
Established in 2008, Verwood, Dorset-based Expert CNC serves customers in sectors ranging from marine and aerospace, through to machine building and architecture. Diversity of this nature requires inherent flexibility in the machine shop.
“We never know what work will come through the door tomorrow, and with increasing requests for 1-off parts against short lead-times, we made the decision to source a CNC vertical mill that was simple and quick to program,” explains commercial director Gary Waldron. “We saw a Bridgeport Interact 4 with Heidenhain CNC on Sorted’s website and, after a viewing, deemed it ideal for our needs.”
Phil Bowers, director at Sorted Machine Sales, takes up the story: “The machine had only been used for light work in the aerospace industry, so was in really good condition. We gave it a comprehensive service, and it sailed through a Renishaw ballbar test. Each pre-owned machine is treated as if we were buying it ourselves. This level of service is what ensures we enjoy high repeat sales.”
Indeed, Expert CNC is now in the market for a second pre-owned machine.
“We have earmarked funds for another investment, which will either be a vertical machining centre with a fourth axis, or a turning machine,” says Waldron. “Whichever we decide, Sorted will be our first port of call.”
For further information www.sorted-uk.com
www.expert-cnc.co.uk

A £1m+ project to develop ‘smart’ composite leading edges for aircraft wings with embedded heaters to protect the wings against ice build-up (while reducing weight and boosting efficiency compared with existing systems), has concluded successfully after crucial wind tunnel tests. The EU-funded ELWIPS programme brought together researchers from the University of Sheffield’s AMRC and aerospace companies Meggitt and AeroTex.
ELWIPS is a programme managed by aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation. The AMRC designed and built a composite wing structure which incorporates electric heating technology and power control systems developed by Meggitt subsidiaries in the UK and France, while specialists in icing prevention and prediction, AeroTex, determined the sizing, zoning, power rating and control strategy for the heaters.
For further information www.amrc.co.uk