UK NEWS

Work smarter to avoid welding fume exposure

Amid ever-stringent guidelines on managing exposure to hazardous substances at work, global testing, inspection and certification expert Bureau Veritas is encouraging manufacturers to ‘work smarter’ on limiting the risks that welding fumes pose to employee health.

Over-exposure to welding fumes and gases can damage the lungs, the respiratory tract, the central nervous system and lead to a number of serious diseases including asthma, pneumonia and lung cancer.
In the UK alone, it is estimated that welding causes in excess of 150 deaths due to cancer every year, while around 40 to 50 welders are hospitalised annually with pneumonia due to inhaling metal fumes. What’s more, given the recent introduction of EH40/2005 workplace exposure limits guidance by the HSE2 (setting out new and revised workplace exposure limits (WELs) for 31 chemical substances), Bureau Veritas says it has never been more important for manufacturers to ensure they have the right occupational hygiene programme in place.
For further information www.bureauveritas.co.uk

Brose celebrates 30 years in Coventry

Brose, a tier one automotive supplier, has celebrated 30 years of production in the UK by producing its two millionth seat structure in a year.

The company, which employs 900 people across its two plants in Coventry, announced the manufacturing milestone during the official presentation of its Queen’s Award for Enterprise by Timothy Cox, Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire. Staff, local dignitaries and Maximilian Stoschek, the great grandson of company founder Max Brose, were on hand to see current managing director Juergen Zahl accept the accolade that reflects a major spike in export sales.
For further information www.brose.com

Mazak chosen for government 5G factory initiative

Yamazaki Mazak has been chosen as one of a select few UK companies to act as a ‘testbed’ for the deployment of next-generation 5G technology, with a view to improving commercial digital infrastructures and ultimately boosting productivity across the UK industrial sector.

5G is set to become the industry standard for connectivity in the future. With potential speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, it could allow for industrial automation systems to operate at as-yet unseen speeds, as well as increase the speed of real-time analysis, meaning quicker reactions to any red flags and reduced downtime.
The consortium has been granted £4.8m in government funding to conduct the 5G testbed trial. This funding will be used to gauge how faster internet speeds can improve industrial productivity and advanced cyber security, via increased investment in next-generation technology. The work will include experimenting with preventative and assisted maintenance techniques using robotics, big data analytics and augmented reality, at the company’s European Headquarters, in Worcester.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Citizen names open house dates

Low Frequency Vibration (LFV) machining technology will be an important theme at Citizen Machinery UK’s annual open house event being staged at the company’s UK headquarters in Bushey on 16-18 October.

Among the 16 machines on view will be the UK launch of the LFV version of the Citizen Cincom L32-Vlll sliding-head turn-mill centre.
The Citizen L32-VlllLFV with 38 mm bar size option and removable guide bush can carry up to 30 tools. According to specification, this can include six for gang turning, four to six gang driven, four to nine for front drilling, and between five and 11 for back drilling. Both main (7.5 kW) and sub-spindles (3.7 kW) have 8000 rpm motors with 1 kW driven tools (with 6000 rpm motors). Rapid traverse rates are 32 m/min.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Visualize 3D V21.1 launched

Theorem Solutions has released the V21.1 version of its Visualize 3D CATIA V5 to JT solution. V21.1 supports CATIA V5-6R2015 to CATIA V5-6R2018, as well as all versions of JT, up to and including 10.0.

Visualize 3D products are aimed at creating visualisation data for users of digital mock-up, virtual reality or desktop applications, and for companies wanting to share JT data as part of a collaboration process. This unidirectional product can be licensed with Theorem’s JT to CATIA V5 product to create a bidirectional translator.
V21.1 enables CATIA V5 users to create a JT representation of their data and support the translation of assembly structure, geometry, attributes, 3D product manufacturing information (PMI) and metadata. The software can also be used as a data exchange format for popular CAD/CAM systems which support JT.
Visualize V21.1 also includes: a newly developed single JT configuration file that supports all translation requirements from (supported) CAD to JT, removing the requirement for multiple files; the ability to use standard CATIA V5 menus to select Theorem configurations created using the Theorem Configuration Manager or from within the Theorem Unified Interface; and the ability to export JT files directly from within CATIA V5 using the standard ‘File > Save As’ functionality, which helps to reduce the risk of error using familiar menus.
Theorem’s strategic partnerships with Dassault Systemes and Siemens ensure that there is parallel development between the latest releases of CATIA V5 and JT, and Theorem’s Visualize 3D products, allowing Theorem to continue to provide data solutions for CATIA V5 users wanting to create JT data.
For further information www.theorem.com