UK NEWS

Addmore boosts tool life and cuts cycle time

Addmore Engineering, based in Bedford, is a CNC machining company that supplies high-precision parts to the automotive, medical, and oil and gas industries. What started from a barn in Watford is now a large operation which spans several buildings, employs 48 skilled machinists and runs 24 hours a day.

Specialising in highly precise and intricately machined parts, Addmore turned to Ceratizit over 20 years ago to help with its complex component and tooling needs. Regularly visited by an applications sales engineer and a technical sales engineer from Ceratizit, the two companies enjoy a strong working relationship that positively impacts business growth.

While manyCeratizit inserts are in use at Addmore, a recent switch made was to Ceratizit’s Pentron drill with the ambition of increasing tool life and saving money on tool replacement costs. The tool Addmore was using previously was the 2xD 46 mm diameter C900 from Ceratizit. Although successfully completing the job, the inserts were getting pick-up and sticking to chips.

Addmore saw immediate benefits from using Ceratizit’s 2xD 46mm KUB Pentron drill. Whereas the previous drill had an insert life of between 55-75 parts per edge, the Pentron drill increased this to 120+ parts per edge, delivering an improvement of well over 50%.

Shaun Thornton, technical manager for Ceratizit UK, says that this improvement is “down to Ceratizit’s SOGX 03 geometry and BK8430 coating in combination with the Pentron drill. This specialist coating minimises chip-sticking and increases swarf evacuation due to its optimised flutes.”

As well as the cost-saving benefits which come from the extended insert life of the Pentron drill, switching to this insert also meant that machine cycle time was reduced by 10%.
For further information www.ceratizit.com

Solid-carbide drills offer better performance

Dormer Pramet recently introduced a generation of multi-purpose solid-carbide drills with proprietary capabilities that it says elevates economical hole-making to new heights.The high performance of Dormer Pramet’s Force X and Force M products lies in its novel flute construction with continuously thinned web and rolled heel design, which enables better chip removal and easier re-sharpening.

The new drills feature a micro-grain carbide substrate and TiAlN coating. Thiscombinationprovides high wear resistance and prolongs tool life, making the drills suitable for a wide range of machines and materials, such as stainless steel, alloyed steel and cast iron.

Dormer R100/R120 bright-finish, solid-carbide, entry-level self-centring drills feature a 120° point angle. The most typical industry user of this range is general engineering, where the drills can satisfy multiple applications and materials.

Spotting drills R122, R123 and R125 provide an accurate hole location, helping to avoid drill deflection. Recommended prior to deep-hole drilling, spot drills typically have a tight tolerance point geometry with very short flute length.

David Risk, global product manager at Dormer Pramet,says: “The R100/R120 are entry-level general-purpose solid-carbide drills offering excellent tool life with consistently reliable performance. They’re ideal for both bench drilling and CNC machine applications, mainly for general engineering and maintenance, and are the logical choice for small batch production in all industry segments.

“The Force X and Force M series on the other hand, are high-performance coated solid-carbide drills, with or without internal coolant, which offer very low cycle times,” he continues. “They’re the perfect choice for large batch, high-volume production in CNC applications, mainly for the general engineering, airframe assembly and die and mould industries.”
For further information www.dormerpramet.com

Renewable electricity for Renishaw UK

To further help meet its ambition of achievingnet zero by 2050, Renishaw has signed a two-year contact with the world’s first green energy company, Ecotricity, which will now supply the company’s main UK sites with 100% renewable electricity.As part of its ambitious climate transition plan, Renishaw aims to reduce emissions relating to its business activities and purchased energy – Scopes 1 and 2 – to net zero by 2028.

Renishaw’s partnership with Ecotricity is the latest move towards exclusively using green energy across the world, with company sites in India, Japan, Mexico and the US among those already running on 100% renewable electricity. The global businessself-generates 11% of its electricity consumption and most of the electricity itacquires is certified renewable.By the end of 2024, 100% of what Renishaw purchases globally will meet its sustainability requirements.
For further information www.renishaw.com

Review published on STEM clubs

EngineeringUK has released a new report which brings together the available evidence on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) clubs and their ability to increase students’ aspirations for engineering and technology careers.Through summarising the existing evidence, the report aims to draw out learnings on STEM clubs that is usable by STEM outreach providers to raise aspirations around engineering and technology careers. EngineeringUK hopes the learnings in its report will support efforts to increase the number of young people entering the engineering and technology workforce.
For further information www.bit.ly/46UYGnF

£370m loan for Seaway7

The UK’s export credit agency has issued a loan guarantee that allowsoffshore wind specialist Seaway7 to secure a £370m loan to scale up its UK operations.UK Export Finance (UKEF) issued the guarantee under its Export Development Guarantee (EDG) scheme, which covers 80% of the total loan.UKEF’s backing is expected to help the firm win and service EPCI (engineering, procurement construction and installation) contracts for fixed offshore wind projects which will generate UK export revenue. Seaway7 has completed successful offshore wind projects in a range of markets, including Taiwan, the US and mainland Europe.
For further information www.gov.uk