UK NEWS

ACE Completes £350,000 Investment Drive

Advanced Chemical Etching (ACE), which will celebrate its 25 th anniversary later this year,
has installed two additional single-chamber Chemcut etching machines and a UCE developer
for creating quicker and cleaner imaging. The £350,000 investment means the company can
produce 325,000 sheets every year at its Hortonwood facility, a 30% boost in throughput.
Importantly, ACE can also tap into greater product line flexibility and increased accuracy.
With the new investment, company bosses are already looking to boost market share in
electrification, aerospace, medical and filters.
More information www.ace-uk.net

Micro-Precision Tool Capability at Brandauer

A new micron-precision tooling capability is now in place at Brandauer. CEO of the 61-
employee business, Rowan Crozier MBE, says: “Our micron precision tooling offer has been
a real labour of love. However, we now have processes available that de-risk the modular
tooling route for customers, giving them the capability to produce their tools to the finest of
margins and at a cost price that works.”
He adds: “Days have also been taken out of production lead times and I’m delighted to say
that numerous customers – from several different sectors – have already signed up and are
using tools made in this way.”
Last year was a whirlwind period for Brandauer, with more than £4m invested in new high-
speed Bruderer UK and Yamada presses, an additional 1-micron capable wire EDM machine,
a state-of the-art laser micro-cutter and a new rapid prototyping area.
The technology utilised in the company’s wire EDM cell includes two AgieCharmilles GF CUT
3000 machines, an investment that is typical of the firm’s constant drive for precision. These
machines are 1 micron capable across their long-bed CNC table geometry, making high-
speed, high-precision, 1250 mm modular tools a reality.

Through its wire EDM technology, Brandauer meet the challenges of miniaturisation and
high precision, while maximising productivity. The company can machine with wires as small
as 0.05 mm in diameter and, thanks to the crossed table situated directly under the
workpiece that requires machining, high-precision guides and glass scales are situated as
close as possible to the machining zone. This configuration helps maximise precision and
positioning repeatability as the play in inversion is almost eliminated.
More information www.brandauer.co.uk

Anotronic Installs Sodick ALC600G Premium

Anotronic is a subcontract machining business and manufacturer of EDM fast-hole drilling
and EDM die-sinking machine tools. Founded in 1982, the business started in ECM, ECD and
EDM tooling and machining, evolving to the production and growth of its own ECM and ECD
technology brand. Along this journey, the company has worked with Sodi-Tech UK and the
Sodick brand of machines. The Bedfordshire-based manufacturer currently operates three
Sodick machines, with the latest ALC600G Premium wire EDM with linear motor drive
technology arriving recently.
 
Martin White, managing director of Anotronic, says: “We always buy premium machines
and, as the company has become more experienced, we constantly look to invest in better
technology. This always comes down to machine reliability and the ability to run
unmanned.”
He continues: “We bought this latest machine because we had a project that typically
consists of 40 parts which would maybe take us three months to complete. We suddenly
had an order placed on us last year for 300 components. We couldn’t have done this
without another machine, as we knew we would have to operate 24 hours a day to get the
parts done.”
 
Sodi-Tech UK sales manager Richard Bailey says: “Manufacturers can use the on-board
technology and IQ software system that brings the CAD model into the machine and
draws the profile on-board utilising the U- and V-axis cutting technology. The program is
generated, parts are machined and the job is complete.”

 
White adds: “We’re using a very complex four-axis program to cut a rotary part with 45°
slots in it. We used the on-board software within the CNC of the Sodick machine to create a
3D model and a tool path to cut the part.”
More information www.sodi-tech.co.uk

Southern Manufacturing Breaks Records

Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2025, the UK’s annual trade fair serving
manufacturing in the mechanical and electronic engineering sectors, concluded its most
successful show to date last month. Celebrating its 27 th anniversary this year, the
international event saw a surge in visitor attendance and exhibitor participation, solidifying
its position as a vital business hub for industry professionals.
The number of attendees reached 10,204, a 14% increase compared with 2024. The biggest
cohort was from the aerospace manufacturing sector. More than 72% of visitors had
purchasing influence, underlining the event’s importance as a platform for business growth.
Notably, the number of exhibitors also grew, by 12%, with 535 companies showcasing their
latest products and innovations.
More information www.southern-manufacturing-electronics.com

Work-holding specialist trials new cutting fluid

Industrial lubricants manufacturer Rocol has launched a new metalworking cutting fluid to help customers improve efficiency and cut costs. Tests show that TRI-Logic ATi eliminates all previous rework and scrap incurred due to corrosion and staining on complex components when cutting sensitive aluminium grades, even after 100 hours of continuous machining.

The removal of staining can save machine shops expensive man hours from having to rework parts or maybe even generate scrap or miss delivery deadlines. Furthermore, the optimised chemistry of Tri-Logic ATi now means that end users can cut aluminium, titanium and stainless steel from a single sump. The new cutting fluid achieves this without using traditional boron, chlorine and secondary amine chemistries, and is completely free from petroleum oils.

Field trials at work-holding manufacturer Brown and Holmes have delivered outstanding results, with positive feedback versus traditional metalworking fluids. 

Jamie Barton, product sales manager at Brown and Holmes, says: “We’ve been working with Rocol as a supplier for nine years and we continue to be impressed by their service and products. They beat our previous supplier on costs, service and sustainability, with the team available on demand for any issues.

“We’ve been trialling the ATi product in our new filtration system and the early results are superb,” he continues. “There’s been brilliant tramp oil separation, while the process has been a lot more efficient and the cleanliness of the coolant filtrating through the machine is also really positive. We’re machining a multitude of materials, including aluminium, titanium alloys, steel and stainless steel, and the product has performed well on all of them.”

More information www.rocol.com