UK NEWS

Expansion of STEM Engagement Fund

Nearly 2000 pupils will have the opportunity to get a better taste of vocational learning thanks to the expansion of the STEM Engagement Fund in the Black Country and Birmingham. The new financial backing is the brainchild of Michael Orlik and his sons, who have gifted £25,000 to the Training Manufacturing Group (TMG)’s charitable fund in memory of their wife and mum Susan – an advocate of giving young people the best start in education and employment. It means that In-Comm Training, an independent provider of apprenticeships and training, can increase the reach of its programme.

More information www.in-comm.co.uk

NCMT Continues Sponsorship Of UWR

Reinforcing its commitment to fostering talent and innovation in motorsport, as well as in engineering and manufacturing generally, machine tool sales company NCMT will continue its sponsorship of the University of Wolverhampton Racing (UWR) team for the 2025 season.

Building on a successful partnership that started in 2023, NCMT will support the Morgan race car and UWR Revolution 500 EVO race car. The latter was launched in conjunction with British manufacturer Revolution Race Cars on 9 January 2015 at the Autosport International motorsport show in Birmingham. This season, the car will compete in the newly-formed Equipe Sports Prototypes series, a multi-class racing championship for lightweight prototype sports cars.

More information www.ncmt.co.uk

Seeking new young robotics stars

The WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition 2025 opens for applications on 3-28 March, with industrial automation specialist FANUC UK continuing its commitment to the next generation of engineers by supporting a search to find the UK’s best young robotics talent. For the fifth year in succession, the company is partnering with WorldSkills UK for the annual industrial robotics competition.

The competition aims at giving young people the opportunity to learn how to program a robot, enhance their engineering prowess, and develop valuable workplace skills such as timekeeping and teamwork. It is open to teams of two young people, who must be within a year of completing a relevant Level 3 Apprenticeship and/or hold qualifications in an engineering-based subject (to a minimum Level 3 or equivalent).

Apply at www.bit.ly/484XXBj

New investment strategy pays major dividends

MACH Machine Tools has recently supplied South Shields-based HQ Fabrications with two new CNC machines. The MACH MDV 1160 vertical machining centre and MACH MDS 845-8T toolroom mill were installed at the company’s 790 m² facility in Jarrow towards the end of last year. Both machines, equipped with the DynaPath control system, have been working flat out machining jigs and fixtures, as well as prototypes, one-offs and small batches of pre-production and production parts for a diverse range of UK customers.

HQ Fabrications regularly monitors and evaluates the performance of its machine tools and, to enable the machining of larger workpieces, made the decision in early 2024 to invest in the new MACH MDV 1160 three-axis vertical machining centre.

“Up to that point we had always invested in pre-owned machines,” says Chris Hall, HQ Fabrications’ owner and managing director. “However, one of our existing used machines that we had identified for machining larger workpieces, wasn’t as reliable as we had originally hoped.”

He continues: “We were a little apprehensive investing in a new machine, but representatives from MACH Machine Tools simplified the whole process from machine identification through to delivery, installation and commissioning. They even offered us a great part-exchange trade-in deal on the previously mentioned used machine.”

The positive experience resulted in the company further strengthening its in-house milling capabilities by investing in a second machine: a MACH MDS 845-8T toolroom mill.

“Our two new MACH machines are proving to be a great investment,” concludes Hall. “MACH Machine Tools’ open and transparent approach, combined with their technical know-how and readily-available support, made the whole process quick and seamless.”

More information www.machmt.co.uk

Start-up opts for VMC from Mills CNC

Mills CNC has recently supplied Custom Metalworks – a start-up providing precision CNC machining and custom fabrication – with a new (fourth generation) DN Solutions DNM 5700 vertical machining centre. The machine, installed at the company’s machine shop facility in Ormskirk, Lancashire, features the latest FANUC i Plus control with 15” touchscreen, an 18.5 kW/12,000 rpm directly-coupled high-torque spindle (117.8 Nm), a 1050 x 570 mm worktable (with 1000 kg maximum table load) and a 30-tool position ATC.

Supplied to Custom Metalworks as part of the investment package, the machine was also delivered with a Detron GFA-200EH five-axis rotary table, Renishaw tool and table probing systems, and a Filtermist extraction unit.

Since installation, the DNM 5700 has been put through its paces machining a range of performance-critical plastic components for a manufacturer of patient positioning products and equipment used during surgical procedures. Custom Metalworks machines parts and sub-assemblies for the customer’s best-selling spine frame systems which are essentially table-top platforms positioned underneath the patient that can easily fit to any standard operating table.

“I was looking for a machine that delivered fast processing speeds, high accuracies and good surface finishes, and that would enable us to machine large and/or smaller multiple parts in a single set up,” explains Jack Eckersley, Custom Metalworks’ owner and managing director. “The DNM 5700, with its advanced spindle technology, rigid and thermally stable build, fast rapids and large working envelope seemed to offer the ideal solution. Having talked to Mills, I placed the order at the MACH 2024 exhibition. Since its arrival, the DNM 5700, following on-site training, has been in full operation ever since.”

More information www.millscnc.co.uk