UK NEWS

NI firms lead way in smart manufacturing

Four Northern Ireland manufacturing companies are preparing to transform their production operations and improve their output after graduating from the latest Digital Catapult Smart Nano NI Accelerator Programme. Following the completion of the programme, and by adopting new digital solutions,it is hoped these companies will further accelerate smart manufacturing in Northern Ireland. Delivered by Digital Catapult, Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, Aeroblue Software, Terex and NuPrint Technologies showcased their solutions at the latest graduation event atNorth West Regional College’s Industry 4.0 Centre.
For further information www.digicatapult.org.uk

New CAO for NMITE

NMITE has appointed David Oloke as its new chief academic officer and first professor of civil engineering. Oloke will take up the role and leadership of NMITE’s academic mission in February. NMITE says this will add to an exciting year ahead because 2024 willyield its first graduates, the pioneers who, in September 2021, embarked on the accelerated Master’s Degree in Engineering. The appointment of an experienced civil engineer to NMITE’s leadership team will further drive NMITE’s commitment to the sustainable built environment, a key area of NMITE’s academic focus. Oloke joins from the University of Brighton.
For further information www.nmite.ac.uk

Hurco bucks the trend with record sales

Against a backdrop of difficult trading conditions in the UK machine tool industry, Hurco Europe’s turnover to the end of its financial year in November 2023 was surprising. It turned out to be a record year for sales, higher than the best previous figure, achieved in 2018.Managing director David Waghorn says: “We delivered a few more lathes than last year and, while the number of machining centres we sold did not increase, their unit price was significantly higher.”

There was also an increase in large machine sales, which increases the value per sale, while many negotiations included requests for extras like mist extraction, through-spindle coolant, probing and longer warranties. Notably, the addition of a collaborative robot raised the value of some orders:the number delivered was two and a half times up on the previous year.
For further information www.hurco.co.uk

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