UK — To upgrade its plant and instigate 24-hour production later this year, High Wycombe-based subcontract machining firm EV Engineering has bought four Japanese-built Okuma mill-turn centres from sole UK agent NCMT and a pair of machining centres from another supplier.

Sweden — New computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) technology has been introduced by Esprit CAM, part of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. It provides manufacturers with the control and flexibility needed to use multi-spindle and multi-channel computer-numerical-control (CNC) machinery for the machining of long parts.

Italy/USA — Nucor Steel Brandenburg awarded Tenova a contract for two heavy-duty combination roll grinding machines for its green field project for a new plate mill plant in Brandenburg, Kentucky, USA.

UK — Kirkham Engineering has established a reputation as specialists in the production of repetition turned parts on CNC fixed head and sliding head machines. With decades of experience and a machine inventory supplied by a host of manufacturers down the generations, the latest machine to be installed was a Nakamura Tome AS-200L turning centre from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG).

Germany — Tooling manufacturer Paul Horn is expanding the range of products it supplies to manufacturers of equipment for machining pipes and sleeves used in oil and gas production, as well as to end users.

Anybody looking to machine medical components cost-effectively and reliably needs high-precision tools that have been tested in practice — sometimes with the smallest of dimensions. The tool manufacturer Inovatools from Haunstetten near Kinding in Germany offers the Inomed range of tools for this very purpose.

The FBX drill for flat-bottom drilling of structural aerospace parts launched by Kennametal, delivers high stability and up to 200 % higher metal removal rates when machining high temperature alloys, stainless steel, and other materials.

Germany — Hans Weber Maschinenfabrik and Reichenbacher Hamuel have concluded a comprehensive partnership in the field of additive manufacturing. In a first step, the two Franconian technology companies are merging 3D printing and milling in one system.

Germany — 3D printing of metals is currently changing many production processes in the industry. As a supplement and alternative to foundry technology, the 3DMP process offers an opportunity to manufacture even large workpieces economically in small numbers. This does not necessarily have to be seen as a competition — an additive manufacturing machine could be an ideal expansion of the manufacturing processes offered by foundries.

UK — The subcontract manufacturer JWA Tooling opted for workholding technology from Hainbuch to ensure quick tool changes on several different turning centres, thus increasing overall productivity.