Editor’s comment for January 2022

I have been surrounded by a host of automated technologies in recent weeks: robots, cobots, flexible manufacturing systems, mechanised machine tool loaders, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) autonomous mobile robots, (AMRs) and intelligent vision systems, all displaying incredible ingenuity in moving and making things without the merest hint of human intervention.

However, ever since I can first recall being made aware of industrial robots (does anyone remember that famous TV advert ‘Hand built by robots’ for the lumpy looking Fiat Strada?) there has always been the debate: do robots create jobs or cost them?

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Ceratizit boosts customer support with new recruits

The appointment of Nev Frisby and Drew Pettifar at Ceratizit UK & Ireland will enhance its customer service on offer.

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Dawson Shanahan celebrates Shelagh Gill’s 50-year career

Precision engineering company Dawson Shanahan is celebrating the career of one of its longest-standing senior leaders, quality manager Shelagh Gill, who is due to retire in February 2022 after nearly half a century in engineering.

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Fastems invest in the UK & Ireland

Fastems is strengthening its salesforce with the appointment of Philip Cattaneo as UK sales manager.

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Mazak reports strong machine tool sales in 2021

The economic rebound from COVID lockdowns enabled Yamazaki Mazak to record a strong year for machine sales in 2021, including a record month in late autumn.

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MSC to open new technology centre in Wednesbury

MSC Industrial Supply, a distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations supplies to industrial customers in the UK, plans to open a new technology centre to support manufacturers and drive engineering excellence.

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Protolabs announces major additive manufacturing breakthrough

Digital manufacturer, Protolabs, has announced a major breakthrough with the launch of vapour smoothing for 3D printed parts.

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View the Subcontractor Sourcing Guide 2022

The Subcontractor Sourcing Guide 2022 is a brand new digital publication to help you source the right subcontract solution for your business.

Mikron’s CrazyDrill introduces twist drill type for stainless steel machining

With CrazyDrill Cool SST-Inox, Mikron Tool has introduced a twist drill type for stainless steels, heat- and acid-resistant steels and chromium-cobalt in the diameter range from 1 up to 6.35mm and for drilling depths from 6 x d to 40 x d.

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5-axis Kitamura offers versatile machining in a single set-up

This highly accurate VMC, Sold in the UK by Dugard, can aggressively machine a wide variety of materials in a single set-up and is ideal for a wide range of complex intricate parts and micromachining applications.

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Choosing the right wear resistance properties in steel explained

Wear exists in many different forms and is often specific to industrial applications and environmental factors. For example, a rock drill bit needs to withstand the impact of airborne rock particles, whereas the bolt-on edge of an excavator bucket needs to resist the effects of abrasive rock being dragged across it.

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Walter outlines latest turning, milling innovations for 2022

Walter Tools has released a video outlining its latest innovations for 2022, including products for turning, drilling, threading and milling.

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Seco explains how to manage micro vibrations in machining

Seco Tools has released a 49 minute video, the latest in a series of Getting Technical broadcasts, examining how to co-exist in harmony with micro-vibrations in machining.

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Kingsbury speaks to precision-critical customer ATC about its Hermle machines

Kingsbury speaks to one of its customers, ATC, a manufacturer of precision critical, high quality, high accuracy devices for the medical and aerospace markets.

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