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The StarCut Tube machine has
been used for a range of projects
Micrometric invests in a new laser machine
Lincoln-based manufacturing rm
Micrometric has invested in a new
high precision laser machine to
boost its manufacturing capabilities
in various sectors.
The rm produces ne parts and
precision components for customers
in the UK and abroad, has installed
Coherent’s StarCut Tube system to
its range of cutting equipment.
The fully automated machine is
designed to laser cut, drill and mark
tubular or at metal components
and is traditionally used by
subcontract manufacturers to
produce exclusive medical
instruments with high precision.
Since investing, Micrometric’s
workforce have found new uses for
this machine; producing a range of
tube components in large volumes,
as well as ner, more precise parts
for a wide range of sectors other
than medical.
Neil Main, managing director at
Micrometric, said the machine
delivers the “required performance”
for a range of projects and has a
long, low-maintenance lifetime.
The machine has been used to
cut, assemble and weld complex
medical and aerospace components
for rms which produce aerospace
lters, automated injection needles,
endoscopy components and MRI
scanning equipment.
Covid-19 heavily impacts 600
Group’s performance
Industrial engineering company 600
Group has reported in its interim
results that the Covid-19 pandemic
caused “signi cant disruption” and
impacted its performance in the six
months ending 30 September.
The West Yorkshire-based rm’s
revenues fell by 29% to £19m
compared to the same period in
2019, which it mainly attributes to
the impact of Covid-19.
600 Group’s overview notes said
the six month period ending 30
September 2020 “bore the brunt of
the impact from the Covid-19
pandemic” and it traded at a loss in
May and June, as all facilities were
affected by local and national
shutdowns and the UK factory
operation closed completely in May.
The company added that debt
levels have stabilised as a result of
signi cant steps taken in the prior
year to de-risk the business.
Paul Dupee, executive chairman,
said the Group has responded
quickly to the challenges, reducing
costs and keeping core
competencies together.
He added: “Whilst short-term
macro-economic uncertainty
remains, I am con dent we will
come out of this crisis a stronger
and leaner business.”
briefs
Liberty Steel has committed to new investments at its South Yorkshire Greensteel
production hub in Rotherham to supply the transport, defence and construction
sectors, as part of the UK government’s Build Back Better plan.
The investments, totalling more than £60m, will remove production
bottlenecks at its electric arc furnace (N-Furnace) and small bloom caster
in Rotherham, helping the business to double existing steel output to one
million tonnes per annum.
Liberty will launch a public tender to upgrade its N-Furnace for
increased scrap steel melting, make upgrades to Thrybergh Bar Mill and
install a new rod block to produce wire rod and de-bar in coil.
At the same time, Liberty has also agreed a deal with Acenta Steel, to
combine their engineering bar divisions to “deliver a stronger, more
ef cient high precision steel business supplying industrial customers”.
The deal will create Aartee Bright Bar, a UK bright bar steel used for
high quality components in the automotive, general engineering,
hydraulics and yellow goods industries.
Julian Schoch, existing managing director of the Liberty Engineering
Bar division, will be chief executive of the combined business which will
have operations in South Yorkshire and the Midlands.
Siemens technology helped postgraduate students at Middlesex University
complete a project after Covid-19 closed the campus and stopped them accessing
physical equipment in their labs.
The MSc Mechatronic Systems Engineering students task was to
prototype a conveyor belt system that acts as a segue between a robot
arm and a Festo CP Factory.
They used Siemens’ innovative Connected Curriculum - which bundles
industrial hardware and software with simulation environments, data,
curriculum examples, case studies, and real-life problem-solving tutorials.
The initiative was created by Siemens because the rapid pace of
technology development means the only way academia can keep-up is by
partnering more closely with industry.
Luke Bennett, associate lecturer in Design Engineering at Middlesex
University, said: “This is the rst time we applied the remote solution. The
main advantage was its phenomenal connectivity. The system allowed
connectivity to different technologies and hardware and software.
“We can use these digital techniques again for giving access to a
much wider number of students to be able to get access to a system like
this, particularly using Mindsphere.”
Machinery Classifi ed - January 2021, issue 1 7
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