Delcam’s PartMaker CAM software and Open Mind’s hyperMILL are both helping aerospace subcontracting companies boost their productivity, as Andrew Allcock discovers Since implementing Delcam’s PartMaker CAM software in 2002, US-based C&A Tool has not only been able to cope with the increased complexity of the aerospace parts made on the company’s sliding-head machines, it has also become more productive. Founder and president Richard Conrow began his company 40 years ago in a garage in rural Indiana and grew it into a 530-employee organisation with 750,000 ft2 of manufacturing space. The company has a bank of 27 state-of-the-art, multi-axis Star CNC sliding-head lathes.

Machining contracts for the medical sector are reviving nicely, with a string of recent investments driving the competitive stakes even higher. Machinery reports Medical component machining contracts are highly sought, for parts that include interventional cardiology devices (catheters, surgical tools), orthopaedic devices (bone screws, implants, joint replacement parts), minimally invasive surgical devices and equipment (laparoscopic parts), diagnostic instruments, wound care parts (staples, suture anchors and clips), and dental equipment and implants, to name just a few. So what special considerations does the medical market hold for those who wish to make medical parts or devices?

The Apple iPhone is the very model of a modern aspirational gadget. But even as the most recent version demonstrates yet again the insatiable demand for the latest thing, it also reveals that China is about to become more expensive. Products such as mobile phones are stripped down by specialist companies to reveal the costs of various products

Mills CNC unveiled the new Doosan Puma turning centre range at the recent MACH exhibition. At first glance just another range of CNC turning centres, Andrew Allcock visited Mills CNC to hear that it is anything but The significance of the launch of a new range of Puma, single turret CNC turning centres by South Korean machine tool maker Doosan, through Mills CNC here in the UK, might easily be missed, without further analysis

Trumpf’s UK managing director, Hartmut Pannen, has more faith in British manufacturing than do some of the locals. German-born, he offers this more detached view of the country’s position and potential ‘Made in Britain’ is an epithet that was always the gold standard of manufacturing quality – and here’s the good news, it still is

A few years ago, computed tomography (CT) scanning was cited as emerging technology with huge industrial potential. Machinery reviews its progress [video] CT (or CAT) scanning stands for computed (axial) tomography and has its roots in the medical field.

Mantech Sales last year won the contract to distribute Werth Messtechnik’s dimensional measurement machines in the UK. Machinery reviews the Werth range, which boasts a number of novelties [video] Werth is a leading player in multi-sensor CMM technology. Based in Giessen, Germany, it has built a reputation for high quality precision measurement technology

Improved productivity through the application of latest tooling innovations has been achieved by three companies: one in the UK, another in Germany and a third in Jordan. Andrew Allcock reports With a view to streamlining its cutting tool ordering system, reducing inventory levels and cutting tool use, Benham Manufacturing undertook a review of its approach to tooling. Founded in 1978 as DA Benham Engineering, as a supplier of components for the communications industry, the company made the strategic purchase of a precision engineering company in 1995

With a host of new controls and functionality entering the market recently, Machinery picks his way through the G-codes to make sense of it all Do production engineers really need to be intimate with the finer points of CNC functionality? Well, no one chooses a new car without knowing a little about each of the engine specification options available, so, with this in mind, buying a new machine tool without any knowledge of the capabilities offered by the CNC is simply not advisable. CNC preference can bear significant influence on the purchasing decision and, with many machine tool manufacturers offering several CNC options on new models, production engineers would do well to stay in touch with the latest developments

Andrew Allcock reviews recent deburring and surface finishing product developments. Honing on machining centres; a handy lapping unit; and an ultra-efficient abrasive belt all feature Superabrasives specialist Engis UK (01491 411117) has launched a tooling solution that supports honing on standard machining centres.