UK NEWS

Rainford presents latest tooling at MACH 2024

At the MACH 2024 exhibition in Birmingham this week (15-19 April), Rainford Precision is
presenting its latest cutting tool solutions from brands such as Union Tool, Louis Bélet,
Delmeco, Gloor, HOBE, Osawa, DTS, Iwata, 6C Tools, Swissceramill and ATOM. These
respective partners specialise in the manufacture of drills, end mills, reamers, boring bars,
thread mills, slitting saws and more.
Within this diverse portfolio are tools for specialist applications and material types, such as
the Hufschmied brand of milling tools. The Graftor range of end mills from Hufschmied are
specifically for machining graphite, and Rainford says the range can double productivity
rates and tool life in comparison with rival tools.

Offering such a varied platform of specialist cutting tools and micro-tool solutions, Rainford
has recently invested in a Keyence digital microscope to provide a complete tool
investigation and consultancy service for customers in the UK and Ireland. With a niche in
the micro-tooling sphere, Rainford has acquired the new Keyence VHX-970FN digital
microscope to assist customers in diagnosing issues and maximising the performance of
micro and precision cutting tools.
Providing dozens of tooling lines below 1 mm diameter, Rainford says it operates beyond
the remit and scale of other cutting tool vendors. It is here that the new service will
optimise and enhance tool service life and performance for clients.
Commenting on the new investment, Rainford Precision managing director Miles Evans
says: “When you’re servicing customers with tools below 0.5 mm in diameter, diagnosing
and optimising tool life and performance is a challenge. The Keyence system will enable us
to provide a unique service to our customers within the cutting tool marketplace.”
For further information www.rainfordprecision.com

Mills CNC becomes Heidenhain training partner

Mills CNC’s Training Academy has become an official Heidenhain training partner; the first
and only training organisation in the UK to achieve this accreditation. The process for
becoming a Heidenhain training partner began in earnest for the CNC Training Academy (the
training division of Mills CNC) back in October 2023. In the first instance, it involved two
members of staff – Karen Earley (manager of the CNC Training Academy) and Darren Clarke
(trainer) – undertaking an intensive, week-long training programme at Heidenhain’s
operation in Traunreut, Germany.


This activity was followed by both Earley and Clarke returning to Heidenhain’s facility two
weeks later to take three exams, culminating in both running specific and separate live
training courses for Heidenhain training personnel. Having successfully passed their exams
and the live training practice element, the official Heidenhain training partner standard was
awarded to the CNC Training Academy in March 2024.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk/training

ITC provides solution for composite expert

Melton Mowbray based KS Composites has continually evolved over the past 40 years to become a global expert in composite and GRP development and manufacturing for sectors that include motorsport, marine, energy, rail, aviation and defence. Here, the company relies on cutting tool experts at Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) to deliver results.

Operating out of a 48,000 sq ft manufacturing facility that accommodates more than 100 employees, KS Composites has a long-standing relationship with ITC, as business development manager Dan Johnston explains: “We use ITC cutting tools due to the great working relationship we have with the team and the excellent service we receive. Whether discussing new advancements in tooling technology or looking at building a package of tools to support a project, ITC always give great advice. Even better is the on-site support in running trials to confirm that tooling works as stated.”

KS Composites uses ITC face mills, end mills, ball-nose cutters, drills and taps among other niche tooling, which help the company to machine patterns, moulds, jigs, components, inserts, props and models. In addition, the business has an on-site vending solution from ITC with a comprehensive stock level that ITC keeps fully serviced.

Looking at the cost savings derived from the ITC range of cutting tools, Johnston says: “When we conducted a full cost analysis of our tooling and the total material removed, it’s clear that the ITC tooling is great value for money. We’ve managed to control costs over the years and ITC has helped to improve efficiencies while enabling our business to embrace the very latest tooling technology for composite machining.”

For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Guhring builds relationship based on results

LMS Precision Engineering has trusted its tooling supplier for over 35 years. Scott Street, a partner at Droitwich-based LMS, says: “We’re a family-run business with main sectors of interest that include aerospace and general subcontract machining. We’ve always had a great relationship with Guhring.”

Chris Bush from Guhring takes up the narrative: “LMS uses the whole spectrum of our cutting tools, whether that’s milling cutters, drills, taps or thread mills – in fact, everything through to the TM [Tool Management] vending machine. LMS was one of the first customers to see the advantages of a TM vending machine, which allows them to put their resources in providing components rather than manually ordering tools, looking for tools and managing tool stocks.”

Guhring can build TM vending solutions to a customer’s specific requirements. The system will control and monitor tool consumption and spending, with reporting for complete visibility. The main benefits of the Guhring TM vending solutions include 24/7 controlled tool availability and the prevention of production stoppages due to tool availability. It will also eliminate loss and theft, create employee awareness of tooling costs and the system can communicate with customer IT systems.

Recalling specific product lines, Street says: “We had a lot of joy with the Guhring VA series drill and now there’s the new InoxPro drill, which is bringing us faster run times than ever before. We use Guhring for everything, including end mills such as high-speed rippers, through-coolant drills, high-speed steel drills, stub drills – absolutely everything.”

Alluding to the application of the latest-generation tools, he adds: “The latest tools have given us the confidence to run lights-out, reducing the number of tools we need to stock and providing us with full visibility of all tool usage and tool performance.”

For further information www.guhring.co.uk

New faces at Dugard

Machine tool supplier Dugard has once again strengthened its team with the appointment of two new area sales managers. Liam Scaramuzza will enhance the company’s sales activities in the north of England, while Renny Thomas has joined to target sales in the southeast. Sales director Colin Thomson says: “Both Liam and Renny have a proven track record in the industry with a technical understanding and the ability to solve problems for customers that will be a genuine asset to Dugard. They have spent several years working with manufacturers in their respective regions.”

For further information www.dugard.com