A wide range of materials are used in CNC machining, making it one of the most versatile methods in modern precision manufacturing. Most metals are compatible with CNC machining, alongside several plastics and polymers, and even certain foams. Your choice of material hinges on the purpose of the component, the environment in which it will be used, it’s stress load, and your production budget.

Precision engineering is now one of the most widely used techniques in manufacturing, responsible for manufacturing the majority of everyday items, alongside specialist and precision components used in engines, pumps, and machinery.

Few people foresaw the Covid-19 pandemic and, in a world in which global supply chains had become the norm for many businesses, disruption was unsurprisingly high. With many countries implementing lockdowns at different times, manufacturing hubs subjected to short-notice closure, and international shipping routes restricted, supply chains have suffered. Furthermore, unstable political climates have forced many businesses to evaluate their dependence on international suppliers and markets.

Think packaging is easy? Think again! There are multiple hurdles to navigate, and one of these is quality. At any stage of a project, quality matters. Sometimes it only matters slightly, and sometimes it matters a lot. A 0.001 mm difference in a deep hole volume might mean nothing on a pushbike but might result in catastrophe for a plane.

Honing and lapping are often mentioned in the same breath as if they were interchangeable terms, and the two processes do share some similarities. 

However, honing and lapping are, in fact, two distinct processes with fundamental differences. In this article, we discuss what each process refers to in the world of precision machining, and the pros and cons of each:

Selecting a good UK based CNC machining/precision engineering partner has important implications for the success of your project. If you make the right choice, then you will benefit from increased productivity, shorter project turnaround time, and lower production costs. Get it wrong, and you could be faced with delays, hidden costs, errors, and unforeseen complications.

After a storm comes the sunshine, and that is certainly the picture emerging from the UK manufacturing sector as businesses step blinking into the sunlight after a very tough 18 months. It’s not going to be an easy task to rebuild to the position we were in in late 2019 but, despite all the dark murmurings about recessions last year, the Covid recovery has been fast and strong, with many people expecting the country to regain its pre-pandemic position by the end of 2021. 

The 2021 annual Collaborate To Innovate (C2I) awards, organised by The Engineer magazine, are now open for submissions until 3^rd September 2021. The award scheme, now in its sixth year, seeks to identify and promote the most innovative collaborative engineering projects in the UK manufacturing and civil engineering sector.

For our machines to work their best, we need to feed them accurate information. Here are a few pitfalls that can occur in the world of precision drilling, and how you can avoid them.

The pandemic has been tough on the Aerospace industry, though it today wouldn't exist without outsourced, precision-engineered components. Unlike most land vehicles, almost no modern aircraft are designed, constructed, and tested entirely in-house. Due to the sheer number and diversity of disparate aeroplane, spacecraft, satellite, and helicopter components, aerospace manufacturing typically relies on a scattered production chain of outsourced commissions, to design and build each separate part to fit a grand overall plan.