MACH 2024: Automation solutions from Hydrafeed

Automation will form the central theme on Hydrafeed’s stand at MACH 2024 where the Milton Keynes-based company will be emphasising just how important automation is to the future of UK manufacturing in terms of continuing to be competitive on the global stage.

“Compared to other manufacturing nations, automation in the UK is lagging behind and that means we’re in danger of losing our competitive edge,” warns Hydrafeed’s managing director Martyn Page.

“One of our primary objectives at Hydrafeed is to dispel the misconceptions around automation – the main one being that it will replace humans and lead to reductions in headcount.

“In our experience, that’s simply not the case,” he adds. “The reality is that automation allows processes to be streamlined and potentially creates new or extended roles for skilled labour. Why have skilled people doing dangerous or mundane and repetitive work when a robot is better suited to the task in hand? This releases skilled staff to undertake more creative duties.”

Visitors to the Hydrafeed stand can expect to see robotic loading systems from Belgian manufacturer RoboJob for both turning and milling applications. Both of the systems on display at MACH will only be part of the robotic equipment portfolio offered by Hydrafeed which also includes a range of towers, racks and modular extensions.  

The company’s products are ideal for manufacturers that undertake a wide range of small to medium batch quantities, allowing jobs to be changed over in less than 30 minutes with operators needing no robotic programming experience.

In addition to RoboJob equipment, Hydrafeed will be exhibiting products aimed at optimising turning processes, some never exhibited in the UK before. For example, an unloading system, the Return Speed, which allows shafts of up to 1.5m long to be automatically unloaded from the sub-spindle of any CNC lathe, will make its UK debut at MACH.

Along with the Return Speed, innovative full length magazine bar feed systems from Italian company Top Automazioni will be showcased for both fixed and sliding head machines. Unlike some conventional equipment, these bar feeds need no additional guide channel systems, allowing bar changes in less than one minute.

Staying with bar feeds, Hydrafeed will also be exhibiting its short magazine systems which are suitable for any fixed head machine with bar capacities from 5mm to 110mm diameter.

Completing the automation theme will be a new product from Hydrafeed – Rotary-PRO – a simple standalone conveyor/rotary table designed and built by Hydrafeed in the UK allowing customers to safely convey and store delicate finished components from any CNC turning machine.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors to our stand at the NEC in April,” Mr Page concludes. “Our UK-based support team will be delighted to discuss any of our products and how they could help your business become more efficient and ultimately more profitable.”

Hydrafeed
https://hydrafeed.co.uk
Hall 19, Stand 140