MACH 2024 Review
such as the Genos M460-5AX VMC, which was one of the first Okuma machines to be exhibited in the UK with the manufacturer’s new OSP 500 control. It certainly captured the imagination of visitors, as Marketing Manager Vicky Knight reported: “After a consistently busy week at MACH it’s been great to see industry positivity and these initial conversations evolve into investments.” Machines making their first MACH appearance were a common theme. Indeed, there were three debutants on the stand of Matsuura: the four-axis horizontal H.Plus-405 PC12 with twelve 500 mm² pallets for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing; the MX-850 single-table five-axis machining centre, now the largest in the MX series; and the Muratec MWR120G CNC multi-tasking turn-mill centre with front-facing twin spindles equipped with live-tool Y axis and milling function. Yamazaki Mazak said it drew thousands of visitors to its stand. The company’s recent emphasis on entry-level machines created exceptionally strong interest, while further development of Mazak’s NC Mazatrol Smooth also drew the attention of visitors. UK Managing Director Alan Mucklow said: “The quality of the visitors to our stand, many of whom had a very high intention to invest in new technology, resulted in one of our best-ever UK exhibition performances. MACH 2024 proved that UK manufacturing is in good health.”
Able to corroborate this belief was Mills CNC, which took 30 machine orders on the show’s largest stand. A cursory glance at the list reveals multiple orders for DN Solutions Lynx and Puma lathes, DNM vertical machining centres, an SMX turn-mill machine, a SYNERGi automated manufacturing cell, and two high- speed tapping centres. The company also says a number of leads related to turnkey and process improvement project work, specifically involving Zayer machines. A large-capacity Zayer XIOS G MT horizontal bed mill took pride of place on the stand. “The feedback we received from customers and visitors alike has been overwhelmingly positive,” stated CEO Tony Dale. The show’s biggest machine was a Correa Fox 60 bridge-type milling machine with enormous travel distances of 6,000, 4,250 and 1,750 mm in the X, Y and Z axes respectively. The machine took pride of place on the stand of British partner DTS UK, which at MACH took an order for two Correa Axia travelling-column CNC milling machines and two Fox M gantry CNC milling machines from long-standing customer WEC Group. A cut above MACH 2024 also proved a great platform for cutting tool manufacturers, with Ceratizit a case in point. The company scanned circa 2000 visitors on to its stand, all keen to see new innovations such as the patented MaxiMill-211-
21 Machinery & Manufacturing
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