Get ready to experience SHOP TALK LIVE, a virtual event hosted by Hypertherm Associates and designed to provide participants exclusive access to industry experts across cutting technologies, applications, and industries. Featured technologies include: Hypertherm® plasma | OMAX® waterjets | ProNest® & Robotmaster® software Conversation starters: Have you optimized operations to combat a skilled labor shortage? Is your shop making the most from digitization? Do you want to improve bevel, hole, and robotic cutting? Are you leaving money on the table with consumables? Let’s talk! SHOP TALK LIVE will tackle these topics and more with actionable recommendations. What’s on your mind? Submit a question during registration for inclusion in our industry expert’s roundtable.

Ten years ago, Flux Rose began as one engineer’s idea for a smart ceiling rose. What followed was a decade of graft, risk-taking, and resilience — from late nights building prototypes in a garage to delivering full electronic design and manufacturing services under one roof. In this reflective piece, our founder shares how a single product idea, a few key decisions, and a belief in making things that matter shaped Flux Rose into what it is today.

Production lines rely on effective procurement strategies to help keep businesses operating as usual. It is your responsibility as a procurement officer to do this. You are the person who buys the fuel for the engine to run. This takes the form of a steady supply of components that meet the required quality standards, ensuring timely deliveries and availability in the right quantities, all within budget. Whilst high-value parts like A and B receive the most attention, the less visible, lower-cost C parts are equally important. Due to their lower cost, there might be more temptation to overlook these parts, but they are essential to the integrity and functionality of the final product. Overlooking the importance of C parts can lead to increased costs, excessive administrative burdens, and even production halts. This guide will provide you with everything you need to know about C-parts—from understanding their significance to optimising their procurement—our speciality. As you explore our guide, you’ll encounter small tasks designed to enhance your understanding of C-part procurement in relation to your business operations. Whilst we encourage you to complete these tasks, simply reading the guide will still provide valuable insights.

When you need solutions for multiple particulate control, it isn’t worth overcomplicating things. It makes sense to work with someone who can handle it all for you. The NRC is one of the main providers of further education in Northern Ireland, teaching thousands of students and apprentices in Science, Health, Advanced Technologies and more. Some of their state of the art workshops required updated, state of the art extraction systems to improve air quality. Read the article by visiting the website.

The need for clean air and optimised airflow is vital in most industries. Despite this, the development of the air filtration industry has stagnated - until now. By combining digital solutions with traditional air filtration, industries can now seamlessly connect to their filtration products by a computer or smart phone, to ensure that everything works properly. Magnus Edmén, Nederman Head of Sales in EMEA, believes that this will lead to a significantly better working environment as well as reduced costs. Read more by visiting the website.

Airtech Advanced Materials Group is pleased to announce the integration of Kimya’s high-performance filament portfolio into its established range of pellets and filaments for Additive Manufacturing applications. This strategic enhancement includes Kimya’s technical filament materials, development and production capabilities, validation equipment, and intellectual property — further expanding Airtech’s offering for large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) and high-performance thermoplastic applications. Production of these high-quality filaments will soon begin at Airtech Europe headquarters in Luxembourg, EU, and will be offered alongside Airtech’s trusted Dahltram® pellet and filament resins. This integration supports Airtech’s goal to deliver a broader portfolio of additive manufacturing materials with reliable global availability and strong technical support. “Airtech is excited to bring Kimya filaments to the global market and build on the great foundation of quality and technical support they had established,” said Gregory Haye, Director of Additive Manufacturing at Airtech Advanced Materials Group. “We found Kimya’s portfolio to be highly aligned with our technical and customer-focused approach at Airtech to develop, sell, and support our family of high-performance resins. These materials are very complementary to our existing offerings, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds as we work to scale Kimya filaments to global markets and launch new and exciting formulations.” This development reinforces Airtech’s commitment to providing advanced material solutions for the additive manufacturing industry, supporting both new and existing customers with expanded capabilities and global reach.

Airtech, a family-owned leader in composites manufacturing for over 50 years, stands as the world’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of vacuum bagging and composite tooling materials. Serving diverse industries such as aerospace, automotive, and wind energy, Airtech has consistently pushed the boundaries of advanced materials, becoming a recognised leader in sustainable innovation. In June 2024, Airtech won the prestigious TCT Award in the Automotive & Rail Application category for their groundbreaking “Closed-Loop Motorsport Tooling” project. In partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Airtech transformed old carbon-fibre moulds from the 2022 Pikes Peak race into new, high-quality 3D printed moulds using their recycled Dahltram® C-250CF material. This project not only played a pivotal role in Brumos Racing Car’s world record at the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb but also demonstrated the transformative potential of circular lifecycle manufacturing by saving over 300lbs of material from landfills and reducing the demand for new polymer production. Reinforcing their position as industry leaders, Airtech’s expertise extends beyond this project to include innovations in vacuum bagging films, composite tooling materials, large-scale 3D printing, and advanced sustainable resins like Dahltram® T-100GF and Dahltram® I-350CF. These advancements ensure Airtech remains at the forefront of industry evolution and sustainability. Visitors to the Advanced Engineering show can witness these cutting-edge solutions firsthand, including the award-winning mould tool from the “Closed-Loop Motorsport Tooling” project, at stand U160. Join Airtech to discover how they are shaping the future of sustainable composites manufacturing.

BINDT was delighted to support Lavender International in a recent science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiative at the JCB Academy in Rocester, an academy focused on engineering and business, educating students from Year 9 to Sixth Form.    The nine-week initiative began in April with an assembly for the entire Year 10 cohort, where Sam Cunningham, Group Sales Manager at Lavender International and Vice President of BINDT, introduced the challenge. Rebecca Mulholland, BINDT’s Outreach Coordinator, followed with an overview of the Institute and its work in non-destructive testing (NDT). The challenge was designed to complement the students’ curriculum, particularly in areas such as quality control and quality assurance. It aimed to give them a deeper understanding of NDT and its real-world applications within industry.   In May, Lavender International staff, Sam Cunningham and Louie Ashmore, alongside BINDT STEM volunteer Roy Thiis, visited the academy to deliver practical, hands-on sessions in ultrasonic testing, dye penetrant testing and magnetic particle testing. Teachers reported that the students thoroughly enjoyed these sessions, appreciating the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge practically. The students were then tasked with designing and manufacturing a go/no-go gauge to perform quality control on spacer parts and callipers. Utilising computer-aided design (CAD) software and laser cutters, they created their designs on acrylic. Following a class-level competition, where each group tested a batch of spacers and callipers using their gauges, approximately eight groups advanced to the final round.   The final was judged by Sam and Jemma Bevis from Lavender International, alongside Rebecca. Students completed a timed, marked quality control test using their gauges, followed by team presentations outlining their work, learning experiences and insights into quality assurance and NDT.

Unison Ltd, the UK-based inventor of all-electric tube manipulation, will present the capabilities of its full range of tube & wire bending machines at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2026. In addition to tube and wire manipulation technologies, visitors to Stand G270 will also be able to learn more about the high quality, intelligently priced fibre laser cutting machines available from Unison’s sister company, Nukon Lasers UK. As Britain’s leading manufacturer of tube bending machines, Unison offers all-electric benders for tube diameters from 4 mm to 275 mm. Available in single-stack, multi-stack, left/right, pinball and twinhead versions, these advanced machines provide rapid, automatic setup, fast tooling changes and right-first-time repeatability – all supported by exceptional power and rigid mechanical design. Also available, Unison’s hybrid-electric, dual-stack machines were developed to make the company’s quality and reliability accessible to even more businesses involved in tube manipulation. 50 mm and 80 mm maximum tube diameter hybrid-electric models are available. On show and operational on Stand G270 will be one of Unison’s innovative EvBend 1000 manually operated, CNC-controlled tube bending machines. Designed for low volume, high-accuracy prototyping and production, Unison EvBend models are used across aerospace and MRO, Formula 1 and the oil & gas industry, where they provide 3-axis mandrel, multi-plane bending at a fraction of the cost of fully automated machines. Legendary quality, service and support “Southern Manufacturing & Electronics is incredibly important to us,” says Unison Ltd’s joint managing director, Alan Pickering. “At the 2026 event we look forward to showing even more UK subcontractors and manufacturers how all their tube and wire manipulation and laser-cutting needs are available from a British-based company that is renowned for providing uncompromising levels of service, support and aftersales care.”

The award-winning booth brought together several key divisions of the Busch Group: the two brands Busch Vacuum Solutions and Pfeiffer Vacuum+Fab Solutions, alongside Vacuum Furnace Engineering (VFE) and Busch Autoclave Solutions. This unified presence highlighted the strength and breadth of the Busch Group portfolio, demonstrating its ability to provide comprehensive vacuum solutions across a variety of industries. Connecting with industry leaders The event attracted key professionals from sectors such as automotive, aerospace, metallurgy and composites. Throughout the show, the Busch Group delivered a clear and consistent message: “Vacuum Efficiency. Solved.” This emphasized its role as a complete partner in achieving optimal vacuum process efficiency. Visitors had the opportunity to meet experts from Busch and experience efficient vacuum, autoclave and vacuum furnace solutions firsthand, along with dependable service offerings, upgrades and tailored system solutions. Further technical insight was shared at the Composites Forum, where Busch presented “Best Practices for Minimizing the Risk of Cure Failures in Autoclaves,” providing practical strategies to enhance reliability in composite manufacturing processes. Tim Hulbert, General Manager of Busch UK, commented, “We are delighted with the success of this year’s show. Winning the Best Stand Award and seeing such strong engagement from visitors reflect our ongoing commitment to innovation, efficiency, and excellence in vacuum solutions.”

The COBRA DH series encompasses compact and intelligent screw vacuum pumps with an integrated vacuum booster. With a nominal pumping speed range of 2,700 to 6,200 m³/h, they ensure fast cycle times and low operating costs. The series is ideal for industrial applications such as coating, lithium-ion battery production, solar technology, or metallurgy. High performance for demanding environments COBRA DH vacuum pumps operate based on dry, contact-free screw technology that minimizes wear and extends service intervals. The advanced screw design enhances vapor and particle tolerance, which is especially beneficial in demanding processes such as coating. Additionally, the gas-tight vacuum pumps minimize the risk of contamination. Thanks to its high pumping speed, the COBRA DH series enables fast evacuation and reduced cycle times – key factors in improving process efficiency. The vacuum pumps are equipped with a variable speed drive (VSD), which allows them to adjust their rotational speed to match the required vacuum level, reducing energy consumption. Efficient water cooling ensures uniform temperature distribution, maintaining thermal stability and supporting continuous operation even under demanding thermal loads. Energy-efficient operation for all processes One of the standout features of the COBRA DH vacuum pumps is their high energy efficiency. Additionally, they can be equipped with the optional energy-saving module VacBoost, which reduces their energy consumption even further. During breaks in manufacturing, the vacuum pump automatically switches to standby mode, operating at a reduced speed. This conserves energy while keeping the vacuum pump ready for a quick ramp-up when needed.

Maulburg, December 03, 2024 – This year was the first time Busch took place in the ranking, and the company achieved an impressive result. The honour reflects the company’s unwavering commitment to optimizing its sustainability efforts and setting high standards. Roland Zundl, Managing Director of Dr.-Ing. K. Busch GmbH says: “This medal is an important milestone and shows that we are on the right track. We will continue to step up our efforts to become more sustainable in all areas of the company.” The EcoVadis ranking has been evaluating companies on a variety of sustainability criteria since 2007, including environmental impact, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable sourcing. So far, more than 130,000 companies from over 180 countries have been surveyed. With its results, Dr.-Ing. K. Busch GmbH ranks in the top 35% of organizations rated by EcoVadis over the last 12 months. The EcoVadis medal is an important sign of the Busch Group’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, as well as acting as motivation for the future.

Effective September 2025, the gas abatement systems for the semiconductor industry previously offered under this brand will be integrated into the Pfeiffer portfolio and be available under this name in the future, uniting the two members of the global Busch Group. Cutting-edge fab solutions from a trusted brand By consolidating the product portfolio of centrotherm clean solutions under a single, unified brand, customers will benefit from the convenience of sourcing high-quality vacuum solutions for the semiconductor industry and related sectors from a one-stop, trusted supplier. Within the Group, Pfeiffer Vacuum+Fab Solutions is the renowned brand for high and ultra-high vacuum, providing innovative, cutting-edge solutions for demanding applications in research and development, analytics, industry, and semiconductor. Sami Busch, Co-Owner and Co-CEO of the Busch Group, states: “Bringing our product portfolio for the semiconductor industry together under our strong and well-established brand Pfeiffer Vacuum+Fab Solutions further streamlines our product offering. This enhances our ability to serve semiconductor and related industries with high-quality end-to-end solutions – not only for vacuum generation but also for related critical applications such as leak detection or contamination management. This step underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional value and support to our customers worldwide.” Comprehensive portfolio for the semiconductor market Busch acquired centrotherm clean solutions in 2023, implementing its industry-leading gas abatement expertise into its broader portfolio. The products now being integrated into the Pfeiffer brand are primarily used in the semiconductor industry but also, for example, in the production of MEMS, LEDs, solar cells, and flat panel displays. The offering comprises standardized gas abatement systems as well as individual customized systems and overall environmental solutions.

The term “Automation” was coined in 1946, when Ford engineer Del Harder named the department that would replace the company’s research and experimentation assembly-line workers with machines. He took the noun “Automation” meaning self-operating mechanism, and turned it into a verb “to automate”. Today, there is a growing awareness that automation can greatly improve productivity and increase supply chain transparency across all industries, including rail. However, the technology selected for inventory management determines the level of visibility you have across a facility. Here Chris Billinge, business development director of supply chain specialist TFC, explains the capabilities of digital inventory management technology in the rail industry.