Derby-based Foremost Specialist Products has invested in a new Sodick ALC600G CNC wire-erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM to help it take on the “complex and awkward parts that no else wants to tackle”.

Engineering director Joe Walker said: “We won a contract for a tricky part, but our existing EDM couldn’t offer four-axis cutting — and it didn’t have enough memory to take on the job anyway.

"The task was to produce a number of cross-holes in stainless-steel stem guides for turbines used in power generators. The holes are angled in two planes and must be held to extremely tight tolerances.”

Although Foremost had never owned a Sodick EDM before, when Mr Walker looked for a suitable machine capable of processing the stem guides and other complex parts, he was drawn to Sodi-Tech EDM (www.Sodi-TechEDM.co.uk).

“I really liked the feel of the Sodick ALC600G; such were its capabilities that it felt as if we would be moving from a small hatchback to a supercar.

"I was also attracted to the excellent technical support on offer from Sodi-Tech EDM — vital for a company such as Foremost, where complex parts are our core business.”