Coventry-based
Advanced Grinding Solutions (AGS) has confirmed that 2023 was the company’s best-ever year for machine sales, with orders received in December alone reaching around £1.8 million and the total order intake for the year approaching £14.5 million. Leading the way were Rollomatic tool-grinding machines with significant numbers of machines sold to the UK’s cutting-tool industry; meanwhile, various manufacturing companies in Ireland ordered Rollomatic machines for manufacturing medical parts, drills, and special tooling for the mould industry.
Chris Boraston, AGS’s managing director, said: “The UK remains a large market for Rollomatic tool-grinding machines, with more rotary cutting tools manufactured here on Rollomatics than on all other brands put together. 2023 was a remarkable success story for Rollomatic as mainstream UK manufacturers of end mills, drills, burrs, and other such tools purchased more machines than ever before. Rollomatic also supplied a number of its NP machines for cylindrical grinding associated with the blank preparation of cutting tools, as well as for more specialised tools for the mould and die industry.
“The last week of December rounded off a fabulous year here for Rollomatic with an Irish manufacture of drills purchasing their first Rollomatic grinding machine. It was also extremely pleasing for us to sell several six-axis Rollomatics for the manufacture of carbide inserts. 2023 saw the UK sale of another of Rollomatic’s special laser machines for the manufacture of PCD tools. The Rollomatic LaserSmart 810XL is designed to produce cutting tools in ultra-hard materials and features six simultaneously interpolated CNC axes — and an automatic robot with a capacity for 30 parts is included as standard.
“Tschudin also enjoyed record UK sales of its centreless grinding machines with several more being supplied into the UK and Ireland; these comprised multiple Cube machines and a Proline400 machine. Tschudin Cube centreless grinding machines (as pictured) use Tschudin’s patented W axis, which has the workrest blade mounted onto its own CNC axis and allows for parts to be loaded to it outside of the grinding area, making loading efficient, fast, and very safe. Furthermore, linear direct drives on the X, U and W axes ensure flexibility and productivity, with the Cube being specifically developed for grinding small components with part diameters up to 20mm.
“Most of the machines sold by AGS in 2023 were equipped with Comat Superfiltration systems, which deliver a filtration quality of under 3um throughout the entire working cycle for maximised part quality and coolant consistency. The final sale for AGS in 2023 was a Magnetfinish deburring machine, which in this case will be used for processing small pins for a major automotive parts manufacturer. This £500k machine will be equipped with three robots and will automatically deburr and then wash and dry parts before placing them back into pallets. It has an output of some 180 parts per hour.”