Visitors 'FLO' to Floyd Stand at MACH 2016

19 April 2016

The 9am start at MACH 2016 as opposed to the 9.30am show opening of years gone by was a positive point for specialist tooling supplier Floyd Automatic. The five day show yielded exceptional enquiry levels and a number of sales for specific tooling lines.

Giving his feedback on the show, Floyd Automatic Tooling, Managing Director, Mr Richard Floyd says: "What an outstanding event. The general perception prior to the show was scepticism and even trepidation, but as soon as the doors opened at 9am on Monday morning, we were receiving good quality enquiries. The footfall at MACH from very early on was extremely positive; we will definitely sell tools from enquiries received before the show even warmed up."

From a Floyd Automatic perspective, the enquiries were being taken for its Mowidec TT spindle centring system, the extensive range of knurling tools and the new Applitec line of ZBT and ZXT tools with laser generated chip-breakers.
The Mowidec-TT made its MACH debut two years ago; however its popularity continues to grow as MACH 2016 proved. The innovative spindle centring system enables the user to perfectly centre tools on the main or counter spindles of turning centres to improve accuracy, performance and tool life with a simple and fast method. With the Mowidec-TT, centring is conducted without any complicated equipment or training and is so simple that users start centring systematically, thereby benefitting from enhanced tool life and productivity. These benefits were immediately noted by show visitors.

From a cutting tool perspective, it was the Applitec line of ZX turning inserts that drew the crowds. This line has been developed to deal with long swarf fragments that are generated by problematic material types in compact work envelopes. Whereas traditional X-geometry inserts are not ideal for swarf breaking, the Applitec ZX line incorporates sharp cutting edges that can control swarf particularly well. This is credit to innovative tool geometries that have been generated by a unique laser processing technique. It was the latest ZXB and ZXT laser generated chipbreakers that really impressed show visitors with their ability to deliver excellent surface finishes, exceptional precision and tool life with outstanding chip control.

As well as the exceptional Applitec program, Floyd Automatic Tooling gathered an impressive level of leads for its new knurling system for straight cut profiles. Provided by principal supplier Hommel & Keller GmbH, the new RF-LD series of knurling tool is ideal for small automatic screw machines and sliding head turning centres. The Hommel & Keller system is capable of reducing setting times by up to 70%. This simplified setting also increases process-safety whilst delivering very precise knurling profiles.

Looking back on the event, Mr Floyd concludes: "The show proved a resounding success for our business. More than ever, we were receiving a higher number of enquiries from engineers looking for solutions to specific problems as opposed to engineers looking out of general interest. In the weeks and months to come, we are confident that we'll be able convert many of these enquiries into business, as our specialist lines are unavailable from alternate tooling vendors."