PDJ Vibro wins orders for eight machines at MACH 2014

Managing director David Hurley reports: "It was the best exhibition that we have ever attended, in terms of the quality of visitors and the number of orders taken. "We welcomed over 200 visitors onto our stand during the week and confidently expect the level of business resulting from the show to rise during the coming months." Sheffield Machine Knife (SMK) is typical of companies that are currently buying new, low-cost vibratory finishing machines, instead of opting for second-hand equipment, says Mr Hurley. Used machines are becoming more and more difficult to find in the UK, owing to fewer firms going out of business now that the recession is over. Sheffield-based SMK specialises in the manufacture of knives for food processing, packaging and converting, and also produces blades for use in the recycling, waste management and plastics industries. Works manager Steve Cupitt says that the company's M2 and M42 steel products are not finished in vibratory equipment, as they undergo further processes, but grade 420 stainless steel knives visit a vibratory bowl before being ground and prepared for despatch. A bowl that had performed many decades of reliable service needed to be replaced, so Mr Cupitt reviewed three alternative suppliers. A PDJ Vibro machine with 300-litre useable volume was selected as it was more than 30% less expensive than others he benchmarked. The machine was delivered ex-stock the week after the show from the supplier's Milton Keynes technical centre. The machine selected was the largest in a new economy range of bowls launched at MACH this year. This range supplements the premium range of vibratory finishing machines that PDJ Vibro offers. Mr Cupitt comments: "We were looking originally for a used machine but are happy to have found a new model within our budget. PDJ Vibro even took our old rumbler in part exchange. "Components ranging in size from 2 cm to 30 cm are deflashed in our bowl, saving time-consuming manual finishing. Cycles take anything from two to 24 hours, and for the last hour we introduce a polishing compound into the plastic and ceramic media, which produces an excellent cosmetic finish." Image: Steve Cupitt (left), works manager of Sheffield Machine Knife, agreeing the company's purchase of a PDJ Vibro economy-range vibratory bowl with managing director David Hurley at MACH 2014