• Advanced Manufacturing

Interview with Adam Ball, Solutions Sales Manager at Lantek UK

  • Advanced Manufacturing
Adam Ball is the Solutions Sales Manager at Lantek, succeeding Rob Powell, who retired after 24 years at the company. With over two decades of experience in service, applications, and sales for sheet metal machinery companies, Adam has held senior roles, including Commercial Director at MBA Engineering Systems, and spent 12 years at Bystronic. His expertise ranges from machine tools for laser and waterjet cutting to strategic leadership. Adam’s return to Lantek is fueled by exciting prospects, showcasing his dedication to driving growth and introducing innovative solutions.

Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) for Sheet Metal

  • Digital Transformation
Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) has become a trending topic in the industry due to the implementation of numerous algorithms by groups dedicated to academic research on artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years. AutoML is a tool for streamlining the development of AI solutions in the industry by providing explainable and reproducible results in an automatic and simple way.

Which cutting technology is the most suited to your plant?

  • Nesting
Thirty years ago, the global distribution of sheet metal cutting machine-tools was dominated by the oxycut variety (large thicknesses) and, to a lesser extent, the plasma variety (small thicknesses). There was a niche for punching machines along with water jet and laser machines. The latter were aimed at thicknesses less than 5mm and were expensive. Since then, the trend has shifted, shrugging oxycut in favor of other technologies according to thicknesses.