Rainford Precision celebrates fantastic MACH exhibition

“Every MACH exhibition keeps improving on its predecessor,” reported Rainford Precision Managing Director Miles Evans at the end of the 2026 edition in Birmingham recently.

As an industry expert in micro machining, Rainford Precision has always had a niche market position representing machine tool brands such as Kern, Finepart, PemTEC, Benzinger, Innolite and Alzmetall, as well as cutting tool manufacturers that include Union Tool, Louis Bélet, IWATA, Hufschmied, Delmeco, HOBE, Osawa and more. This niche once again reaped rewards for the small part machining experts at MACH 2026.

With record-high enquiry levels from manufacturers across sectors ranging from medical and electronics to aerospace, pneumatics and motorsport, the diversity and volume of enquiries reflect strategic additions to the Rainford Precision portfolio. In the run-up to MACH, the company added the Alzmetall brand of drilling and machining centres to its portfolio. Complementing Benzinger multi-axis turn-mill centres, Kern micron-precision machining centres, PEMTec PECM (Precision Electro Chemical Etching) machines, Finepart micro-precise abrasive waterjet technology and Innolite ultra-precision diamond turning systems, the Alzmetall brand drew attention for its robust build quality, performance and flexibility.

It was the complexity, innovation, mirror surface finishes and high precision levels of the demonstration parts on the stand that also captured the imagination of MACH visitors. This repertoire of parts machined with the machine tools and unique cutting tool solutions from Rainford proved the talking point that drove such significant enquiry levels.

Advanced tooling technology from Union Tool, Louis Bélet, IWATA, Delmeco, Gloor, HOBE, Osawa, DTS, 6C Tools, Swissceramill, ATOM and Hufschmied – brands at the cutting edge of micro, hard metal and composite machining technology – attracted manufacturers facing a specific set of challenges. For manufacturers that could not find a solution to their unique applications while wandering the halls of MACH, Rainford’s tooling portfolio offered a propensity to deliver.

Particular interest was shown in the Union Tool micro-diameter HGLB, HWLB, HWLB-S and CWLB series of two-flute ball-nose end mills, which is suitable for cutting hard materials up to and over 60 HRc with radii ranging from 0.05 to 3 mm and diameter tolerances of 0/-0.006 mm and ball radius accuracy of ±0.002 mm. Another crowd-pleaser at MACH was the Union Tool DLC-ALES series of three-flute square end mills in diameters from 1 to 12 mm.

Rainford provided a MACH premiere for Louis Bélet’s Excalibur series, featuring inserts brazed to carbide bodies with laser-machined helical geometries and offering tool life 50-100 times longer than solid carbide. The company also showcased the Cyclon X micro-series drills. For MACH attendees in motorsport, aerospace, mould & die, and defence, Rainford presented IWATA Tool’s deep-hole drilling technology, including the ALT-coated three-flute drills (0.5-12 mm diameter) that meet H7 tolerances in tough materials up to 72HRc.

Commenting on MACH 2026, Miles added: “MACH consistently generates a high volume of quality leads from manufacturers new to the Rainford Precision brand. In the immediate aftermath of the show, our experts are already turning these enquiries into customers – and that’s what MACH is all about.”