SYDNEY-based John Heine & Son has enhanced its manufacturing operations with a new Yu Shine 1600ATC CNC Vertical Borer from CNC Machinery Sales Australia.

SYDNEY-based John Heine & Son has enhanced its manufacturing operations with a new Yu Shine 1600ATC CNC Vertical Borer from CNC Machinery Sales Australia.
SYDNEY-based John Heine & Son has enhanced its manufacturing operations with a new Yu Shine 1600ATC CNC Vertical Borer from CNC Machinery Sales Australia.

The foundry and engineering company specialises in the manufacture of hard wearing slurry pumps for the mining industry. John Heine & Son will use the new borer to machine high chrome cast irons with hardness values of 650 to 700 Brinell.

According to CNC Machinery Sales Australia, the Yu Shine 1600ATC CNC Vertical Borer has a capacity of 1950mm turning diameter by 1250mm high, with 12 tool ATC and 8t table load.

CNC Machinery Sales says it can offer a range of borers and vertical lathes from 600mm up to 3,400mm turning diameter, with options including power chucks, auto pallet change, ATCs, and Live Tooling C and Cf Axis for multi-function machining.

For more details, contact CNC Machinery Sales Australia on 1300 262 622.

http://www.myfen.com.au/Article/CNC-Machinery-Sales-provides-large-vertical-borer-for-John-Heine-amp-Son/513645.aspx

The exclusive North American distributor of a German manufacturer of thermoforming machinery for the plastics industry has entrusted Penn College with a valuable piece of equipment for students to use in the college’s new Thermoforming Center of Excellence. Geiss Thermoforming USA, an independently owned and operated distributor for Geiss AG of Sesslach, Germany, has loaned to Penn College a CNC trimming machine. Valued in excess of $200,000, the machine will be used to trim plastic parts produced in the Thermoforming Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art research and training facility in the Breuder Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center at Penn College. The Thermoforming Center of Excellence will hold its grand opening in April.

http://www.northcentralpa.com/feeditem/2010-03-16_geiss-thermoforming-usa-entrusts-college-cnc-machine

Following the recent end of the joint venture between Fanuc and GE, Neuteq Europe Limited have secured the services of three former Fanuc GE UK personnel, for the launch of their specialist CNC support service for FANUC controlled machines.

• Ian Warren – Product business manager (ex Fanuc GE product services manager).

• Tim Austin – Support centre manager (ex Fanuc GE hotline and technical supervisor).

• Ben Groves – Applications manager (ex Fanuc GE programming specialist).

Neuteq Europe’s specialist CNC Support Centre offers:

• Fanuc CNC control retrofits.

• Fanuc CNC service.

• Fanuc CNC operator / programming / maintenance training courses.

• Full operating and programming support to maximise a machine’s potential and minimise system downtime

http://www.machinery.co.uk/article/23069/Neuteq-Europe-launch-a-specialist-CNC-Support-Centre.aspx

Makino’s new F-Series vertical machining centers are designed for chatter-free cutting, agility for high-speed hard milling, and accuracy for tight-tolerance blends and matches typical of complex, 3D-contoured geometry associated with die/mold and medical production. According to Makino’s vertical machining product manager William Howard, “The F-Series has been built from the ground up for speed and precision.”

The smaller model F3 is designed for maximum 33.5 in. long x 19.7 in. wide x 17.7 in. tall workpieces.

The smaller model F3 is designed for maximum 33.5 in. long x 19.7 in. wide x 17.7 in. tall workpieces.

The larger F5 machines workpeices up to 39.4 in. long x 19.7 in. wide x 17.7 in. tall.

“The machine design

begins with a unique axis configuration, featuring no overhangs, and incorporates large castings that provide a robust cutting platform,” Howard continued. “It then integrates 8-mm fine-pitch ball screws and 0.05-micron scale feedback as standard equipment, and the F-Series machines provide superior precision.

“Even the servo systems are tuned for peak performance Together these features reduce variability for hours of continuous, tight-tolerance machining,” he added.

The F-Series has two models: The smaller F3 model has X, Y, and Z axis travels of 25.6 in., 19.7 in., 17.7 in. respectively, a 33.5 in. x 19.7 in. table, and a maximum workpiece size of 33.5 in. long x 19.7 in. wide x 17.7 in. tall.

The larger F5 model features X, Y, and Z axis travels of 35.4 in., 19.7 in., 17.7 in. respectively, a 39.4 in. x 19.7 in. table, and a maximum workpiece size of 39.4 in. long x 19.7 in. wide x 17.7 in. tall.

Both models have a table load capacity of 1,432 lb and a 30-tool magazine.

The standard F-Series configuration has at its heart a 20,000-rpm, two-range spindle that incorporates Makino’s patented core-cooling, under-race and jacket spindle temperature control system. At the lower ranges, the spindle supplies stiffness and rigidity, for roughing operations; and at the higher rpm, it offers vibration-, chatter-free production of small details and fine features using small tools.

The F-Series uses the Makino Professional 5 Control control system, with its Windows CE GUI offering instant access to information and efficient data management, editing and networking, as well as the storage capability of a data center.

Also, F-Series use Makino’s proprietary Super Geometric Intelligence (SGI.4) software for high-feedrate, tight-tolerance machining of complex, 3-D, contoured shapes involving continuous tiny blocks of NC data ensures production rates faster than standard CNC systems, while maintaining high-accuracy. SGI.4 helps to lower cycle times and achievable costs by cutting machining cycle times on dies, complex cavities and cores and medical parts by up to 40% less than most other control technologies.

“The F-Series machines will quickly pay for themselves” said Howard. “The machines deliver positioning accuracies and repeatability in the microns; the spindle assures capability to address a wide variety of tooling and machining applications; and SGI.4 provides unsurpassed accuracy and speed in tough, challenging, complex geometries.”

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/85550/Issue

In the realm of public policy, “wind energy” has gone from the “next big thing” to “current craze,” to “controversial issue” in less than two years: the current controversies over the consuming market’s acceptance of wind-generated electricity, as well as the political tempest over mandating domestically sourced materials and components, overshadow the real progress made by manufacturers to ready themselves for the particular demands of machining and fabricating wind turbines and windmills.

But, in the technological realm, it’s been a different story. Manufacturers of windmill components and products have aggressively developed capabilities and capacity to serve the emerging demand. And, the OEMs and shops producing those components and products have relied on new and newly available technologies to do the job. It hasn’t been altogether easy.

For example, there is the obvious challenge of manufacturing oversized, precision components, like windmill blades. Among machine tool builders, MAG Industrial Automation Systems is staking out a specialty in the field of composite blades: in recent months it has introduced two patent-pending technologies — the Rapid Material Placement System (RMPS) and a quick-cure molding system for wind blades — which it says reduce labor requirements by two-thirds, double product throughput, and produce a consistently high-quality blades.

Rapid manufacturing
The RMPS integrates manufacturing for what normally has been a manual or “piecemeal automated” process. RMPS automates blade molding: spraying in-mold coatings, dispensing/lay-up of glass and carbon fiber materials, and dispensing/application of adhesive.

Production is accelerated, too. It speeds the lay-up process (placing materials in blade skin, spar cap, and sheer web molds) to 3 m/sec, 10 ft/sec, using laser- and vision-based wrinkle detection in cross or longitudinal directions. MAG says RMPS can reduce lay-up time by 85 percent on a 45-m blade, depending on the laminate schedule.

The CNC-controlled production system is programmed off line. It’s designed as a gantry system with multi-axis end effectors capable of manipulating spray heads and adhesive applicators, as well as tooling for spooling and placing materials. After applying gel-coat with spray-head tooling, a ply-generator with a 10-roll magazine of material cuts and dispenses plies to the lay-up end effector on the gantry. The lay-up end effector spools up the material supplied by the ply generator. As the fabric is paid out onto the mold, a pair of articulating powered brushes smoothes it to the tool surface.

The lay-up system is mechanically repeatable to ±2 mm, with application tolerance of ±5 mm.

MAG says a shop operating two RMPS gantry systems side by side can produce a 45-meter blade-shell half in less than two hours, with half the manual labor of conventional methods. The gantry system rides on rails that are flush with the floor. It also carries bulk supply systems for gel-coat and adhesive.

Fast lay-up
Similarly, MAG recently introduced a Flat Charge Laminator machine for high-volume “lay-up” of composite spars, beams, stringers and similar wind-blade components. It’s a system designed for repeatability, so users may expect lower labor costs with higher quality finished parts, more product consistency, and overall improvements in productivity.

The servo-controlled design features four heads dedicated to four different materials. The machine produces constant- or variable-thickness laminates on a segmented vacuum table, compacting the layers with a force of 13.6 to 136 kg (30-300 lb). The FCL handles 0/90 prepreg fabric, +/- 45 prepreg fabric, unidirectional tape and, as an option, foil or film. Maximum material width is 300 mm / 12 in. on rolls up to 635 mm / 25 in. diameter, and weighing up to 150 lb.

The FCL has four servo-controlled dispensing heads on a placement carriage that moves on rails integrated with the vacuum bed. The servo-powered placement carriage is driven by a rack-and-pinion system.

Production processes are controlled by a Siemens PLC, with rotary and linear encoders on the dispensing heads and placement carriage for speed and position feedback. Servo-driven supply reels are protected with a magnetic clutch override, and the backing paper take-up system is torque controlled.

Quick cure
Also, MAG developed a patent-pending quick-cure mold system that uses tooling MAG also will supply. Molds are produced using the blade designer’s or the operator’s own CAD data. With each cycle, the system produces a finished blade to spec. It can be infused with resin in an hour, followed by a two-hour cure, which is about half the normal curing time.

In operation, this system has produced parts representing a 100 mm-thick root section and root spar cap system with three zones of material and three thicknesses. It demonstrates that the system can infuse and cure all three zones at the same time quickly.

Like the RMPS lay-up system, the infusion/curing system includes process control metrics for resin metering, temperatures, blocked channels, etc., with alarm limits.

Finishing up
For fabricating blades once they’re produced, MAG introduced a 5-axis system — Agile Gantry Multi-Processing — for machining and finishing for windmill blades; similar oversized parts, such as boat hulls and aerospace components, are other possibilities. The machine has unlimited X-axis range, 40 m/min traverse speed, automatic tool change, and five servo-controlled axes.

The Agile Gantry is a CNC machine-tool platform that offers five-sided part access, so it supports various applications and production processes. This includes cutting tools, spray heads, water-jet cutters, chopper guns, and finishing tools. MAG indicates it can be used to produce complex mold geometries in high-density foam, apply coatings, or trim and finish free-form contoured parts.

It’s designed to use a modular rail system to create any X-axis length required. The rail system can be installed below the factory floor, above it, or elevated in a high rail configuration.

Numerous workholding systems can be adapted and positioned between the rails. The gantry cross rail provides 5.5 m / 18 ft of Y-axis travel and 2.5 m/ 8.2 ft (or greater) of Z-axis reach. Servo-controlled contouring is simplified with rotary A and C axes (spindle tilt and wrist roll) that provide ±100° and ±200° of movement, respectively.

Maximum feed rate for the linear X, Y, and Z axes is up to 40,000 mm/min (0.004 to 1,574 ipm), and up to 3,600 degrees/min in the rotary axes. Linear axes are powered by dual electronically preloaded, AC servomotor rack-and-pinion drive systems.

The machine’s 15-kW / 20-hp AC spindle is liquid-cooled and delivers a 0-24,000 rpm speed range. It accommodates an HSK63F tool shank. A high-capacity vacuum system captures dust and chips. A drum-type tool changer holds 16 tools for automatic tool changes.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/85556/Issue

Soul-Kozak has invested in Haas CNC machine tools to enable it to produce several different high-performance bicycle components.

Mariusz Kozak’s business in Lublin, Poland, develops a number of lightweight bicycle components, including a set of air-suspended downhill forks and a new design of bottom brackets (the cylindrical bearing to which the pedal cranks are attached).

Combining lightness and stiffness is essential for the competitive cyclist.

A racing mountain bike might already weigh as little as 9kg, so shedding excess ‘fat’ can be a very expensive undertaking.

Soul-Kozak makes the parts that weight-obsessed customers buy to replace heavier, stock components, such as wheel-hubs, gear cassettes, handlebar stems and seat clamps.

‘We aren’t competing with the big names in bike parts,’ said Kozak.

‘In fact, our components are up to twice as expensive as similar products from Shimano, the market-leading Japanese manufacturer,’ he added.

The company is making and selling a premium product for customers who want and are prepared to pay for something that saves a few more grams and offers a little bit more performance.

To make Soul-Kozak’s many different parts, Kozak has invested in two Haas CNC machine tools, which he bought from the local Haas Factory Outlet - a division of Abplanalp.

Michal Fodyma, the company’s only employee, operates the Haas TL-1 Toolroom lathe, while Kozak runs the Haas TM-1 Toolroom Mill.

‘These are the only two metal-cutting machines we own,’ said Kozak, ‘but we use them to make every component we currently offer.

‘We no longer have to subcontract components, which means we can be self-sufficient and a lot more efficient,’ he added.

The rear gear cassette is the most complex part the company makes.

It starts out on the Haas lathe where it’s cut to length and then face-turned, before it’s transferred to the Haas mill.

After each operation a cassette is checked for dimensional accuracy, which partly explains why it takes five hours to make a single unit.

‘The tolerances for this part are critical,’ said Kozak.

‘Any inaccuracies would be obvious immediately the component is mounted on the bike.

‘The gearshift has to be smooth and fast with no chance that the chain will slip or fall off the cogs,’ he added.

As with all the company’s parts, the final stages in the manufacturing process are anodising and engraving, both of which are also undertaken in house.

While Kozak manages the workshop, his wife is responsible for marketing, which includes maintaining the company’s website.

Soul-Kozak has distributors in several countries, but selling its products online is of key strategic importance.

E-commerce is direct, low cost and, perhaps most importantly, payment is banked when, or even before product is shipped.

With the Haas machines, Soul-Kozak is able respond immediately to an email request for an out-of-stock component.

Kozak can call-up the program and begin machining a part in minutes.

‘When we were looking for suitable CNC machine tools we prioritised reliability and precision,’ he said.

‘The Haas machines offered the best value and performance for the money.

‘There are plenty of machines out there that offer greater precision, but they are not affordable for a small business such as ours,’ he added.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/has/has165.html

An aerospace components manufacturer that produces spur, helical, and crown gears with complex profiles had a problem with declining productivity. Its Gleason 782 gear hobber was showing its age, becoming unreliable, especially in regard to its process controls.

Gleason Corp. specializes in gear-making machinery, or “hobbers.” Typically, these machines have two non-parallel shafts, one mounted with a blank workpiece and the other with a cutting tool that has teeth in a helical arrangement. This “hob” makes a series of cuts in a workpiece. The relative rotational speed of the shafts determines the number of teeth that are cut, thus forming the gear to specification.

The Gleason 782 gear hobber is a widely installed “workhorse” design. But, the unreliable control system in this specific installation was driving up the machine shop’s maintenance costs, diminishing productivity, and forcing unacceptable downtime.

This machine’s seven CNC axes were controlled by an Allen Bradley 8600 CNC system and an external electronic gearbox. After several months of intermittent operation, the operators approached two automation specialists, MasterControls Inc. and Southern Technical Services, to restore the machine to peak condition. The success of the project gave the machine shop the effect of a new machine at a fraction of the cost.

MasterControls Inc. (MCI) and Southern Technical Services (STS) quickly ascertained that the Gleason 782 was in excellent mechanical condition, but would benefit from new CNC control hardware and software, a new operator’s panel, and some associated control modules. The customer requested that the machine’s existing drives, motors, and feedback devices (all of which were serviceable) should be retained, and stipulated no change to the machine footprint. MCI and STS accommodated this latter demand by developing an entirely new sub-panel containing the new NUM CNC, power supplies, circuit breakers and contactors, which was subsequently mounted inside the machine’s existing control cabinet.

As explained by MCI president Jeff Petry: “To minimize disruption at the customer’s premises we built the sub-panel off-site, and then arranged a convenient time for installation. Since swap-out time was going to be important, we chose to use NUM breakout boards in the new sub-panel, which made it very easy to connect to the machine’s existing drives – and by using machine I/O boards with terminal strips, we were able to land all the existing wiring without any trouble whatsoever. In fact, much to our customer’s satisfaction, we were able to remove all the obsolete control hardware and complete the wiring stages of the installation – including the sub-panel, CNC control, new operator’s panel and the magnetic cabinet – in just over three days.”

The neat installation that MCI and STS accomplished will significantly simplify future maintenance efforts, according to Petry.

The retrofit was based entirely on NUM technology and equipment. It includes a new seven-axis CNC controller; a new PC based operator’s panel, with an easy-to-read 15-inch LCD screen and a full membrane keyboard; and a 61-button machine tool builder’s panel with a hand pulse generator. For convenience, an industrial mouse was mounted on the operator panel.

The new NUM CNC machine software includes the NUMGear package. This program performs all of the functions that previously required an external electronic gearbox, thereby reducing the complexity of the system and the number of parts that require maintenance.

NUMGear features a highly intuitive graphical user interface. Using the HMI, the operator simply fills in fields on a graphical representation of the part, and then selects a hob tool: the program is generated automatically. All customer parts and hobs can be stored in memory according to part number, for simple recall when the part needs to be produced again. Hob programs can be stored on external USB memory devices.

The NUMGear package also makes it possible for an operator to monitor hob tooling. Once the values are entered into the HMI’s shift data fields, the software automatically handles all hob shifting. It informs the operator when to check or replace the hob, so tooling costs can be minimized. Hobs can be sent for regrinding and recoating many times before wearing out.

The new CNC control system also performs all of the functions that previously demanded an external electronic gearbox.

After installing the new hardware and verifying the wiring, MCI and STS powered-up the machine and immediately started verifying its operation. Within a day a full set of gear types was produced, each one passing the customer’s quality control inspection. They conducted operator training simultaneously, and the new user interface proved so intuitive that the operators were able to handle their own set-ups by the end of the day, including entering all part and hob data. The machine is back in full-time production — operating like new, but at considerably less cost.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/85514/Issue

Hove, England March 3, 2010 – CGTech has announced details of the 2010 schedule of VERICUT User’s Exchange (VUE) events. Attendees will learn about new software features for improving CNC manufacturing efficiency, and will have the opportunity to express ideas about the future direction of the software.

The agenda will include a review of enhancements added in VERICUT 7. This release features significant performance-improving enhancements that reduce the time required for manufacturing engineers to develop, analise, inspect and document the CNC programming and machining process. Instead of focusing on new features or add-on modules, CGTech developer resources have prioritized on diligent code optimization and customer-driven enhancements.

Another popular feature of VUE events is the productivity workshop in which CGTech engineers highlight specific productivity features. When registering for any of the events users have the opportunity to suggest topics for inclusion in the workshop.

European VUE schedule 2010:

April 22nd Worcester England

April 28th Schkopau Germany

May 11th Jonkoping Sweden

May 12th Glasgow Scotland

May 25th Treviso Italy

May 27th Milan Italy

June 1st Brive France

June 3rd Le Vesinet France

September 15 h Sheffield England

October 7th Belfast Northern Ireland

Additional VUE events are planned for later in the year in Denmark, Netherlands,, Czech Republic, and Russia..

Headquartered in Irvine, California CGTech specialises in numerical control (NC/CNC) simulation, verification, optimization and analysis software technology. Since 1988 CGTech’s product, VERICUT® has become the industry standard for simulating CNC machining VERICUT is used daily by the world’s leading manufacturing companies to improve the efficiency of their CNC Machines including those from leading manufacturers such as DMG, Mazak, Mori Seiki, Makino. Hermle and Chiron.

VERICUT runs standalone but can also be interfaced with all the leading CAM systems including Dassault’s Catia, Siemens NX, PTC, Delcam PowerMill, Open Mind HyperMill, PlanIT EdgeCAM, Missler TopSolidCAM, GibbsCAM and MasterCAM.

With offices in Japan, China and Brazil, and European offices in UK, France, Germany and Italy and an extensive range of resellers, VERICUT software is used by companies of all sizes in all industries.

http://www.machinetooldirect.co.uk/machine-tool-news/VERICUT-workshop-scheduled-for-2010.asp

CGTech has announced the 2010 schedule for Vericut User’s Exchange (Vue) events.

Attendees will learn about new software features for improving CNC manufacturing efficiency and will have the opportunity to express ideas about the future direction of the software.

Simulation used in programming using CGTech VERICUT CAM for a Nakamura-Tome turning centre.

The agenda will include a review of enhancements added in Vericut 7.

This latest release features enhancements that reduce the time required for manufacturing engineers to develop, analyse, inspect and document the CNC programming and machining process, according to the company.

Instead of focusing on new features or add-on modules, CGTech developer resources have prioritised on diligent code optimisation and enhancements.

Another feature of the Vue events is the productivity workshop, in which the company’s engineers will highlight specific productivity features.

When registering for any of the events, users have the opportunity to suggest topics for inclusion in the workshop.

European Vue events will take place on: 22 April in Worcester, England; 28 April in Schkopau, Germany; 11 May in Jonkoping, Sweden; 12 May in Glasgow, Scotland; 25 May in Treviso, Italy; 27 May in Milan, Italy; 1 June in Brive, France; 3 June in Le Vesinet, France; 15 September in Sheffield, England; and 7 October in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Additional Vue events are planned for later in the year in Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Russia.

CGTech specialises in numerical-control (NC/CNC) simulation, verification, optimisation and analysis software technology.

Vericut is used for simulating CNC machining and is claimed to improve the efficiency of CNC machines, including those from manufacturers such as DMG, Mazak, Mori Seiki, Makino, Hermle and Chiron.

Vericut runs standalone but can also be interfaced with a variety of computer-aided-manufacturing systems.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/cgt/cgt144.html

Racing transmissions manufacturer Hewland Engineering has installed two high-specification CNC machine tools supplied by HK Technologies.

The Mitsubishi FA10-S Advanced V-Package and Kapp VUS 55P are the first wire-EDM and gear-grinding machines on site at the company’s headquarters near Maidenhead in Berkshire, UK.

To date, Hewland has designed more than 200 bespoke transmissions for its clients and supplies a complete semi-automatic gearbox.

The company also manufactures a range of 13 gearboxes designed to suit most modern motorsport applications for front- and rear-wheel drive, as well as a range of classic gearboxes.

Both the Mitsubishi EDM and Kapp gear grinder are being used to manufacture intricate, specialised racing transmission parts.

Both processes were previously subcontracted - a situation that had its drawbacks, according to business coordination director Stephen Deane.

‘Bringing EDM and gear-grinding processes in house is not only about saving costs and achieving better control over factors such as design and delivery; it’s about respecting customer confidentiality,’ he said.

The FA-S Advance is a universal wire-EDM machine that can increase competitive edge through low operating costs and short processing times, according to HK.

It offers cutting speeds up to 500mm2/min, surface finishes of less than 0.15 micron Ra, wire diameters from 0.1mm to 0.36mm, best parallelism and the simple processing of other materials.

The company claims the automatic functions, coupled with the solid, durable construction and the linear measuring system, ensure lasting results that are fully reproducible.

The Kapp VUS 55P universal gear-grinding machine allows the form finishing of external and internal spur and helical gears and other profiles using single indexing and Kapp CBN profile grinding wheels or dressable tools.

An integral CNC dressing device enables the generation of CNC-controlled arbitrary wheel profiles.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/hkt/hkt138.html