Mubadala puts R&D front and centre

Mubadala has announced plans for its aerospace, renewables and ICT platform to invest a further AED82.5m in R&D over the next five years. The funding will be used to accelerate several technology development projects that focus on differentiating concepts from Industry 4.0, including 3D printing, digital manufacturing and advanced materials.

The programme will build on the success of an existing R&D initiative launched in September 2015, and will support the growth strategies of Strata Manufacturing (Strata) and Turbine Services & Solutions (TS&S), two of Mubadala’s aerospace/industrial businesses.
For further information www.mubadala.com

Jig grinder offers ±0.0007 mm accuracy

The Mitsui Seiki J350G jig grinder has an accuracy of ±0.0007 mm and a U-axis infeed range of between -3 and +50 mm to support continuous automatic grinding of multiple features, plus a variety of hole sizes and contoured shapes, with a single grinding wheel. Available in the UK from 2D CNC Machinery, the machine uses the Mitsui Advanced Programming support software, G-MAPS, which facilitates quick setting of wheel data, has a simple input screen and enables wheel and grinding conditions to be monitored (including hole location and position tolerances). There is also an analogue display for simple commands using switches and dials.

The J350G provides four specification options for high-frequency spindles covering the speed range from 9000 to 45,000 rpm, plus an ultra-fast air turbine of 175,000 rpm.
Both the left- and right-hand slideways are V-F flats, while the Y axis for spindle-head motion is V-V flat shaped. All bearing surfaces are hand scraped for positioning accuracy and repeatability. In addition, and included as standard following a partnership with Heidenhain, custom-built positioning scales for the X, Y and Z axes further extend accuracy potential.
The machine’s working range in the X axis is 500 mm, while Y-axis saddle traverse is 300 mm and the maximum distance from the 700 x 350 mm table, which has a maximum 350 kg load, is 450 mm. Z-axis quill travel is 100 mm with 95 mm ‘chopping motion’ available up to 200 cycles/min. W-axis travel is 300 mm. Further performance parameters include planetary motion speed at 5 to 300 rpm, and a grinding infeed stroke U-axis that extends from
-3 to +50 mm.
For further information www.2dcnc.co.uk

High-production drill grinder launched

Producing drills from 0.8 to 4 mm, the new FCP4 from Anca provides drill makers with efficiencies and cost benefits by offering the capability to manufacture a complete high-speed steel (HSS) drill on a single machine. From a blank piece of raw material, the FCP4 grinds the flute, relief and point.

Grant Anderson, CEO at Anca, says: “Considering that the yearly production of HSS drills is about 1.8 billion drills worldwide, the opportunities are huge. The high-volume commodity drill market is new for us but is a great fit given our 40+ years’ expertise in tool and cutter grinding.”
The new machine will enable a complete drill to be manufactured every 20 to 25 seconds, a significant difference from what is currently available in the market, says Anca. Up until now drills had to be manufactured on two or three separate machines, which is a large investment to make and presents a big task in changing drill sizes – typically taking several hours and creating needless waste with scrap set-up drills. The CNC capability of the FCP4 also offers advantages in quicker changeover and less set-up time required, making the option of smaller production runs viable.
“We think we can bring a huge benefit to the industry as up until now there is little competition or product choice for volume manufacturers of HSS drills,” says Anderson. “Drill manufacturers are typically restricted to using machines that are old and CAM operated, and with older machines wearing out there are currently very few options for upgrading or improving their capabilities.”
For further information www.anca.com

Six-axis tool grinder unveiled

The new six-axis Ewag Compact Line tool grinder from Walter Ewag has been designed as a small-footprint, flexible solution for the grinding of inserts in tungsten carbide, cermet, ceramic, PCBN and PCD. Peripheral grinding is also included in the machine’s capabilities, alongside optimised kinematics and C-axis motion, which together ensure the application of protective chamfers on the inserts’ main cutting edges.

According to Ewag, machine downtime is minimised by the Compact Line’s short travel distances and integrated six-axis Fanuc robot that offers agile handling and a high degree of flexibility for loading complex inserts. A ‘three-in-one’ dressing unit offers wheel dressing, regeneration and form ‘crushing’ (for profiling diamond grinding wheels) in a single package.
Machine traverses in the X, Y and Z axes are 450, 180 and 150 mm respectively, while axis resolution is 0.0001 mm. The 5.5 kW grinding spindle produces 10,000 rpm.
Machine usability and effectiveness is also said to be guaranteed by the integrated ProGrind software, while the Fanuc control system enables all grinding routines to be programmed quickly and easily via its user-friendly touch-screen panel.
For further information www.walter-machines.com

Investment brings control to Hiretech

Gaining control of the manufacturing process is fundamental to the success of Watford-based Hire Technicians Group. The privately-owned business has evolved from being a tool-hire company to a global specialist in the design and manufacture of floor sanders and steam wallpaper strippers.
“There is a desire to gain as much control over our production as we can,” explains manufacturing manager Ron Putts. “In fact, it was this control that drove our decision to invest the Autopulit robot grinding, brushing and polishing cell from Ellesco. We can now do all of our polishing in-house, under our control, allowing us to meet customer needs more efficiently.”

The Autopulit cell from Ellesco fully automates the grinding, brushing and polishing of a number of components on Hiretech’s floor sanders. The cell comprises an ABB robot for automated part loading that features a chip-reading system for identifying which component is being picked up by the robot. Independent program selection means a mixture of differing parts can be run at any one time.
There are three belt-grinding stations, each with different abrasive grit, a brushing station for cleaning up certain areas of the castings and a double-headed polishing unit with oscillation and automatic polishing compound application via spray guns. While many OEMs see subcontracting as a way to reduce costs and eliminate in-house manufacturing, Hiretech takes the opposing view, and its program of investment is allowing the company to increase in-house production to over the 80% mark. The Autopulit cell is playing an important role in that change and strategy.
For further information www.ellesco.co.uk