Pressen HAAS GmbH and PTF Maschinenhandelsgesellschaft mbH have constructed a new modern office and warehouse centre in Straßberg/Winterlingen. The recent growth of the two companies, which specialise in used machines for metal forming and sheet metal working, should continue and is supported by the new 2,500 sq m facility.
“In addition to trade in second-hand machines, it is above all the services that make the difference,” says Mario Kosjerina, one of three managing directors. “A large number of our customers are not satisfied with the mere delivery of machines. Modifications, overhauls, commissioning and training for local staff are essential service components. We are well aware that in addition to investing in buildings, an expansion also involves more staffing requirements. Therefore, we are of course looking for service personnel at
our new location.”
Since 2006, when Kosjerina took over press specialist Werner Haas, a lot has happened in the industry. Thomas Geisel, managing director on the board since 2011, adds: “The internet has changed the trade significantly in recent years. Offers have become more transparent, making comparability much easier for the customer. In order to stand out from the competition, the services for selling a used machine are therefore becoming increasingly important.”
Holger Keinath, who is primarily responsible for the concerns of PTF, adds: “By expanding our business activities with the takeover of PTF in 2012, we have moved from pure trading in metal-forming presses to a partner in the metalworking industry. There is nothing that we cannot obtain if we do not have the right machine in stock.”
For the future, both companies plan to expand their activities and enter new markets, focusing on emerging regions such as Vietnam, North Africa and Mexico, although the EU and Asian markets continue to be important. The export share of the two companies is over 50%.
For further information www.pressen-haas.dewww.ptf-maschinen.de
As part of its strategic drive to infiltrate the aerospace market and introduce the aviation sector to its cutting tool solutions, Tungaloy UK has joined both the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) and the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF).
Tungaloy will now be actively participating in events and collaborative projects to further raise awareness of the Japanese cutting tool brand. The company has extensive knowledge and experience of the global aviation and defence industries, and by joining both organisations, Tungaloy is looking to transfer its expertise, knowledge base and product lines to members of the groups.
For further information www.tungaloy.com/uk
The 2018 edition of METALEX Vietnam is set to get underway in Ho Chi Minh City on 11-13 October.
Staged at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre (SECC), some 12,565 visitors attended last year’s show. METALEX Vietnam 2018 is where the manufacturing and supporting industries annually converge to discover effective metalworking solutions, product launches, critical business intelligence and collaborative partnerships for business growth in the emerging market of Vietnam. Some 500 brands of manufacturing technologies are expected to be displayed by exhibitors from 25 countries.
METALEX Vietnam will be co-located with NEPCOM Vietnam 2018. NEPCON Vietnam is ready to deliver a platform for electronics technology providers to meet the right buyers and engage in face-to-face business discussions on a large scale. As Vietnam’s only annual exhibition that focuses on SMT technology and electronic components, NEPCON Vietnam 2018 will attract industrialists and subcontractors in the target industry to come together and drive Vietnam’s electronics sector forward.
For further information www.metalexvietnam.com
Specialist tooling solutions supplier Cogsdill-Nuneaton has recently invested in a new Doosan vertical machining centre from Mills CNC. The machine, a DNM 6700, has been installed at the company’s 27,000 sq ft facility, where it is being used, primarily at this moment in time, to produce precision components for Cogsdill’s range of ZX facing and contouring-head tooling systems. These components include different sized front-mounted cross slides, with slide ranges from 200 to 900 mm, which are machined from nitrided and carbon steel.
The decision to invest in the new Doosan DNM 6700 machine followed an internal review undertaken by Cogsdill into its existing CNC machine tool capabilities and, in particular, whether current milling capabilities were adequate to meet growing demand from customers worldwide for its large-capacity tooling solutions.
Says Lee Donaldson, executive director, Cogsdill UK: “We invest regularly in advanced CNC machine tool technologies, and the audit and review highlighted a potential improvement opportunity within our existing CNC milling capabilities.”
With global demand for its larger tooling solutions on the increase it became clear to management and production staff at Cogsdill that investment in a new, reliable and large-capacity vertical machining centre was required.
“To ensure we acquired a vertical machining centre that matched our needs and expectations we did our homework and created a ‘key criteria’ checklist before investigating the market,” says Donaldson.
In addition to the working capacity of the new machine, other requirements included the machine’s cutting performance, its availability and price, as well as the scope and scale of the technical back-up and aftersales support services provided by the machine tool supplier.
“Although we hadn’t invested in a Doosan machine tool previously, we knew that Doosan machine tools have a good reputation in the market, and that Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machines in the UK and Ireland, is a successful company with a significant market presence,” says Donaldson.
Cogsdill also had direct experience of working in collaboration with both Doosan and Mills CNC as a technical partner; supplying advanced tooling solutions to both. A recent example involved Cogsdill working in partnership with Doosan and Mills CNC to deliver a turnkey process for auto-loading facing heads, boring tools and splining tools, into a Doosan horizontal boring machine (a DBC 130) for a US-based oil and gas customer.
Following extensive research into the market, Cogsdill ultimately decided on investing in a new DNM 6700 vertical machining centre.
The DNM 6700 is a large-capacity vertical machining centre equipped with a work table measuring 1500 x 670 mm and axis travels of 1300 x 670 x 625 mm in X, Y and Z. A high-torque (118 Nm) direct-drive spindle (18.7 kW/12,000 rpm) also features.
Says Donaldson: “The working envelope of the machine was of critical importance, and the DNM 6700 large-capacity working envelope enables us to machine larger components [as well as smaller components] in a single set-up. This means faster production and reduced part cycle times.
“Similarly, the cutting performance of the machine was important,” he adds. “The DNM 6700’s direct-drive spindle technology gives us ability to achieve high volumetric removal rates when required, as well as fine finishes. It is a very versatile machine.”
To increase the machine’s flexibility further still, Cogsdill, as part of its investment in the DNM 6700, also ordered a 4th/5th axis unit to be supplied with the machining centre.
In terms of availability, Mills CNC has at least 70 new Doosan machines, at any given time, in stock at its technology campus in Leamington. A significant proportion of these machines comprises its best-selling DNM vertical machining centres.
“The quick availability of the new machine was important,” says Donaldson. “We attended MACH 2018 where we visited Mills CNC’s stand and supplied them with a ‘letter of intent’ to purchase a DNM 6700. Just a few weeks after the event, once we had acquired external grant-based funding, the machine was delivered, installed and commissioned.
“I have to say that we were presently surprised with the machine’s price,” he continues. “There is a lot of technology and functionality packed into the DNM 6700 and, while price isn’t everything, it clearly is an important factor when making any capital investment.” SONY DSC
With regard to support, all Doosan machines supplied by Mills CNC are backed by the company’s aftersales service and support.
“Mills CNC’s reputation in the market for its aftersales support is second to none, and we have direct experience of this having worked in partnership with Mills delivering a number of turnkey and process improvement projects for customers,” says Donaldson. “Just knowing that you have Mills’ technical, applications and service back-up at your disposal inspires confidence.”
Since being installed at Cogsdill’s facility in Nuneaton, the DNM 6700 has been used to machine front-mounted cross slides housed in the company’s ZX facing and contouring head tooling systems. These cross slides are rough machined from solid on the machine prior to stress relieving, and are then semi-finished, heat treated and ground before final finishing operations take place.
On average, machining times for roughing, semi-finishing and finishing are 60 minutes, 90 minutes and 30 minutes respectively.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk
Metrologic Group and Creaform have entered into a partnership in which Creaform integrates Metrologic Group’s software suite with its new CUBE-R 3D automated dimensional inspection system.
This laser scanning, all-in-one solution features Metrologic Group’s 3D measurement programming and inspection software packages, Silma and Metrolog X4 i-Robot, and offers robotic operations in an automated industrial measuring cell.
CUBE-R is an off-the-shelf, fully integrated, automated 3D inspection solution designed for manufacturing companies requiring automated quality control directly on the shop floor. The machine optimises the MetraScan 3D-R metrology scanner with the use of Metrologic Group’s robot-dedicated measurement software, Metrolog X4 i-Robot, thus providing a flexible plug-and-play alternative to CMMS and other robot-mounted, structured-light 3D scanners.
The CUBE-R extends the capabilities of the MetraScan 3D-R for the dimensional measurement of parts ranging from 1 to 3 m with metrology-grade volumetric accuracy under real shop-floor conditions.
Integrating Metrologic Group’s Silma X4 i-Robot and Metrolog X4 i-Robot, the CUBE-R delivers an array of benefits. For instance, the software calculates the most efficient positioning of the sensor and the best collision-free trajectories for the robot. In addition, the same software manages the optical 3D measurements and simultaneously provides advanced analysis of the results – even when computing huge point clouds –, and edits personalised, easy-to-understand reports. In short, Metrolog and Silma X4 i-Robot turn the CUBE-R into a simple automated measurement solution, easily operated by a non-specialist operator.
For further information www.creaform3d.com
