Machining centre for electrification sector

A specialist in industrial automation products and solutions, Comau, and Exechon, which offers patented technologies to develop parallel kinematic machine solutions, have joined forces to design and produce a Comau machining centre able to handle lightweight framing and structural components for sectors such as electrification.

Harbouring the objective of spearheading a new machining paradigm for large, complex aluminium parts, the companies have started a strategic co-operation. The pair will thus leverage their respective competencies to develop a concrete solution for customers that can cost-effectively meet key drivers within the evolving machining market, which include: the expanded use of lightweight components that reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions; the growing importance of electrification for automotive manufacturers; and the increasing degree of production complexity within the aerospace sector.
Exechon will develop the core of the new machine, while Comau will leverage its 45 years of industrial automation and integration experience to guarantee the best fit for each project.
Luca Ferrero COO of Comau Machining, says: “The importance of this project extends through to Comau’s ability to offer a 360° service connected to electrification, with new lightweight machining centres as a central link. Coupling a lightweight approach in machining with our body assembly competencies and battery assembly know-how, we can now complete the value chain and deliver advanced solutions for battery case machining and more.”
For further information www.comau.com

Visor production

TRB Lightweight Structures is using its material science know-how and specialist equipment to produce vital PPE based on the Foster + Partners design in the battle against COVID-19.

The company has redeployed personnel and machinery – which normally create advanced composite components for electric vehicles – to produce an innovative reusable face visor, and is now generating 1000 of these per day. TRB has adapted its expertise and cutting equipment to manufacture the simple, reusable visors, one every 50 seconds.
For further information www.trbls.com

Free weekends thanks to automation

The tool-making division of Gateshead-based TDX, which supplies services and tools to the thin-film plastic thermoforming industry, mainly for food packaging applications, has started to automate its machine shop. The latest purchase is a German-built Hermle five-axis machining centre with a 20-pallet storage system installed by UK agent Kingsbury, which is now working 24/7.

Two members of the management buyout team that purchased TDX in 2013, Neil Atkinson and David Renton, were especially pleased to progress the investment. Five-axis machining was usually the bottleneck at the 24,000 sq ft tool-making facility, and it normally fell to the two directors to go into the factory two or three times on both Saturday and Sunday to change over five non-automated five-axis machining centres.
Since the Hermle C250 with linked HSFlex automated pallet change system entered production, weekend visits have been unnecessary. Each aluminium thermoforming mould billet is pre-machined on one face and then milled on the other five sides internally and externally in one operation in from four to six hours. So 20 pallets equates to an average of 100 hours’ machining on the Hermle, which is more than enough to keep the production cell busy non-stop from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
Atkinson says: “The automated milling cell has not only eliminated manual intervention at weekends, but requires minimal attendance during the week, releasing the operator for other tasks. We approached six potential suppliers, all of which carried out machining trials. Kingsbury demonstrated the fastest cycle time on the Hermle, approximately 10% quicker than the best of the others. Surface finish was also better.”
For further information www.kingsburyuk.com

Xtrac receives Queen’s Award for Enterprise

Vehicle transmission specialist Xtrac has received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The company won the award in the ‘Innovation’ category for its development of an Integrated Lightweight Electric Vehicle (ILEV) gearbox range spearheaded by Xtrac CEO Adrian Moore.

Xtrac previously received a Queen’s Award for Export and Excellence in 1992, less than a decade after it was founded to serve the motorsport industry. Nowadays, as well as continuing to serve the industry globally, it has successfully reached out to the automotive mainstream.
For further information www.xtrac.com

100,000 face shields 3D printed

3T-am, a production additive manufacturing (AM) company, is utilising EOS’ global partner ecosystem to 3D print face-shield headbands for health workers in the UK.

According to 3T, it is now producing 20,000 headbands per week, and will exceed 100,000 within the next few weeks. The face shields are being used by frontline workers, across the NHS and UK healthcare system, fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 3T has also provided the CAD for free, available to download from the company’s website.
For further information www.3t-am.com