Nagel and Gehring: moving forward together

Nagel and Gehring presented their technologies and new products in the fields of honing, superfinishing and electromobility at AMB 2022 in Stuttgart last month.

New standards in efficient honing, maximum flexibility in the superfinishing of flat, concave and spherical surfaces, and efficient internal and external honing of workpieces: this is how machine builders Nagel and Gehring presented themselves at the exhibition. On the joint stand of the two companies everything revolved around the EcoHone HRX horizontal honing machine, the NaSphere and the deephone 3000.

With the EcoHone HRX, Nagel says it is setting standards in terms of efficient honing in the diameter range from 2 to 40 mm. It is even possible to undertake multi-stage honing processes fully automatically on the machine’s high-end honing spindle. Measuring, brushing, cleaning, tool change in case of wear, or even a change from pre- to finishing honing tool: the integrated robot unit handles all of these functions. An innovative and flexible fixture and clamping jaw concept, adaptable to any workpiece geometry, enables working with a wide range of workpieces.

The NaSphere can machine flat, concave and spherical surfaces and bores, on multiple vertical or horizontal modular workstations. For standard tasks, it offers tool speeds of up to 12,000 rpm. The machine achieves maximum flexibility thanks to optimally co-ordinated process combinations of external and internal grinding, superfinishing, honing, brushing and polishing.

Gehring says that its deephone series of horizontal honing machines combines optimal performance with a well-balanced, compact design. The deephone 3000 stands for efficient internal and external honing of precision or telescopic cylinders and similar workpieces. Depending on the series, the honing diameter is up to 1150 mm, while the workpiece outside diameter is 65 to 1200 mm.
For further information www.nagel.com www.gehring-group.com

Advanced Okamoto grinders make AMB 2022 debut

Making a debut at the AMB 2022 exhibition in Germany last month was the new Okamoto ACC-63SA1 surface grinder range. Replacing the company’s SA series, the Okamoto ACC-63SA1 surface grinder is available in six sizes, 500 x 200, 600 x 300, 600 x 400, 600 x 500, 800 x 400 and 1000 x 500 mm. DF Precision Machinery is the exclusive distributor of Okamoto grinders in the UK.

The ACC-SA1 series feature an easy-to-use touchscreen control with colour graphics, allowing trouble-free surface grinding with automatic wheel dressing. Notably, the series enables fully automatic grinding operations for standard surface grinding or shift-plunge surface grinding.

ACC-SA1 range machines boast a robust, rigid cast-iron construction, providing high static and dynamic stiffness characteristics, in addition to good dampening qualities. The hydraulically driven table features double V slideways with minimal overhang and non-contact switches for table reversal.

Also at AMB 2022 was the new version of Okamoto’s ACC-42SAiQ surface grinder, a machine that features a long list of improvements, including ball-screw table drives and the latest FANUC control with faster response times and clearer, crisper graphics. The Okamoto graphical touchscreen operator interface featured on the iQ range allows quicker and easier machine set-up. Graphical representation of common, grind patterns and wheel shapes are set-up directly on the touchscreen view pane with the help of the iQ function.

The ACC-42SAiQ retains and improves on the table position control of the previous-generation machine. It features fast reciprocation and can be set to grind with up to five different table positions in the same cycle. The switch from hydraulic control to a ball-screw table drive reduces heat build-up and improves reversal accuracy.
For further information www.dfpmach.com

Perfect finish for deep-drawn precision parts

For tiny precision components with dimensions of <1 mm and deep-drawn from 100 µm thick sheet metal, surface finishing operations can be quite a challenge. Hubert Stüken GmbH & Co KG, a worldwide specialist in manufacturing such products, is meeting this challenge with custom-engineered equipment and specially developed media and compounds from Rösler. The solutions guarantee a safe, risk-free deburring and edge radiusing process, fully meeting the customer’s surface finishing specifications. Stüken majors in deep-drawn metal precision components. Stamped and bent parts, plastic-coated components and complex assemblies also complement the product range of this family-owned company, which operates five manufacturing plants in Europe, the US and China. Andreas Hellmann, sales manager at Stüken, says: “For many of our customers we are a development partner. To adapt new products to their intended use, we are not only working with our customers, but are also co-operating with partners from various technological sectors.” When it comes to issues around surface finishing that can be resolved by mass finishing, for 30 years the company has been relying on the experience and know-how of the Rösler. “Our partnership is based on Rösler’s quality, reliability, high equipment uptime and good technical service,” states Hellmann. “We also appreciate the company’s comprehensive knowledge and their flexibility for developing solutions as a team.” At its manufacturing locations around the world this deep-drawing specialist is today using around 15 vibratory drums, 10 centrifugal disk finishing machines, and 18 centrifuges for cleaning and recycling the process water. For further information www.rosler.com

Improving the usability of surface conditioning

Tyrolit was recently approached by two customers to provide a solution on an existing process suffering from two crucial issues: supply problems from the incumbent supplier and poor lifetime of the product due to belt joints failing.

Using Tyrolit’s Bibielle X-Flex product, the aerospace machining customer ran back-to-back tests against its current solution to try and resolve the quality issues it had been experiencing. The outcome: no breakage over the useable lifetime of the belts. Furthermore, in comparison to the existing supplier, by using Bibielle X-Flex the process achieved a 100% increase in the number of parts produced. Not only is this a hugely beneficial result but it has also saved time, ultimately proving more cost-effective.

The extended benefits of Bibielle surface conditioning products also had a positive impact for another Tyrolit client, a company specialising in casting industrial gas turbine components. This client also began trialling Bibielle X-Flex belts as it was experiencing issues during the manufacturing process (belts snapping), resulting in short lifecycle. Previously, a company engineer would hand manipulate the belt to add flexibility to the backing in an attempt to soften it, allowing the belt to rotate without delaminating. However, with the proprietary material of Bibielle surface conditioning, the structure is quite particular, making it very flexible. In turn, this flexibility allows a tighter radii on the tool and prevents delamination, resulting in the added benefit of extended product life.

The fact that Bibielle X-Flex goes straight on the tool and is flexible from the start, allows usage ‘straight from the box’, making for a cost- and time-saving investment.
For further information www.tyrolit.co.uk

Kyocera products in the spotlight at AMB 2022

The Kyocera Group presented a variety of cutting solutions for industrial machining and manufacturing at last month’s AMB exhibition in Stuttgart. Among the products in the spotlight was the company’s MFH high-feed milling series, which Kyocera says has been providing savings in production worldwide for years. The company presented an updated line up at AMB with cutting depths of up to 2.5 mm.

Also showcased was Kyocera’s DX technology, which offers a dynamic and sustainable range of tools through analysis technologies. An example of this is the AI-based wear analysis assistant. The type of wear is determined via photo upload of the indexable insert. The tool will be launched in Japanese with other languages available soon.

Among the many focus sectors for Kyocera at AMB was automotive. In order to generate long range and thus attractiveness with heavy electronic vehicle batteries, the comprehensive weight optimisation of structural components is essential. Kyocera Unimerco has been working with specially developed tools for aluminium with low silica content for decades. In this way, not only are efficiency and dimensional accuracy taken into account, but also the demand for the lowest possible burr formation, especially on thin-walled structures. Here, Kyocera’s standard tools are also used as special solutions with PCD cutting edges that meet the strict requirements of the automotive industry.

As a point of note, Kyocera’s Unimerco’s concept for tool maintenance offers a lot more than just the regrinding of tools. Tools subject to the company’s RE•NEW process are guaranteed to perform the same or even better than a new tool. Up to 75% savings on processing costs are thus possible.
For further information www.kyocera.co.uk