Machine tool production rising

The VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) is expecting production in the machine tool industry to grow by 9% this year, to a volume of €15.5bn. In nominal terms, this is only 10% below the record result of 2018. At its annual press conference in Frankfurt, Franz-Xaver Bernhard, VDW chairman, said: “We have largely overcome the effects of the pandemic. The industry has entered the current year with a significant backlog of orders.”

He continued:“Even though the gap between orders and sales is currently closing, the German Federal Statistical Office is still reporting a 12-month backlog of orders for the machine tool industry. This means that companies are well placed to weather any dip in orders in the first half of 2023, as suggested by the most recent figures.”
For further information www.vdw.de/en

CMF sets out net zero roadmap

A leading voice for the foundry industry has released a five-point blueprint that will help the castings sector deliver a £10bn boost to the economy.Published by the Cast Metals Federation (CMF), the Net Zero roadmap is urging government to create a stable policy environment that focuses on reforming energy markets and providing clean energy. It must also offer incentives for capital investment in zero-carbon furnaces and production equipment, and ensure UK trade policies support customer demand for low-carbon products from global markets.

The ‘asks’ also call for Whitehall to encourage and enable the release of land for modern, zero-carbon foundries and associated zero-carbon energy generation facilities.Adam Vicary, CEO of Castings PLC and chairman of the CMF Net Zero Advisory Panel, says: “This blueprint sets out how UK casting manufacturers can lead globally, growing the industry, decarbonising our components, providing strategic resilience to UK supply chains, creating jobs and wealth, and making the components required for a modern economy.”
For further informationwww.castmetalsfederation.com

Vollmer’s VPortal goes live for customers

Through its new customer portal, VPortal, sharpening specialistVollmeris providing exclusive access to digital services, including its spare parts shop, machine overviews and technical documentation. Furthermore, VPortal gives customers the chance to send the support team any questions they may have about machines or services from Vollmer. Anyone who owns a Vollmer sharpening machine can register for and use the customer portal free of charge. Customers can request their unique log-in via e-mail or telephone.

“Our customer portal, VPortal, is the digital and personalised window that we provide to our customers and which we use to expand our services,” explains Jürgen Hauger, CEO of the Vollmer Group. “It forms the perfect link between the real and digital world, enabling our customers to keep a constant overview of their Vollmer grinding and erosion machines.”

The VPortal grants customers 24/7 access to their digital machine pool purchased from Vollmer. Notably, the digital service is available in English and German, and is free to use. At present, customers from Germany can register via e-mail or telephone. Once logged in to the online portal, the user can see a complete overview of the Vollmer sharpening machines available.

From the start page, the customer portal shows a clear overview of all digital services spread across five tiles: My machines, Spare parts, Orders, Support requests and Contact. Users can click on these tiles to navigate the portal and view or download the data that is most relevant to their Vollmer machines, as well as documents about technology or operation. When it comes to maintenance and servicing, VPortal enables users to submit an individual support request or to access Vollmer’s online spare parts shop.
For further information www.vollmer-group.com

Cutting time-to-market

The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult is launching a landmark £950,000 project to cut development costs and time-to-market for new products, by accelerating the UK’s capabilities in certification by analysis. ‘Towards Product Certification by Analysis’ is a collaborative project, led by the HVM Catapult, with support from the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the National Composites Centre, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and the Manufacturing Technology Centre. It aims to identify and take critical early steps to accelerating these capabilities in the UK.
For further information https://hvm.catapult.org.uk

Walter completes range of rough-turning inserts

With the new HU3, HU5 and HU7 geometries, Walter is completing its range of indexable turning inserts for heavy-duty roughing operations. The ‘H’ designation is for negative, single-sided and therefore highly stable inserts, standing for ‘Heavy (roughing)’, while the ‘U’ refers to universal use. Each of the three new geometries has specific features making them suitable for different applications.

The HU7 geometry for steel and cast-iron workpieces is the most stable turning indexable insert in Walter’s product range. It has a straight cutting edge while the negative protective edge chamfer ensures its suitability for use at high feed rates with depths of cut up to 17 mm. According to Walter, HU7 demonstrates excellent stability and is suitable for large-volume machining, even in difficult conditions, including the machining of forged parts or interrupted cutting operations.

Compared with HU7, HU5 geometry incorporates a curved cutting edge and an open chip-breaker groove design that provides a slightly softer cutting action to reduce cutting pressure and cutting forces. HU5 is therefore the first choice insert wherever heat generation and/or vibration occur. The grade is particularly suitable for the rough turning of high-temperature alloys and stainless steel.

The third insert design, the HU3 geometry with V-shaped chip formation optimises chip breaking even at small depths of cut and fluctuating material removal rates. This feature makes the HU3 suited to machining parts with a forged skin or varying surfaces. HU3 is primarily for use on steel materials with depths of cut from as low as 0.8mm, while maintaining chip control.

All three turning insert geometries are coated with the new Tiger•tec Gold grades, WPP10G, WPP20G and the WPP30G.
For further information www.walter-tools.com