LOI set to propel AM in the aviation sector

GKN Aerospaceand Materialise, a global specialist in 3D printing solutions and services, have signed a letter of intent (LOI) aimed at advancing the research, designand production of polymer additively manufactured (AM) parts for the aviation industry. The signing of the LOI took place at the recent Paris Air Show and represents an extension of their successful collaboration. Materialise has been a supplier of polymer AM to GKN Aerospace since 2015 and supported the delivery of the additively manufactured wingtip for Eviation’s Alice, the world’s largest all-electric aircraft, which made its maiden flight in 2022.
For further information www.materialise.com

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week

Following a successful first decade, the popular Tomorrow’s Engineers Week will return this November, taking place from 6 to 10 November 2023.Now entering its 11th year, the annual celebration is an opportunity to inspire young people with modern engineering and technology, and showcase the benefits of a career in the sector.Tomorrow’s Engineers Week sees schools, employers, professional engineering institutions and individuals working in engineering and technology come together to bring engineering careers to life for young people.
For further information www.teweek.org.uk

Biggest ever Design & Make Challenge

The UK’s biggest independent STEM event crowned four winners last week in a competition that attracted more than 80 pupils keen to get an insight into engineering. Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, Great Wyrley Academy, John Taylor High School and Lawrence Sheriff High School took the prizes at the Design & Make Challenge 2023, the largest ever staged by the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN).The Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 students split up into teams of four to design, test and build an aircraft using just a box of simple materials and a selection of hand tools.
For further information www.man-group.co.uk

Subcontractor takes-off with 18th Nakamura-Tome

West End Precision is now in possession of its 18th Nakamura-Tome turning centre from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG). The Bideford-based subcontractor serves the automotive, aerospace and general subcontract manufacturing supply chain; all industries that have faced challenges in recent years – but business is certainly booming now. In 2022, the company took delivery of a Nakamura-Tome NTY3-150, a WT150II and it has just added to the plant list with a Nakamura WT150IIF, the third WT150 series machine in 18 months. With over 15 sliding head lathes, multi-spindle autos, centreless grinding and 18 Nakamura machines, West End Precision is no run-of-the-mill manufacturing business.

Alex Dziurzynski from West End Precision says: “We are predominantly a high-volume manufacturer and we’ll typically set the machine and run it for a long time. We do all the programming at the console; we don’t do any offline programming and the onus is that once the machine is set, it will keep running. This means we can have one operator running multiple machines and, as long as spindles are turning, we’re making money. The Nakamura machines give us that ability.”

The latest Nakamura-Tome is machining a family of aluminium 6026 components for a brake system manufacturer.

“We machine two different parts in batches of 10,000 to 20,000-off, with the WT150IIF producing around 6000 parts a week,” says Dziurzynski. “The 60mm diameter cast billets were previously machined on a gantry-loaded machine and the major saving has arrived from our ability to change to bar stock and bar-feed the parts on the Nakamura WT150IIF – slashing component loading times.”
For further information www.engtechgroup.com

Two new entry-level lathes from DMG Mori

A pair of competitively-priced CNC turning centres, T1 and T2, are now available from DMG Mori aimed at the entry-level market. Both machines have a 12-station turret, with VDI 30 tooling on the smaller lathe and VDI 40 on the larger model. They are available as two-axis lathes and in three-axis configuration with a C-axis spindle and driven tools.

The T1 has an 11.7 kW/4500 rpm/140 Nm spindle and an 8-inch chuck, whereas the T2 features a 19.5 kW/3500 rpm/319 Nm spindle and a 10-inch chuck.Bar capacities are 65 and 80 mm diameter respectively, whilethe X-axis stroke is 232 and 300 mm, and the Z-axis figures are 410 and 730 mm. The lathes are highly productive; the T1, for example, is able to achieve a best-in-class depth of cut of 4 mm in carbon steel at a cutting speed of 240 m/min.

A robust machine bed and linear guideways in all axes ensure dynamic and accurate turning. Both lathes feature a linear scale for feeding back the X-axis position to the Siemens Sinumeric One control, which has touchscreen data input and ShopTurn programming. The machines are pre-equipped with IoTconnector networking for integration into a digitalised manufacturing environment.

Each turning centre is available in three versions, Complete, Plus and Pro, to suit the user’s production requirements. Both lathe types are available under DMG Mori’s PAYZR equipment-as-a-service subscription offering, based on pay-per-use rather than ownership. It allows manufacturers to acquire a new machine tool by paying a monthly subscription plus a fee per spindle hour used (no minimum number of hours specified).
For further information www.dmgmori.com