GUHRING KEEPS SPINDLES TURNING AT PRECISION SUBCONTRACTOR

For more than 30 years, Birmingham-based Rowan Precision has been manufacturing high-quality parts for customers – and for much of this time, the company has relied upon Guhring UK to supply its cutting tools.

As a subcontract machining specialist to industries such as the defence, medical and aerospace sectors, AS9100 and ISO9001-accredited Rowan specialises in sliding and fixed-head multi-axis turning, as well asfive-axis machining. With more than 10 sliding-head turning centres on the shop floor, the company has an enviable reputation for the medium-to-high volume lights-out manufacturing of small components. It is here that the service from Guhring plays a pivotal role.

Commenting upon the longstanding relationship with Guhring UK, Matthew Lowe, technical director at Rowan Precision, says: “We’ve had a good relationship with Guhring for many years and they supply us with high-quality tooling and excellent technical advice. When we need something they are here to have conversations and meetings about upcoming jobs, and we can talk about the processes with Guhring’s technical team. We cut anything from plastics up to titanium, the high EN numbers, iridium platinum and other challenging materials. Guhring will sit down with us, look at our drawings and give us what we require to do the job.”

Looking at specific tools, Lowe says: “We use a bit of everything. This ranges from Guhring’s Micro end mills, its Diver cutters, the RF Speed and a lot of the Ratio range of through-coolant drills. We also use their grooving tools and the micro-boring system. We have an entire range of products and they are all very easy to use. Importantly, we have confidence that when we run lights out, we know how long the tool is going to last. Every component and every drawing has a defined tolerance; we need to ensure that the tooling we use can work within that tolerance for a certain period of time. The Guhring products certainly provide that confidence, giving us the ability to run our machines lights out.”

With such a diverse selection of Guhring tools utilised at Rowan Precision, the company also makes use of the Guhring TM multi-vending machine to ensure the correct tool is always on hand for the multitude of components that the company manufactures.

Considering specific applications, Lowe says: “We recently needed tools for a particular job and Chris Bush from Guhring came in and spoke to us about the application, the material and the number of parts we would be running. From this, Chris came back the same afternoon with suggestions and tool data from Guhring. We moved forward and purchased these tools and they are working very successfully. This excellent level of service supports our aims to achieve optimal machining performance and tool life.”

Discussing the relationship with Rowan Precision from a Guhring perspective, Guhring UK sales managerChris Bush says: “We’ve had a strong relationship with Rowan Precision for many decades and, as soon as they have a new component, they’ll give us a call and we’ll come in and take a look at the component, the drawing and recommend the tools best suited to the application.

“Rowan Precision has a lot of sliding-head turning centres machining small components, so they purchase our Micro Precision line of tools,” he continues.“This encompasses everything from milling cutters to drills. We also supply a lot of Micro Diver tools and Micro Milling cutters, which are perfect for all the typically hard-to-machine materials at Rowan Precision. This can range from grade 5 titanium to 316 stainless steel and everything in between.”

Discussing the continually expanding range of micro-tools, Bush concludes: “We’ve taken the Diver milling cutter geometry and incorporated that into a Micro Diver, so we get all the benefits of the Diver range on a micro-end mill. This allows Rowan to apply small tools to their difficult-to-machine materials while holding very tight tolerances and drastically reducing cycle times. As a company that runs lights-out machining, Rowan needs secure processes. They need tools that they have complete confidence in. The Guhring range of Micro Diver tools enables Rowan to set the machines up at the end of the shift when they go home, and know the tools will perform through the night. When the staff return to work in the morning, they are guaranteed high-quality components.”
For further information www.guhring.co.uk

NORTEC show realignment

Messe Stuttgart and the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association)are now assuming jointresponsibility for the established NORTEC production engineering exhibition in Hamburg after concluding discussions with the previous organiser, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. Moving forward, the joint objective of Messe Stuttgart and the VDW is to extend the focus areas of NORTEC and enhance its profile. The VDW is therefore bringing METAV (International Exhibition for Metal Working Technologies) into NORTEC, the next edition of which will take place at the Hamburg Trade Fair Centreon 23-36 January 2024.
For further information www.messe-stuttgart.de/nortec

Hand tool longevity in practice at Robert Sorby

Bowers Group has been a trusted partner of Robert Sorby for decades, assisting in perfecting its woodworking tools with precision measurement. With the help of a range of Moore & Wright handinstruments, the company has been able to achieve exceptional precision in its manufacturing operations.

Working at the heart of the UK’s steel and toolmaking industry since 1828, Robert Sorby has developed a global reputation for producing fine woodworking tools. All its tools are made with high-quality steel, which is hardened and tempered to its own specification. Polished flutes and hand-finished handles are typical hallmarks of the Robert Sorby brand.

The use of hand tools, particularly Moore & Wright instruments, plays a crucial role in Robert Sorby’s manufacturing processes. These hand and workshop tools ensure the precision and alignment of mating components, facilitating smooth assembly and improved product quality.

Mark Furniss, quality andtechnical engineer at Robert Sorby, says: “Moore & Wright hand tools are the backbone of precision and have been invaluable in the manufacture of our woodworking tools. With exceptional accuracy and reliability, these tools enable our craftsmen to create the finest-quality products that stand the test of time. Our partnership with Bowers Group is longstanding and the continued support from the team is second-to-none.”

The 1961M micrometer and 150mm digital calipers are among the most frequently used Moore & Wright hand tools at Robert Sorby. The micrometer measures the critical diameters of turned components, while the digital calipers perform length and depth measurements. Machining centre operators at Robert Sorby rely heavily on the digital calipers for their measurement needs.
For further information www.bowersgroup.co.uk

Vision system delivers reliable automation testing

ALPHR Technology, a Letchworth-based specialist inhigh-end automation solutions fortest andmeasurement applications, advanced robotics and modular automation solutions, is using a Keyence CV-X series intuitive vision system. Consisting of a controller, camera and lighting solution, the vision system makes use of a wide range of high-resolution cameras designed to satisfy any application need. It delivers up to 64 megapixels and features a multi-spectrum image capture system that uses eight wavelengths of coloured light.

A key feature of the Keyence CV-X is the CA-DQP12X Pattern Projection Lighting (PPL) system, which offers simultaneous 2D and 3D inspection. The PPL light works by flashing multiple projections onto a part using its eight-directional projectors, and calculating the height of the part based off the distortion in the projections. As a result, there is no compromise to inspections by surface conditions or contrast between the part and the background. By adding height data to conventional 2D inspection, PPL provides dramatically improved stability during inline inspection.

Says Iqbal Kazi, general manager at ALPHR: “When implementing a vision system, having the correct lighting is paramount in determining if the installation will be a success or otherwise. Keyence was able to demonstrate why a specific light source should be used and proved that the CA-DQP12X PPL system was the right lighting for the applications in which we operate.”

For more conventional imaging applications, the CV-X Series makes use of 2D inspection lighting such as the LumiTrax capture mode as well as the auto-teach inspection function, providing stable inspection for a wide range of different products.
For further information www.keyence.co.uk

Delivering the latest in subcontract measurement

To help manufacturers reduce bottlenecks from production to quality, industrial metrology specialist The Sempre Group provides subcontract measurement, as evidenced by the company’s stand at Subcon 2023 last month. Sempre used the exhibition to showcase the subcontract measurement process, including some of its capabilities and technology, and the data customers receive as a result. Visitors were able to meet some of the team and see the company’s measurement systems in action.

At Subcon, the Sempre team showed visitors how it can become an extension of their quality and inspection department by offering subcontract measurement support. Sempre’s team can help by introducing robust measurement routines that demonstrate compliance, carrying out measurements and providing full reporting on behalf of these customers.

The stand featured an array of metrology systems that demonstrated the scope of Sempre’s subcontract offer, including the Micro-Vu multi-sensing CMM range, the Sensofar 3D optical profiler and Jenoptik Opticline optical shaft measurement system.

As well as measurement, Sempre provides insight using quality management software, including High QA Inspection Manager, an auto-ballooning software that engineers can use to scan entire drawings and automatically extract the GD&T data and full compliance reporting such as FAI and PPAP.

“At Subcon, we showed the latest in our measurement capabilities, and how we can bridge gaps in manufacturers’ quality processes,” explained Mike John, technical director at The Sempre Group.“For those manufacturers that may not be able to buy equipment outright, have sufficient skilledresource available or are taking on projects for the first time, it was a great opportunity to demonstrate how our specialist team can act as an extension to their team.”
For further information www.thesempregroup.com