£200k robotics and automation training cell

Companies in Telford, Shropshire and Herefordshire are set for a manufacturing boost, with In-Comm Training due to launch a new robotic automation cell. The independent training provider is investing more than £200,000 through the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) and the Marches Education Partnership into creating a dedicated seven-axis robotic training capability that will help firms upskill or reskill workers. Hundreds of individuals will have access to robotic programming, maintenance and automation courses that will give them the skills needed to help their employers take advantage of new opportunities.

For further information www.in-comm.co.uk

Global leap in nuclear welding technology

Completion of the first full-sized SMR (small modular reactor) nuclear vessel demonstrator at Sheffield Forgemasters signals a global leap forward in welding technology. The company is pioneering the industrialisation of local electron-beam welding (LEBW), with complete weld-assembly of the vessel marking a pivotal moment in welding development. It takes less than 24 hours to complete four, thick, nuclear-grade welds, typically requiring a year of work to complete.

With a diameter of 3 m and a wall thickness of 200 mm, the construction of the vessel showcases the reliability and capabilities of LEBW, setting a new standard for the weld-joining of thick-walled components, previously unrivalled in a demonstrator model. Sheffield Forgemasters says it is using LEBW for the first time at this scale, with 100% success and no defects.

For further information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

HILL HELICOPTERS IS READY FOR LIFT-OFF WITH HYPERMILL CAM FROM OPEN MIND TECHNOLOGIGES

As the name would suggest, Hill Helicopters is a manufacturer of luxury light helicopters. Since its inception, the company has been on a fascinating journey that is seeing the team of 80+ engineers develop and manufacture a complete aircraft from the ground up. To achieve this outcome, the Rugeley-based manufacturer has enlisted the support of leading manufacturers from the sphere of machine tools, cutting tools and ancillary equipment. When the company needed CADCAM technology that is trusted by the aerospace industry, it turned to Open Mind Technologies and its hyperMILL CAM suite.

Discussing the foundation blocks of the Staffordshire manufacturer, company founder, chairman and chief engineer at Hill Helicopters, Dr Jason Hill, says: “We are designers, developers and manufacturers of the HX50 five-seat turbine light helicopter. We’re actually bringing light helicopter manufacturing back to the UK for the first time in 50 years. To sell an effective general aviation light helicopter, you have to match the price point with high-end supercars. To do that, you can’t really turn to the existing aerospace supply chain. So we’ve had to develop a vertically integrated manufacturing strategy where we manufacture everything in-house from scratch.”

Hill Helicopters has developed the entire machining capability and composite capability for a whole aircraft, transmission system and gas turbine engine, an enormous undertaking. The company has a group of technology partners that has essentially helped Hill Helicopters to drag itself up the learning curve.

“This has enabled us to machine parts, cast parts and make composite components,” says Hill. “Open Mind Technologies and hyperMILL have been an instrumental knowledge and support partner in enabling us to program and manufacture complex machined components in a wide variety of materials.”

Discussing the start of the relationship between the two companies, Justin Talboys-Cotton from Open Mind Technologies UK, says: “We were initially invited by Hill Helicopters to look at their compressor wheel, which is effectively an impeller. It was a very challenging component with very small gaps. Although it was a challenging first part, from that point on there has been a wide variety of components the company wanted to make. The relationship has grown and, as Hill Helicopters bought more equipment and machine tools, they have increased their use of hyperMILL. Being invited into Hill helicopters at such an early stage – before machines and programmers were here – has been really exciting. It’s been great to be part of this helicopter development programme and watch it grow.”

The company is fast approaching 1000 sales with 943 aircraft pre-ordered for delivery to 67 countries at present. Hill Helicopters is currently looking to invest in a new facility to accommodate its growth, and every month it reaches new milestones in bringing the project to rapid fruition. In short, the company is pioneering a new approach to delivering and supporting safe, exciting luxury private aircraft ownership at an affordable price, naming the new concept ‘General Aviation 2.0’.

General Aviation 2.0 (GA 2.0) is an ‘end-to-end ownership experience’ with its focus entirely on the customer. It begins with a ground-up modern aircraft design process that simultaneously meet or exceeds the latest EASA and FAA airworthiness requirements. Beyond this, GA 2.0 provides an all-new, safe and fully supported ownership experience. These factors ensure the new aircraft delivers low operating costs and maintains a stable high resale value, making personal helicopter ownership more attainable than ever before. As an aircraft, the Hill GT50 engine is a 400 hp unit with a take-off power of 440 hp to 10,000 ft, a cruise speed of 140 knots and a maximum range of 700 nautical miles. The company is also manufacturing a commercial variant, the HC50. The differences between the HC50 and HX50 are price, time-to-market and customer participation in the HX50 manufacture. 

Commenting upon the current phase of development, Dr Jason Hill says: “Fundamentally, at this stage, our sole objective is to get through the development of parts and sub-systems as fast as possible. Pretty much everything we do on every single machine here is a first-off, a one-off. So, we must manage the risk of programmer error or machine crashes as we are going through these development phases at pace. The Virtual Machine capability within hyperMILL is absolutely crucial to us being able to do that with minimum risk and maximum confidence – as quickly as possible.”

Adds Talboys-Cotton: “Virtual Machine optimiser on a gantry mill is ensuring that the customer covers things like rewinding automatically. As a programmer, it means you program as normal even though the machine is complex. Having the hyperMILL Digital Twin set up and Optimizer, we automatically ensure the processes are collision-free and it can run within the machining envelope comfortably. I believe the main aim here in regard to being efficient, is managing many parts and lots of design changes that are involved with the components passing through the process chain for the first time. HyperMILL is enabling Hill Helicopters to optimise their programs, first of all as a ‘fit for function’ prove-out, but also to make sure the parts are going to be valid for the production environment.”

Hill Helicopters programs both milling and turning operations with hyperMILL. The CAM software is absolutely instrumental for the company to develop literally hundreds of complex components in a wide variety of materials to extremely tight tolerances.

Concluding on the project, Dr Jason Hill says: “I’ve been dreaming about making this helicopter since I was a little boy, so to find myself 44 years later in a position where this thing is becoming physical and real, where we’re not far from actually flying. It’s an amazing experience. I think the day-to-day requirements of building a helicopter and a jet engine from scratch are extremely demanding. However, seeing the joy in our staff and our 943 customers who are witnessing this thing take its first baby steps into flight, more than offset that. This journey has definitely been worth it.”

For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Making tools and fixtures on an ad hoc basis

Before vehicles are produced in large series, automotive manufacturers test and check the
properties and functions of all components under different conditions. All-Forming GmbH in
Kappel-Grafenhausen specialises in the production of the required prototypes and pilot
series. With innovative ideas and in-depth expertise, the team develops and fabricates the
necessary tools and fixtures. This is where the company appreciates the huge potential of
wire EDM technology.

To produce its punching and forming tools, the specialists at All-Forming have been using
the wire erosion process for many years. The company invested in a Mitsubishi MV2400R
Connect wire EDM machine in the middle of 2022 because the previous machine was
outdated in terms of programming and operation.
Production manager Sebastian Singler says All-Forming decided in favour of the wire EDM
machine from Mitsubishi Electric for several reasons. “First of all, the MV2400R Connect
comes with a cutting-edge and future-proof programming and operating approach. We
benefit from state-of-the-art touchscreen operation. In addition, interfaces to current CAM
systems are readily available. We also the like very large workspace which provides easy
access to the machine operator. This is particularly important for us as we frequently
machine one-off parts.”
All-Forming programs the components to be cut at a CADCAM workstation using the 3D CAD
workpiece data. The data for the NC program for wire EDM gets sent to the MV2400R
Connect via a direct data line. There, the company retrieves the current production orders
and NC programs and loads the machine with sheet metal accordingly.
The advantage is that the company can position several different pieces of sheet in the large
workspace. All-Forming’s MV2400R Connect can therefore cut several workpieces
overnight, unsupervised. This goes a long way towards producing stamping and forming
tools at short notice.
For further information www.mitsubishielectric-edm.eu

Vollmer set to unveil two eroding machines

At the GrindingHub 2024 exhibition in Stuttgart this May, Vollmer will give premieres to a
number of innovations. For instance, the company will unveil its QS 860 and QSF 860 eroding machines, which can machine PCD-tipped circular saws. Although the machines will not be on show in Stuttgart,
Vollmer will be providing information about them both digitally and in face-to-face
meetings. Another innovation from Vollmer will be the VFS 400 filtration system, seen for the first
time at GrindingHub. Visitors to the trade fair can experience live how the space-saving
system carries out ultra-fine filtration of cooling oil or dielectric during the sharpening
process. Depending on the machine type, up to two Vollmer sharpening machines can
connect to the VFS 400. At the show, these machines will be CHX 840 and CS 860 grinding
machines, which sharpen carbide-tipped circular saws. The VHybrid 260 grinding and eroding machine and the VLaser 370 laser machine will also be live on the Vollmer stand. Among further new technology will be a feature for the VGrind 360S grinding machine. Thanks to an optional dressing unit for the grinding wheel, tools with the ultra-hard cutting material PcBN can now also be ground in two machining steps: roughing and high-precision finishing. PcBN machining is possible with the VGrind 360S because the machine has very high system rigidity on one hand, and X, Y and Z axes driven by linear induction motors on the other, which implements oscillating tool machining. Vollmer will also showcase products and services from its subsidiaries Loroch and ultraTEC innovation.
For further information www.vollmer-group.com