Schunk hosts Dutch high-tech network

A delegation of Dutch high-tech suppliers travelled through Baden-Württemberg last month with clearly defined goals, also taking the opportunity to stop by tool-holding and work-holding specialist Schunk. The trip focused on cross-industry exchange and intensifying co-operation between the Dutch and German manufacturing industries to overcome global challenges together and ensure competitiveness.

Germany is known for its engineering skills and innovative strength, particularly in the automotive and mechanical engineering sectors. In the Netherlands, renowned technology pioneers are also shaping progress in growth sectors such as the electronics and medical.

The trip was organised by the Brabant regional development agency BOM, the Brainport Industries Network Organization and the VDMA (German Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association). Delegates included suppliers to global OEMs and members of the Dutch high-tech network ‘Brainport Industries’, which aims to strengthen value chains sustainably through co-operation.

On the second day of their innovation trip, the delegates visited Schunk’s headquarters in Lauffen and the neighbouring automation plant in Brackenheim-Hausen. There, they were given an exclusive insight into the automation and production processes at Schunk.

At the CoLab Robot Application Centre, there was an open, lively exchange about current trends and automation solutions in dynamic industries such as e-mobility and life science. In addition to networking, the focus was primarily on collaboration opportunities: the aim is to strengthen the complex supply chains of the high-tech sector and promote growth and competitiveness in the long term.

Schunk CTO Timo Gessmann says: “By joining forces and maintaining an open technological dialogue, we combine our strengths and overcome challenges together.”

More information www.schunk.com

Fixture for jet engine turbine manufacturer

The OP-20 is part of a suite of fixtures that bespoke work-holding solution specialist Brown & Holmes has provided for use in the manufacture of aircraft turbine blades. In this case, the Singapore-based client had a good idea of what required machining at different operations. The challenge for the Brown & Holmes team was to ensure repeatable and accurate work holding as the company was dealing with highly complex geometry.

The project involved machining the aerofoil on both sides and around the leading and trailing edges. Platform machining additionally takes place on the fixture and, as this feature is in long-term service, it also involves machining the tip of the blade off in the same process. Access is key to ensuring a good tool path and producing the part in a single, uninterrupted operation.

As a two-part fixture, the dovetail holds the root of the aerofoil in the bottom half, where the accuracy of hold is key. The tip of the blade is then held at the top, so even if there are only microns of inaccuracy, there will be millimetres out at the top of the blade. The two halves must be completely in line to ensure that there is no variation or thickness of the finished machine parts.

Brown & Holmes has been supporting this fixturing solution for over 10 years, with some 19 fixtures used in the client’s operation in Singapore. The company supports this process with cutting trials in the UK, tool manufacture in Italy and delivery to the end user in Singapore.

More information www.brownandholmes.co.uk

ITC presents latest Big Kaiser innovations

At the recent MACH 2024 exhibition in Birmingham, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) showcased a number of new and recently launched product lines from tool-holding specialistBig Kaiser. A case in point was the PG straight collet system, which includes a new anti-pullout system that locks the collet and cutter to the tool-holder body. This design eliminates cutter slippage and also the potential for cutter pullout during demanding metal removal applications. The new system is particularly suitable for high dynamic milling and high-speed milling in difficult materials.

Big Kaiser has introduced three sizes of collet (10, 12 and 16 mm) with the new anti-pullout system, all of which received world premieres at EMO 2023 in Hanover, Germany. Unlike other systems, ITC says the PG does not require specially modified and inherently expensive end mills. Instead, it uses existing standard carbide or HSS end mill designations. Standard notches found on typical Weldon-type end mills will readily accept the locking key insert on the new PG system.

At MACH, the PG system was shown alongside the new Ultra Precision Hydraulic Chuck. With runout guaranteed to be less than 1 µm at 4xD, the new chuck retains itslevels of precision even after intensive use.

Also on show at MACH was a new line of hydraulic chucks for turning machines, which ITC says provide outstanding repeatability and damping characteristics. The advantage of the new Big Kaiser chucks is that they enable straightforward assembly using just an Allen key while the holder remains mounted on the machine. The chucks offer compatibility with major sliding-head automatic turning centre brands such as Citizen, Star, Tornos and Tsugami.

More information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Zoller UK releases heat-shrink solution

The MACH 2024 exhibition at the Birmingham NEC earlier this year marked the introduction by Zoller UK (part of the Carfulan Group) of its PowerShrink 400 heat-shrink solution. The PowerShrink 400 provides high-level rotational accuracy, long tool life and lower tooling costs. Zoller UK says that its fast operation, flexible design and process reliability creates an efficient heat-shrinking solution that can prepare tools for production in under a minute.

“It was another incredibly exciting year for us at MACH,” says Rob Thompson, Carfulan Group sales director. “We were able to demonstrate why we continue to be an industry leader, highlighting a range of our advanced tool presetting and inspection technologies from Zoller UK.”

Alongside the launch of the PowerShrink 400, the Zoller UK stand also featured a range of tool presetting and inspection technologies that included the Genius universal measurement machine, the TMS Organiser and Keeper 2000 that provides the optimal storage solution for tooling and accessories, machines from the Smile range, a system for high-level accurate and repeatable tool measurements, as well as the tool data transfer solution: zidCode.

Carfulan Group managing directorChris Fulton, says:“We generated an overwhelming amount of interest at the show, which is a testament to our leading technologies, as well as the expert service and support that helps our customers to unlock potential across any manufacturing process.From the long-standing staples in Zoller UK’s range to the brand-new systems on show, everyone who visited our stand was amazed at the technology and we’re continuing to move those conversations forward.”

More information www.zoller-uk.com

Work-Holding Upgrade Doubles Productivity

At the Elland, West Yorkshire factory of Archway Engineering, which manufactures drilling equipment for site investigation, mineral exploration, water well construction and environmental monitoring, a Leadwell V-50L three-axis vertical machining centre performs some of the shop floor’s more arduous machining operations. Remarkably, the company has seen a doubling of component productivity on this machine simply by changing the method of workpiece clamping.

The transformation is courtesy of investment in three US-made Chick OneLOKs from sole UK agent 1st Machine Tool Accessories. One of the units remains permanently at one end of the machine’s 1420 x 610 mm table, where it has been clocked into a known position to within 10 µm across the 152 mm face of the clamp’s fixed hard jaw. The other two OneLOKs are removable to make room to mount a 4th-axis indexer, but they are quick to set up again relative to the permanently-positioned clamp by means of a parallel bar.

During frequent small-batch runs, it is a simple matter to secure three parts side by side, write a sub-program to machine the workpiece in the permanent One LOK, probe the position of the parts in the other two clamps, repeat the sub-program twice at the appropriate offsets, and run the complete cycle in one go.

Danielle Toner, production manager at Archway Engineering, says: “The quicker set-up times using the Chick OneLOKs and the faster machining cycles that their secure clamping allow means we can produce a typical short batch of parts on the Leadwell in two days, compared with up to one week previously.Overall, our investment in Chick work-holding solutions has been a fantastic success and the advice and service provided by 1st Machine Tool Accessories have been first class.”

More information www.1mta.com