£500,000+ orders from XYZ exhibition

XYZ Machine Tools rolled out the red carpet to customers, technology partners and other stakeholders at its recent 40th anniversary technology exhibition. Taking place last month at the company’s 100,000 ft² headquarters and manufacturing facility in Devon, the two-day event resulted in machinery sales worth over £500,000.

“It was fantastic to see so many familiar and new faces at our technology exhibition,” reports managing director Martin Burton. “XYZ wanted to celebrate its 40th anniversary in style and we were so pleased that 123 representatives from 65 existing or prospective customers took time from their busy schedules to attend. We received terrific feedback and hopefully there was something of value for everyone. The machine orders we’ve taken so far certainly seem to corroborate that aspiration.”More information www.xyzmachinetools.com

NIKKEN TOOL HOLDERS: CONTINUOUS INNOVATION WITH SUPPORTFROM KISTLER

Japanese tool-holder specialist Nikken relies on accurate measurements and comprehensive
cutting force data from a Kistler dynamometer to advance its solutions for demanding
machining applications, both in Japan and Europe. Among the company’s recent innovations
is a dynamic double-face contact tooling system that was honored with a JSPE Technology
Award in 2022.
Nikken Kosakusho Works manufactures tool holders, CNC rotary tables, reamers and a
range of other technological solutions for high-level machining applications in many diverse
industrial sectors. Ever since the company was founded in 1958, Nikken with its
headquarters in Osaka has evolved into a global network with over 750 employees in more
than 16 countries. Today, the company supplies customers in a number of industries such as
aerospace, healthcare, motorsport, power engineering, molding and die casting and the
energy sector.
In 2014, the tool-holding specialist opened the Nikken Innovation Centre Europe (NICe) at
Rotherham in the UK. This flagship facility features eight state-of-the-art machining centers
for full-scale research and development work on machining applications.
“That was also when we started working with Kistler measurement technology, and we’ve
continued to do so successfully ever since then,” says Susumu Mikado, senior managing
director at Nikken.
“The objectives in R&D are to correlate all data on cutting forces in the X, Y, and Z axes with
parameters such as the velocity command and torque command of the three-axis servo
motor, the spindle torque, and the accuracy and stability of the cutting surface. We then
comprehensively evaluate this data. The Kistler system enabled us to measure all the cutting
forces needed for a new series of tool holders, and to compare the process performance for
each tool holder in the range.”
Nikken developed the products in its X-Treme chuck series specifically for demanding
aerospace and energy applications. According to the company, the chucks provide high
repeatable accuracy and excellent run-out characteristics, combined with complete
elimination and prevention of any movement or ‘pulling-out’ of the end mill.

Nikken relied on the 9255C dynamometer from Kistler. With its broad portfolio of
piezoelectric dynamometers, Kistler can provide solutions for applications such as milling,
drilling, turning, grinding and many more, all the way from micro-machining to heavy-duty
cutting. Dynamometers from Kistler find use in many R&D applications, and they also play a
key part in optimising production processes.
Thanks to its high rigidity and natural frequency, the piezoelectric sensor array (comprising
four three-axis force sensors) used by Nikken measures the cutting forces and moments in
the three orthogonal axes with high precision. Another benefit of the 9255C dynamometer
is its high resolution, so it can capture the smallest dynamic changes, even when large forces
are present. Features such as a wide measuring range (Fx, Fy: ±30 kN, Fz: -10 to 60 kN),
ground-isolation sensor integration, and protection class IP67 make the 9255C suitable for
heavy-duty applications in both R&D and production.
“Thanks to Kistler’s help, we were able to standardise our process and method for the
original workpiece, which measured 150 x 150 x 100 mm,” explains Mikado. “Our product
was originally developed to manufacture jet engine components made of a special titanium
alloy. The dynamometer’s performance, ease of use and data quality – backed up by
excellent service from Kistler – were major factors in the success of our project.”
In 2020, Nikken opened a new technical centre at its headquarters in Japan, equipped with
the latest machining technologies to achieve the highest possible accuracy.
“In view of that, we moved the Kistler dynamometer to our new centre,” says Mikado.
“Since then, the 9255C has delivered an enormous volume of cutting data on different types
of shanks and chucks, not only for basic evaluation but also to support the specification of
material characteristics.”
Among other new products, R&D efforts at the new technical centre in Osaka led to the
development of a dynamic double-face contact tooling system. This Nikken innovation is at
the core of a new tool-holder series with many different variants, including the 2LOCK
tooling system (BT double-face contact), which won the 42nd Technical Award of the JSPE
(Japan Society for Precision Engineering) in 2022. The new system offers minimal vibration,
enhanced smoothness, high accuracy and prolonged tool life. The improvements arrive
regardless of material type (aluminium, steel or alloys).
“The Kistler dynamometer helps us to continue developing our solutions and has even
paved the way for some real innovations,” concludes Mikado. “The technical support we
receive from Kistler Japan is also very good, not only for commissioning and basic
knowledge exchange, but also when it comes to optimising the measuring chain and the
entire R&D system – including aspects such as interfaces and data processing.”
More information www.kistler.com

Sunnen receives ‘E’ Award for Exports

Honing machine specialist Sunnen Products was awarded the President’s ‘E Star’ Award for Exports by the US Department of Commerce at a recent ceremony in Washington, DC.  Sunnen was one of 64 companies at the ceremony achieving recognition for excellence in furthering US exports, and one of 13 to receive the prestigious ‘E Star’ Award for Exports. This is Sunnen’s second time winning the award, having also received the honour in 1986.

“Sunnen has demonstrated sustained commitment to export expansion,” said Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, in her congratulatory letter to the company. “The ‘E’ Awards committee recognises Sunnen’s 80-year history as an exporter with 40% growth in export revenue over the past four years. The company’s investment in ongoing technology and marketing innovations to support export growth into the future was also notable.” 

Sunnen is celebrating its 100th year in business this year and is no stranger to supporting the US and its manufacturing efforts. In October 1942, Sunnen was a recipient of the predecessor to todays’ award, the Army-Navy Production Award (at the time, it was widely known as the ‘E’ Award for excellence) for its contribution and excellence in the production of equipment during World War II.  

Sunnen Products first began exporting into Canada and the Scandinavian countries. After World War II, the company expanded exports all over Europe, and into South America and Asia. Founder Joe Sunnen was a businessperson who knew the importance of finding solutions to unmet market needs, which included making products available globally. Sunnen has since grown into a global company with 14 subsidiaries and over 35 international distributors. 

More information www.sunnen.com

TEMSA adds to Studer fleet with S100

The Spanish TEMSA Metallurgical Group focuses on the manufacturer of special tools for cold forming. For many years, the company has also been using cylindrical grinding machines from Studer at its Barcelona production facility, where the latest arrival is a Studer S100 CNC universal internal cylindrical grinder.

The white with blue accents of the Studer S100 are a familiar sight at TEMSA, where other machines include the Studer S131 new-generation CNC universal machine for internal cylindrical grinding.

“We have confidence in the technology and value our positive relationship with the manufacturer,” says production manager Alfonso Vivar of the decision to invest. In addition, the high level of precision, reliability and ease of operation offered by Studer machines help to ensure that production is as efficient as possible.

The S100 is a good all-rounder offering maximum flexibility thanks to its numerous options for internal, face and external grinding. The machine facilitates the production of a wide range of workpieces up to 550 mm in length. Elsewhere in the facility, the Studer favoritCNC is a universal cylindrical grinding machine for the individual and batch production of medium-sized workpieces with a length of up to 680 mm. Both machines have an attractive price despite the inclusion of premium technology such as a solid mineral cast Granitan bed and optimal hardware-software interplay for ease of operation.

In addition to the machinery, Vivar cites another important reason for choosing Studer: “The customer service is outstanding, helped by several contact persons who can speak Spanish.”

More information www.studer.com

Wall thickness challenges in deep-hole boring

Tubular components are present in many sectors of manufacturing, but their design and specification vary enormously according to the intended application. In some industries, such as aerospace and medical instrumentation, tubes require machining to incredibly tight tolerances. Inaccurate machining can result in high reject rates, material losses and poor component function which, in some circumstances, can endanger end users.

Hone-All has over two decades of experience in machining high-precision tubular components. By combining expertise with the latest equipment and tools, the company says it can meet exacting specifications to achieve high surface finishes and tight tolerances for tubes up to 3 m in length.

According to Hone-All, among the challenges of machining tubular components is concentricity. In simple terms, concentricity is the measure of wall thickness consistency along the length of a tubular component. To calculate this characteristic it is necessary to measure the difference between the inside and outside diameters of the tube at different points along its length relative to the central axis.

When carrying out deep-hole boring to achieve a thin wall, it is important to start with a larger diameter material and then bore and turn gradually in stages. This approach reduces movement in the material which can lead to inconsistent concentricity and compromised tolerances. While there is a minimum wall thickness associated with deep-hole boring, Hone-All says it can achieve incredibly thin walls while maintaining concentricity.

Customers should note that it may be necessary to invest a little more initially, but this will be worth it in the long run, as the results will include less wastage and more accurate components. In turn, customers will enjoy longer, more reliable performance – saving more over time.

More information www.hone-all.co.uk