Exactaform continues growth with Vollmer machines

Located near Coventry, Exactaform’s new £5.8m facility is home to 12 Vollmer machines that include six Vollmer QWD750H, three QXD200, a QXD250, a QWD760, and now, the next-generation Vgrind 160. In 2012, Exactaform reported annual growth in the region of 25%, as its then seven Vollmer machines were running up to 158 hours out of a possible 168 a week. This level of automation and company growth has continued over the past five years, with staff levels rising from 13 to 63 and turnover almost quadrupling from £2m to £7m.

Exactaform recently developed its latest line of cutting tools, the Aero-Carb diamond-coated two- and four-flute end mills for composite machining, and the Aero-Ti line of end mills for titanium and aerospace alloys. Aiming to ramp up production volumes, the company wanted to improve its production efficiency. The answer arrived in the form of the Vgrind 160.
Company director Jamie White says: “We wanted the Vgrind for grinding pockets on small diameter tools. The combination of the 16,000 rpm high-frequency spindle and the facility for loading small grinding wheels instantly gave us the ability to pocket-grind tools in the 6 mm diameter range. This isn’t feasible with typical grinding wheels in the 70 mm diameter range and slower spindle speeds. The benefit was instant. We went from eroding tool pockets in 45 minutes to grinding them on the Vgrind in just two minutes. This was an astounding leap forward for our productivity levels, especially in the face of higher production quantities.”
For further information www.vollmer-group.com

Automated loading options extended

Two new automatic loading developments for the large-capacity Helitronic Vision 400L grinder and two-in-one Vision Diamond 400L grinding/eroding machine have been announced by Walter Ewag: the Top-Loader and Robot Loader 25.

Top-Loader features a pneumatic swivel arm with gripper to integrate with Walter’s standard robot pallet system for tools up to 32 mm diameter. The two-pallet system, one each for blanks and finished tools, can each accommodate up to 500 tools (depending on size).
The Robot Loader 25, meanwhile, can accommodate 21 tools of up to 315 mm diameter and 25 kg in weight (or 28 tools of up to 220 mm diameter; 70 tools up to 105 mm diameter). Equipped with a Fanuc robot and featuring new software that accommodates the ‘random’ loading and storage of tools and blanks in HSK holders on up to seven pallets, the efficiency and effectiveness of the Robot Loader 25 is enhanced by laser marking for tool set-up and optional ‘diameter determination’ functionality for automatic operation.
Both the Walter Helitronic Vision 400L tool grinder and Helitronic Vision Diamond 400L can accommodate tools up to 315 mm diameter and 420 mm long. The latter can process (grind/erode) rotationally symmetrical precision tools in PCD, carbide, HSS, ceramic, cermet and CBN in a single set-up.
For further information www.walter-machines.com

Tool-holding technology

UK debuts are planned for a number of products from Gewefa and its partners (hall 17, stand 362).

For instance, the Gewefa M96 ER is a hydraulic tool-holding system that fixes on the collet location of ER driven-head spindles, while the Rainbow range of angle heads from Gewefa principal Pibomulti are assembled on a modular concept that creates cost savings of up to 30% over standard fixed-head units. Another Gewefa partner, EWS, a manufacturer of driven and static tool holders for CNC lathes, has upgraded its quick-change Varia modular system into Varia-VX, offering increased performance for turning and milling processes.
For further information www.gewefa.co.uk

World first for aero-engine production

TEK4 will use the show to introduce a world first dedicated to the production of aerospace blades and vanes (hall 18, stand 8).

As a specialist in cooling-hole drilling technology for jet engines and gas turbines, the company will be introducing its TEK4 6G FHD SA fast-hole EDM drill. The TEK4 6G FHD SA on the stand will incorporate full six-axis simultaneous machining, intelligent probing, and pre-breakthrough and breakthrough tool detection. These features are essential for machine shops in this sector as it enables companies to avoid the risk of back-wall impingement.
For further information www.tek4.co.uk

HMCs showcased

The stand of Starrag will centre on Heckert’s four-/five-axis horizontal machining centres, as well as on how the company’s Integrated Production System (IPS) is an integral part of Starrag’s Industry 4.0 strategies (hall 17, stand 530).

Heckert’s recently announced horizontal machine series offers traverse rates up to 80 m/min. The machines – H45, H50 and H55, L40, L50, L55 and X40 – not only have a smaller footprint of up to 30% less than traditional horizontal-spindle models, which results in an estimated 15% increase in productivity per unit area, but offer acceleration rates of 1.2 G, tool-change (chip-to-chip) times down to 2.2 seconds and pallet-change times down to 8.5 seconds. The latest Heckert HMCs are based on a modular design that enables the use of different pallets. In all cases there is an optional NC rotary table (up to 900 rpm) for turning operations in the same set-up. Different tool magazines are available up to 320 stations.
For further information www.starrag.com