Quality prosthetic parts and dental implants

In Catalonia, Terrats Medical has gradually grown and developed a workshop that can produce the most surprising workpieces on an automatic lathe.

Today, the company that was founded by the family grandfather, is managed by three brothers: Roger Terrats (sales manager and COO), Jordi Terrats (CEO and production manager) and Ramon Terrats (technical office manager).
Before it advanced to become a key player in the dental sector, the company focused on job order production and the manufacture of connector parts. Since these sectors are extremely cyclical, the company decided to turn to a project that dealt with a new product distributed under the brand DESS, which specialises in the production of medical and dental parts. While searching for a partner for this new adventure, the company soon opted for Tornos. Why? Well, because Tornos and its machines have earned an enviable reputation in the implant market.
“Our business started with Tornos Deco machines,” states Roger Terrats. “They are really excellent machines, quite apart from the fact that, in our sector, machine tools are not subject to excessive wear and we could thus resell them at a high price. Today, only a few machines can be resold as they have been here 20 years or more, which is the best proof – if any such proof were needed – of the quality of Tornos products. So, one by one, we’ve sold our Deco machines in order to invest. Firstly, in Tornos Gamma 20 machines and then in Tornos Swiss GT13
machines. Our current machine inventory consists of 23 Tornos models.”
For further information www.tornos.com

Chuck for Swiss-type lathes

According to Big Kaiser, the company has released the world’s first hydraulic chuck designed specifically for Swiss-type automatic (sliding-head) lathes.

Now available in the UK from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC), this chuck solution overcomes the problems frequently encountered when using ER collet chucks.
Swiss-type machines make widespread use of ER collet chucks. However, operators often face difficulties when replacing their cutting tools as the available space inside the compact work envelope is extremely tight, providing very little space for tightening the nut. The hydraulic chuck from Big Kaiser simplifies the tool replacement process by using just a single T-wrench. In addition, the chuck facilitates the connection of a coolant tube from the underside.
Head of sales and marketing at Big Kaiser, Christian Spicher, says: “This hydraulic chuck finally provides a simple, easy-to-use solution for all Swiss-type machines, including those from Citizen, Star, Tornos and Tsugami. With the chuck, customers can simplify and accelerate tool replacement. In addition, the system achieves even higher precision cutting results than ever before.”
The new chuck offered by ITC is a world-first concept and Big Kaiser is said to be the only company currently producing such a hydraulic chuck solution. This chuck promises to save time and take the frustration out of tool replacement, essentially superseding existing ER chucks. The Big Kaiser hydraulic chuck for sliding-head lathes is available in six sizes.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Sunnen and ANS join forces

A joint development programme has been entered into by Sunnen and Applied Nano Surfaces (ANS) of Sweden that is focused on the patented ANS ‘Triboconditioning’ process.

Triboconditioning is designed to reduce friction and wear on a variety of honed parts and components by levelling off surface peaks and applying a special compound to the component surface. Unlike spray coatings, the compound becomes an integrated part of the component structure at a nano level. In most cases, the process can be performed using Sunnen honing equipment.
For further information www.sunnen.com

Schunk adds to sales team

Schunk has welcomed a new area sales manager to its expanding UK team.

As the latest addition to the sales force, Jason Hardwidge will be covering the East Midlands area. Hardwidge is a self-motivated sales professional with a strong engineering background. With 15 years in the industry, he has worked with a number of engineering and cutting-tool manufacturers, and will be a welcome and experienced addition to support the company’s ongoing growth. Hardwidge will now start servicing the variety of requests that Schunk receives from customers in the run up to EMO, MACH 2020 and beyond.
For further information www.schunk.com

Lathe will pay for itself in 18 months

Installation by Citizen Machinery of a fixed-head Miyano BNE51-MSY twin-spindle, twin-turret turning centre at electrical wiring conduit manufacturer ABB Cable Management Product, Coleshill, is heralding a fundamental change in the way the company turn-mills its cable end fittings.

Cycle time savings of up to 70% with more to come, reductions in manufacturing cost, scrap and returns, and elimination of the need to outsource 10% of production to subcontractors, will combine to amortise the cost of the Miyano well within 18 months of its installation in January 2019. Manufacturing unit manager Andrew Fellows describes this payback time on a major item of capital expenditure as “brilliant”.
“In the first two weeks of the Miyano arriving, we transferred on to the new machine the manufacture of four fast-moving products, all of which benefitted from drilling on both end faces simultaneously at the main and counter spindles,” says Felllows. “Average cycle time saving was 59%, while the largest reduction was 70% in the case of a conduit fitting that previously required 133 seconds to produce. The turn-mill cycle now takes 40 seconds on the Miyano.”
Senior operator Dan Gardner says: “We’ve only taken advantage so far of cutting with two tools at a time, but the superimposition function in the Mitsubishi M730VS control, coupled with Y-axis movement of the upper turret and X-axis travel of the counter spindle, allows three tools to be in cut at the same time.
“After five days’ training from Citizen, both on- and off-site, we carried out a time study on a complex fitting that will see an 80% reduction in cycle time, from 230 to 46 seconds.”
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk