Largest profile surface grinder from GER

International Manufacturing Solutions Ltd (IMSL), the UK agent for GER, has announced the launch of the GER SR 400-100 CNC plane and profile surface grinder. Although the 4 m grinder is currently the largest profile surface grinder manufactured by GER, if required, the company is able to produce machines with capacities of up to 6 m.

The 4000 x 1000 mm capacity machine was initially developed for an Austrian manufacturer of press tools, and is equipped with a 500 mm diameter x 100 mm wide wheel head incorporating a 30 kW spindle motor and three independent rotary diamond dressers. All slideways incorporate precision ball screws, Fanuc drive motors and Heidenhain linear scales. Control is via Fanuc 0i-TD.
GER’s SR 400-100 has a vertical distance (table to wheel spindle centre) of 1000 mm and a maximum component weight capacity of 4300 kg. Perlite cast iron is used for all of the machine’s major castings, which are ribbed and feature box-section construction.
The machine’s X-axis table guideways are mounted directly to the front section of the bed, enabling the table to accept much heavier loads while still achieving smooth movement at high speeds, says GER; a design principle that also applies to the machine’s Z-axis column guideways.
A motor assembly mounted inside a heavy cast casing within the column structure is a feature of the machine’s wheel head. This heavy-duty assembly balances the generated masses and, as it is mounted at the rear of the guideways, limits wheel head overhang to avoid deflections under demanding grinding conditions.
For further information www.imsl.eu

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