The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) has made a £2.3m investment in new kit as it seeks to enhance the competitiveness of the UK’s automotive, aerospace and medical manufacturing sectors. A radial forge from Austrian company GFM GmbH has been purchased, making it the only machine of its kind available in the UK for R&D and demonstration purposes. The AFRC will use it to trial and prove the viability of new ways of manufacturing parts for hip implants, automotive transmissions and aerospace components, among other products.

Radial forges are much more common in Germany and Austria, where they are frequently used in manufacturing parts for the automotive industry. However, a large upfront investment has curbed their adoption in the UK. Developed specifically for the AFRC, the radial forge will enable manufacturers to try new alloys and other materials in a range of applications. Featuring two pairs of hammers, the forge allows engineers to incrementally develop more complex shapes, improve materials, work at lower temperatures and create parts that are nearer net shape.
The machine also offers induction heating, which allows it to control how parts are being heated, be more flexible, and produce components more quickly. With a maximum forging force is 1500 kN, the machine can work with parts of up to 950 mm in length and a diameter of 125 mm. Cold working internal and external tolerances of ±0.15 and ±0.25 mm are offered, as well as hot working tolerances of ±0.25 and ±0.5 mm, respectively.
Dr Alastair Conway, senior manufacturing engineer at the AFRC, says: “By working with a range of materials and proving the advantages that the process offers over traditional hammer and drop forges, we hope to show our manufacturing industries how they can compete more effectively
on the international stage.”
For further information www.gfm.at

Higher and more consistent quality of the formed vehicle part, the potential for shorter cycle times and better control over the entire manufacturing process. This is what customers can expect from AP&T’s new in-line process monitoring system for press hardening.

Pyrometers and infrared cameras are used to measure the material’s temperature both before and after pressing. The pyrometer registers the absolute temperature at a certain point, while the infrared cameras are used to read the heat distribution on the part’s surface. All of this takes place without any of the equipment coming into physical contact with the material. It is crucial that the blank is heated up, formed and cooled down at exactly the right temperatures to ensure that the finished vehicle part obtains the desired material properties. The higher the degree of precision, the better and more consistent the result.
In-line process monitoring has been developed by AP&T to meet the demands of both the press hardening process itself, and customers, and it satisfies car manufacturer standards such as CQI-9.
Press hardening technology enables sheet metal parts to be manufactured with low weight and high strength, which results in lighter, safer and more energy-efficient cars. AP&T is a supplier of complete production solutions for press hardening, and has installed close to 100 press hardening lines globally since the beginning of the 2000s.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

Bystronic has launched a press brake that can be moved around by fork lift truck. Despite a footprint of less than 3 sq m, the machine offers a bending capacity of 80 tonnes over 1.5 m.

Called Xpert 80, the press brake joins the smaller 40-tonne, 1 m Xpert 40 model. Both are able to boost productivity by avoiding the need to use a large, slower press brake to bend small components. Output can be increased further by relocating the machines next to a laser cutting cell, another press brake or other machine tool.
The Xpert 80 press brake can bend material up to 20 mm thick and may be equipped with multiple tools. ByMotion drive control, a Bystronic development, ensures that the machine’s upper beam and back gauges are accelerated quickly without compromising precision. Bending speeds of up to 25 mm/s are attained.
Ergonomic design features include drawers built into the side of the machine for housing bending tools and other equipment within easy reach of the operator. A height-adjustable folding table at the front of the machine can be used as a working surface or storage area. Power consumption is low due to the machine’s energy-conserving design and start-stop technology employed in the drive train.
Upper and lower tools self-seat during clamping as the operator presses an icon on the machine’s touch-screen control. Tool positions are automatically calculated as part of the program, while flashing LEDs on the front of the upper beam instruct the operator where the tools need to be mounted to correspond with the 3D movements of the back gauge.
For further information www.bystronic.com

LVD has expanded its line of ToolCell automated tool-changing press brakes with the ToolCell 220/30 Plus and ToolCell 220/40 Plus. The new Plus models can handle bend lengths of 3 and 4 m, and deliver 220 tons of bending force. Both feature an open height of 570 mm (with a stroke of 300 mm) to accommodate tools capable of producing high flanges. If required, this can be enhanced to an opening of 670 mm and a stroke of 400 mm.

LVD’s ToolCell hydraulic press brake features an integrated tool changer and tool-storage system. The machine automatically selects and places the tooling required for the job. While the operator is preparing parts for the next job, the machine unloads the previous tooling and loads the next set-up, all without manual intervention.
The accuracy of bending operations is said to be assured with LVD’s patented Easy-Form Laser adaptive-bending system, which is standard on all ToolCell models. Easy-Form Laser provides in-process angle monitoring via laser scanners located on the front and back of the press brake table. The system transmits information in real time to the CNC, which adjusts parameters accordingly to generate the correct angle. No production time is lost as the bending process is not interrupted. Using Easy-Form Laser, the machine is able to adapt to material variations such as sheet thickness, strain hardening and grain direction, automatically compensating for any changes.
ToolCell press brakes are Industry 4.0-ready thanks to LVD’s latest generation Touch-B control, which is linked to a central CADMAN database where all production-relevant data is stored.
For further information www.lvdgroup.com

Wiltshire-based Alvan Blanch, a specialist in the design and manufacture of machines and integrated systems for the processing of agricultural produce and waste materials, has installed two of the UK’s highest specification E-Brakes from SafanDarley. The purchase was prompted by a bottleneck in the company’s press bay following investment in automation for its laser-cutting and punching machines.

“Due to our growth and the acceleration of other processes on site, we had little choice but to invest in new press brakes,” explains production manager Neil Connor. “We looked at suitable machines across the market, including those from our existing supplier. However, the E-Brake 200-4100 NS machines from SafanDarley were the most advanced, not just in terms of their servo-electronic technology, but the user-friendly CNC. We’re based in a small village, so finding skilled labour is really difficult. If we lose a skilled operator through sickness, for example, we sometimes need to assign a replacement who isn’t necessarily familiar with the technology.”
The ability to program the SafanDarley E-Brakes offline allows Alvan Blanch to assign unskilled labour to the machines, safe in the knowledge that they simply have to follow on-screen instructions to complete the task successfully.
“To emphasise this point, we have recently recruited two brand new operators who have never used press brakes before,” says Connor. “However, they’ve taken to the E-Brakes really well and are working away quite happily now – after just four weeks in the job!”
Alvan Blanch traded-in two of its four previous press brakes as part of the investment, so there are still four machines in total on site. However, despite this, the two new E-Brakes have boosted productivity by 30% to relieve the previous bottleneck.
For further information www.safandarley.com