Latest shoulder mills eliminate finishing

The newly developed VSM490 series of Widia indexable-insert shoulder mills available from ITC is said to eliminate finishing operations and improve productivity when machining a wide variety of materials. In addition, the VSM490 double-sided 90° inserts offer four cutting edges to reduce costs.

This latest addition to the Widia Victory Shoulder Mill (VSM) range includes a complete line of insert grades that support the machining of cast iron, stainless steel, steel, titanium, aluminium and a host of aluminium alloys. The cutter’s versatility is facilitated by a positive geometry and the availability of both 10 and 15 mm inserts, along with an extensive selection of tool holders.
A total of four insert geometries are offered, including ALP geometry for low-power machine tools cutting non-ferrous materials, and ML geometry for stainless steel and light machining on a variety of other materials. For more robust applications, MM geometry incorporates features designed to bring greater strength to machining operations, while the heavy-duty MH grade is first choice for high-performance roughing on cast iron, chiefly credit to edge-protecting geometry and additional margins.
The VSM490 gives customers a full slotting solution with 100% radial engagement, shoulder milling with step-down capabilities that provide low or high engagement, as well as low or high radial engagement. Furthermore, the VSM490 can be applied to contour milling, Z-axis plunge milling, trochoidal slot milling and HPC face milling.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Entering the AM sector

Known for selling turnkey metal-cutting systems to UK and Irish manufacturing industry based on German machine-tool agency ranges, Geo Kingsbury has announced that with immediate effect it is also offering additive-manufacturing solutions.

The move follows the company’s appointment as exclusive distributor within the same market for AddUp Global Additive Solutions, which is owned jointly by Michelin and the Fives industrial engineering group. As a result, Geo Kingsbury has created a new Additive Manufacturing Division at its offices in the Midlands, headed by Richard Hughes.
For further information www.geokingsbury.com

Anca invests in renewable energy

Tool-grinding machine specialist Anca is one of the first businesses to team up with Australia’s fastest growing business-power retailer, Flow Power, to buy energy generated by renewable sources.

This renewable power, sourced from Ararat Wind Farm, can be used in real time to offset grid electricity consumption, potentially saving thousands of dollars in energy costs. Anca Group CEO Grant Anderson says: “We are always looking for opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment and, as a manufacturing plant, the partnership with Flow to access renewable power will bring us tremendous benefits.”
For further information www.anca.com

Brandauer passes 1.5bn components

An independent stamping and presswork specialist is proving that the ‘best things in manufacturing come in small packages’.

Brandauer, which employs over 60 people at its factory in Birmingham, produced more than 1.5 billion components last year that were accurate to a tolerance of 20 µm – the best performance in its 156-year history. The firm has invested heavily in high-speed press technology, a wire EDM cell and the skills of its workforce to help it grow the number of small and technical parts it produces by over 10%; equating to more than £1m in sales.
For further information www.brandauer.co.uk

Record UK sales for Blum

Metrology specialist Blum-Novotest has seen sales pass the £500,000 mark for the first time since the UK subsidiary was launched in 2000. The target this year is for another 20% growth, with the company set to build on the early success of its Digilog touch-probe systems by launching LC50 – Blum’s latest laser-control technology. The company says that the system will deliver up to a 60% reduction in the time taken to check and measure parts on a CNC machine tool.

“We’re finding that a lot of our customers are increasingly looking to source measurement solutions that are quick, can perform on complex components and, importantly, can be fitted to a machine tool for real-time data and the best possible accuracy,” explains David Mold, managing director of Blum-Novotest Ltd. “This is exactly what we do with our range of products that start from a simple tool-setting probe and go right through to workpiece probes, roughness and bore gauges,
and the new Digilog touch probes.”
For further information www.blum-novotest.com