New investment fast-tracks success at Gripple

When Sheffield-based Gripple UK – a specialist in wire-joining, wire-tensioning and wire-suspension systems – wanted a suitable means of manufacturing a new product, the company turned to Trumpf, its establish supplier of sheet-metal processing machinery. Duly acquiring a TruPunch 3000 to complement an existing TruPunch 1000 model installed three years ago, the machine has been set to work producing Fast Trak, Gripple’s new series of rapid trapeze brackets that are considered a breakthrough in pre-fabricated containment supports.

“Although the TruPunch 3000 is essentially dedicated to one product, it’s great to have a machine that is easy to configure as it means we can adapt to any design iterations that arise,” explains the company’s production manager David Grant. “On top of flexibility, we were also drawn to the machine’s productivity levels.”
The machine has been set to work producing parts for the 11 different sizes of the Fast Trak range. Components are punched from 2 mm thick mild steel and measure up to 1200 mm in length. Essentially, Fast Trak is a simple U-channel in shape, although some of its parts require the generation of complex forms.
“Trumpf showed us the optimum way of producing the forms using their tooling and TruTops Punch software,” states Grant.
“If we hit the anticipated sales volumes we will in all likelihood require another TruPunch 3000 to meet demand,” he adds. “As with all of our in-house manufacturing strategies, we only want to work with the best technology, as this means we get the best cycle times and the best savings.”
For further information www.uk.trumpf.com

Latest turning grades for steel

MACH will provide Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal (hall 20, stand 888) with the platform to add two grades to its AC8000P series of Absotech Platinum CVD-coated turning grades for steel.

The AC8015P and AC8035P grades are said to provide users with higher stability through improved wear resistance, reduced crater damage, improved surface smoothness and lower stress cutting due to a recently introduced patented coating process. AC8015P has been developed for higher speed, continuous cutting operations, while AC8035P has up to double the fracture resistance of traditional grades to withstand heavy interrupted cutting cycles.
For further information www.sumitomotool.com

BTA drilling expertise

Mollart (hall 20, stand 855) will focus on its expertise in BTA deep-hole drilling technology following the establishment in 2017 of its BTA Application Centre in Chessington.

This capability will be supported at the exhibition through its subcontract machining operations, which include gun drilling, BTA deep-hole drilling and multi-axis machining techniques and assembly. Visitors to the stand will be able to discuss BTA drilling technology with regional specialists representing various areas of the UK. Mollart’s subcontract capability includes multi-axis machining technology both at its 40,000 sq ft headquarters in Chessington and 21,000 sq ft production facility in Resolven. Production installations across the two sites comprise six Mazak Integrex turn-mill centres, large Doosan turn-mill centres, a range of large-capacity turning and machining centres, as well as subcontract drilling, automatic deburring, ultrasonic testing and surface finishing. The company also houses welding and fabrication facilities across
10,000 sq ft of space.
For further information www.mollart.com

Prioritising productivity

Yamazaki Mazak (hall 20, stands 760 and 790) is set to showcase 13 productivity-enhancing solutions from its portfolio of machine tools and laser profiling centres.
The company will also use the platform to showcase its suite of Industry 4.0 solutions, which were first unveiled at EMO last year. For instance, Mazak’s iSmart Factory works in partnership with Mazak’s Smooth CNC Technology to improve OEE and facilitate data-driven manufacturing via connection of the factory and office networks.
In terms of machines on display, the UK-built VTC-800/30SR is a vertical travelling column machining centre capable of full five-axis contouring, making it suited to both aerospace applications and general subcontract manufacturing. Alongside will be another aerospace-specific model, the HCR-5000S, a five-axis horizontal machining centre developed for high-speed aluminium cutting. Machines will also be displayed to suit the oil and gas, and automotive sectors.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Putting Industry 4.0 on the map

The mission of Pryor Marking Technology (hall 18, stand 410) at this year’s show is to help companies take their first steps into Industry 4.0 – by marking and tracking components through the production process.

Pryor’s solutions can mark every component on a production line with a unique ID, such as a barcode. Moreover, using Pryor’s traceability software, users can then track each component and capture important data across the manufacturing process. Pryor will also showcase some of the marking technologies that underpin these systems, including on-the-fly laser marking and robotic dot-peen marking.
For further information www.pryormarking.com