Unlocking the language of electrification

A landmark initiative that aims to unlock the universal language of electrification launched recently at a major event in London.Over 100 industry experts were present at the Museum of London to take a first look at The Power Electronics, Machines and Drives Body of Knowledge (PEMDBoK). This new resource is set to align understanding of the essential skills and capabilities required by the sector.Hosted on the Electric Revolution Skills (ERS) Hub, individuals, employers, course providers, recruiters and companies can sign up to access information on the skills, competencies and training needed to work in PEMD.
For further information www.ershub.co.uk/body-of-knowledge

Trumpf 3D printers at Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters will use 3D printers from Trumpf to manufacture components for its helicopters, as well as for aircraft from parent company Airbus. The company is expanding its additive manufacturing capabilities with a new 3D printing centre in Donauwörth, Germany, with Trumpf supplying machines for the 3D printing ofstructural components made from titanium and high-strength aluminium.

“With innovative manufacturing processes, we are working on the helicopters of the future in Donauwörth,” states site manager Helmut Färber.“Among other things, 3D printing reduces the weight of components, which helps aircraft operators cut fuel consumption and lower costs. It can also help reduce CO2 emissions in flight. We’ll use the 3D printing process to produce components for the electric-powered CityAirbus, the experimental high-speed Racer helicopter and the Airbus A350 and A320 passenger aircraft, among others.”
For further information www.trumpf.com

Unison launches consumable tooling service

Unison Ltd, a UK manufacturer of tube and pipe bending machinery, is introducing a new bend tooling service to make it simple for businesses to receive quality consumable tooling precisely wheneverrequired.The result of a £500,000 investment to date, with a further £250,000 spend planned by Christmas 2023, at the heart of the service is a new tooling manufacturing centre at Unison’s Scarborough headquarters. From here, the company prepares tailored tooling agreements, with around £100,000 worth of tooling, including mandrel balls and wiper dies, held in stock.

“We’ve been aware of a gap in the consumable bend tooling market for some time,” says Unison sales applications engineer Luke Gibson. “As such, we wanted to extend our tooling service to provide even greater convenience to Unison customers, while also giving users of other makes of tube bending machines rapid access to our consumable and long-life products.”
For further information www.unisonltd.com

Small five-axis machine packs real punch

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions (formerly Doosan) and Zayer machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has introduced a new simultaneous five-axis machining centre.The DN Solutions DVF 4000 is the latest addition to the company’s best-selling DVF-series of five-axis machining centres and, with its compact size and technical specification, targets component manufacturers looking to improve their productivity and process efficiencies.

The DVF 4000 is powerful, fast, flexible and reliable, reports Mills CNC. It is suitable for processing parts that require multiple machining operations,reducing the number of set-ups required to produce such components to completion.The machine comes with a 12,000rpm (BT 40) directly-coupled spindle as standard, powered by an 18.5kW motor that generates 118Nm of torque. AFANUC 31i-Plus control enables machine shops to use the DVF 4000 in full simultaneous five-axis machining mode with advanced contouring capabilities.

Notably, the DVF 4000 is equipped with a 400mm diameter, integrated rotary tilting table with a zero-backlash roller gear cam design that delivers improved speed and reliability.
Productivity and process efficiencies are further realised with the machine’s 60-tool, servo-driven automatic tool changer and an integrated thermal compensation system, comprising six sensors strategically located within the machine that combat thermal drift issues in real time.

Roller LM guideways deliver improved speed and rigidity, while linear scales on the machine’s X, Y, and Z axes, and rotary scales on its B and C axes, ensure accurate positioning and repeatability.
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

XYZ helps PJ Innovations make lots of dough

Market Deeping based PJ Innovations makes dough divider-rounder machines (and theirassociated spare parts) for the bakery industry. When the company formed in 2014 it subcontracted all component manufacturing requirements. However, PJ Innovations started investing in XYZ Machine Tools in 2016 to bring some of the work in-house.

The company’s first purchase was an XYZ Proturn SLX 425 lathe with ProtoTRAK control, which it uses for turning large shafts 90mm diameter and 1m long in batches up to 100.The Proturn SLX 425 is a gap-bed lathe with a capacity of 2m and swing over the bed of 480mm. The extra length gives options for longer shafts. Notably, the operator has 20-30 tools ready set, so switching between programs stored in the control unit takes just 5-10 minutes.

For frame plates and the many parts which require lots of drilling, tapping and boring, the company takes advantage of an XYZ SMX 5000 with ProtoTRAK control and 1930 x 356mm table. Programming takes place at the control and fast changeover between jobs makes this machine suitable for 1-offs and low batch sizes.

The most recent acquisition is an XYZ 1000 TMC with ProtoTRAK RMX control. Manufacturing manager James Goode says: “The tool changer speeds machining up a lot and the enclosed cutting area is better from a safety and cleanliness perspective. We also like the handwheels on all XYZ machines, which allow us to move backwards and forwards through a program to prove it out. You can easily learn to program the ProtoTRAK in one day.”

PJ Innovation’s new XYZ 1000 TMC is for component batches of up to 50-off that need drilling, boring and tapping. Additionally, tool setting is easy using the touch probe, with offsets recorded in the control by pressing the ABS set button.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com