New machines at Walter-Ewag open house

Two cost-effective Walter Helitronic tool grinders will make their UK debuts this summer when Walter Ewag UK stages an open house at its Warwick headquarters on 27-29June.
The Helitronic Mini Plus and the Helitronic G 200 represent affordable yet capable and accurate models in the range of tool and insert grinding, erosion and laser machines available from Walter Ewag UK. Both machines are for processing tools up to 125 mm diameter and can utilise optional technology to capitalise on the rewards of increased automation.
To register call Phil Morrison 01926 485047, 07714 826832

Heller enables friction stir welding on all machines

Known as a ‘green’ joining technology for non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, friction stir welding (FSW) has established itself in a number of industries. In future, manufacturing companies using Heller machines will no longer need any additional hardware for this technology. Instead, they will be able to perform this process in a single set-up on their four-axis or five-axis machining centres.

FSW is a good choice when it comes to producing high-quality, cavity-free and tight welded joints with excellent fatigue properties. Accordingly, this process is often applied in the manufacture of reservoirs, tanks and containers, as well as in shipbuilding and aerospace engineering. In addition, FSW is increasingly establishing itself in the electrical industry and in automotive engineering with the growth of e-mobility, for the welding of battery housings.

Due to the comparatively low heat input, a very fine-grained structure results without cracks or pores in the material, while distortion in the component is minimal. The welded seam therefore meets the highest standards in terms of tightness and crash behaviour.

FSW also offers a number of key advantages with regard to the environment and health.Compared with conventional welding methods, there are no dangerous light flashes or hazardous fumes, for example.

The welding process becomes a particularly interesting technology with the successful integration into Heller machine tools. It allows users to eliminate an additional work step and only requires inexpensive tools, activation of the Heller technology cycle and the ‘adaptive control function’ in the Sinumerik 840D sl control.The machine operator can easily program the welding path at the CNC control panel using G code, while the transfer of CADCAM data is also possible without any problems.
For further information www.heller.biz

Renishaw joins NMIS

To showcase how Scottish manufacturers can use advanced technologies such as additive manufacturing (AM) to improve their processes, Renishaw has joined the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS). As part of its membership, Renishaw has installed AM systems at the new NMIS headquarters (opening later this year) and will provide its expertise to members. The company will also collaborate with other NMIS members to share its knowledge in ongoing projects, helping manufacturers unlock the true potential of AM as part of the NMIS Digital Factory.
For further information www.renishaw.com/am

New digital service supports all Fastems systems

MyFastems is a complementary service for all existing and new Fastems customers, providing more advanced digital services especially for those using Manufacturing Management Software (MMS) version 6+. Fastems´ first software-as-a-service provides digital tools to support all Fastems customers in increasing their availability and productivity, making sure their systems are up and running 24/7.

The digital service is built as a progressive web application for easy access via web-browser on the PC, tablet or smartphone.It can also be combined with other services such as 8760 support, preventive maintenance and software maintenance agreements for optimised solutions throughout the whole lifecycle. MyFastems is available for all current Fastems automation systems and will be pre-installed for new systems in the future.

Notably, MyFastems brings transparency to any Fastems systems service history and spare parts usage, and includes comprehensive system overview for connected systems, as well as alarm-based recovery instructions and support request tickets. The system overview provides updated statuses of all connected Fastems systems, making it easy for users to stay on top of production activities and solve any issues in a timely manner. Whatever situation occurs, Fastems support is only one click away: MyFastems provides convenient access to creating support and service request tickets. Having all necessary information, Fastems’ technical support can understand the situation on site better and faster, to reduce the critical downtime of the systems.

For connected systems, MyFastems provides more advanced digital services. These include access to alarm history, key performance indicators such as utilisation rate, tools for advanced troubleshooting, and analyses via ‘Incidents’ view, which groups system-wide alarms based on the actual root cause and provides specific recovery instructions.
For further information www.fastems.com

Seco wants to employ more women engineers

Engineering has long been male dominated, but Seco Tools is working to encourage more gender diversity. The company’s commitment to gender diversity includes its global Female Talent Programme. Seco is also a signatory to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, where Goal number five seeks to ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’.“We are trying to encourage more young women to enter the industry because we need more diverse perspectives,” says Zoe Wood, HR manager at Seco Tools UK.“Women often have a different way of looking at problems and coming up with alternative solutions.”
For further information www.secotools.com