Automated turn-mill cell in place at Takumi

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of DN Solutions’ (formerly Doosan) machine tools, has recently supplied Takumi Precision, a global engineering solutions provider based in Limerick, with a new flexible automated manufacturing cell. The cell, installed at Takumi’s 50,000 sq ft facility in September 2022, comprises a recently introduced SMX 2100ST multi-tasking turn-mill machine integrated with a Mills CNC SYNERGI Sprint automation system.

The automated manufacturing cell significantly increases the company’s machining capacity and capabilities.

Takumi Precision currently has over 20 Doosan machines at its disposal, with most organised into discrete and dedicated machining cells for fast and efficient part processing.

Donal Galligan, Takumi Precision’s CEO, says: “Doosan machines are reliable, competitively priced and represent great value. They deliver excellent cutting performance and help us achieve the part accuracy, repeatability and surface finish we expect and our customers demand.”

Gerry Reynolds, Takumi Precision’s founder and chairman, adds: “The SMX 2100ST, with its lower turret, is a flexible, high-productivity turn-mill machine capable of processing complex, high-precision parts in one-hit. After discussing our requirements with Mills CNC, we augmented the order for this machine with the integration of a robot to create a flexible, automated manufacturing cell.”

The 8” chuck SMX 2100ST, with its left and right opposing spindles (5000 rpm), B-axis milling function, Y axis and 12-station lower turret, is now integrated with a SYNERGi Sprint automation system comprising a FANUC industrial robot offering 25 kg payload, a part load/unload grid plate (900 x 900 mm), end-of-arm tooling, laser floor scanner technology and a 17” touchscreen HMI.

“The SMX 2100ST/SYNERGi Sprint cell is the first robotic automation system to be acquired by Takumi in its 24-year history,” says Galligan. “We’re currently organising our production schedules to take full advantage of our latest investment.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

XYZ service team gets new look

As the largest supplier of machine tools into the UK marketplace, the service team at XYZ Machine Tools is busy with annual service calls and installations. As such, the team needs reliable transport and the right tools and equipment on-hand to help reduce downtime for customers. The recent arrival of a new fleet of Ford vans will help to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the entire service operation.

XYZ Machine Tools’ branded vans are equipped with the latest Bott storage systems to ensure that each service engineer is fully equipped to deal with regular service calls. The Bott-designed interiors allow for optimum use of space so that XYZ’s 17-strong team of road-based service engineers can carry more spares than in previous vans. To ensure that the interiors met exacting standards, each van was taken to Bott’s Bude facility, where engineers performed a secure and robust fitting in support of minimal machine downtime for customers.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Show-stopping year at Advanced Manufacturing

The UK’s largest annual gathering of engineering and manufacturing professionals, Advanced Engineering, returned to the Birmingham NEC last month for its 13th edition. Companies at the forefront of UK industry showcased their cutting-edge technologies, and experts united to discover the latest innovations. Attendees also enjoyed talks from leading industry figures, including representatives from Siemens, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Make UK, Rolls-Royce and Airbus.

Some 409 exhibitors attended the event, with 85% already rebooking for next year. Once again, the show was co-located with Lab Innovations, which also achieved record breaking re-booking rates. This year, over 8800 people attended Advanced Engineering, 27% more than in 2021. This number included representatives from blue-chip OEMs such as Aston Martin, BAE Systems, Boeing, McLaren, Microsoft, Nissan and Toyota. The 2023 event will take place on 1-2 November.
For further information www.advancedengineeringuk.com

Conference delegates discover future of NDT

More than 60 sales partners visited VisiConsult last month for a conference to discover new topics around the NDT division brand VCxray. Delegates from new business partner Diondo also participated and shared valuable insights into its portfolio that will make new opportunities possible for customers in the field of non-destructive testing (NDT).

VisiConsults’ guests participated from almost 30 different countries, and were curious to learn more about how VCxray’s solutions help their NDT customers to reach the next level of quality.

Lennart Schulenburg, managing director at VisiConsult, expressed his delight: “Finally we can meet again with a large number of our valuable channel partners and present all of our latest developments. Since the last conference a few years ago, VisiConsult has tripled in size, launched three brands, founded its own service company for materials testing and, last but not least, developed many great systems.”

One of the exciting parts was the presentation of x.OS (X-ray Operation Suite) for professional and comprehensive quality inspection. X.OS covers the complete processes that are important for different roles within part inspection and quality management.
There were also numerous presentations on other X-ray solutions and technologies, with the sharing of application reports and success stories.

Another highlight was getting acquainted with new business partner Diondo and a corresponding presentation on the portfolio that will significantly complement VCxray’s existing solutions with high-end CT systems.

Nikita Fedorov, global sales channel manager of VCxray, says: “With so much news and changes, it’s important that our channel partners get together, are updated by us, and exchange information with each other. Even more important for us is the opportunity to listen to our partners.”
For further information www.visiconsult.de

Software modernises surface damage assessment

Empowering NDT service companies to provide high-value services and industrial assets owners to make optimal maintenance decisions, Creaform is launching a complete NDT software platform that removes interpretation from the equation. The company describes
VXintegrity as the ultimate 3D scanning solution for surface damage assessment. It contains four different modules, intended to tackle any surface analyses, as well as simple metrology applications.

Making it possible to measure up to 80 times faster than manual measuring tools, the new VXintegrity software platform, combined with Creaform’s 3D scanners, represents a good solution to the current shortage of experienced technicians and ageing and/or damaged infrastructures. Moreover, this user-independent technology requires little training and few certifications, which means that technicians can be up and running faster than with other techniques.

This complete NDT solution also enables industrial asset owners to have full confidence in evaluation results and make the best maintenance decisions with the best available data, as it can accurately measure thickness loss on corroded, industrial, complex geometry such as elbows, nozzles, pressure vessel heads, tank floors and valves. With this software platform, a complete analysis of all types of surfaces is now possible.

“The metrology-grade 3D data generated through this software platform can precisely identify small thickness variation between inspections to compare damage progression through time, making it the best, and only, technique sensitive enough to do so on the market,” insists François Lachance, product manager at Creaform. “In addition, the four industry-optimised modules are sure to open up new business opportunities for NDT service providers.”
For further information www.creaform3d.com