Dugard delivers productivity gains for Special Bolt

As a manufacturer of fasteners with over 150 years of experience, Coventry-based Special Bolt can produce more than 100,000 pieces in a single day shift. This capacity has been boosted by the arrival of a Hanwha XE20 sliding head-turning centre from Dugard.

Tim Bayliss, managing director of Special Bolt, says: “The main reason we bought this machine was for capacity. We also needed something that would fit into our limited space. The Hanwha XE20 machine is the opposite hand to existing sliding-head machines, so it fitted perfectly. Our new Hanwha XE20 has the same versatility as other machines, but seems a lot smaller with a lot more punch.”

Producing components in various materials and in standard and bespoke sizes from 6 to 24 mm diameter, Special Bolt manufactures everything from locating flange screws, conrod bolts, striker pins, serrated shoulder studs, dome nuts, shear bolts, nyloc nuts, full hex nuts and many more variations that can be produced to customer specifications.

Referring to the diversity of the machine’s workload, Bayliss says: “It has enough power to do all of our different jobs. Some are easy, some are not, but if you don’t have the power, you can’t make the parts that your customers require.”

Looking at the work going through the machine, he adds: “If we’re making short parts and only doing a turning operation, we could be making a part every 20 seconds. Then, we could be producing a longer part that may have a cycle time of 6 or 7 minutes. It all depends on part complexity. However, it’s more about the fact that this Hanwha machine does all of the parts in a batch exactly the same – each and every time.”
For further information www.dugard.com

CMZ rewards customers after sales milestone

In July 2022 CMZ reached the milestone of selling 2000 machines from its TA series, and the company could not let this opportunity for a big celebration pass by. The fact that the TA series has become the best seller from CMZ’s entire range of products is testament to the build quality and specification of these machines. Offering three different bed lengths and multiple configuration options, the company says that TA series machines offer power, precision and high-level technical characteristics at a competitive price.

All models have integrated spindles, while driven-tool machines feature turrets with an integrated fully oil-cooled 12,000 rpm motor facilitating increased precision and a reduction in cycle times. Moreover, by adding a gantry robot loaders, it is possible to automate long and short batch runs. The TA series has hundreds of different configuration options to suit many applications.

Clearly, 2000 machines sold from the TA series means things are going well, and CMZ wanted to reward the trust placed in the company. For this, it prepared a package that included what it describes as “a unique and unforgettable experience”: the CMZ Box.

This experience speaks about who the company is: its home, culture, cuisine, passion and city. At the end of the day, CMZ is a family business with an international character: there are already 2000 TAs spread all over the world thanks to subsidiaries in France, Germany, Italy and the UK, as well as distributors on both sides of the Atlantic.

CMZ wants everyone to know who is going to enjoy this fabulous prize. So, without further ado, the winner of the CMZ Box prize draw is Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta, a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries.
For further information www.cmz.com

Lathe redesigned for increased functionality

For more than 25 years, German lathe manufacturer Index has produced and sold worldwide more than 3000 ABC series twin-spindle, twin-turret turning centres, including many into the UK and Irish markets through sole sales and service agent Kingsbury. Now, the fixed-headstock, 65 mm capacity, CNC bar auto has undergone a series of improvements that allow it to address today’s requirement to machine more complex components in smaller batch sizes.

Index’s new model occupies an identical footprint and the working area is essentially the same as before. The latter is especially important to meet the needs of current ABC users by ensuring that existing part programs run without any increase in cycle time or loss in machining quality.

Over the years, the robust, slant-bed lathe has seen ongoing improvements, including to the control and drives. With the latest revision, a notable upgrade is that the upper live tool carrier has gained Y-axis movement and is capable of continuous indexing via a step-less gearbox, opening up many more machining possibilities. Additionally, the turret has centre height adjustment and can be equipped with double tool holders in seven stations for more comprehensive machining of component front ends in the 27 kW/6000 rpm main spindle using up to 14 static or driven tools.

An eighth position in the top turret houses a 4500 rpm synchronous spindle for reverse end-working on a parted-off component in conjunction with five tools, two of which may be live, in a back-working attachment mounted on the headstock.

Control is either by a Siemens S840D sl with Index’s own Industry 4.0 iXpanel, or by a FANUC 31i-B.
For further information www.kingsburyuk.com

Machine orders up in Germany

Orders received by the German machine tool industry in the third quarter of 2022 were 9% up on the previous year’s figure. Orders from Germany rose by 3%, whereas those from abroad were up by 12%. Demand rose by 26% in the first nine months of 2022. Domestic and foreign orders contributed in equal measure to this figure, accounting for growth of 25 and 26% respectively. Orders received by the German metal-forming technology sector in the third quarter of 2022 were also up, by a total of 7% up on the previous year. Orders from Germany fell by 1% whereas those from abroad were up by 10%.
For further information www.vdw.de/en

Training is out of this world

MTC Training – the training arm of the Manufacturing Technology Centre – is launching a new apprenticeship and training courses to support the UK’s rapidly growing space sector.
The education suite will include a new Level 4 space technician apprenticeship, a graduate development programme and a series of courses to upskill space engineers.

These new programmes will boost the UK’s skills and capabilities in the space sector, which forecasts predict will be worth £450bn by 2030. The new 48-month space technician apprenticeship launches in September 2023, delivered from the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) training centre in Abingdon. Similarly, the graduate development space programme, also delivered at OAS, will support engineering graduates who are new to the space industry or are considering a move into the space sector.
For further information www.the-amtc.co.uk/training