Machining parts to one-third of a micron

In the production of many optical components such as lenses and mirrors, the specified form accuracy and surface roughness are generally an order of magnitude higher than for other machining processes. That is why Son-x GmbH in Aachen, Germany, a spin-off from the renowned local Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, uses a five-axis machining centre built by another German firm, Roeders. The manufacturer’s machines are available in the UK and Ireland through sole agent, Hurco Europe.

Son-x manufactures metal components made from various alloys, including high-strength steels, as well as parts made of clear plastic. Quantities range from single pieces to several hundred per year, while dimensions extend from a few millimetres up to half a metre diameter in the case of metal mirrors, for example.

Dr Olaf Dambon, a director of Son-x, says: “Our early work involved ultra-high-precision diamond turning, but parts started coming along that needed a prismatic machining platform able to achieve similar accuracies. We drew up a specification sheet for the machine we wanted and designed a challenging test part for prospective suppliers to produce. Five machining centre manufacturers were shortlisted, including three from Japan, but we chose the Roeders because its trial machining results were the best.”

An order was therefore placed for a Roeders RXP 601 DSH five-axis machining centre.

Dr Benjamin Bulla, another director of Son-x, says: “We have many jobs that run for extended periods, so the long-term stability of the machine’s reference point is crucial. In one instance we had to mill moulds for arrays of hundreds of plastic lenses whose shape required control to within 316 nm. This tolerance was reliably maintained throughout 50 hours of machining.”
For further information www.hurco.co.uk

Machining centre productivity increase five-fold

Robotic component loading and unloading is helping prismatic components subcontractor Hemlock Engineering of Stapleford to unleash the true productivity potential of its latest Brother five-axis, 30-taper Speedio M200X3 vertical machining centre. The result has been a 500% increase in production output compared with manually-loaded machines on-site.

The remarkable aspect of this automation success story is that it has been achieved in the most problematic of scenarios: the production of relatively small batches of components between 1000 and 2000-off requiring short cutting cycles of between two and 10 minutes.

Hemlock’s owner Paul Cobb says: “Typically, one of our 40-taper VMCs runs for 40 hours per week. However, a lot of the time the relatively slow spindle is not cutting – I estimate we get on average 45% utilisation. With the robotic Feedio load/unload system serving the latest Brother, we achieve 100 hours of operation per week, sometimes more, and the uptime of the faster 30-taper spindle is 88%.

“On this basis, overall production output is about five times that of one of our 40-taper machines,” he continues. “Additionally, the latter capacity needs the full-time attendance of an operator whereas the Brother cell occupies an operator for only about 20% of their time. So there is a five-fold reduction in the labour cost content of components produced.”

He explained that the plug-and-play Speedio/Feedio cell costs about £800 per week to run, including finance, labour and power, which he said “is not very much”. It arrived on the shop floor in March 2022 and, as already observed, produces similar output to five 40-taper machines with full-time operators. That is why Cobb describes the benefits of his first ever automated prismatic component production cell as “absolutely astronomical” and “off the charts”.
For further information www.wmtcnc.com

Stöferle Automotive is also Heller beta test site

With the accelerating emergence of electromobility and hybrid technology, the components machined by German firm Stöferle Automotive GmbH are becoming more and more complex, while dimensional accuracy and surface finish requirements are steadily increasing. As a result, the Laupheim-based company started looking for high-quality horizontal machining centres on which to produce mild steel hybrid car components in diameters ranging from 240 to 320 mm with fits between H6 and H7.

After evaluating numerous machines, Stöferle decided to invest in two second-generation HF 5500 five-axis machining centres from Heller. The machines (at the time installed ahead of their official launch) are now part of a production line operating three shifts, seven days a week, producing annually up to 350,000 components. In addition, Stöferle has bought two H 2000 four-axis models from Heller’s fourth generation H-series.

Joint managing director Erich Stöferle says: “We perform real endurance tests on Heller machines lasting years. We run them to the maximum, operating at a small percentage below the performance limits specified by the manufacturer. If the maximum weight of a milling cutter is specified as 16 kg, for example, we go up to 15.5 kg. We use a 160 mm diameter milling cutter at 15,000 rpm, which may not be a problem in single part manufacture, but we produce continuously over three shifts.”

He adds: “Another aspect of the tests is that the two HF 5500s are part of a manufacturing line comprising five or six machines. As annual production quantity has been set at 350,000 pieces, a high level of reliability is crucial. Our tests show that Heller’s aim of delivering machines capable of high productivity and precision day in day out has again been implemented in the new-generation HF-series.”
For further information www.heller.biz

AM industry to surpass US$41bn by 2033

IDTechEx forecasts that 3D printing’s continued innovation and meaningful adoption will lead the hardware and consumables market to surpass US$41bn by 2033. The new report from IDTechEx, ‘3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 2023-2033: Technology and Market Outlook’, carefully segments the market by 80 different forecast lines across 17 different technology categories, four major material categories, and eight material sub-categories. These hardware and material forecasts analyse future installations, hardware unit sales, hardware revenue, materials mass demand and material revenue.
For further information www.IDTechEx.com/3DP

Machine tool orders continue to climb

In the second quarter of 2022, order intake in the German machine tool industry rose by 24% compared with the same period last year. In this context, orders from Germany manufacturers increased by 27% and those from abroad by 23%. In the first half of 2022, orders increased by 34% overall. Domestic orders contributed to this with a 35% increase and foreign orders with a 33% increase. The VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) reports that Germany’s two lead export markets, China and the USA, remain strong.
For further information www.vdw.de