Rolls-Royce delivers 1000th Trent XWB-84

Rolls-Royce has delivered its 1000th Trent XWB–84, achieving another key milestone for the engine programme. The engine, which will power an Airbus A350-900, was built at the company’s production test facility in Derby. Following its entry into service in 2015, the Trent XWB-84 quickly became the fastest selling large engine of all time. It has now achieved more than 8 million engine flying hours in service with more than 30 operators, demonstrating its versatility and capability by flying a range of different routes, from short-range segments to ultra-long-range flights of more than 18 hours.

For further information www.rolls-royce.com

Record recruitment drive at Bentley

Bentley Motors has announced the company’s biggest-ever intake of trainees for 2022. A phased recruitment drive will see a total of 113 new recruits beginning their careers at the company’s headquarters in Crewe. The successful individuals will take up positions in lean manufacturing, systems and electrical engineering and business management, for example. Additionally, around 20% of the intake will be in digital skills such as software engineering and data science.

Dr Karen Lange, member of the board for HR, says: “The automotive industry is going through unprecedented change; we are transforming and so are those around us. That’s why we’re committed to continuing our focus on our early careers intake and developing the future talent that will help transform our future skills requirements.”

For further information www.bentleycareers.com

Turn-mill centre prepped for automation

Building on the strengths of previous generations of Miyano fixed-head turn-mill centres, the BNA-42SY is Citizen Machinery’s latest addition to the range. The CNC lathe is the first BNA model to have a 12-station turret giving ±35 mm of Y-axis movement, all tool positions now being live, and a new design that lends itself to easy automation.

Compared with current BNA models, machining efficiency has been upgraded by more powerful spindle motors, which are rated at 7.5/5.5 kW (15min/cont) for the 6000 rpm main spindle and 5.5/3.7 kW for the 5000 rpm sub-spindle. Acceleration and deceleration are quicker on both spindles, improving productivity further by minimising idle times.

The machine’s rigid bed, the weight of which is now 1823 kg, brings thermal control advantages and more capacity to house a larger coolant tank. Notably, the base casting has been prepared with space at the right-hand side for robotic load/unload equipment. If a user intends to take advantage of automation, the machine is available with a swarf conveyor that exits to the rear as an option. Users may deploy the automation solely for unloading components that have been turn-milled from bar stock up to 42 mm diameter, either directly from a spindle or via a parts catcher and conveyor. Alternatively, or in addition, it may load and unload billets or near net shape workpieces like castings or forgings up to 135 mm in diameter.

Mounting points have been included to provide an option to add an overhead gantry if only chucking is to be carried out, in which case a raw material stocker can be positioned to the left of the machine in place of the bar magazine.

For further information
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Workshop hits next level

Miniature Manufacturing, a machined parts specialist based in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, has installed PSL Datatrack production control software to help the business ensure that it underpins component production with careful workshop scheduling, prompt delivery times and a commitment to full traceability. Owner Phill Wiles now acknowledges that running a workshop was much more difficult prior to having PSL Datatrack and, on reflection, wishes he had invested in the system earlier. “Once installation and training has been conducted by PSL Datatrack, payback on the investment starts pretty much immediately,” he says.

For further information
www.psldatatrack.com

Compact turning cells with integrated robot

Japanese machine tool manufacturer Okuma has incorporated a robotic arm inside its CNC turning centres for the automated production of shaft- and chuck-type components. The sole UK and Ireland agent for Okuma is NCMT.

One of the first Okuma lathes to benefit from an internal ‘Armroid’ (Arm Robot Intelligent Design) workpiece load/unload system is the LB 3000 EX II, one of which is available for demonstration in NCMT’s Coventry showroom.

Three different end-of-arm effectors are available for performing different tasks. One is for blasting air or coolant within the cutting zone. This effector can be programmed to follow the cutting tool for breaking up stringy swarf or to clean down the whole working area, greatly improving chip management.

A roller end effector provides support under a shaft component during cutting to minimise chatter.

In combination with a workpiece stacker, the third end effector is a two-finger gripper for automatically holding shaft-type workpieces around their circumference for loading and unloading, with total weight capacity being 5 kg. All three end effectors are stored within the machine for automatic exchange by the robot.

It is possible to integrate a longer, more powerful Armroid into a second Okuma turning centre, a Multus B250II multi-tasking lathe. The robot arm handles workpieces up to 10 kg and possesses a fourth type of end effector with a three-jaw gripper for holding billets around their end faces.

Armroid systems are suitable for high mix, small batch work. The extended periods of unattended running release the operator to carry out duties in other parts of the factory. However, the cells are not for the lights-out production of large quantities of the same part due to the limited number of workpieces that the stocker can accommodate.

For further information
www.ncmt.co.uk