Machine tool orders continue rising

Orders received by the German machine tool industry in the third quarter of 2021 were 69% up on the previous year’s figure. Orders from Germany rose by 67%, while foreign orders were 71% higher than in the previous year. Of particular note, orders received by German machine tool manufacturers increased by 61% in the first three quarters of the year.

“The levels of orders on hand are good, although supply bottlenecks and sharp rises in the price of raw materials and components are increasingly holding back business,” says Dr Wilfried Schäfer, executive director of the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association). “Orders are expected to continue rising in the coming months. They are being driven by catch-up effects that will continue for quite some time.”

For further information www.vdw.de

Dugard adds new staff

As part of its ongoing growth strategy, machine tool supplier Dugard has employed two new area sales managers to support customers along the M4 corridor, London, the southeast and Norfolk. Mark Tipper (pictured) has joined Dugard as the new area sales manager for north London, Hertfordshire, Oxford and Norfolk, while Mark Drummond will support customers in south London, Berkshire, Kent and Sussex.

Managing director Eric Dugard says: “Employing area sales managers with the wealth of experience that both Mark Tipper and Mark Drummond have, will be a huge asset for our business. The Dugard brand is well-positioned in the south of the UK, where the presence of two highly experienced sales engineers will certainly help to drive sales and growth even further.”

For further information www.dugard.com

Improved 3D image processing

Using newly developed and recently patented technology, Cognex has eliminated the speckle effect of laser lines, optimising triangulation-based 3D imaging. The In-Sight 3D-L4000 embedded vision system is the first product to bring the benefits of speckle-free laser lines to users.

The laser triangulation method has established itself as the definitive technology for 3D image processing in order to generate high-resolution and precise 3D image data. However, a weakness of the laser triangulation method has always been that the projected laser lines exhibit so-called speckles. Developers have been trying for years to reduce speckles using various methods, such as varying the wavelength and camera aperture, or taking multiple images and then calculating an average image. However, previous efforts did not lead to noticeably better results.

With its new, patented process, Cognex has found a solution to eliminate the occurrence and effects of speckles and produce extremely straight, clean and bright laser lines.

“The basis of the new technology is a blue laser with a wavelength of 450 nm,” explains Thomas Ruhnau, director of engineering at Cognex. “This laser beam is then deflected by a microelectromechanical mirror with ultrasonic vibrations in a plane to create a fanned beam. The beam is then directed on to a diffuser optic featuring a unique property: this optical element creates a perfect laser fan with a precisely defined width and an intensity distribution that is absolutely uniform along the line, eliminating the formation of speckle in the approach.”

Cognex has already integrated the new speckle-free blue laser optics into one of its products: In-Sight 3D-L4000 3D vision system, which enables users to achieve inspection speeds at least twice as fast as comparable competitive products, reports the company.

For further information
www.cognex.com

Made in the UK, sold to the world

The Government has launched an ambitious new ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ plan to help businesses across the UK double exports and sell their products around the globe. This 12-point export strategy, published by the Department for International Trade, aims to give businesses the tools they need to become a nation of exporters and reap the benefits of free trade deals. The strategy includes an Export Support Service that offers a one-stop shop for exporting advice, and the launch of a new UK Tradeshow Programme better-tailored to help businesses attend and promote their products around the world.

For further information
https://is.gd/qirire

RONDCOM NEX is ‘true to form’

Renowned globally for its RONDCOM profile measuring instruments, Accretech has launched the advanced RONDCOM NEX series. The latest evolution of the instrument now features the provision of an axis speed potentiometer, as well as an auto force detector, making all measuring routines more efficient.

According to Accretech, RONDCOM NEX provides the best concentricity and straightness precision figures in its class: (0.02+3.2H/10000) µm and 0.15 µm (Z300) respectively. These advantages are made possible by the high rotational accuracy of the air-bearing based rotary tables. RONDCOM NEX R instruments also enable accurate surface roughness measurements, as per DIN EN ISO, in linear R and X directions, as well as in rotational directions on workpiece circumferences.

The flexible RONDCOM NEX series benefits from a modular design that enables the precision measurement of form, diameter and surface simultaneously. This modularity means that the instruments are available in a range of variants, ensuring that customers can specify a system that meets their own individual requirements. Also, Accretech’s ‘building-block’ approach means that RONDCOM NEX series instruments remain futureproof. For example, in addition to undertaking today’s precision measuring tasks, if the user’s requirements change, it is possible to retrofit new modules that suit developing needs. Similarly, new Accretech instruments can be purchased as manual systems, then later converted to CNC versions if a higher degree of automation is required. CNC add-ons include positioning tables with several asymmetrical measuring positions to accommodate complex workpieces.

“In contrast to stand-alone instruments, customers no longer have to compromise on accuracy when measuring form, diameter and surface parameters,” says Marcus Czabon, COO at Accretech. “We’ve fundamentally redesigned the entire series of form measuring instruments to ensure that our customers receive even greater support in terms of efficiency, time savings and automation.”

For further information
www.accretech.eu