Automation draws attention at Blechexpo

Bystronic customers know that with powerful machines and optimised processes they obtain solutions that make them even more competitive. Accordingly, there was considerable interest at the recent Blechexpo 2021 exhibition in Germany, where Bystronic presented its latest technology in the areas of laser cutting, software and services.

In addition to manual production, a clear focus was on the topic of automation. Here, it was evident that Bystronic supports its customers, step by step, on the way to fully automatic production. Numerous customers came and showed great interest in the company’s solutions.

In his technical presentation on the topic of smart factories, Thorsten Stahl, product manager for software services, illustrated to the audience that anyone can venture the first step toward an intelligent factory. In doing so, he addressed everyday problems in production, and in particular, how they can be overcome with the BySoft Suite.

“We can digitalise your processes and present your business procedures in the digital world, and you can carry out agile, smooth and transparent production,” he said. “A smart factory is not for the faint of heart, but also not impossible.”

A further highlight was the Blechexpo Innovation Prize, now secured by Bystronic for the fifth time. The award is presented to the most outstanding exhibits. On this occasion, Bystronic was recognised (together with its collaboration partner AIRCO Systems GmbH) as the most innovative enterprise of the year in the category of separation and connection technology with the Blechexpo Award for ‘AIRCO Infinit Mixgas’.

For further information
www.bystronic.com

Ward CNC appoints Scotland sales manager

Following the company’s recent period of growth, TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC) has further enhanced its sales network with the appointment of Fraser Lovatt (pictured right), who joins as regional sales manager for Scotland. Lovatt has over 40 years of engineering expertise, with experience of manufacturing in the oil and gas, aerospace, medical and general engineering sectors.
Ward CNC’s managing director Simon Whitworth says: “Our sales network goes from strength to strength with the addition of Fraser. His appointment is excellent news for our customers in Scotland, where we’ve been privileged to supply many high-quality machines to a number of outstanding organisations over the years. All customers can continue to expect a first-class level of service support and technical back-up.”

For further information www.wardcnc.com

New horizontal five-axis HMC

Japanese machine tool manufacturer Makino has introduced a new five-axis horizontal machining centre (HMC), which made its debut at the EMO exhibition in Milan last October. Productivity on a five-axis machine is sometimes lower than on a four-axis model, but not with the a800Z, according to sole UK and Ireland agent NCMT.

The jacket-cooled spindles provide the same power as on a Makino a81nx four-axis HMC. In addition, the standard 10,000 rpm BT50 (HSK-A100 optional) spindle takes just 2.7 seconds to reach maximum speed and is rated at 55 kW (25% DC), 27 kW (continuous), while torque is 721 Nm (10% DC), 305 Nm (continuous). An optional 8000 rpm spindle provides uprated power at 75/37 kW and higher torque at 1199/552 Nm.

By raising the rear X-axis guideway above the one at the front, the column travels over a slanted plane. This capability allows the efficient transfer of high cutting forces during heavy-duty machining, and maximises the rigidity of the machine structure. Furthermore, the design reduces the weight of the moving column, minimising jerk during acceleration and deceleration. The machining envelope is defined by axis travels of 1,280 × 1,200 × 1,325 mm, actuation being by cooled, large-diameter ballscrews.

Productivity and short idle times are ensured by up to 50 m/min cutting feed rate and 60 m/min rapids. Maximum weight of the fixtured workpiece on the 630 x 630 mm pallet is 1 tonne, excluding the weight of the pallet.

Makino’s a800Z has a high-capacity chip management system. The interior, near-vertical walls in the working area are stainless steel to minimise chip adherence and promote swarf evacuation via three channels in the machine base.

For further information
www.ncmt.co.uk

Seco hits green target

A combination of green electricity and renewable energy certificates in the US and India have enabled Seco to reach its 2030 emission targets a full nine years ahead of schedule. The Seco focus on making all aspects of its business more sustainable led to a comprehensive review of the company’s energy requirements, and when the time came to renew contracts with suppliers for the site in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, green energy was to the fore. Studies showed that Reynoldsville was responsible for around 10% of the global electricity requirement for Seco and 19% of its climate impact from electricity.

For further information
www.secotools.com

Subcontractor increases five-axis capacity

Steve Holmes, owner of subcontract machining company Pro-Cut Precision Engineering of Milton Keynes, founded his business in 2010 and bought a second-hand Hurco VMX30 three-axis vertical machining centre (VMC) to carry out prismatic machining operations.

Today, specialising in a mixture of prototyping and small batch work as well as longer production runs, he has on the shop floor seven modern machines from the same supplier. One of the most recent additions is the first full five-axis model on site, a trunnion-type VMX30Ui.

The VMX30Ui joined an existing VM30i three-axis machining centre in an adjacent unit that has benefitted from the addition of a Kitagawa rotary-tilt table with Lang work holding. The machine provides further five-axis capability while retaining the possibility of using the full 1270 mm X axis for processing larger components. When carrying out five-sided metal-cutting operations, the machine is often programmed using Hurco’s transform-plane software in the Max5 control.

Holmes advises that the move towards five-axis was a natural progression for the company and, having two different configurations of machine, allows him to produce a greater variety of workpiece sizes and shapes. He is impressed with the reliability and performance of the Hurco machines and says they produce components of high accuracy and surface finish.

“Compared with other models on the market, the VMX30Ui can handle surprisingly large sized components, considering the relatively small footprint of the VMC,” he states.

“We are happy to machine five-sided components in 3+2 axis mode or undertake fully simultaneous five-axis work, the more complex parts presently being required mainly for the motorsport sector.

“The flexibility to serve a variety of customers is key to our business success and the latest, larger capacity five-axis model will help us further in this respect.”

For further information
www.hurco.co.uk