Second MecWash MWX400 for Vixen CNC

After purchasing a MWX400 system in 2020, Vixen CNC experienced such an improvement in cleaning efficiency that the company ordered another system for its factory in Snowdonia. Vixen CNC has seen a significant increase in demand for its services over recent years. The company needed the additional machine due to its use of both ferrous and non-ferrous metals – and the different process requirements of the two applications.

Jake Wood, managing director of Vixen CNC, says: “The MWX400 systems have transformed the washing capability and overall productivity at our factory. The communication and servicing from MecWash have been excellent, which combined with the effectiveness of the cleaning, made the decision of investing in a second machine a simple one.”

He continues: “We replaced a tunnel wash system with two MecWash MWX400 machines. Each machine uses a specific cleaning process, one for ferrous metal and the other for non-ferrous metals. The initial MecWash MWX400 system in 2020 considerably decreased our manual drying requirements, which had been both costly and time consuming. Overall, the MecWash systems have provided superior cleaning results, in faster time – and all with reduced manpower.”

The process starts with powerful ultrasonics, which are essential to clean the intricate shapes and blind holes of oil, swarf and fine particles. MecWash MWX systems boasts four ultrasonic rod transducers with single or mixed frequency (25 and 40 kHz). The ultrasonics create large amounts of localised cleaning energy, dislodging any contamination. After the wash stage, the components are rinsed, firstly with an ultrasonics stage, followed by flood and spray rinses, resulting in a polished finish.

More information www.mecwash.com

Keep it clean with new filtration technology 

Now available from Vollmer is the new VFS 400 filtration system, which simultaneously enables the ultra-fine filtration of cooling oil or dielectric fluid from up to two of the company’s sharpening machines for circular saws, or to a VHybrid 260 grinding and erosion machine.

The purity of cooling oil or dielectric fluid is critical in the manufacture of cutting tools. It enhances the sharpness of the cutting edges on drills, milling cutters and reamers, while improving precision and surface finish. Furthermore, well-maintained fluid quality prolongs the service life of the machine and its peripheral equipment.

The VFS 400 can filter out particles up to 5 µm in size. It pumps contaminated cooling oil or dielectric fluid out of the sharpening machine before feeding into the dirt tank via a pre-filter. The reusable pre-filter ensures the main filter enjoys an especially long operating life. A filter pump feeds the cooling oil from the dirt tank to the ultra-fine filtration system. Solids are separated from the liquid in two or optionally four filter units with small filter elements, where each element has a waste capacity of around 3.5 kg.

The clean tank can optionally feature a cooling system to set the oil or dielectric fluid to the optimal operating temperature. The filtration capacity when running with two filters is 50 l/min, while with four filters it is 100 l/min. VFS 400 systems have a drainage outlet opening and a fill level indicator with automatic fill level monitoring that simplifies maintenance. In addition, the flow rate indicator reports any necessary filter changes are reported to the user.

More information www.vollmer-group.com

Studer S110 grinder adds more efficiency

At the Wroclaw, Poland plant of WHITE, a manufacturer of orbital motors and steering solutions, an S110 internal cylindrical grinding machine from Studer is contributing to higher levels of efficiency in production.

Says Paweł Soćko, senior process engineer at WHITE: “We opted for the S110 because it meets our high requirements in terms of performance and production quality. Thanks to our co-operation with Studer, we can grind components with the highest precision at comparatively low costs.”

At WHITE’s modern plant, which houses around 600 employees, several Studer machines are now in use alongside the new S110, as well as other machines from sister companies in the United Grinding Group. Before deciding on the S110 model, Studer had to determine WHITE’s component requirements, namely the internal grinding of hardened steel sleeves for hydraulic steering systems. It quickly became clear that the S110 was ideal for the component geometry and production requirements.

But that was just the beginning. The Studer team specially configured and adapted the S110 to allow optimal integration into WHITE’s production process.

This task fell within the remit of Cesare Mastroianni, who is responsible for project management at Studer’s internal grinding competence centre in Biel, Switzerland. He says: “The optimisation is based on the specifications, where we define all technical data, component geometry and operational plans.”

Thanks to the optimisation process, the S110 can grind around 350,000 high-quality sleeves per year at the plant in Wroclaw.

“We produce in high volume, which requires the best solutions in the world because we cannot afford any losses due to insufficient precision or fluctuating capacity,” emphasises Soćko. “The Studer S110 meets our requirements perfectly.”

More information www.studer.com

Shot-blast solution suits EV components

Due to rapidly growing demand for electric vehicle (EV) components, Alupress AG, a Brixen, Italy-based manufacturer of aluminium and magnesium die-castings, recently had to increase its shot-blasting capacity. For this purpose, the company purchased a continuous feed spinner hanger blast machine, including a transport system, from Rösler. The custom-engineered equipment design guarantees effective but also gentle de-flashing of workpieces without any risk of warping.

To ensure gentle but fast and effective de-flashing in continuous flow, the Rösler feed spinner hanger shot-blast machine features eight special turbines, each with an installed power of 11 kW. The turbines contain extra-wide throwing blades generating a particularly broad blast pattern. Furthermore, contrary to the standard placement of turbines on one side of the blast chamber, turbines are located on both sides.

This duplex turbine placement, together with the broad blast pattern, generates a gentle blast operation, significantly minimising the risk of warping. Meanwhile, the comparatively high blast media throughput, needed for the efficient de-flashing and cleaning of light metal components, ensures fast and effective shot-blasting operations.

Another feature preventing part warping is the workpiece carrier, which not only rotates during the shot-blast process but also oscillates back and forth in three positions. This guarantees the safe removal of flashes and burrs, even in difficult-to-reach areas like undercuts.


Necessary maintenance work is facilitated by multiple connections for cleaning equipment at different sections of the shot-blast machine.

A handling system ensures easy and trouble-free transport of the workpieces. At the load/unload station, the height of the workpiece carrier is adjustable to the height of the respective operator.

More information www.rosler.com

Optimising the finish of wind turbine bearings

Since 2008, Lippstadt, Germany-based Thyssenkrupp Rothe Erde has received six Dörries Contumat vertical turning and grinding machines from Starrag. Satisfied with the results, this specialist in large-diameter anti-friction bearings for wind turbines has now ordered the same model again, but with modified and optimised features.

Without large-diameter anti-friction bearings and rings from Thyssenkrupp Rothe Erde, many wind turbines would not be turning. These parts see use in the drives of nine out of 10 wind turbine manufacturers worldwide. The finishing of the bearings takes place on seven Dörries Contumat vertical turning and grinding machines, the latest arrival being a larger Dörries Contumat VC 6300/500 MC F.

The portal of the machine is designed to be larger than currently required. Indeed, the newly installed base supports a base table which holds a magnetic chuck with a 5 m diameter. It is possible to extend the base table to 6 m using ring segments, which allows it to support an even larger magnetic chuck. Furthermore, Starrag has installed a new grinding support on the left with a centrally positioned motorised grinding spindle.

Feedback from operating personnel was the impetus for further improvements. For example, Starrag changed the dressing position to eliminate the previous bottleneck to the protective cover. Now, it is easy to dress grinding wheels of all types (on the left and right) up to a diameter of 650 mm.

“It’s a significantly optimised, universal dresser,” states Hubert Erz, senior consultant for sales in the renewables sector at Starrag. “Multiple dressing positions allow operators to adjust the dressing process precisely to the grinding operation.”

More information www.starrag.com