Business manager appointment

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has appointed Russell Harding as business manager for the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

Harding, a seasoned engineering solutions sales professional, takes over the business manager position from Adrian Jagger who, after 26 years in post, is taking on new and wider business development responsibilities within the company.

Harding is no stranger to the machine-tool and ancillary technologies sector, or to the Yorkshire and Humberside region for that matter, having worked as Fenn Tools’ business manager (covering a similar geographical area) for the past eight years. Prior to that, he worked as a CNC machinist for 15 years and has extensive knowledge and experience of machining and cutting-tool processes, as well as specific expertise in the aerospace sector.

For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Safe, ergonomic unpacking of sheets

Sawing equipment and industrial warehouse manufacturer Kasto has added a new solution to its range of equipment for stockholders and processors of sheet metal. The new plate handler allows safe unpacking and storage of sheet stacks, reducing the amount of manual handling required, which is especially beneficial for heavy plates. Kasto’s new system not only saves time, but helps to prevent accidents and injuries.

The Kasto plate handler consists of a drum-shaped turning device and a support table that raises and lowers. A stack of sheet metal to be stored is placed for stability in the centre of the table by a forklift before it is unpacked. The user first removes the straps, packaging and edge protectors from the top, then advances the stack into the drum, which rotates through 180°.

Then, the table rises to its upper position, retrieving the stack in its inverted orientation and lowering to allow easy removal of the remaining packaging and the wooden pallet.

After removing all the packaging, vertical and horizontal guides align the plates exactly on the table according to the user’s requirements, either centred or at one corner. Telescopic forks convey the plates to a waiting cart and then on to a storage pallet. In this way, automated handling is achieved without any heavy lifting or carrying. The result is greater efficiency and better workplace ergonomics, while avoiding accidents and injuries.

Kasto reports that the device is suitable for sheet-metal stacks weighing up to 5 tonne in small, medium and large formats up to 2000 x 4000 mm. The system can handle corrugated sheets and set them down on either side as needed, while it can also connect to all Kasto sheet-metal storage systems.

For further information
www.kasto.com

Industry gets set for UMEX 2021

UMEX 2021, Asia’s largest exhibition for pre-owned machine tools, will take place on 3-5 September at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India. The venue will stage six other exhibitions at the same time, catering to the entire gamut of metalworking, metalforming, manufacturing and fabricating. As cost plays a vital role when selecting machine tools, the market for pre-owned machinery is growing rapidly in India’s industrial sector.

The manufacturing sector in India as a whole has the potential to reach $1tn by 2025 as it looks to meet growing demand in industries such as heavy engineering, automotive, rail, shipbuilding and more. Additionally, India is now among the world’s top 10 markets for machine tools, exceeded the $100bn mark during the past couple of years. In Europe and North America, MTI is the official industry and media partner of UMEX 2021. In Europe and North America, MTI is the official industry and media partner of UMEX 2021. Please contact MTI CEO Bob Sadat to discover more about the opportunities available.

For further information
www.umexonline.com
bob@mtimagazine.com

Rotary table provides ‘astronomical’ benefit

A recently installed CNC rotary table from PL Lehmann is enabling a Bostomatic high-speed milling machine belonging to Billingshurst-based Thomas Keating Toolmaking, a specialist in scientific ground and satellite-based THZ instruments, to perform highly efficient five-axis machining.

“When judged against the alternatives that we considered, the Lehmann TF 507510 rotary table best met our exacting technical criteria and represented excellent value for money,” says managing director Dr Richard Wylde. “Now installed on our rebuilt Bostomatic machine, it is in daily use.

“In addition to the advantages that the rotary table provides to our tool-making activities, it proves extremely useful when we manufacture high-precision scientific instruments,” continues Wylde. “For example, we’re currently involved in the production of next-generation, satellite-based weather prediction instruments. The precision 3+2 axis capabilities provided by our Lehmann rotary table are invaluable when undertaking this challenging work.”

He adds: “Equally, when recently manufacturing thin, metal film coated dielectric mirrors for use in dynamic nuclear polarisation instruments, the rotary table enabled our complex five-axis machining tasks to be performed with ease. In addition to delivering five-axis capabilities, our new Lehmann rotary table has considerably increased our manufacturing speeds. So successful has it been that we are currently in the process of purchasing another Bostomatic that will be fitted with a second Lehmann rotary table.”

Estimates suggest that 90% of machining procedures carried out by five-axis machining centres are basic five-sided processes. Therefore, the fitting of a CNC rotary table (which costs a fraction of the price of a five-axis machining centre) to an existing three-axis VMC, represents an cost-effective way of achieving five-axis capabilities.

For further information
www.lehmann-rotary-tables.com

Sustainability goals for Faro

Faro Technologies, a specialist in 3D measurement, imaging and realisation solutions is setting out two strategic goals in support of its environment, social and governance (ESG) efforts. The first goal is to reduce the company’s carbon emissions by 25% by 2025 through aggressive activities. The second goal is to establish middle and high school partnerships to improve curriculum in STEM subjects, especially for minorities and females from low-income and disadvantaged areas. Year-one STEM funding will be $50,000 across the US, Canada, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Singapore and India.

For further information
www.faro.com