GM CNC expands team

Unprecedented growth at GM CNC has seen the machine-tool specialist expand its team with two new recruits. The latest marketing appointments will see the company further build brand awareness, social media interaction, and provide support to the sales and service teams. Jake Riley and Reece Mundy will work across GM CNC and sister company GM Machinery, building communication platforms with existing and potential customers to inform the manufacturing industry about products, offers, services and live machine-tool auctions and events.

GM CNC director Nicola Howard says: “Digital marketing communication is an industry within itself, and while most companies believe they are proficient because they have LinkedIn or Facebook accounts, this route to market is vitally important to communicate with existing and new customers. This is why GM CNC is convinced that digital marketing communication deserves the attention of dedicated and experienced team members.”

For further information www.gm-cnc.com

15% lighter landing gear

Safran Landing Systems, the world’s largest supplier of landing gear, has teamed up with German metal additive manufacturing (AM) equipment specialist SLM Solutions to evaluate the feasibility of using its technology in the production of large, safety-critical aircraft components.

The trial involved 3D-printing the main fitting for the nose landing gear of a business jet, layer-by-layer, from titanium alloy powder.

It was a world first for such a large part measuring 455 x 295 x 805 mm tall. The component was redesigned to optimise its production using metal powder bed AM, leading to a time saving in the build process and a significant weight reduction of around 15% in comparison with milling the part from a forging. SLM Solutions’ sole agent in the UK and Ireland is Kingsbury.

For further information
www.kingsburyuk.com

Hainbuch expands clamping portfolio

With the acquisition of Vischer & Bolli Automation in Lindau, Hainbuch is expanding its range of stationary workpiece clamping devices. As a result of the purchase, Hainbuch is able to offer custom solutions for workpieces of up to 100 tonnes, or 10 to 20 m in length. The zero-point clamping system screws on to the machine table, serving as a base for fast changeovers. Both pneumatic and hydraulic versions are available for either manual or automated solutions.

To clamp the workpiece on the base, a vice, clamping tower, modular clamping device or magnetic clamping plate can be used depending on requirements, thus ensuring an optimal and economic solution is available for every workpiece, regardless of shape or size.

For further information www.hainbuch.com

Wireless multi-sensor laser scanner

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has launched a wireless multi-sensor laser scanner with metrology levels of precision for operation inside CNC machine tools. The m&h LS-R-4.8 can capture around 40,000 measurement points a second and securely transmits the data to a receiver, via radio, enabling operators to change the sensor automatically without manual intervention.

Measuring on the machine tool, whether for workpiece inspection, temperature or tool control, is a valuable source of information in the machining process. With this data, it is possible to control workpieces before, or even between, machining operations. The wireless scanner will remove bottlenecks by taking in-line measurement for in-process enhancements away from CMM machines.

Capturing 40,000 measurement points a second provides information about the complete part, rather than selected individual points. This capability enables users to evaluate production quality, enhance manufacturing processes by identifying problems early, better align parts for steps later in the workflow, and gain an insight into complete part quality.

Notably, the wireless scanner deploys laser triangulation to deliver high levels of speed and accuracy. The laser beam projects on to the component and its reflection passes through a lens for detection by an imager. That information then determines the positional measurement points.

Dedicated modular software presents the data in an easy-to-understand format, making it simple for machine operators or quality teams to quickly identify issues and correctly align a part for reworking while it remains in the machine tool.

Hexagon’s new package includes the wireless scanner, modular software and the company’s RC-R-100 multi-sensor receiver. The scanner is stored directly in the machine’s tool magazine, from where it inserts automatically into the spindle without manual intervention.

For further information
www.hexagonmi.com

Say goodbye to tool vibration

Ceratizit Group’s Team Cutting Tools has launched new variants of its hydraulic chuck range with VDI and cylindrical shank connections as part of the WNT Performance tooling series. This latest addition to the portfolio provides a solution when boring bars need to be precision clamped with a shank tolerance of h7. The new hydraulic chucks featuring VDI and cylindrical shank connections can achieve this tolerance with a repeatability of 3 µm. The key benefit, though, is that in applications such as thread turning, fine boring or cutting with long tool overhangs, the precise tensioning and damping properties of the technology can reduce surface roughness by up to 70% when compared with standard systems.

Another feature of the Ceratizit hydraulic chucks is the radial adjustment screw, which helps position the boring bar to micron accuracy on diameter. Similarly, it is possible to remove the length adjustment screw to push the boring bar through – for efficient machining of various lengths of turning tools.

Ceratizit’s hydraulic chucks are available with a VDI interface for direct mounting in the turret of a turning centre complete with through-tool coolant capability. The chucks are available as 30 and 40 VDI with a 20 mm bore, along with a cylindrical shank version in 16 and 20 mm bore diameters for the 32 mm diameter shank, and 16, 20 and 25 mm for the 40 mm diameter shank variant.

In addition to the accuracy of hydraulic chucks, another significant advantage is the speed at which tool changes can take place (typically just seconds) without having to make tedious fine adjustments.

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