Kuhn orders screw press

An agricultural equipment manufacturer has ordered a 6400-tonne capacity press with ServoDirect technology and an energy accumulator to replace a 1989 model machine from Müller Weingarten. At its location in the French town of Châteubriant on the Atlantic coast, Kuhn develops and manufactures, among other things, ploughs and sowing machines. From the very start, Kuhn Huard has had an undeniable competitive advantage thanks to its forging and heat treatment know-how. Since 1989, the company has been using a 5400-tonne capacity machine from Müller Weingarten to produce its parts. The time has now come to have it replaced.

“Our objective is to maintain our competitive advantage over the long term,” says the project team at Kuhn, which consists of Nathalie Bessin, Pierre Yves Porcher and Charles Perrier. “This innovative technology will help us retain our leading position in the market.”

The three quickly came to the conclusion that an investment in a new press would pay off. After 18 months of research, Kuhn has now taken a major step and placed an order with Schuler for the 6400-tonne screw press system.

Screw presses have advanced a lot over the past three decades. Instead of the previously used squirrel cage induction drives, Schuler now utilises servomotors, thereby significantly increasing efficiency. In addition, the controllability of the drive – and thus the precision of the press – has seen enhancements. For instance, the closed water cooling system in combination with a new-generation motor optimises the temperature stability of the drive system, independent of the surrounding conditions.

Further included in the scope of delivery is an energy accumulator, which increases the efficiency of the system even more.

Commissioning is scheduled for mid-2023.

For further information
www.schulergroup.com

Quick Turn deal signed at MACH

Expert Technologies Group shook hands on a deal to acquire a Mazak Quick Turn 350MSY at MACH 2022 earlier this month. The machine is the first Mazak acquired by the group and it went straight from MACH to Expert’s facility in the northwest of England. Expert Technologies Group is a global provider of automation solutions for a variety of sectors, ranging from medical and pharmaceutical through to food and beverage, automotive and aerospace. The group has seven global locations, including three manufacturing facilities in the UK.

Chris Clifton, head of manufacturing at Expert Technologies, says: “Our philosophy is to provide the most advanced manufacturing technologies and it’s important that our own machining capabilities therefore remain at the cutting edge. The machine we selected fits our requirements perfectly, while the combination of machine capability, build quality and ongoing support made the decision even easier.”

For further information
www.mazakeu.co.uk

Dugard takes orders at MACH

The MACH 2022 exhibition earlier this month proved a resounding success for Dugard with the company winning several orders and taking an unprecedented number of enquiries at the show. With four new machine tools on its stand, Dugard showed the breadth and diversity of its technology.

Sales director Colin Thomson says: “We had representatives from Hanwha, Kitamura, Ibarmia and SMEC on the stand to support our team throughout the week. Both our UK sales team and our technical partners from overseas had some very constructive conversations that resulted in several machine sales. We fully expect to generate several additional sales in the months to come. No level of marketing activity can exceed the anticipation and buzz that MACH creates in the sector. It was great to be back and we are already planning a larger stand for the MACH 2024 exhibition.”

For further information
www.dugard.com

Playing it cool with new CrazyMill

Now available in the UK from Floyd Automatic Tooling is the latest cutting tool innovation from Mikron Tool. The new CrazyMill Cool P&S square and corner radius series end mill is a new three-flute tool with patented coolant supply ducts integrated into the shank. This feature is specifically to aid the rough and finish milling of stainless steels, titanium and aluminium based superalloys, as well as nickel-chromium based superalloys.

The versatility and geometry of the new CrazyMill Cool P&S also make it very adapted to application on materials such as steels (up to 40 HRc), cast iron, non-ferrous metals and plastics. Based on its ability to plunge vertically to 1xD and ramp at 45° angles, the new CrazyMill Cool P&S becomes a ‘plunge mill’ capable of milling and drilling applications, making it especially suitable for milling grooves, pockets, face and side milling in the smallest of spaces, as well as linear ramp milling.

The solid-carbide end mills are available in diameters from 1 to 3 mm, in 0.1 mm increments. Mikron’s new series is available as a Type A and Type C variant. Type A end mills are manufactured with an optimised 2.5xD geometry for the robust machining of challenging materials and high metal removal rates. The Type C end mills provide a 5xD geometry for reaching into cavities and machining complex profiles.

CrazyMill Cool P&S is manufactured from a micro-grain carbide that, according to Floyd Automatic, demonstrates the perfect hardness to toughness ratio. This robust platform is coated with Mikron Tool’s eXedur SNP coating technology, which is a high-performance heat and wear-resistant coating that also assists the chip removal process. Complementing eXedur SNP is a customised flute and relief angle design that demonstrates a stable cutting-edge angle to prevent the lateral hooking-up and edge chipping which is often caused by excess vibration.

For further information
www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Lightweight electric vehicle tooling

Kennametal has introduced its next-generation 3D-printed stator bore tool for the machining of aluminium engine housings for electric vehicles. This latest version of the tool features a newly designed arm structure, a larger centre tube made of carbon fibre and a further weight reduction of greater than 20% over the original design. The complex tool is capable of machining three large diameters in just one operation, saving set-up time and machining time for automotive component manufacturers, while delivering high accuracy and surface qualities.

The newly redesigned tool recently won MM MaschinenMarkt’s Best of Industry Award in the Production and Manufacturing category based on votes by readers and industry experts.

“As our automotive customers expand their offerings of hybrid and electric vehicles, we continue to respond to their need for lighter weight tooling solutions,” says Ingo Grillenberger, product manager at Kennametal. “By leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques like 3D printing, we’ve reduced weight a further 20% over the first-generation tool, while improving chip control and increasing tool rigidity – innovations that help our customers machine faster and more efficiently.”

Machining three diameters in one operation, the stator bore tool ensures the alignment and concentricity of the machined surfaces, while reducing cycle time significantly. The lightweight 3D printed combination tool enables a faster tool change and spin-up even on less powerful machines. According to Kennametal, the surface specifications and component tolerances are achieved without constraints.

Hassle-free chip removal arrives by means of aerofoil-shaped arms with through-coolant to ensure precise and powerful coolant supply to the cutting edges and guide pads. This capability would be difficult or impossible to produce economically with traditional manufacturing, but 3D printing enables Kennametal to realise even complex internal features.

For further information
www.kennametal.com