Unison reduces lead times at Safran

Gloucester-based Safran Landing Systems OE (Original Equipment), part of the global Safran group, has taken delivery of two new all-electric Breeze CNC tube bending machines from Unison Ltd. The Unison Breeze machines (16 and 30 mm maximum tube diameter models) will be used to bend thin-wall section titanium tube for the manufacture of 3/8-inch (9.53 mm) to 3/4-inch (19 mm) diameter hydraulic brake and actuator pipes for commercial aircraft undercarriage systems, including those used on Airbus A320, A330 and A340 models. They replace two hydraulically operated tube bending machines that have been in use at Safran for a number of years.

“Realising it was time to renew our tube bending capabilities, as part of our ongoing risk analysis activities – and necessitated by significantly increased manufacturing requirements – we approached a number of tube bending machinery manufacturers to discuss the various options available to us,” says Safran assembly flow line manager Jonathan Crewe.

To enable the Safran team to experience first-hand the capabilities of its all-electric range of Breeze tube bending machines, Unison arranged for the company to visit an existing customer’s facility in Farnborough and observe titanium tube being bent. On the strength of the visit and the testimony provided by that customer, trial parts were produced at Unison’s UK-based manufacturing centre. The order was subsequently placed, and master pipe samples were supplied to Unison in readiness for machine set-up and sign-off.

“We benefited from excellent support and advice at every stage of the process,” adds Jonathan Crewe. “We were particularly impressed by the effort Unison put into training, ensuring that our operators were fully familiar with the Unibend operating system and could confidently bend thin-wall titanium components, all with precisely controlled levels of spring-back to compensate for the material’s high yield strength.”

For further information
www.unisonltd.com

Free conference sessions at Subcon

Visitors to Subcon 2022 (7-9 June, Birmingham NEC) can enjoy over 30 hours of free conference sessions led by industry experts discussing the key issues and trends that are driving innovation and shaping the UK’s industrial landscape in 2022. Sessions will extend from the latest developments in key technology areas such as hydrogen mobility, electrification and nuclear fusion, to keynote insights on automation, finance and engineering skills.

Speakers confirmed this year include: Dave Short, technology director at BAE Systems; Ian Whiting, commercial director at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre; Tony Langtry, head of mechanical engineering at Tokamak Energy; Hugo Spowers, founder of Riversimple; Professor Ric Allot, director of business development at STFC; Chris Tuck, professor at the University of Nottingham; Nick Hawker, CEO and co-founder of First Light Fusion; and Martin Little, commercial director of the Rail Alliance.

For further information www.subconshow.co.uk

Soraluce names next summit date

This week (18-20 May), machine tool manufacturer Soraluce is holding another summit at its Bergara plant in Spain to commemorate six decades of developing and manufacturing milling, boring, multi-tasking and automation solutions. During the event, the company will present an innovative large-format multi-tasking machine with high automation capacity that was designed for German firm Krones, a leader in production lines for the food and beverage industry

Visitors to the event will also receive a guided tour showcasing Soraluce’s latest progress and projects, with demonstrations of the company damping solutions and continuous live machining. Soraluce will also be demonstrating its new digital services, which will boost machine availability and productivity. The UK agent for Soraluce is TW Ward CNC Machinery.

Register at www.bit.ly/3KT5res

MACH proves catalyst for investment

MACH 2022, the largest display of new machinery and manufacturing technologies under one roof in the UK for four years, lived up to its billing as a major catalyst for investment with scores of exhibitors reporting strong sales and positive interest in their products during the five-day event at Birmingham’s NEC last month. In addition, the MTA (the show’s organiser) has reported that advance sales for the 2024 event have set a new record, with manufacturers keen to exploit the opportunities created at the 2022 show.

Although final figures are still being collated, footfall at MACH 2022 is predicted to be largely in line with the last live event in 2018, which considering current external factors is a considerable achievement. This despite the reduced footprint of the show. One encouraging sign was that the number of visitors per square metre of exhibition space was up compared with 2018. The next edition of MACH takes place at the Birmingham NEC on 15-19 April 2024.

For further information
www.machexhibition.com

Automation doubles subcontractor’s turnover

Located in Schwabmünden, Germany, family-run subcontractor Heinz Knöpfle GmbH is taking maximum advantage of the productivity potential of automation. The company recently installed five robot load/unload systems from Halter, whose range of LoadAssistant robotic machine tending equipment is available in the UK from 1st Machine Tool Accessories.

About 16 years ago, the company acquired its first machine from Mazak, which was automated a year later with a bar feeder. Despite Heinz Knöpfle employing just five people, there are currently 22 Mazak machining centres and lathes on the shop floor.

The subcontractor’s entry into robotic automation began in 2018 when second-generation managing director Christian Knöpfle became aware of Halter during a discussion with a Mazak sales manager. A short time later, the first turn-mill centre, a Mazak Integrex i-200ST, was coupled with a Halter Universal Premium.

All Halter automation solutions are compact, versatile robot cells in a variety of designs for CNC lathes, machining centres or both, as in the case of the Universal Premium. They have been developed for automated loading and unloading of rotationally symmetrical and prismatic workpieces. A wide variety of grippers is available, as well as grid plates that act as buffer storage for components.

While the robot loads and unloads a machine, an operator at the rear of the automation cell can replenish the system with raw material and remove machined components, without having to interrupt production.

The benefits of the first robotic cell were so convincing that Heinz Knöpfle has since invested in four further automation solutions from Halter – two additional Universal Premiums for a CNC turn-mill centre and a three-axis machining centre, a Halter Big for a Mazak i-200S turn-mill centre, and a Halter Turnstacker Compact 12 for a Mazak QuickTurn Nexus 250-II MSY lathe.

For further information www.1mta.com