Third five-axis VMC at PB Machine

Established in 1988 and employing over 150 staff, family-owned Irish manufacturing firm PB Machine Tech produces more than 5000 customised hydraulic cylinders per week at its factory in Bagenalstown, County Carlow. To boost production capacity, in November last year the company purchased its third Taiwanese-built Leadwell V-40iT five-axis VMC.

Supplied by sole sales and service agent in Ireland and the UK, WH-Lead, the 12,000 rpm BT40 machine was required due to increasing demand for its hydraulic products from manufacturers around the world in the agricultural, access platform, construction, environmental and materials handling sectors.
Ray Kehoe, general manager – component division at PB Machine Tech, says: “We introduced one-hit manufacture in our factory some years ago following heavy investment in turn-mill machines, and were keen to replicate this on the prismatic machining side of our business. We started that process in June 2018 by augmenting our three-axis VMC capacity with the purchase of our first five-axis machining centre, a Leadwell V-40iT. With one-hit machining, perfect components are produced easily every time. Multiple sequential set-ups on several machines are a thing of the past, as is the manufacture of expensive fixtures.”

After seeing the benefits in terms of raised quality and reduced lead-times resulting from installation of the first V-40iT, its capacity was quickly filled, prompting investment in a second at the end of 2020 and now a third. Control is by Fanuc 0i-MF Plus that, in the case of the machines supplied to Bagenalstown, is able to interpolate four CNC axes simultaneously, although full five-axis operation may also be specified.

Kehoe’s concluding remark was that PB Machine Tech is happy to recommend both Leadwell machines and WH-Lead as important partners in addressing the current economic challenges facing Irish and British manufacturers.

For further information
www.wh-lead.co.uk

MACH beats expectations for XYZ

Reflecting on last month’s MACH 2022 exhibition, Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools, says: “From day one, our stand at MACH 2022 was busy, and the level of enquiries and new orders resulting from the week are very encouraging and indicate that April will be an even better month than March, which was our best-ever month with a sales order intake of £3.4m.”

By the end of the exhibition XYZ Machine Tools had recorded almost 500 leads, 100 of which were described as “hot”. Indeed, 32 visitors to the stand have already placed orders, with another 192 indicating they would be placing orders in the next 2-3 months, and a further 162 suggesting a six-month lag to placing an order. New orders that can be directly attributed to MACH 2022 currently stand at 37 machines from 32 customers, made up of a mix of three manual machines, 20 ProtoTRAK-controlled mills and lathes, and 14 Siemens-controlled machines (a mix of vertical machining centres, turning centres and five-axis machining centres). The value of these sales is in excess of £2.4m.

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Sempre partners Third Dimension

Industrial metrology specialist The Sempre Group is now partnering with non-contact gauging systems manufacturer Third Dimension. The collaboration will expand The Sempre Group’s non-contact optical profile measurement portfolio to include Third Dimension’s automated 2D profile measurement technology, giving manufacturers easier access to automated metrology and the accuracy, repeatability and traceability benefits that it offers. For instance, Sempre Group customers will now have access to Third Dimension’s flagship product, Vectro2, which can integrate with conventional industrial robots and collaborative robots (cobots).

For further information
www.thesempregroup.com

£1m hydraulic press investment

A £1m investment in a new press line is helping one of the UK’s leading sheet metalwork specialists diversify into larger projects and higher volumes. BPL Engineering Group (BPL) has strengthened its strategic partnership with Worcester Presses by installing a 600-tonne Yeh Chiun hydraulic press, one of the largest it has ever commissioned.

The decision, which follows the success of a 300-tonne H-frame press purchased four years ago, gives the Kings Norton-based firm access to a machine that offers an increased bed size (2500 x 1500 mm), crucial for going after stampings destined for the automotive, aerospace, rail and other sectors.

Worcester Presses has also installed remote monitoring in addition to its maintenance and service package.

“Our expertise lies in supplying stampings and assemblies to OEMs like Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus and Aston Martin, ranging from prototype projects to production volumes,” explains Matt Adams, operations director at BPL. “This complete service has seen sales increase rapidly past £6m and our latest collaboration with Worcester Presses gives us additional capacity and a larger world-class press to take on different types of work. The machine, which was installed as part of a three-month factory reconfiguration project, allows us to target larger stampings in various material grades, including aluminium, mild steel, structural steel, stainless steel, brass and copper.”

Russell Hartill, managing director of Worcester Presses, was delighted with the faith BPL has put in its capabilities: “The 600-tonne Yeh Chiun is some press, delivering massive power, superb accuracy and repeatable quality, which is ideal for the type of work at BPL.”

For further information
www.worcesterpresses.co.uk

New carrying console for heavy dies

It is possible to manoeuvre dies quickly and safely on and off the table of power presses using a wide range of carrying consoles from Roemheld. Now, the maximum forming die weight that can be handled has increased by more than half from 32 to 50 tonnes with the introduction of a new console featuring an electrically actuated chain drive and support feet.

Roemheld’s latest console is intended for shortening set-up times when changing over batch runs in press shops where components are formed from large metal sheet, such as in the automotive supply chain. The equipment is either dedicated to one press and fixed in position, or supplied as a mobile unit on wheels that allows easy transportation between different presses. Special customised solutions are also available, including for handling even heavier loads.

Once at the machine, the carrying console’s integrated docking system, which is equipped with a hydraulic lifting column and foot lever for easy adjustment, ensures that it attaches firmly in position at the press before placing a die on to it by forklift or crane. An integrated chain drive moves the die at up to 2 m/min to its final position in the press via integrated roller and ball bars, positioning it with millimetre precision.

The equipment is available in different versions suitable for almost any type of press. It may be factory-fitted in the case of a new installation or retrofitted to existing presses. Of particular note, the compact design makes it suitable for use when the press bed is low or where space is limited. By integrating sensors and stops, it is possible to integrate the console into a partially or fully automated process, either via the power press control or a separate, optional control system.

For further information
www.roemheld.co.uk