CMM specialist buys 10 rotary tables

Measurement and inspection equipment specialist Mitutoyo has integrated three QuadMatic and seven QuadSlimLine rotary tables from RPI into CMMs at its Japanese and UK operations.

RPI engineers travelled to Japan to support Mitutoyo with training and maintenance, and were also on hand to help integrate a two-axis rotary table at Mitutoyo in Halifax, UK.
RPI’s rotary tables are designed as a fourth axis, and are accurate to ±0.5 arc-seconds, which is equivalent to hitting a golf ball at a hole more than 22 km away and scoring a hole in one every time.
“It’s great news that Mitutoyo has chosen to invest in 10 of our Quadrant range rotary tables,” says Jim Palmer, RPI’s sales manager. “As well as significantly improving overall measurement accuracy and reducing uncertainty, our rotary tables greatly increase measuring volume, thereby improving the flexibility, productivity and efficiency of our customers’ CMMs.”
Adding Mitutoyo to its customer base means RPI now supplies all the major CMM manufacturers which use rotary tables, including Hexagon, LK and Wenzel. RPI has been supplying the CMM market since 1977 and can boast more than 750 successful installations worldwide.
The QuadSlimLine and QuadMatic ranges are part of RPI’s Quadrant range of CMM tables, which also includes the QuadDualPurpose, QuadProfile and the QuadUniversal. These tables come in a wide size range, from 200 to 1,500 mm diameter, and can be fully integrated to the host machine controller.
For further information www.rpiuk.com

Specially formulated lubricants

In order to support the national effort for coronavirus ventilator production, fluid expert ITW Rocol is on hand.

The company’s OT20 lubricant has been formulated specifically for ventilators used in hospital wards and operating theatres. Rocol OT20 is considered a ‘fit and forget’ lubricant that is compatible with most plastics and non-metallic seals used on breathing apparatus.
As an oxygen-compatible lubricant primarily designed for breathing apparatus, OT20 lengthens re-lubrication periods due to its ability to resist degradation in hostile conditions. Rocol OT20 is also a high-load grease that means it can be deployed in range of aggressive environments with a temperature range from -70 to +100°C.
As it does not have a detrimental effect on rubbers, plastics or metals, it is suitable for valves, slides, gearboxes, and both plain and anti-friction bearings.
For further information www.rocol.com

Faro solution in the pipeline for Alltube

Daventry-based Alltube Engineering, a manufacturer of flexible and rigid pipeline products, has invested in a Faro Quantum E ScanArm.

Technical director Paul Fuller says: “Achieving optimum 3D shapes is never easy as, for instance, a bend with a small angular error at one end of a long pipe can result in an inaccuracy of several millimetres at the opposite end. Hence, to satisfy the challenging briefs provided by our customers, designs often feature demanding 3D geometric forms with extremely tight dimensional and geometrical tolerances. To ensure that each hydraulic pipe adheres to the required design specification, we inspect all products before dispatch.”
As the use of physical measuring devices for inspecting rigid pipes is both cumbersome and long winded, Alltube recently investigated the latest non-contact measuring systems. A practical demonstration of a Faro Quantum E ScanArm fitted with FaroBlu Laser Line Probe SD, measuring a selection of the company’s most complex products, proved it was the answer to Alltube’s inspection problems.
“Not only was the Faro ScanArm much quicker and easier to use, it proved more accurate than our previous inspection methods,” says Fuller. “It was also able to link to our CNC pipe-bending machines, and automatically generate customer inspection reports. Last, but not least, the Quantum E FaroArm/FaroBlu LLP combination is capable of both contact and non-contact measurement. By using the ScanArm’s 3D laser-scanning capabilities, we’ve reduced our inspection times by approximately 90%, and by association, reduced our delivery times.”
For further information www.faro.com

Oxford partners King’s

Engineers, anaesthetists and surgeons from the University of Oxford and King’s College London are working in partnership to test prototypes of a rapidly deployable ventilator that can be manufactured using techniques and tools available in well-equipped university and SME workshops.

The team, led by Oxford professors Andrew Farmery, Mark Thompson and Alfonso Castrejon-Pita, and King’s College London’s Dr Federico Formenti, has been working to define novel mechanisms of operation that will meet the required specifications
for safe and reliable function. The design aims to exploit off-the-shelf components and equipment.
For further information https://oxvent.org/

Lending a helping hand

Machine Tool Sales Online, part of the Vigilance Group, is offering to lend quality used CNC or manual machine tools – and/or engineering equipment – to any UK company involved in the manufacture of COVID-19 related emergency medical equipment.

The idea is the brainchild of Vigilance CEO, Dave Andrew, who says: “We have over £1m of quality used machines in stock at our Bristol facility. These machines can provide a real lifeline to companies who either need to ramp up their production and distribution of NHS ventilators and associated equipment, or who have transformed their existing production operations to manufacture much needed medical equipment.” Companies that want to find out more about MTSO’s offer, and the range of used CNC and manual machines available should, in the first instance, call 0117 965 2706.
For further information www.machinetoolsalesonline.com