Tool room gets capability boost

The tool room at one of the globe’s leading manufacturers of domestic, commercial and industrial cleaning equipment has received a boost in capability with the arrival of a Sodick AD55L CNC spark-erosion machine from Sodi-Tech EDM.

Chard-based Numatic International Ltd, manufacturer of the world-famous Henry vacuum cleaner, says its new Sodick AD55L CNC die-sink EDM has enhanced the site’s mould-tool repair, maintenance and modification services.

With so many of its products comprising plastic components, Numatic operates its own mould shop. Supporting the mould shop is a tool-room facility, which has the task of repairing, modifying and maintaining around 2000 different mould tools, ranging in weight from 100 kg to 15 tons.

“Obviously some tools become obsolete over the course of time, but these are usually countered by new arrivals – we’re expecting 96 new mould tools this year, for example,” explains toolroom supervisor Scott Connett. “Addressing issues such as tooling modifications and general wear and tear, are the most common tasks for our tool-room team.”
Numatic’s existing manual spark-erosion capacity was coming up to 20 years old and the gap in capabilities, compared with a new CNC machine, was plain to see.

“We looked at various spark eroders, but for us it was more about service and support,” says Connett. “So, even though the AD55L was our first Sodick, we chose it because Sodi-Tech EDM came top of our assessments in terms of aftersales service.
“We’ve certainly noticed the difference since it was installed,” he adds. “With our previous manual machine we would need three or four electrodes to achieve our desired end result, whereas on the Sodick we just use a roughing and finishing electrode. As you would expect, the machine is also much quicker.”

For further information www.sodi-techedm.co.uk

VW acquires 2200 robots

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands are working flat out on the transformation and conversion of plants to e-mobility. VW Passenger Cars has now ordered more than 1400 robots from FANUC for its production facilities at Chattanooga, USA and Emden, Germany, while Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has ordered a further 800 ABB robots for its Hanover plant. The robots are mainly intended for body production and battery assembly. All three plants are currently being prepared for the production of electric cars using highly
advanced facilities.

From 2022, the ID.4 is to be produced at Chattanooga and Emden, while the model known under the show car name of ID. BUZZ is to roll off the production line at Hanover. In total, the group plans to invest €33bn by 2024 with a view to becoming the world’s market leader in e-mobility. Several billion euros are to be invested at these three plants.

For further information www.volkswagenag.com

Carbon-neutral production at DMG Mori

DMG Mori will manufacture all machines in a completely climate-neutral manner – from raw materials to delivery – beginning in 2021. Christian Thönes, chairman of DMG Mori, says: “This move makes DMG Mori one of the first industrial companies worldwide to have a climate-neutral ‘product carbon footprint’.”

Since May 2020, the ‘company carbon footprint’ of DMG Mori, which covers its own value creation, has been climate-neutral. The company avoids emissions in all areas, among others through modern heating, ventilation and cooling concepts. At the same time, DMG Mori uses self-generated regenerative energy and purchases exclusively green electricity at almost all locations. The remaining CO2 emissions that the company has been unable to avoid thus far, are compensated by investments in sustainable, certified climate protection projects.

For further information www.dmgmori.com

Metal-forming knowledge days

This November, GOM UK is hosting its ‘Metal Forming Knowledge Days’, bringing together all of the company’s optical metrology knowledge and expertise in a series of free online events. The days will take place on 24, 25 and 26 November, and will be held via an online portal. Each session will cover different areas of metrology within the metal-forming industry, showing where GOM has identified potential manufacturing problems and developed the tools to solve them.

For further information R.Watt@gom.com

Calling on tool production expertise

Machines from both Walter and Ewag, and nowadays especially Ewag’s Laser Line Ultra and Laser Line Precision models, have consistently proven effective in the manufacture of successive generations of new mobile phones – producing tools from 1.8 to 8 mm diameter to machine the plastic or metal cast housings.

Very often – says Walter Ewag UK, a member of the United Grinding Group – the die-cast moulds are machined using tools produced by Walter Helitronic tool grinders/erosion machines and Ewag laser-based tool-manufacturing machines.

These so-called 3C tools (tools for computer, communication and consumer electronics) also now embrace PCD types. On the Apple iPhone 6, for instance, the bevel on the aluminium housing is machined using PCD profile cutters produced on Ewag laser-based machines. However, on the iPhone X, stainless steel is integrated into the housing frame, so CBN cutters (also produced on Ewag laser machines) are used rather than diamond-coated tools.

With new demands on design and technology, materials such as glass and ceramic are increasingly specified. However, due to their brittleness, hardness and low thermal conductivity, glass and ceramic place particular demands on the tools needed for machining. As a result, Ewag regularly receives customer requests for 3C tools with highly specific geometries – tools that are capable of producing very small internal radii and shoulders, as well as tiny turned parts.

In conventional tool manufacture, such tools would have to be manufactured and assembled from a variable number of parts but, using a Laser Line Ultra machine, for example, they can be produced fully automatically in one set-up.

For further information www.walter-machines.com