Burr-free, clean, high-precision surfaces

Preparations are running at full bore for the fourth edition of DeburringEXPO as a live in-person event at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre in Germany on 12-14 October. There is no substitute for personal contact and the real presentation of products and solutions at a specialised trade show. Face-to-face discussions with customers and trade visitors create trust when initiating business and make product presentations tangible.

Exhibitors at DeburringEXPO are therefore already looking forward to holding the trade fair for deburring technologies and precision surface finishing as an in-person event. With good reason, because around 94% of show visitors are involved in operational investment decisions. And with a rising IFO Business Climate Index for Germany, which recently reached 99.2 points, the highest value since May 2019, investments are picking up again in sectors such as automotive, mechanical engineering, sensor, medical and pharmaceutical technology, tool and mould making, metalworking, aerospace, and environmental and energy technology.

Attention is focussing on solutions with which companies can meet stricter, as well as new, requirements for deburring and surface finishing quality.

“Among other factors, this requirement arises from stricter specifications for products and their surface finishing, for example due to downstream processes such as joining, coating, sealing and assembly,” reports Hartmut Herdin, managing director of fairXperts GmbH & Co KG, organiser of DeburringEXPO. “Changing production technologies and materials, such as workpieces made of material combinations, also necessitate optimised solutions for deburring, rounding and the production of precision surface finishes, as well as the cleaning of components after these processing steps.”

The exhibition will also feature an integrated three-day expert forum. Simultaneously interpreted presentations (German <> English) will provide information concerning solutions to current problems covering all exhibition segments.

For further information
www.deburring-expo.de

Robotic sanders and polishers for automation

The Mirka AIROS, the first smart electric sander designed for robotic sanding applications, is now joined by new models: the Mirka AIOS sanding heads and the Mirka AIROP polishing head. In addition, the AIROS is available in a new small size.

Industry automation is a growing trend, and various sectors – including automotive, transportation and woodworking – are seeing a clear need for a complete package for automated processes. As a specialist in surface finishing technology, Mirka says it is at the forefront of innovation, introducing new robotic solutions for manufacturing.

When a square sander is needed, Mirka offers the AIOS 353CV with an 81 x 133 mm pad suitable for surfaces and corners alike. In the wood sector, such as in manufacturing furniture, doors and windows, the AIOS 353CV can be used to drive up productivity and finishing quality with robotic precision.

The new AIOS, AIROS and AIROP versions are engineered for robotised finessing; for ensuring consistent quality while saving time. For sanding, Mirka is aiming its AIOS 130NV at spot repair work in an automated process, such as those in automobile and transport manufacturing. The Mirka AIROS 150NV is the smallest AIROS sanding head yet, meant for more confined spaces, detail work and the sanding of small areas where manufacturers need workpiece de-flashing or deburring.

Mirka’s AIROP 312NV is a random orbital polisher with an electric polishing head for robot usage. Featuring a 77 mm pad, the AIROP 312NV is a robotic alternative for Mirka’s cordless polishers, and is well matched with Mirka’s polishing pads and compounds.

For further information
www.mirka.com

Protolabs introduces flexible lead times

Protolabs is looking to boost supply chain capacity in the UK and help customers manage costs with the launch of a new flexible lead-time option for CNC machining services. The service will give clients in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical and prototyping markets the opportunity to choose a manufacturing solution for the shipping of parts from 6 to 12 days when placing an order on its e-commerce platform. Protolabs’ latest introduction is in addition to its standard delivery of just 3 days, and as little as 1 day for expedited projects.

David Ewing, product manager for Protolabs’ CNC machining service, says: “We are known in the market for the rapid delivery of prototypes and finished parts. However, not every order requires an ultra-fast response, so our new CNC flexible lead-time option allows customers using our e-commerce platform to upload their CAD files and see how changing the delivery date alters the price.”

For further information
www.protolabs.co.uk

UK wind tower production

GRI Renewable Industries, a Spanish manufacturer of wind towers and industrial wind components for OEMs and developers in the wind energy market, will supply 100 offshore towers a year (equivalent to 100,000 tons of steel) from a new factory at the Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP) in Lincolnshire. The Spanish wind tower manufacturer signed a memorandum of understanding with Able UK to build up the factory for manufacturing and supplying wind towers at AMEP. In total, the investment will reach around €100m and create over 300 direct jobs.

For further information
www.gri.com.es

Single-source surface finishing solutions

The services offered by Murr-based B+S Metallbearbeitung GmbH include operations like deburring, polishing, shot blasting, part cleaning and packaging. B+S handles a broad range of workpieces with different shapes, made from different materials, requiring different finishes and coming from all kinds of industries. To ensure ongoing quality and on-time deliveries in a cost-effective manner, this progressive service company utilises modern equipment and consumables from Rösler.

Mustafa Sahin general manager explains why he selected Rösler machines: “I was impressed by the broad equipment range and the engineering of the high-performance machines, which can be utilised for all kinds of finishing tasks. Another important consideration was that Rösler produces all of its mass finishing consumables in-house. This means that equipment, media and compound can be perfectly adapted to our requirements and that I can resort anytime to the experience and know-how of the Rösler test lab.”

In 2008, Sahin decided to purchase a Rösler R425/6600 DA linear, continuous-flow mass-finishing vibratory tub. In subsequent years, the company purchased two additional continuous flow machines, 14 rotary vibrators and three centrifugal disk finishing machines, all from Rösler.

Again in 2008, the entrepreneur invested in a Rösler shot-blast machine to expand his service package. Through continuous expansion of its shot-blasting job shop services, B+S Metallbearbeitung has since purchased six additional shot-blast machines from Rösler.

“Generally, shot-blast equipment is subject to significant wear, so we sell our machines after 3 to 5 years, which allows us to remain up-to-date and offer our customers the best possible results at competitive prices,” says Sahin, who also takes advantage of Rösler workpiece cleaning solutions.

For further information
www.rosler.com