Grinding wheel for circular saws

Lach Diamant has produced a grinding wheel for the tooth-face grinding of circular saw blades that is said to be more cost-efficient while maintaining high precision. The novel carrier system with 3D geometry and extended grinding layer surface is said to allow for effortless grinding of even the smallest tooth gaps.

Until now, the grinding of rake surfaces on carbide-tipped saws frequently fell short of requirements, especially regarding stability and efficiency. According to Lach Diamant, the new DragonFly grinding wheel offers higher in-feeds and feed rates to reduce grinding times, while producing high-quality, even rake surfaces without any ‘buckling’. Indeed, the vibration-absorbing and stable base body presents another innovation.
The DragonFly grinding wheel provides steady and secure grinding of carbide-tipped saws, as one user confirms: “The DragonFly wheel grinds without any problems, is very precise and has a significantly higher lifetime than all previous wheels.”
The DragonFly wheel (for tooth-face grinding) is accompanied by the DragonFly Back Cruiser for back grinding as well as the DragonFly Flank Cruiser for side grinding (from left to right).
DragonFly wheels are based on diamond abrasive technology. For many years, diamonds – preferably polycrystalline synthetic diamonds (PCD) – have been proven superior to carbide in machining. PCD offers high levels of wear protection, allowing users to profit from its elevated hardness.
For further information www.lach-diamant.de

Nuclear contract

Bilfinger has won two new contracts worth £350m to deliver the design, procurement, supplier management, fabrication and construction of pipework and specialist equipment for the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The industrial engineering company will create 350 new jobs in Britain, including specialist roles in engineering and manufacturing at its UK locations in Warrington, Humberside, Bristol and Somerset.
For further information www.bilfinger.com

Free trials of FANUC software

To help manufacturers return to work following the easing of lockdown restrictions, automation specialist FANUC is offering all interested parties in Europe its RoboGuide and CNC Guide efficiency-boosting software programs as free trial versions until the end of September 2020.

RoboGuide is a program with which both the motion of FANUC robots and the overall production process can be simulated, while CNC Guide allows users to write, simulate and test part programs on their computer. In addition, machine tool builders can use CNC Guide to support their customers remotely.
For further information https://special-offer.fanuc.eu/en/

Virtual Timesavers showroom now open

Launched to coincide with the arrival of its latest deburring, edge rounding and finishing machine – the 22 series WRBW – the Timesavers online virtual showroom provides access to all the information customers may need, including video tours of each machine.

While face-to-face meetings have proved difficult, if not impossible during the COVID-19 pandemic, this online portal provides potential and existing customers with the information they need to move towards a solution for efficient sheet metal processing.
Although the complete Timesavers product range is available to view in the online showroom, the current focus is on its latest development, the 22 series 600 WRBW, which combines all of the technological and mechanical developments in the larger 32 and 42 series deburring machines, such as a uniform result, even wear of the tooling, high production capacity, and industry 4.0 functionalities in a 600 mm wide platform. The 22 series WRBW is now the company’s most compact rotary brushing machine, and is said to deliver premium Timesavers deburring, rounding and finishing results.
Suitable for customers with smaller production demands and associated budgets, the 22 series WRBW is constructed with a vacuum belt to transfer parts through the first abrasive belt to remove burrs. Then, processing by the four rotary brushes is performed to round external and internal edges (and remove laser oxide skin if specified), with a second belt providing the surface finish requirements to deliver fully deburred and rounded parts. The machine’s arrival marks the completion of the Timesavers RB range for premium deburring and rounding at every budget and capacity.
For further information www.timesaversint.com/online-showroom

Enhance mould finish with Tyrax ESR

Modern technologies are continuously creating new demands on the surface finish of moulded plastic parts. For high-gloss surface demands, mould tool designers should aim to use a steel grade with good ‘polishability’.

Tyrax ESR is a new high-hardness, corrosion-resistant tool steel from Uddeholm, developed for applications with extreme demands on surface finish.
The surface finish of a mould is dependent on the polisher’s technique, in combination with the microstructure and cleanliness of the tool steel. Uneven hardness across the surface means an uneven removal of material during the polishing process, where harder areas will resist abrasion better than softer areas. Uneven hardness may be the result of impurities in the steel and segregations.
Two of the most common polishing defects are pitting and orange peel. Pitting looks like scattered pinholes dispersed over the surface, and is usually due to pull-outs of hard particles, such as carbides or oxides. The best way to avoid such problems is to choose a very clean steel, such as an ESR grade, with fine and evenly distributed carbides. Pitting can also arise if the mould is stored in a humid environment, where localised corrosion attacks may cause pits at the mould surface. In such cases, a corrosion resistant tool steel is required.
Orange peel means that the surface morphology looks similar to an orange peel, as caused by plastic deformation at the mould surface. The best way to reduce the risk of orange peel is to choose a tool steel with a homogeneous microstructure, such as an ESR grade, in combination with high hardness.
The chemical analysis of Uddeholm Tyrax ESR enables the polisher to reach a high gloss surface finish in three polishing steps, compared with five steps for AISI 420 ESR, reducing the polishing time by 40-50%.
For further information www.uddenholm.com