QFS installs five-axis laser cutter

QFS Technologies, a specialist supplier of body-in-white (BIW) parts to the automotive industry has invested in a new Trumpf TruLaser Cell 5030 five-axis (3D) laser cutter. Although the company has an older Trumpf five-axis machine that has given many years of reliable service, QFS knew that investing in the higher performance and richer feature set of the TruLaser Cell 5030 would provide a number of competitive advantages, particularly in relation to new project work for a major customer.

“Once the investment decision had been made, it was always going to be a Trumpf machine,” states managing director Neil Holloway. “I’ve worked with other laser cutters in the past, but Trumpf machines are a lot more reliable. When you think about the curvature and complex shapes of a car panel, it’s easy to imagine the essential role of a 3D laser cutter at QFS. We cannot afford to run an unreliable machine.”

With its low machine-hour rate, the TruLaser Cell 5030 is suited to small and medium batch sizes, and for applications where components are frequently changed. Furthermore, TruTops Cell Basic software enables users to make quick adjustments to programs directly at the machine.

BIW parts produced on the new TruLaser Cell 5030 at QFS are mostly cut from aluminium, although some are made from high-strength steel, typically 1-3 mm thick.

“Our guys became accustomed with the machine really quickly,” says Holloway. “The controls on the TruLaser Cell are easier to use than on our older five-axis model. In addition, we were already familiar with the TruTops offline programming software, so our learning curve has been pretty shallow. We’re now in the process of migrating programs over to the new machine.”

For further information
www.trumpf.com

Record start to year at XYZ

XYZ Machine Tools says it is breaking sales records with its start to 2021. The company reported its highest order intake for 18 months in February, only for March to exceed that figure. In the last week of March alone, the deliveries of over 30 machines took place. XYZ says that the first quarter of 2021 has proved to be very encouraging and, with the benefit of the Government’s ‘super deduction’ incentive for capital equipment, the company is hopeful that this positive trend will continue.

“February and March have been extremely encouraging, and are confirmation of the positive conversations we’ve been having with customers since the end of 2020,” says Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools. “The increase in business has meant we’ve reinstated overtime in the factory and employed additional staff for machine assembly, with further recruitment in the pipeline.”

For further information
www.xyzmachinetools.com

Medical specialist prefers Tornos

The Switzerland-based Azurea Group specialises in the production of components and sub-assemblies for the medical equipment industry. In 2009, Azurea Holding SA acquired the Bévilard Company with the primary aim of strengthening and evolving its medical device offer.

According to Samuel Geiser, Azurea’s Bévilard site manager: “It’s now about providing a service – assembly. We have decided to stand out as a supplier of finished products. This is undeniably a pledge of added value that makes us real specialists, not only in the field of assembly, but in terms of specific functions. We can develop innovative solutions from materials that are sometimes very exotic.”

On the subject of exotic materials, Geiser is first and foremost is thinking of specific stainless steels and different grades of titanium. Thanks to its vast inventory of Tornos machines that comprises 13 Deco 10 and two Deco 13 machines, some of them equipped with gear-cutting function, Azurea can also machine materials such as PEEK, a thermostable plastic material. There is no material and no challenge that frightens Azurea, and the company prides itself on versatility and a pioneering and visionary spirit.

“We recently opened a grey room for assembly where we put the finishing touches to our products,” Geiser says. “This investment is intended to limit potential process contamination by users. We make the experience and expertise of our technicians available to customers in the medical, dental and micro-technology sectors, for them to achieve impeccable quality.”

For further information
www.tornos.com

Vertical turning centre for shafts

Shaft manufacturing is a core function in automotive production. While in recent years drive and transmission shafts were the main focus of production planners, the success of e-mobility today also increases the demand for productive rotor shaft manufacturing. Therefore, there is a need for a manufacturing solution that is able to machine a great variety of components. All these parts have one thing in common: large unit volumes and very high quality requirements. After all, the efficiency of the entire drive train depends on the quality and functionality of the shafts.

Emag says that its VT series of vertical four-axis shaft turning machines are ideal for shafts with a maximum length of 630 mm and a maximum diameter of 200 mm. The machining process is performed with four axes, in other words simultaneously from two sides. This concept is why the machine is equipped with two tool turrets featuring 12 posts each, of which 11 can be loaded with turning tools or driven tools: a workpiece gripper occupies one post on each turret.

The workpiece grippers handle the parallel loading and unloading of the machine. While one gripper brings a new raw part into the clamping position, the other transports the finished component out on to the workpiece conveyor. To achieve this task, the VT series is equipped with circulating storage units from which raw parts can be picked up and into which finished components can be deposited. The TrackMotion automation system allows for several VT machines to be interlinked easily and cost-efficiently.

While four-axis machining already offers performance resources for conventional turning of shaft parts, machining throughput can be further increased by implementing scroll-free turning technology (for longitudinal turning, for example).

For further information
www.emag.com

Universal turning with CLX 450 TC

In order to meet increasing production requirements with smaller quantities and greater part diversity, DMG Mori is establishing a new series with the CLX TC, in which a B axis with CompactMaster turning and milling spindle replaces the traditional tool turret. On board are an automatic tool changer with tool magazine, the usual main spindle, and the tailstock or optional counter spindle.

The central element of the new CLX 450 TC is the B axis with the CompactMaster turning and milling spindle. A Y axis allows eccentric machining even in the standard version, while the tool magazine with up to 60 places – the standard is 30 – enables the production of several different components without intermediate tool set-ups. Tools can, of course, be loaded and unloaded in parallel with machining time, again reducing set-up times.

DMG Mori’s concept with a B axis requires only one tool for the main and counter spindles. In addition, the use of multitools and sister tools is possible, so that nothing stands in the way of flexible automation for unmanned shifts. The CompactMaster spindle offers similar advantages in CNC milling: there is only one tool for radial and axial milling, no special angle heads are required, and complex machining is possible with standard tools.

According to DMG Mori, the B axis also benefits process stability as it enables comprehensive measurement of the workpiece on the machine tool. In addition, there is an integrated tool measuring device above the main spindle outside the working area. The CLX 450 TC is equipped with a Siemens 840D Solutionline and a 19” multi-touch panel.

For further information
www.dmgmori.com