Machining centres for graphite parts

The high-speed Mikron Mill S 400/500 Graphite and Mikron HSM 500 Graphite have been released by GF Machining Solutions.

As the name suggests, the machines have been designed to produce workpieces made from graphite. Graphite glass moulds for glass products are increasingly used in the ICT sector, while graphite electrodes are proven in the automotive, electronics, aerospace and packaging industries.
GF Machining Solutions’ Mikron Mill S 400/500 Graphite is aimed specifically at graphite mould tools. As ambient temperatures fluctuate in machine shops and machining speeds change, process stability is maintained thanks to the machine’s intelligent thermal management system and thermo-stable machine body. Precision and stability at the tool tip are said to be assured by the Step-Tec HVC140 spindle, with speeds ranging up to 42,000 rpm and 13.5 kW of power. As well as providing a solution for graphite, the machine can also handle a range of other materials, thus increasing its versatility and appeal.
Conversely, the Mikron HSM 500 Graphite is suitable for the dry machining of graphite. The machine’s Step-Tec HVC140 spindle (42,000 rpm) and integrated dust extraction system ensure fast production and process optimisation and, when integrated with a System 3R WorkPartner (WPT1+) part-changing robot, productivity increases yet further.
For further information www.gfms.com/uk

The Fastener Exhibition & Conference

The Fastener Exhibition & Conference
11 September 2019 – 12 September 2019
NEC Birmingham
FREE TICKETS

The Fastener Exhibition & Conference is the embodiment of innovation and progress in an industry that is fundamental to the stability of so many sectors. Be it aerospace, electronics, automotive, or any other facet of industry that we rely upon to live our everyday, modern lives, this event brings that which holds it all together, together, under one roof.

Bringing together some of the finest minds in the industry, you’ll have the opportunity to gain crucial insight into how to take your organisation to the next level. With an incredible line of seminars from the likes of Atlas Copco, OnTheTools, A3L, BUMAX and Cirteq Ltd, there are key learnings to be taken, whatever your specific sector.



Not only that, but your one ticket will give you access to all the shows running at the same time, including the largest recycling and waste management exhibition in Europe, RWM, as well as the crucially important Future Resource Expo. And if all that wasn’t enough, tickets are FREE, so be sure to register and put yourself at the forefront of this crucial, highly specialised industry.

Click on the E-Ticket below and grab your FREE ticket to this collection of crucial trade shows while you still can!


For Visitor enquiries:
Toby Gauntlett – Senior Delegate Executive
0117 990 2097
toby.gauntlett@prysmgroup.co.uk

For Exhibiting enquiries:
Henry Kirkpatrick – Event Director
0117 929 6087
henry.kirkpatrick@prysmgroup.co.uk

Zoro launches order subscription service

Tooling and MRO supplier Zoro UK has launched an automatic stock and supplies replenishing feature called ‘Order Subscription’.

Zoro is a one-stop-shop for more than 250,000 industrial consumables, tools and business supplies with free next-day delivery throughout the UK on many of its lines. The addition of the Order Subscription service will be a boon for customers as it will cut down the time spent reordering, reduce human error and ensure smooth production.
Chris Matenaers, Zoro’s marketing director, says: “Adding Order Subscription to our website will vastly improve production lines and help keep businesses running. When ordering products through the service, customers choose a monthly, weekly or bi-weekly option. Customers can also select a start and end date for the subscription, and make the dates the same, effectively functioning as a single scheduled order.
For further information www.zoro.co.uk

Almond installs another five-axis machine

Having doubled the size of its premises in 2016 and the same year purchased its first five-axis machining centre, a Hurco VMX42SRTi with swivelling B-axis spindle, subcontractor Almond Engineering has installed a second, similar model.

Managing director Chris Smith favours this style of five-axis machining centre over the trunnion-mounted rotary table arrangement due to its versatility for tackling a greater variety of work, including the four-axis machining of large components.
Last year saw the arrival of a Hurco VMX30i, purchased with a fourth-axis rotary table to speed set-ups, increase production efficiency and reduce delivery times, plus a larger three-axis VMX60i with 1525 x 660 x 610 mm working volume that significantly extends the size of component that can be machined at the Livingston site.
Overall spend in 2018 exceeded £400,000, and half that figure is due to be spent again this year, including on new software. Driving this level of investment was 25% growth in 2016/17, a further increase in turnover the following year and a predicted 19% rise this financial year. It is a pace that Smith describes as “almost too fast” in view of the perennial difficulty in hiring skilled staff.
Much of the growth has come from winning new business from the medical sector in Scotland, such as the assembly of lines for producing contact lenses and the machining of parts for operating theatre equipment. The industry now accounts for 8% of the company’s revenue by value.
Semiconductor firms across the central belt of Scotland are the other main sector serviced, while contracts are also received from the ever resilient aerospace and defence industries. A hallmark of the subcontractor’s service is significant design input into the mechanical engineering aspects of the contracts it undertakes.
For further information www.hurco.com/en-gb

50 years of FOBA

Since its founding in 1969, tool and machine manufacturer FOBA Laser Marking + Engraving (Alltec GmbH) has developed from a craft shop for mould making into an international provider of system solutions for laser marking.

The initially used solid-state and CO2 lasers were supplemented in 2004 by the first fibre laser in FOBA’s portfolio. Constant optimisation of the material and technologies make these today highly powerful marking lasers. As a result, FOBA’s systems can mark virtually any type of material in high quality, with durable characters.
For further information www.fobalaser.com