Mach Machine Tools recruits CNC guru

Mike Corbett has been appointed by Mach Machine Tools, part of the Vigilance Group, as its CNC divisional manager.

This newly created senior management position will see Corbett take responsibility for planning, co-ordinating and implementing the company’s new product design and development business strategies, including launches and upgrades.
Among the primary areas of focus for Corbett, certainly in the immediate to medium term, will involve working collaboratively with the company’s internationally-based machine tool build and control partners, helping to develop new, and refine existing products – including control technologies and software systems – for the European market. In addition to his duties and responsibilities at Mach Machine Tools, Corbett will also take on a technical consultancy role with Machine Tool Sales Online.
For further information www.machmt.co.uk

Open Mind releases hyperMILL 2019.1

The latest version of the hyperMILL CADCAM suite, 2019.1, is now available from Open Mind.

Enhancements include expansion of the finishing module in the hyperMILL ‘MAXX Machining’ performance package. Further highlights include process optimisations, as well as new functions for reducing calculation times.
‘5-axis Prismatic Fillet Finishing’ is a new function in the finishing module of hyperMILL MAXX Machining: thanks to the geometry and automatic setting of the barrel cutter, this feature can be used in accordance with the principle of a high-feed milling cutter.
Processing takes place in a plunging and pulling movement with an extremely high feed, thus optimising performance when using conical barrel cutters, also called circle segment or parabolic cutters. In addition, ball and radius cutters can be used efficiently with this strategy.
Thread-milling options have also been completely redesigned for hyperMILL 2019.1 to improve convenience and ease-of-use for the programmer. The module supports a variety of different thread-milling cutter types and allows easy selection of right-hand and left-hand threads, or the definition of the milling direction from bottom to top, or vice versa. Additionally, the thread-milling feature offers automatic approach and retract macros, a selection of roughing options and simplified programming.
Open Mind’s hyperMILL manages the order of the processing steps with job IDs. Changes to job numbers have so far resulted in recalculations, but these are now avoided to save time. The improvement in job management now means that a job ID can be changed without having to subsequently recalculate the machining job in question. Consecutive numbering of the compound and machining job is controlled via a start value and an increment value. The benefit of this new feature is transparent structuring and reduced calculation times.
For further information www.openmind-tech.com

Mapal opens second site in Mexico

Mapal Frhenosa, a 120-employee joint venture by the Mapal Group, is stepping up its activities in Mexico.

The company has built a second site in Santiago de Querétaro, giving it an operation right at the heart of the country for the first time. An opening ceremony was attended by numerous representatives from the worlds of business and politics. The new factory gives Mapal Frhenosa considerably more production capacity for reconditioning tools, as well as eventually creating 100 new jobs. Approximately €2.3m has been invested in constructing the new facility.
For further information www.mapal.com

Faro launches CAM2 2019 software

Faro’s latest CAM2 2019 software is specifically designed to enable users of the company’s metrology hardware products, including the recently introduced Faro Prizm colour laser-line probe and 6Probe laser-tracker product families, to realise high levels of measurement performance.

The latest release has evolved from extensive user feedback to the CAM2 2018 version introduced a year ago.
As well as tight integration with Faro metrology products, CAM2 2019 extends the narrative for high-value interactivity and usability. For example, 6Probe users are now able to program button configurations and then interact with the software through the device in real time. Additionally, Faro laser-line probe users can benefit from immediate visual feedback of part quality via live deviation colour scans. Finally, with the built-in universal CAD importer, all major CAD file formats can be directly imported into CAM2, improving workflow by eliminating the need for time-consuming ‘double translations’.
The software features a standard set of instructions, or routines, which automatically guide the user through specific operations, visually and audibly. This capability reduces the technical expertise required to use Faro 3D measurement solutions, shortens workflow and allows users to direct their primary focus on the measurement results themselves. Additionally, pre-set scanning profiles further streamline the end-to-end process by enabling users to select the appropriate scan setting for the specific part type at the click of a button.
CAM2 2018 featured the RPM (repeat part management) control centre, an integrated, web-based dashboard reporting tool for real-time inspection and trend analysis in a user-friendly set of adaptable visual reports. CAM2 2019 evolves this functionality to actionable intelligence by delivering statistics-based graphs and results for trend analysis and predictive alerts. These alerts not only highlight that the measurement target is trending beyond tolerance, but inject advanced intelligence into the process and relay why the situation is occurring.
For further information www.faro.com

CNC choice for large XYZ VMCs

The latest Heidenhain TNC 620 control is now available as a standard option across the range of heavy-duty vertical machining centres from XYZ Machine Tools.

Customers ordering the XYZ 660 HD, XYZ 800 HD and XYZ 1100 HD VMCs can now choose between the Siemens or Heidenhain control as standard.
“We’ve supplied a Heidenhain control option for many years, but due in part to complexity and cost, found it to be a slow seller,” says Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools. “The arrival of the TNC 620, with its touchscreen user interface and latest machine control technology, means the time is right to offer it as a standard fit on machines within our heavy-duty range.”
Heidenhain’s TNC 620 is a successor to the iTNC530 control, which is being phased after 18 years of sales. XYZ’s addition of this control as a standard fit will help to future proof its heavy-duty range of machines and deliver the performance that customers demand, particularly those in the aerospace, mould and die, toolmaking, and education sectors.
“Due to our independence as a machine tool supplier we are free to adapt our range quickly,” says Atherton. “As a result, we can offer the latest in control technology to meet the needs of customers.
“Customers often tend to be loyal to a particular CNC due to their expertise and familiarity with it,” he adds. “Therefore, extending our use of Heidenhain controls to the HD series of machines – we already offer Heidenhain on our flagship UMC-5X machine – is a logical step. With prices starting at just under £60,000 for the XYZ 660 HD featuring the Heidenhain TNC 620, we are confident that this will be attractive to both new and potential customers.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com