Demand leads to expansion at XYZ

With a year-on-year increase in turnover exceeding 25%, and a growing product portfolio, XYZ Machine Tools has increased the overall floor space at its Devon headquarters by a quarter.

The addition of another 25,000 sq ft of space will help XYZ stock over 350 machines, covering everything from bandsaws through to simultaneous five-axis machining centres. XYZ’s range now encompasses over 50 machine tools and their variants, and with customer demand for any one of these machines being up to 10 units per month, holding sufficient stock is vital.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

CMT heads for UAE

Chester Machine Tools will be exhibiting a selection of CNC and conventional machine tools at the forthcoming SteelFab 2019 exhibition (Sharjah, UAE, 14-17 January).

Featured will be live machining demonstrations of the Chester V6L Delta CNC machining centre with Siemens control. Also exhibited will be an Astra CL54 lathe (2 m capacity), a Kitchen & Walker G62x1600 drilling machine and, making its debut with live demonstrations, a Style 510 CNC lathe. The machines on display have been selected to provide a cross section of solutions for industry, manufacturing and educational environments.
Chester’s sixth year of attendance at SteelFab demonstrates its continuing commitment to providing quality machine tools that support the growth of a diverse variety of customers, delivering advanced and custom solutions to sectors such as defence, oil and gas, automotive, aerospace and education on a worldwide basis for over 25 years. The company can be found in hall 3 on stand 1710.
For further information www.chestermachinetools.com

Grinder keeps pace with demanding schedule

A well-established Midwest-based manufacturer that cranks out millions of shafts each year, ranging from 38 to 203 mm in length, and up to 32 mm in diameter, has recently sourced a new centreless grinder from Total Grinding Solutions (TGS).

The machine was selected thanks to its ability to handle the company’s myriad of part sizes and diameters with minimal changeover time. Robustness was an equally important factor.
With hundreds of different component sizes to process, TGS incorporated two machine upgrades to ensure that parts were handled properly. First, a custom part-pusher assembly was placed alongside the load conveyor to ensure consistent part pick-up by the accompanying Fanuc robot. Second, an advanced vision monitoring system was attached above the load conveyor to check incoming parts for size and shape, and to eliminate any potential for misfeed. Since the initial order, the manufacturer has ordered two additional TGS machines with sophisticated automation systems.
For further information www.totalgrindingsolutions.com

Vibration-free boring system is plug and play

Kennametal has unveiled a boring system that boasts the most effective anti-chatter mechanism ever developed by the company.

In addition, the system offers an extensive range of indexable heads and shank sizes. However, according to Sam Eichelberger, product engineer for lathe systems engineering and part of the team that developed the internal dampening mechanism, “perhaps the most important thing to know about the new bar is that it’s plug and play. There is no need whatsoever for tuning or adjustments – you simply pull it out of the package, mount it in the turret, and get boring.”
The system includes a serrated bolt-on connection at the bar’s business end that clamps a variety of styles and sizes of indexable heads. Better yet, the heads feature a shorter length and lighter weight that provides greater stability. They are also coolant-fed, to direct a stream of high-pressure coolant where it is needed most.
Most important of all is the internal dampener. Says Eichelberger: “The bars are both vibration- and maintenance-free. Within the bar there is a mass that’s supported by a pair of elastic supports, inside of which sits dampening fluid. This mass vibrates at a predetermined frequency during machining, attenuating the natural frequency of the bar around it to suppress vibration. There are no wear components to worry about.”
According to Kennametal, the vibration-free system offers superior performance in boring applications up to 10xD, much deeper than solid carbide or heavy metal boring bars can manage. Internal and customer test results show surface finishes as good, or in most cases better, than competitor systems, with significantly more aggressive cutting parameters possible across the board. The portfolio starts at 25 mm and goes to 100 mm.
For further information www.kennametal.com

Milling cutter offers high versatility

The DoTripleMill from Tungaloy can use an octagon insert that offers 16 cutting edges which can take a depth of cut up to 3.4 mm However, if the depth of cut requirement is greater, then the same cutter body can accommodate an eight-edged square insert with depth-of-cut capability of 6 mm.

Tungaloy’s DoTripleMill is also capable of using an eight-edged round insert. There are many advantages to a round insert. Round inserts are the strongest of all cutting tool geometries and can handle several applications. Another feature of round inserts is that with a light depth of cut, chip thinning can be utilised to offer feed rates that rival high-feed cutters.
A big part of the performance advantage of DoTripleMill is found in the way the insert is secured into the pocket. The insert has a ground-in groove that circumnavigates the periphery of the insert, midway through the insert thickness. This groove acts to lock the insert into a mating protuberance in the pocket.
With conventional face-milling cutters, the neck of the screw is the only factor holding the insert down. Where the DoTripleMill uses the milling cutter pocket to wedge the insert into place, this method acts as a dovetail locking mechanism that fully secures the insert, prevents movement, accurately tracks the insert and reduces strain on the screw, which is a common issue with conventional milling cutters. This design configuration facilitates higher feed rates, improved repeatability, increased dependability and better surface finishes.
Inserts are available in both CVD and PVD coated grades. The CVD grades run at elevated spindle speed, while the PVD grades are used for sharper cutting edges. Diameters start at 50 mm and go to 160 mm.
For further information www.tungaloy.com