SteelFab 2022 is set to take place on 10-13 January at the Expo Centre Sharjah, UAE. The exhibition caters for manufacturing segments that include machine tools, power tools, welding and cutting equipment, and tube and pipe processing machinery. The 17th edition of the show builds on the last event in 2020, where over 300 exhibitors representing more than 700 brands took their place across 26,000 sq m of floor space.

Some 6500 visitors attended the previous edition of SteelFab from 70 countries. Of the total, 51.7% attended in order to see new products and innovations, while 42.1% were looking to source new suppliers. Complementing the exhibition will be a specialised two-day conference for the steel fabrication industry, focusing on topics such as key learnings from the impact of Covid-19 on supply and demand, and digitalisation trends.

For further information
www.steelfabme.com

GCH Machinery has recently shipped a turnkey grinding system to a major automaker. The system will manufacture transmission parts for the carmaker’s EV (electric vehicle) product line. Not only was the automaker’s older dual-head grinder updated to the latest technology, it was redesigned and repurposed by GCH Machinery to fulfil the global company’s green initiative. High-efficiency motors and a mist containment system are among new system’s components that will support the automotive plant’s move toward environmentally friendly manufacturing.

“Before reviewing the specifications of the car builder, we had a number of ideas of how to best serve the EV industry,” says Dan Geddes, president of GCH Machinery. “Everyone is going green and, as a cutting-edge grinder remanufacturer, we’ll play an important role in the EV industry.”

This fully automated grinder, with two separate and independent grinding wheel spindles, can process two ends of the part simultaneously, thus eliminating the need for a second grinder. Furthermore, the machine’s ability to process specific sections of the part at the same time leads to a more accurate part, which is critical to any transmission.

“We took an older machine that wasn’t able to hold size and was difficult to keep in operation due to its many older components, and retooled it for two brand-new EV parts,” explains Geddes. “The automated turnkey system produces parts that meet the automaker’s tight tolerances.”

The grinder meets all of the automaker’s green standards, as well as safety standards established by the UL.

Other features of the remanufactured grinder include updated electrical controls, an internal robot, an in-process part gauging system, an HMI touchscreen, a wheel balancer, an automatic part de-oiler, and new lubrication, pneumatic and electrical systems.

For further information
www.gchmachinery.com

As part of its ongoing growth strategy, machine tool supplier Dugard has employed two new area sales managers to support customers along the M4 corridor, London, the southeast and Norfolk. Mark Tipper (pictured) has joined Dugard as the new area sales manager for north London, Hertfordshire, Oxford and Norfolk, while Mark Drummond will support customers in south London, Berkshire, Kent and Sussex.

Managing director Eric Dugard says: “Employing area sales managers with the wealth of experience that both Mark Tipper and Mark Drummond have, will be a huge asset for our business. The Dugard brand is well-positioned in the south of the UK, where the presence of two highly experienced sales engineers will certainly help to drive sales and growth even further.”

For further information www.dugard.com

Halter CNC Automation, a manufacturer of robotic machine tending systems headquartered in Hoevelaken, Netherlands, has appointed 1st Machine Tool Accessories as its sales agent for England, Wales and Scotland. Until now, the couple of dozen Halter installations currently operating in these markets were supplied either directly from mainland Europe or via various CNC machine tool dealers in the UK.

Halter’s business development manager Rik Peer says: “1st MTA is the first formal sales agent we have appointed in Britain and we expect a majority if not all future sales to be through them. We were keen to find an independent agent that had in-depth knowledge of the industry. We believe we’ve found that company in 1st MTA, which has long experience of supplying bar feed automation for lathes and a wide variety of work-holding equipment and other accessories for both turning and milling.”

For further information www.1mta.com

Steel stockholder Weser Stahl, based in Stuhr-Brinkum, Germany, has automated its operation to meet increasing competition from international suppliers. The key element of its in-house logistics is a recently installed storage, sawing and robotic handling system supplied by Kasto. Weser Stahl’s new system provides unattended material flow through the facility, from storage of the raw stock to provision of the sawn sections for shipment. The system has proved so successful that plans are in place to install another at Weser Stahl’s site in Plettenberg.

Weser Stahl relies on modern machinery and equipment, and has a number of bandsaws and circular saws supplied by kasto over many years.

The new KASTOcenter varioplus 4 measures almost 8 m in height, providing 1398 storage spaces for material up to 7 m in length. Each compartment has a usable loading height of 50 to 430 mm and can take a maximum material weight of 4 tonnes. A storage and retrieval machine (SRM) moving at speeds of up to 60 m/min handles the bar. Two KASTOvariospeed circular saws (150 mm diameter capacity) and one KASTOtec FC 4 bandsaw (430 mm capacity) are connected to the storage facility.

Weser Stahl relies on automation for material removal. The KASTOtec saw is equipped with a turning and stacking system, while the two KASTOvariospeed saws each have an industrial robot that automatically removes sawn sections and stacks them on to pallets, as required for each order.

“In this way, we have created a continuous material flow that can function fully unattended if necessary – and around the clock,” says sales manager Stieven Harder. “The result is an enormous increase in efficiency and performance, as well as more ergonomic working conditions for our employees.”

For further information
www.kasto.com