For many gear manufacturers, power skiving is getting very interesting, and not without reason, since the technique is much faster than shaping and more flexible than hobbing and broaching. However, for many years, the technique was considered quite complex. Against this backdrop, Emag says that its new development is a game changer.

Firstly, with the VSC 400 PS, the operator makes only a few data entries, making power skiving very simple. Secondly, the VSC 400 PS can be equipped with up to four power skiving tools and six turning tools. As a result, the user can produce even complex components in a single clamping operation that is fast and controlled.

For example, the machine with its two spindles, which can hold up to two power skiving tools each, can produce up to four different types of external and internal teeth using four tools. A big advantage is that the gear tooth positions match perfectly to each other at the end of cycle, made possible by the single clamping operation and no change-over. The customary step of measuring the first tooth cutting pass (prior to cutting the second) is no longer needed.

Direct drives in the main and milling spindles keep the axes synchronised during the machining processes. Additionally, the rigid B axis allows a large variety of axis crossing angles. This is essentially the setting angle of the tool, which always tilts slightly with respect tothe component. It is this tilt that makes the actual cut possible. A value between 15°and 25° is common, but Emag has also successfully implemented power skiving processes with an angle up to 45°.
For further information www.emag.com

Advanced manufacturing – now: that is the motto of Chiron Group’s latest open house, which will take place on 10-12 May. The three-day exhibition in Tuttlingen, Germany, will focus on pioneering manufacturing processes that match user specifications, products and industries, including automotive, medical technology, aerospace andtoolmaking.

The guiding principle is the special combination of four attributes that characterise the future-oriented actions of the Chiron Group and influence how the company develops and offers tailored solutions to meet individual requirements: competent, smart, innovative, sustainable. These attributes are represented on the one hand by the six brands -Chiron, Stama, CMS, Factory5, Greidenweis and HSTEC – which are showing their specific or combined expertise at the open house.

Regarding machine highlights: mill-turn expertise taken a step further in the DZ 22 S mill-turn system 8 for the double-spindle machining of large volumes,or the complete machining of six sides with high autonomy using the MT 715 two+. Visitors can experience the full range of manufacturing solutions, from micro-machining with the Micro5 with a reduced environmental footprint, to maximum productivity per unit area when machining high-volume components for automotive oraerospace with the 22, 25 and 28 Series.

“In addition to showcasing exemplary pioneering machining processes for all industries, our main focus is on the lively dialogue with our guests,” emphasises Matthias Rapp, global head of marketing.

Each visitor will be personally attended and given an exclusive tour of the exhibition with targeted advice. And of course the event not only offers an excellent platform for experiencing this year’s motto ‘advanced manufacturing – now’, it is also an opportunity for inspiring exchanges, for example with catering and live music at the end of the second day of the exhibition.
For further information https://chiron-group.com/open-house

Known as a ‘green’ joining technology for non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, friction stir welding (FSW) has established itself in a number of industries. In future, manufacturing companies using Heller machines will no longer need any additional hardware for this technology. Instead, they will be able to perform this process in a single set-up on their four-axis or five-axis machining centres.

FSW is a good choice when it comes to producing high-quality, cavity-free and tight welded joints with excellent fatigue properties. Accordingly, this process is often applied in the manufacture of reservoirs, tanks and containers, as well as in shipbuilding and aerospace engineering. In addition, FSW is increasingly establishing itself in the electrical industry and in automotive engineering with the growth of e-mobility, for the welding of battery housings.

Due to the comparatively low heat input, a very fine-grained structure results without cracks or pores in the material, while distortion in the component is minimal. The welded seam therefore meets the highest standards in terms of tightness and crash behaviour.

FSW also offers a number of key advantages with regard to the environment and health.Compared with conventional welding methods, there are no dangerous light flashes or hazardous fumes, for example.

The welding process becomes a particularly interesting technology with the successful integration into Heller machine tools. It allows users to eliminate an additional work step and only requires inexpensive tools, activation of the Heller technology cycle and the ‘adaptive control function’ in the Sinumerik 840D sl control.The machine operator can easily program the welding path at the CNC control panel using G code, while the transfer of CADCAM data is also possible without any problems.
For further information www.heller.biz

MyFastems is a complementary service for all existing and new Fastems customers, providing more advanced digital services especially for those using Manufacturing Management Software (MMS) version 6+. Fastems´ first software-as-a-service provides digital tools to support all Fastems customers in increasing their availability and productivity, making sure their systems are up and running 24/7.

The digital service is built as a progressive web application for easy access via web-browser on the PC, tablet or smartphone.It can also be combined with other services such as 8760 support, preventive maintenance and software maintenance agreements for optimised solutions throughout the whole lifecycle. MyFastems is available for all current Fastems automation systems and will be pre-installed for new systems in the future.

Notably, MyFastems brings transparency to any Fastems systems service history and spare parts usage, and includes comprehensive system overview for connected systems, as well as alarm-based recovery instructions and support request tickets. The system overview provides updated statuses of all connected Fastems systems, making it easy for users to stay on top of production activities and solve any issues in a timely manner. Whatever situation occurs, Fastems support is only one click away: MyFastems provides convenient access to creating support and service request tickets. Having all necessary information, Fastems’ technical support can understand the situation on site better and faster, to reduce the critical downtime of the systems.

For connected systems, MyFastems provides more advanced digital services. These include access to alarm history, key performance indicators such as utilisation rate, tools for advanced troubleshooting, and analyses via ‘Incidents’ view, which groups system-wide alarms based on the actual root cause and provides specific recovery instructions.
For further information www.fastems.com

Market changes and mutual dependencies between value creation stages require both new technical and economical solutions. How can companies face these challenges with greater resilience and exploit the benefits of increased cost effectiveness? This question is posed by the transnational ‘EuProGigant’ project with the aim of ensuring smart, sovereign use of data for production.

In order to obtain meaningful data, users of WFL machines are part of the consortium. Plasser & Theurer, for example, bought a WFL machine with automation in 2022. The machine is supposed to run without human interference and use process monitoring to move data from the machine to a control level. Thanks to the Gaia-Ccommunication standard, this is set to take place beyond the company’s borders to enable integration in a production network and the exchange of information – on tolerance values, for example.

Other machine manufacturers in the consortium include Heller and Arburg. At Heller, a WFL machine is in spindle production, where it performs essential turning. Arburg has other machines which perform turning/milling processes for hydraulic functions when introducing the subsequent injection moulding tools. At the IFT (Institute for production technology) in Vienna, there is a WFL M35MillTurn, which performs tests and evaluations. The aim is to transfer the results its partners’ production sites.

The M35 MillTurn, which is at the IFT at Vienna University of Technology, integrates with a data communications network as part of a collaboration line.

Research-related testinghas now reached its conclusion. The next phase concerns implementation. Together, the aim is to demonstrate concrete success in implementation, such as with the further development of demonstrators in the area of ‘perfect component matching. WFL machines are available in the UK from Kyal Machine Tools.
For further information www.kyalmachinetools.com