Alan Spargo Ltd in High Wycombe has chosen to invest in two new Fanuc wire erosion machines. Established in 1975, the company offers two core services: a press tool service and a subcontract machining service, which includes grinding and EDM.

“Despite having 20 years’ experience of working with Fanuc machines, we fully investigated the marketplace when we began looking for new technology,” says director Peter Spargo. “However, the Fanuc machines remained on top, so we stuck with what we knew.”
The company purchased two Fanuc Robocut 600iA wire models, a decision that was heavily influenced by the service, longevity and overall performance of existing Fanuc machines at Alan Spargo. That said, there were additional factors that helped steer the decision.
“When comparing the Fanuc brand against other machines, one important factor was the level of accuracy that could be achieved,” says Spargo. “We do a lot of motorsport work and high-precision, multi-stage tooling, for which accuracy is critical. When operating the new Fanuc machines, we can achieve tolerances of ±3 µm. Another consideration was the reliability of the machines, which makes them ideal for unmanned operations.
“We can monitor the machines from a mobile phone or tablet when we aren’t on the premises,” he continues. “This has been particularly useful for the guys who come in and out over the weekend to keep the machines running. When we are busy, we are probably running the machines for 400-500 hours a week, so uptime is critical.”
For further information www.fanuc.eu

EDM graphite and tooling specialist Erodex has appointed a dedicated export manager after achieving a record 54% growth in export sales. The move follows a string of new contract wins with clients in countries including Israel and the opening of a new $2m tooling facility in Virginia, USA.

Director Steve Rolinson says: “As a result of high levels of demand for our graphite products and tooling solutions overseas, we are looking to continue growing export sales and exploring new markets. We have already seen evidence of this over the past 12 months and we believe that now is the right time to appoint a dedicated export manager.”
In addition to managing the day-to-day operations within a newly established department, Laura Collins will ensure that Erodex fully complies with HMRC regulations and those within the diverse range of non-EU countries to which Erodex exports.
“I have always worked in an international trade environment, primarily in export and with a focus on implementing processes and procedures,” she says. “Export sales at Erodex are growing quickly, accounting for an ever increasing amount of overall turnover, meaning that it makes sense to establish a dedicated export department to manage this work. Different countries come with their own complexities or requirements, and as a team we are now well placed to deal with these and play our part in facilitating the growth in overseas trade during what is an exciting time for the company. I am delighted to be on board and very much looking forward to the future.”
For further information www.erodex.com

Walter Ewag UK has announced that its two-in-one Helitronic tool grinding and erosion concept has been extended to tools up to 420 mm long with diameters of 3 to 315 mm.

The new Walter Helitronic Vision Diamond 400L machine can grind and erode (in a single set-up) rotationally symmetrical precision tools such as end mills, reamers, stepped drill bits, shaped lathe tools, ball-nose tools and drills made from PCD, carbide, HSS, ceramic, cermet and CBN.
Walter’s two-in-one grinding/erosion process enables the machine to automatically switch between the production of PCD tools and carbide tools, and eroding and grinding, in one clamping cycle. Importantly, the Helitronic Vision Diamond 400L features Walter’s Fine Pulse Technology, which is the result of progressive improvements to the machine’s generator and its erosion software. With Fine Pulse Technology, surface finish is said to be like that of a polished (ground) tool.
The new Helitronic Vision Diamond 400L also features an inexpensive belt-driven spindle for the automatic switching of eroding and grinding wheel sets, complementing the options of dual and motor spindle versions.
Electrodes and grinding wheels up to 254 mm diameter can be accommodated, and up to 24 electrodes and/or grinding wheel sets can be used with the aid of optionally available wheel changers. A variety of different loader solutions are available for tool changing via a six-axis Fanuc robot.
For further information www.walter-machines.com

Herford, Germany-based Prewi Schneidwerkzeuge GmbH develops tools for the wood and furniture industry, supplying its worldwide customers with milling cutters, drills and circular saws tipped with carbide or diamond. To manufacture these products, the company uses around 30 sharpening machines from Vollmer, including a recently installed QXD 250 disc erosion machine.

“With the QXD 250 we want to expand our range of diamond-tipped milling cutters and drills so that we can respond more precisely, quickly and flexibly to customer requirements,” explains Helmut Prekwinkel, founder and CEO.
Operating from its 18,000 sq m facility, Prewi produces cutting tools, machining units, exhaust ventilation systems, pressure pads and landing skids, as well as measuring devices for all areas of the wood processing industry. The toolmaker is a pioneer in the use of PCD for rotary tools.
“We were one of the first manufacturers to bring PCD-tipped tools to the market in order to efficiently machine highly abrasive materials,” says Prekwinkel. “To precisely sharpen our diamond tools to a high standard of quality, we have put our trust in Vollmer’s eroding machines for many decades now.”
Prewi is able to use the recently delivered QXD 250 to prepare PCD-tipped rotary tools around the clock. Thanks to the machine’s Vpulse EDM generator technology, the company says that the QXD 250 achieves an excellent surface finish quality at the maximum stock removal rate during tool machining.
“With Prewi, we combined a long-standing partnership with a lively exchange in order to develop new technologies and fields of application for our eroding machines,” says Dr Stefan Brand, CEO of the Vollmer Group.
For further information www.vollmer-group.com

GF Machining Solutions (GFMS) has won an order to supply an AgieCharmilles FORM 300 EDM die-sink machine and an AgieCharmilles CUT E600 wire EDM machine to Bridgend-based Nemein Ltd. The machines will be delivered and installed at Nemein’s 11,000 sq ft facility later this year via a staged process.

Nemein’s new machines will be used, in the first instance, to manufacture components for self-powered tools used in the global oil and gas downhole sector. These tools, which incorporate energy harvesting technology from heat and vibration, are designed to effectively eliminate the sector’s (over) reliance on ‘potentially’ unreliable and unsafe primary lithium batteries, while removing run time limitations and increasing temperature ratings.
Commenting on placing the order with GF Machining Solutions, Nemeins’ CEO Suzannah Bourne says: “To better control our manufacturing processes we made the decision to develop and strengthen in our in-house machining capacity and capabilities by investing in high-performance machine tools. We undertook a comprehensive research programme to identify and select the machine tools we required, and were particularly impressed, not only with GF Machining Solutions’ technologies, but also by their customer-focused and partnership-based business approach. These are exciting times for Nemein and this investment in the machine tools will be instrumental in helping us achieve our ambitious business growth and expansion objectives.”
The importance of the order is also acknowledged by GF Machining Solutions’ area sales manager, Roger Mullard, who says: “Nemein is a company that’s going places. Their innovation, engineering and technical prowess are highly regarded and respected worldwide.”
For further information www.gfms.com