The car brake disc of the future is coated as it is the only way to meet the stricter particulate matter limits of the Euro 7 standard. The braking surface is also protected against corrosion and wear. But which machining process can guarantee this quality can be achieved reliably and in large quantities? With its VLC 450 DG machine and the combination of laser cladding and subsequent double-sided face-grinding, EMAG says it has the answer.

Jannik Röttger, head of grinding technology at EMAG, says: “Our laser cladding in particular opens up many possibilities: matrix material and hard material carbide are fed into a laser tool and welded to the preheated surface. In this way, first an adhesive layer and then the overlying wear protection layer are applied – at least in the case of so-called two-layer systems. There are also developers who rely on a one-layer solution, such as for the rear axles in compact vehicles.”

He continues: “Our USP is that, on one hand we can control and influence the turning process and the entire laser welding process on EMAG machines if the customer so wishes. On the other hand, we keep an eye on the subsequent grinding process right from the start. After all, the turning process and central coating parameters should be configured in such a way that the surface produced results in the shortest possible grinding cycle times and low grinding wheel wear with the highest component quality. Isolated solutions for just one of the two processes generate problematic performance figures.”

The VLC 450 DG grinding machine is a special solution for brake discs that has been designed for the respective coating system and desired production process.

More information www.emag.com

Luzzo Bespoke, a creative engineering specialist supplying highly-bespoke products to a range of customers in the automotive, marine, lifestyle and consumer luxury markets, has acquired a new Charmilles LASER P 1000U five-axis digital laser texturing and engraving machine from GF Machining Solutions, now United Machining.

The new machine, installed in early 2025, is proving to be transformative. It has increased and strengthened Luzzo Bespoke’s in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, and helped the company expand the range of 2D and 3D surface textures it can apply to machined products.

The machine, installed at the company’s 1000 m² manufacturing facility in Brackley in January 2025, is the first laser machine Luzzo Bespoke has acquired from GF Machining Solutions in its 28-year history. However, the company is no stranger to GF Machining Solutions’ machine tool technologies, having previously invested in a number of Mikron five-axis machining centres with integrated workpiece pallet changers.

Since 2022, Luzzo Bespoke has received request to produce laser textured patterns and details on complex 3D-shaped metal parts with concave and convex surfaces. To achieve the desired effects on such components it was clear that a five-axis fibre laser was the way forward. This ‘need’ was the catalyst behind Luzzo Bespoke’s LASER P 1000U investment.

“GF Machining Solutions were extremely supportive – they liked what we were doing and could see that we would be an ideal, UK-based, de-facto reference site for their laser technology,” explains Brian Challenger, Luzzo Bespoke’s managing director. “As a result, they offered us a great deal on a new LASER P 1000U and we decided, from a cost, machine specification and availability perspective, to place the order with GF.”

More information www.gfms.com

According to the IFO Business Climate Index, the mood among companies improved slightly in July. However, there is still a great deal of uncertainty when it comes to expectations. This is reflected not only in very cautious investment activity, but also in trade fair participation. The situation has now led the organiser of Parts Finishing 2025 to cancel the event planned for November.

Parts Finishing 2025 was set to launch with an innovative trade fair concept: presenting three topics under one roof over two days.

“Actually, we received a very positive response to this idea from the outset and, until about six weeks ago, had a promising number of registrations,” reports Nicolas Herdin, managing director of fair organiser fairXperts GmbH & Co KG. “In the meantime, however, various companies cancelled their registrations.”

The reasons vary. Cost-cutting measures are cited, as are the uncertain economic situation and difficulties in assessing the company’s business development. This situation has now prompted the trade fair organiser to cancel the event planned for 12-13 November 2025 at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre.

“Despite the financial losses, we believe this is a better alternative than holding an event that would ultimately leave both exhibitors and visitors dissatisfied,” adds Herdin.

The company management will now discuss the further development of Parts Finishing with the exhibitor advisory board and consider a new date for the trade fair.

“We believe it is fairer to both exhibitors and visitors to cancel this year’s trade fair and hold it successfully at a later date when conditions are more favourable,” he says.

More information www.fairexperts.de

Whether solvent or water-based cleaning, initial or final cleaning, or ultra-fine and high-purity cleaning, the tasks in parts cleaning have never been as varied as they are today. Ecoclean (Hall 10, Stand D36) will be presenting a complete product portfolio for these very different applications and requirements in the various industrial sectors at the Parts2Clean 2025 exhibition.

As a full-service provider of future-oriented, flexible and resource-efficient solutions for industrial component cleaning, Ecoclean and UCM will be presenting a tailored range of products and services at this year’s Parts2Clean on 7-9 October in Stuttgart.

Four cleaning systems will be on show. These include the new EcoCvario aqueous chamber system, which is equipped with PPC as standard and can therefore handle even very demanding cleaning tasks reliably and economically.

The cost-efficient and flexible EcoCcompact for solvent cleaning will be shown in the L version. Notably, this product family is available in three working chamber sizes, and batch weights of up to 150 kg and can be easily converted from hydrocarbon to modified alcohol. Adapted to the cleanliness requirements, these compact plug and play systems can be equipped with all process technologies available for solvent cleaning and for use in high-purity cleaning.

With the UCMIndexLine, the manufacturer is presenting a compact rotary indexing system. Equipped with six cleaning and rinsing stations – with and without ultrasound or PPC – almost all processes for aqueous-based precision cleaning can be mapped. The system was designed for cleaning small and compact components.

Ecoclean will also be exhibiting the UCMCombiLine, a modular ultrasonic cleaning system for low throughputs and high cleanliness requirements.

More information www.ecoclean-group.net

ANCA has developed a high-performance Spindle Speed Increaser kit designed to elevate the capabilities of its FX, MX, and TX grinding machine platforms. The solution allows users to achieve wheel speeds of up to 50,000 rpm, making it suited to small diameter grinding wheels and specialised applications, such as PCD pocket grinding and internal diameter (ID) grinding.

Designed to operate seamlessly within the machine’s grinding spindle, the Spindle Speed Increaser kit enables users to access ultra-high spindle speeds without any special machine modifications. Importantly, it is fully compatible with ANCA’s automatic wheel pack changer, allowing it to sit alongside conventional grinding wheel packs for convenient, automated tool changes.

Suitable for grinding wheels under 10 mm in diameter, the kit opens new opportunities in high-precision grinding applications. Originally developed for the TX platform, the Spindle Speed Increaser is now also offered for FX and MX machines, providing broader access to its capabilities across ANCA’s customer base.

“The regular ANCA grinding spindle runs up to 10,000 rpm – perfect for most standard tool grinding operations using wheels above 75 mm in diameter,” explains Duncan Thompson, ANCA product manager. “However, customers have been asking for a solution to use smaller wheels. These wheels require significantly higher rpm to achieve the surface speeds necessary for optimal grinding, and the Spindle Speed Increaser provides an elegant solution to this challenge.”

At the heart of the Spindle Speed Increaser is a compact geared mechanism driven by the main spindle. This gearing increases output rpm by a factor of approximately seven, achieving speeds up to 50,000 rpm at the grinding wheel.
More information www.anca.com