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

The EURO 7 standard will immensely change the automotive industry: for the first time, not only emissions from combustion engines will be regulated, but also the abrasion of brakes, among other things. The initial conclusion is that the particulate matter produced by many models must be significantly reduced. As a result, OEMs and suppliers are looking for a new solution for the braking system, with coated brake discs currently proving to be the ideal solution for the task.

So how can the various coating systems be applied reliably and efficiently in the context of high-volume production? EMAG offers the answer to this question: a complete solution ready for series production for the coating of brake discs by laser deposition welding, which has already proven itself in production.

The ELC 450 LMD is a machine solution from EMAG that is characterised by its modularity and flexibility. The basic idea behind the ELC 450 LMD is the use of process modules that can be combined and expanded according to customer requirements. The basic version, the ELC 450 LMD, has one process module. The ELC 450 DUO LMD is equipped with two process modules, while the ELC 450 TRIO LMD, as the name suggests, uses three process modules.

These modular machine concepts make it possible to optimally meet customer requirements in terms of shift structure and productivity. This then determines the choice of machine configuration. The ELC 450 LMD can realize both one-shift and two-shift systems. The combination of laser power and application rate determines the most suitable machine concept for the respective application.

More information www.emag.com

UK-based PTG Holroyd Precision is to supply one of its ultra-precise Zenith 400 helical profile grinding machines to a Chinese manufacturer of helical components. Developed to precision-grind components weighing up to 700 kg and measuring up to 420 mm in diameter, 2.2 m in length and with a maximum 100 mm profile depth, the Zenith 400 combines high stock removal rates with aggressive semi-finishing. It offers production rates and accuracies tailored to the most demanding of manufacturing strategies.

Scheduled for installation at the Chinese company’s Chongqing-based production facility this summer, the Zenith 400 is equipped with PTG Holroyd’s proprietary dual grinding wheel system. This capability will enable operators to use either a 500 mm vitrified, dressable aluminium oxide grinding wheel for exceptional versatility in production strategies and product development, or diamond-hard plated CBN roughing and finishing wheels for cost-effective volume production.

“With the advantage of two grinding wheels, our customer will be able to complete both rough-grinding and finish-grinding in one seamless operation,” says PTG Holroyd Precision’s sales director Mark Curran. “By using CBN grinding wheels for both grinding processes, they will benefit from significantly reduced cycle times and improved heat dissipation. Thanks to the greater resistance of CBN, the customer will also enjoy extended wheel life, with no need for dressing, even at high stock removal rates.”

He adds: “In addition to the Zenith 400’s well-proven capabilities, its dual grinding wheel capability was clearly a major attraction to the customer in view of the efficiencies this will bring to their production processes.”

More information www.holroyd.com