Launched to coincide with the arrival of its latest deburring, edge rounding and finishing machine – the 22 series WRBW – the Timesavers online virtual showroom provides access to all the information customers may need, including video tours of each machine.

While face-to-face meetings have proved difficult, if not impossible during the COVID-19 pandemic, this online portal provides potential and existing customers with the information they need to move towards a solution for efficient sheet metal processing.
Although the complete Timesavers product range is available to view in the online showroom, the current focus is on its latest development, the 22 series 600 WRBW, which combines all of the technological and mechanical developments in the larger 32 and 42 series deburring machines, such as a uniform result, even wear of the tooling, high production capacity, and industry 4.0 functionalities in a 600 mm wide platform. The 22 series WRBW is now the company’s most compact rotary brushing machine, and is said to deliver premium Timesavers deburring, rounding and finishing results.
Suitable for customers with smaller production demands and associated budgets, the 22 series WRBW is constructed with a vacuum belt to transfer parts through the first abrasive belt to remove burrs. Then, processing by the four rotary brushes is performed to round external and internal edges (and remove laser oxide skin if specified), with a second belt providing the surface finish requirements to deliver fully deburred and rounded parts. The machine’s arrival marks the completion of the Timesavers RB range for premium deburring and rounding at every budget and capacity.
For further information www.timesaversint.com/online-showroom

Guards on grinding machines are particularly important for ensuring operator safety. Grinding wheels seldom burst, but when they do, there is a great risk of serious injury to the machine operator. Recent studies suggest, however, that the enclosures commonly used in gear grinding machines, for example, could be over-designed.

Investigations conducted by the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) and the Institute of Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) at TU Berlin, reveal that it is possible to use safety guards which are up to 70% thinner, depending on the width of the grinding wheel. These findings are now leading to changes in ISO standardisation.
The minimum wall thicknesses for safety guards are specified in ISO 16089. For example, there is a directly proportionate link between the requirements concerning primary protective covers for gear grinding machines and those for the full enclosures located further away. The reason is that no specific safety precautions were initially specified for the safety guards of gear grinding machines as they were not explicitly included in the preceding standard, EN 13218. However, this proportionate scaling has been repeatedly questioned, including by the JMTBA, as it results in overdesigned polycarbonate safety guards and screens.
“Our burst and impact tests showed that the thickness of the enclosure wall can be reduced by up to 70%, depending on the width of the grinding wheel,” explains Simon Thom, group leader for machine tool technology at IWF (TU Berlin). “This is very good news for the machine tool manufacturers, who are keen to avoid excess weight in their machines. Reducing the thickness of a sheet steel housing by half a millimetre, for example, will save 4 kg/m2 in weight.”
For further information www.vdw.de

Vertical power-skiving machines from Gleason intended for the production of soft and hardened gears up to 600 mm in diameter can now be equipped with an on-board cutter re-sharpening unit to reduce cutter changes and help ensure consistent quality.

As a result of automating cutter re-sharpening operations, Gleason power-skiving machines require minimum operator involvement, reducing the time typically required for frequent tool changes and subsequent first-part inspection cycles. Additionally, the usual cost for external tool refurbishment can be avoided.
Compared with the typical cutter re-sharpening process, the on-board unit is fast and simple. The machine’s axes position the cutter to the grinding wheel, before the re-sharpening unit executes the necessary grinding strokes, with the cutter performing the infeed and indexing from tooth to tooth. All of this is undertaken automatically and based on the cutter geometry that exists after a certain number of gears have been cut. After the initial corrections are made based on the first gear cut, a consistent gear quality is more easily maintained throughout the complete life of the tool. The frequency of re-sharpening cycles can be selected depending on the gear quality required.
Tool cost-per-piece is also lower compared with external reconditioning, with no tool changes, first-part-inspections and machine adjustments during a cutter’s lifetime, as well as no handling and logistics costs for reconditioning cycles. With a lot less cutters in circulation, tool investment is reduced significantly.
For further information www.gleason.com

A specialist in the manufacturing of cutting tools, Lincoln, California-based AB Tools, has taken delivery of an Anca MX7 Linear grinding machine with automation to help it produce the company’s Shear Hog range of carbide inserts. Existing machines and processes were proving insufficient to keep up with demand.

The engineering team at Anca worked closely with AB Tools to find a solution, as it can custom-design mechanical, electrical, software and process solutions to enhance the standard product range and meet specific customer requirements. The engineering team was requested to deliver a solution that was able to automatically load and grind the Shear Hog inserts, perform grinding operations in one set-up and meet cycle time requirements.
Developments included a modification to the loading system, with custom pallets to suit the inserts. The custom pallets can hold up to 442 inserts, although this capacity can be increased by ordering the four-pallet upgrade option available on the MX7 Robomate universal loader. A modification to the robot gripper head allows the robot to pick up and handle the insert/nail combination. In addition, robot loading software was developed to support the insert pick-up operation, and load and unload the nail via an interchange station. Inserts can now be ground in a cycle time of less than six minutes.
“Anca impressed me from day one,” states Alfred Lyon, AB Tools’ shop supervisor. “Creating a whole new type of machine for AB Tools is not merely impressive, it’s extraordinary. We could have purchased another machine similar to the one we were using, but we asked Anca for help because we wanted to expand our capabilities and simplify the process. This new machine has exceeded both desires.”
For further information www.anca.com

Following 12 months of trouble-free operation at the Crewe manufacturing facility of CoorsTek, a manufacturer of engineered ceramics, an Okamoto 818 CNC surface and profile grinder has been integrated as a core part of the company’s specialist grinding operations.

The machine was one of the first to be supplied by Jones & Shipman Hardinge, Okamoto’s sole UK distributor. Tristan Weller, production manager at CoorsTek, says: “In the surface grinding cell, we are precision grinding ceramics to typical tolerances of ±10 µm on form radii, and down to 5 µm on flat surfaces. It is a complex process with slow feeds and speeds, and can take its toll on machines and wheels alike. Inherently, it is a time-consuming task, so sustained machine integrity and stability are important.”
Offering a compact footprint, the Okamoto 818 CNC features a 450 x 200 mm table area with the machine based on a small moving saddle design. The ISO type programming menu is delivered through a Fanuc CNC unit with other key features being automatic lubrication to guides and slideways to optimise reliability and prolong maintenance-free operation.
All of the core machine castings exhibit high static and dynamic stiffness, and are fully damped. Scraped V-slideways with low-friction Turcite coatings are standard.
Harry Hodgson, Crewe plant manager, and Tristan Weller, production manager, say: “The Jones & Shipman overall commitment to quality and aftersales technical support convinced us to invest in the machine.”
For further information www.hardinge.com/jones-shipman