Founded in 1992, Rotherham-based Magtec is the UK’s largest supplier of electric drive systems and specialist hybrid solutions. The privately-owned firm’s technologies include motors, gearboxes, generators, power controllers, battery systems and condition monitoring systems for heavy goods vehicles, buses, multi-wheeled and tracked defence vehicles, and bespoke specialist vehicles.

To ensure the continuation of its premium quality standards, Magtec administers a rigorous, company-wide quality-control regime and makes use various advanced inspection aids. The latest addition to Magtec’s collection of high-technology measuring equipment is a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex S CMM.

Explaining the purchase Magtec head of quality Tom Dalgliesh says: “When the need arose for a high-precision CNC CMM, in addition to considering the potential machine’s accuracy standards, mindful of our rapidly increasing production volumes, we also considered factors such as speed and ease of use. As it satisfied all of our accuracy and efficiency requirements, we chose a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex S CMM with a measuring capacity of 900 x 1000 x 600 mm in the X, Y and Z axis respectively.

“Now installed in our temperature-controlled inspection department, the Crysta-Apex S is delivering the high levels of precision that we need,” continues Dalgliesh. “Also, because of its impressive speed of operation and fast acceleration, not only is our new Mitutoyo CMM able to keep pace with our current output levels, it will also be able to cope with the massive rises in production and the increased amount of inspection work that we anticipate.”

Having written a large number of part programs, Magtec is now able to load single large components or large batches of smaller parts on to the Mitutoyo CMM’s bed, recall the relevant programs and start rapid, automated CNC inspection routines.
For further information www.mitutoyo.co.uk

Desktop Metal, a global specialist in additive manufacturing technologies for mass production, has expanded its relationship with CNC software innovator SolidCAM, creator of iMachining tool-path technology and a distributor of solutions to precision metal manufacturers worldwide. SolidCAM has offered Desktop Metal products in Germany since 2021. Now, the company will offer Desktop Metal solutions for direct printing of metal to customers in the US, where SolidCAM has technology centres at its headquarters in Newton, Pennsylvania, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, as well as the UK, Israel and India.
For further information www.desktopmetal.com

RPI UK, a specialist in precision rotation and angular positioning, launched its TruMotion rotary table at the Control 2022 exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany earlier this month. According to the company, TruMotion verifies small or medium circular parts with an accuracy more commonly seen in the standards laboratory. Manufacturers in the high-precision and general machining industries will be able to check roundness to the required accuracy of any turned or ground parts.

TruMotion is operated manually and enables the inspection of circular components such as pinions, gears, gauges, bearings, aero-engine components and optical assemblies in a production environment. It will be used to measure small and medium sized round parts, with dimensions of up to 400 mm diameter by 220 mm high, weighing up to 50 kg. TruMotion has a radially adjustable articulated probe holder and an axial and radial bearing performance of less than 1 µm.

Peter Marchbank, managing director of RPI, says: “Precision engineering companies, from global producers to small machining workshops, will now be able to easily verify and inspect small and medium sized circular parts with the required accuracy.”

RPI grew out of acquisitions from Optical Measuring Tools, Airmatic, Horstmannn and Eimeldingen. The company is now one of the world’s largest designers and manufacturers of solution-driven, highly accurate inspection systems and services that measure circular geometry and angular positioning.

Using its 75+ years of rotary expertise, RPI supplies progressive engineering industries, including the aerospace, gas turbine and dimensional metrology sectors, with low-maintenance products that offer a service life measured in decades, not years.

For further information
www.rpiuk.com

The longest-standing profile projector manufacturer in the UK, Bowers Group, has launched an improved version of the Baty R400. This new bench-mount profile projector combines high-accuracy, non-contact measurement and in-depth inspection. Its robust design makes it suitable for use both on the shop floor and in the standards room.

Among the improvements are positive adaptations to the lighting system and focal length that make it suitable for a wide range of parts. The integration of the LED lighting system replaces the existing Halogen profile lighting, reducing annual service costs and eliminating potential downtime due to lamp failure. However, the LED system still incorporates helix adjustment for thread measurement and runs at much lower temperatures than the traditional halogen set-up.

Other improvements include changes to the focal lengths of the lens, thus facilitating larger components. With lenses available in 10x, 20x, 50x and 100x magnification, and with an increased distance between the lens and object, there is more space to measure bigger and more complex parts quickly and efficiently. The use of a common, spring-loaded detent lens-mount enables fast and easy lens changes without any need
for tools.

The new model comes with the screen-mounted optical edge sensor now set in a fixed arm so that the screen can rotate independently of the probe itself, maintaining the cross-hair/probe offset that is stored within the FT2-E software. An internally mounted edge sensor option is also available if required, leaving the projector screen completely unobscured. The feet of the machine are in the same position, meaning the footprint of the new R400 is identical, and remains compatible with the existing cabinet stand.

For further information
www.bowersgroup.co.uk

Accretech has announced the launch of the Surfcom NEX. An evolution of the Accretech Surfcom range, the new measuring system allows both surface and contour measurements to be made flexibly and accurately using a single machine. Furthermore, the instrument delivers up to 60% faster measurement processes.

In addition to use within cleanrooms, due its ability to function across a range of temperatures, the robust instrument can also be used within production environments.

Surfcom NEX innovations include the use of a hybrid detector for simultaneous contour and surface measurement, an electromagnetic drive that allows the detector to move without wear and tear or vibration, and a linear drive system which ensures quick, low-oscillation measurements with no disruptive noises or vibrations.

Marcus Czabon, head of the metrology business unit at Accretech, says: “The new Surfcom NEX is the result of many years of intense dialogue with our customers. It offers versatility, precision and, most importantly, reliability. In terms of equipment and features, it sets a benchmark in contour and surface measurement, not least when considering procurement and operating costs over the product lifecycle.

“We want to accommodate the changing demands in production and tool inspection,” he adds. “In simple terms, more parts need to be checked in a shorter time. So, diverse application options are a driving factor. Our customers want to use just one machine for surface texture and contours. It must be possible, therefore, to combine detectors freely or to carry out hybrid measurements.

“However, reliability should not in any way be compromised by faster and more complex measurement processes. That is why the Surfcom NEX has a newly developed hybrid detector, which has over twice the coverage of traditional machines.”

For further information
www.accretech.eu