When Tecomet, a manufacturer of products and services for the medical device, aerospace and defence sectors, needed a secure and flexible work-holding solution for its machine shop, the company turned to Hainbuch and its Manok stationary clamping system.

At the company’s Sheffield facility, where component precision, quality and surface finishes are critical, Hainbuch provided the most suitable and flexible solution. Tecomet’s first investment in Hainbuch equipment was the 65 mm Manok stationary chuck for its DMG DMU 50 machining centre.
Product manager Stephen Jackson says: “What we used to do here is hold the job in a two-jaw chuck, but this gave us a lot of issues with vibration and positional accuracy. So, we opted for the Manok 65 from Hainbuch and it solved our issues. The positional accuracy is spot-on and there are no more scratches or issues with surface finish. Furthermore, it’s saved a lot of reworking and secondary finishing.
“The rigidity of the Manok has improved our tool life dramatically and reduced our tooling costs,” he continues. “Furthermore, we’ve been able to push the tools harder and run the machines faster than before, and this has improved our cycle times while reducing tool consumption. On a particular femoral knee job, we’re looking to maintain a precision level of ±10 µm. One key point is that we have numerous five-axis machine tools on-site and we can interchange the Hainbuch system, easily placing it on another machine if necessary. It’s simple, quick and easy to use, and the support from Hainbuch has been very good.”
Following the success of the Manok, Tecomet purchased a pneumatic fixture plate with six Hydrok 42mm collet chucks from Hainbuch.
For further information www.hainbuch.com

The Vero-S NSE-A3 138 automation module from Schunk is specifically for automated machine-tool loading, as well as applications in handling, assembly and automation technology.

For process-reliable workpiece and clamping device changes, the automation component is equipped with a blow-off function, which cleans the interface surface during changeover. In addition, a spring-actuated cone seal prevents chips or dirt from penetrating the interface.
Pull-down force of 8,000 N or 28,000 N, along with activated turbo function and high dimensional stability of the module body, benefit the rigidity of automated quick-change solutions. Thus, even high tilting moments and shear forces can be reliably absorbed. Depending on the application, the modules can be combined in any quantity.
Centring inserts featuring flexible elements ensure positional orientation with a high repeat accuracy (<0.005 mm) and process reliability in automated operations, says Schunk. Due to the conical fitting, the clamping pins can also be joined into the modules eccentrically, simplifying the process. The actual clamping is done without any external energy supply via spring force; it is form-fit and self-retaining. This design attribute means that workpieces remain safely clamped in the case of a sudden drop in pneumatic pressure. A pneumatic system pressure of 6 bar is enough to open the module. When the modules are used individually, a standard, integrated, anti-twist protection device ensures a stable position. By means of the integrated media transfer unit, fluids with permissible system pressures of up to 300 bar can be transferred. As a part of the Vero-S modular system, the automation module benefits from a variety of combination options, from standard plates to Schunk Tandem clamping-force blocks, to mechanical vices from the company’s Kontec series. For further information www.schunk.com

New to the UK from RARUK Automation are two Robotiq innovations designed to make automated, and even lights-out production, easier.

The first, Force Copilot, is an intuitive software development for applications that need force torque feedback, while the other is the Hand-E gripper, which is designed specifically for collaborative robots.
Sensing functions on the Robotiq Force Copilot increase flexibility and reliability in machine-tending, assembly, finishing, and pick and place applications. A suite of set-up tools allows the user to hand-guide the robot on complex trajectories. The software makes it easy to place objects precisely in jigs, trays and chucks, and facilitates assembly applications through alignment, indexing and insertion functions. Finally, the intuitive interface unlocks finishing applications, with adjustable adaptive compliance and constant force for all robot axes.
Robotiq’s Force Copilot is now a standard feature of the FT 300 force torque sensor that can be seamlessly integrated into the second of the additions to the RARUK Automation range: the Robotiq Hand-E gripper. With its compact and ergonomic shape, the Hand-E gripper is said to make collaborative robot hand-guiding safe and easy.
This latest product in RARUK Automation’s line-up of adaptive grippers, is the first UR+ electric gripper to be developed that takes full advantage of the Universal Robot e-Series. High accuracy and 50 mm parallel stroke make the Hand-E gripper suitable for precision assembly tasks, while its sealed design ensures reliability in tough manufacturing conditions. Hand-E gripper comes with a three-fingertip kit, so automation engineers can easily integrate the gripper in their application.
For further information www.rarukautomation.com

Shown in the photo is the gripping power of a Spreitzer MZR vice compared with the size of the workpiece.

In this instance, the client manufactures prototypes in aluminium and titanium for the aerospace and motorsport sectors. As shown, the result is a typical example of the finished gearbox component.
The client currently utilises roughly 220 vices from Spreitzer, 200 of which are MZR 160-60 PA and the remaining variants are MZU and MZC. Due to the robustness and reliability of Spreitzer vices, the business has successfully and consistently manufactured for three years, performing a three-shift pattern without loss of production or the expense of additional cutting tools.
A further benefit of utilising Spreitzer centric clamping vices is the ability to clamp the workpieces safely without having to pre-stamp, which ultimately saves time and money. Through the use of short cutting tools and less vibration on the workpiece, longer tool life can also be achieved and the machining time per piece can be reduced due to higher metal removal.
Hyfore Workholding is a partner in the UK for Spreitzer products. Spreitzer is known for the development and production of complex system solutions in the field of clamping and measuring since 1983. The company’s areas of expertise extend from modular clamping systems for machining centres to manual quality control and special devices, touching on mechanical clamping systems along the way.
For further information https://hyfore.com/

The gripping industry is undergoing radical changes. In the past, gripping processes were primarily geared toward boosting productivity and process reliability.

With the advent of smart factories, flexibility is becoming an increasingly important factor. According to Schunk, tomorrow’s grippers will enable flexible operations and even autonomous handling scenarios.
Until recently, industrial gripping has been relatively rigid; the geometry of the parts must be known, as well as the exact pick and place position. A reliable handling process can be provided by predefining traverse paths and specifying target point co-ordinates based on repeatable parts-feeding operations. With the rise of digitalisation, the trend is now moving towards highly automated, fully networked and autonomous manufacturing systems.
Against this backdrop, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important. The first cognitive intelligence applications for grippers in combination with cameras are already possible. This allows for intuitive training by the operator and autonomous handling of gripping tasks by the robot. For these applications, Schunk purposely designs practical, industry-oriented handling processes by limiting the number of component variations. This strategy streamlines the classification and training process.
In an initial use case that makes use of machine learning approaches for workpiece and gripping process classification, interlocking building blocks are randomly combined and presented to a lightweight robot in a random arrangement on a work surface. The robot’s task is to pick up and transport the blocks. By interacting with 2D or 3D cameras, the self-learning system rapidly increases gripping reliability after only a few learning cycles. With each grip, the gripper learns how to successfully pick up and transport the component.
For further information www.schunk.com