A new, rail-guided changing table for the safe, rapid movement of today’s increasingly heavy press tools, moulds and dies is now available from Roemheld in three versions for loads of up to 15, 25 or 40 tonne. The electrically-driven RWS system comes as a single or tandem cart and can feature two different push-pull arrangements to enable tool exchange on most types of equipment, including vertical forming and injection moulding machines. The changing tables help car manufacturers transport increasingly heavy tools for producing large castings comprising many individual parts, such as when mega-casting a vehicle frame or body.

The cart is guided on floor-level round rails with a rolling resistance so low that one person can manually move loads of up to 5 tonne easily. The rails facilitate precise guidance and prevent dirt ingress and tripping hazards. A safety mechanism ensures that it is only possible to move loads when the RWS table is firmly attached to either a machine or the storage location.

Consoles that bridge the distance between the machine bed and the die-changing cart make tool handling rapid and effortless. The amount of time needed for actual changeover is minimal as the table features integrated lifting bars in addition to the pull-push system. It means that the press or moulding machine is able to continue production right up to the moment of tool exchange.

Plants can connect several presses by a single table; positioning accuracy is within ±0.3 mm. Semi or fully automatic die change is possible due to the cart’s integral control system.

For further information www.roemheld.co.uk

With a revised stamping unit (featuring a new type of serration) and a complete, additional series of five-axis vices, Lang Technik say the company continues to develop its ‘original’. According to Lang, the company’s stamping technology has been setting the bar for top-notch quality in five-axis machining through its form-fit clamping philosophy for years. Now, Makro•Grip FS is taking this to a whole new level with even more impressive milling performance. 

The abbreviation FS stands for fully serrated/full serration and describes the new, continuous holding serration on the clamping jaws of the new-generation vice.  The new form-fit between the continuous holding serration and the matching contour in the pre-stamped workpiece blank increases holding force by up to 60%, depending on the material and stamping depth. For machining, this means even more reliability and safety in workpiece clamping, which in turn allows higher cutting performance and faster milling processes.

Lang’s stamping units with adapted stamping serrations impress with numerous new features, making operation even easier and more effective. For example, the process of setting the stamping pressure can be significantly accelerated thanks to the new stamping depth gauge. The setting is now data-based by reading off the dial gauge instead of visually checking the workpiece.

A new centring unit also makes it child’s play to insert the workpiece blank exactly in the centre, reports Lang.

Lang’s five-axis vices of the FS series are available in all previously known sizes and models, and also in a new mini version: the Makro•Grip micro. The FS series will initially run alongside the established Makro•Grip series, but is expected to replace it in the medium term due to its performance advantages.

For further information www.lang-technik.de

It is now possible to retrofit the Röhm iJaw, which features sensor technology and wireless data transmission to measure clamping force in real time during machining, to all turning machines. There is no need to integrate the technology into the machine’s control system.

“With iJaw, we are effectively revolutionising the machining process,” says Gerhard Glanz, CEO of Röhm GmbH. “This is because real-time measurement of the clamping force during the machining process provides the user with a whole range of benefits. The advantages start with higher machine availability because of a reduction in set-up times and faster machining processes. The result is lower part costs on the one hand and increased component quality on the other. Overall, sensor-controlled workpiece machining is, of course, much safer than conventional manual clamping by feel.”

Gone are the days when operators would have to set the clamping force higher than necessary in order to ‘play it safe’.

“Especially with thin-walled components or sensitive surfaces, this is known to be counter-productive because having too high a clamping force quickly leads to deformation or even crushing of the workpiece,” says Glanz. “With exact knowledge of the applied clamping forces, you can significantly reduce rejects.”

This is how the iJaw works: an integrated sensor detects the forces introduced into the jaw, with data processed accordingly. The iJaw measures not only the actual applied forces of the internal and external clamping but also its own temperature. The system constantly displays the charging status of the battery. Röhm’s iJaw measures in real-time during machining.

For further information www.roehm.biz

More flexibility in machining production and significantly reduced set-up times: these are the premises under which Ringspann presents its new HSFS 110 clamping sleeve chuck. This innovative precision clamping system offers numerous advantages, especially for users of turning/milling machines with main and counter spindles, and machine tools with bar loaders. Since the clamping system does not require pull-back action, it is equally suitable for machining bar stock and material sections in the first set-up or workpieces from the second clamping step.

With a diameter range from 22 to 80 mm, the new HSFS 110 is a versatile clamping fixture for many different tasks. It also provides the user with additional flexibility, not least because it allows the clamping diameter to be changed by up to 1.5 mm.

The HSFS 110 clamping sleeve chuck is a purely mechanical clamping system consisting of a base chuck, clamping sleeve, draw tube adapter and adapter flange. While the adapter flange connects the machine spindle to the base chuck, the draw tube adapter transfers the actuating force from the clamping force device of the machine spindle into the base chuck.

The clamping sleeve is an interchangeable part that offer easy and fast replacement as and when necessary without special tools. In addition, the use of individually designed stop plates makes it possible to load and process workpieces axially positioned from the front. For this reason, the HSFS 110 is suitable for material sections in the first clamping set-up without any problems.

Thanks to its high adaptability and easy handling, Ringspann says that the HSFS 110 is one of those clamping systems that can give the machining of workpieces noticeable economic efficiency.

For further information www.ringspann.co.uk