Invitation to compete for research prize

Grinding machine manufacturer Studer is awarding its research prize, the ‘Fritz Studer Award’, for the seventh time, invitingstudents from European universities and technical colleges to participate. The winners will receive a reward of CHF10,000.Participation in the competition provides young researchers with a platform for their creative solutions. The goal of the award is to advance and strengthen innovative developments in the machine tool industry.

For this competition,Studer is looking for work and research results with the following content: innovative machine concepts or components for precision machine tools; alternative materials in machine construction; simulation models for the dynamic and thermal behaviour of machine tools; control and sensor concepts for machine tools; digital solutions to support the grinding process; and new or advanced manufacturing technologies, especially in precision machining processes such as grinding and hard turning.

Anyone who has focused on scientific topics or applied research areas in their student research project, college work or dissertation is invited to enter. The applicant should also be able to produce substantiated results or partial results from their research work. What is crucial for the assessment? Firstly, the feasibility of findings in the machine tool industry. Secondly, the approach must be new. Studer will also assess the scientific content, form and accuracy of the statements.

A prestigious jury will assess the submitted entries and choose the winner or winners, who will receive a reward of CHF 10,000, the Fritz Studer Award and a certificate.The award ceremony will take place in mid-February 2024. Entrants should send their documents to Fritz Studer AG, Dr Frank Fiebelkorn, Head of Research and Technology,PO Box 177, 3602 Thun, Switzerland,no later than 30 September 2023.
For further information www.studer.com/en

Guhring end mills dive into micro-milling

Guhring is extending its Diver end mill series into the micro-machining sector. Claimed as the ‘smallest diver in the world’, the new RF100 Micro Diver end mills provide plunging and milling in a single tool. Available in two variants, the 6808 and 6809, the RF100 Micro Diver features a symmetrical drilling face for stability when ramping and drilling, a new transition geometry to improve rigidity, and a special flute form that further enhances rigidity and eliminates vibration.

The RF100 Micro Diver 6808 series is a three-flute solid-carbide end mill suitable for cutting materials up to 48 HRc at depths up to 2.5xD. With a 40° helix angle to evacuate chips from the work area when conducting high-speed machining, the 6808 series is available with a H5 4 or 6 mm shank diameter and a H8 cutting diameter from 0.79 to 3.175 mm with a multitude of dimensional increments available. This range has an overall length from 38.1 to 50.8 mm and a cutting length from 1.97 to 7.93 mm, with the choice of four or six peripheral through-coolant channels available. To enhance tool life further, the end mills incorporate a 45° corner chamfer to prevent edge chipping when machining challenging materials.

Guhring’s new RF100 Micro Diver 6809 series is for the machining of pockets and slots up to 5xD. Like the shorter length variant, the 6809 series offers the choice of four or six peripheral through-coolant channels, a H5 4 or 6 mm shank diameter and a 45° corner chamfer to prevent edge chipping. In comparison to the shorter 6808 variant, the 6809 offers an overall tool length from 45 to 57.15 mm with a 5.00 to 15.87 mm cutting length.
For further information www.guhring.co.uk

EMO to host ‘India Opportunities conference

India is currently the seventh largest machine tool market in the world. This is why Carl Martin Welcker, general commissioner of EMO Hannover 2023, together with Ravi Raghawan, president of the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), is hosting the EMO ‘India Opportunities – growth and potential of the Indian machine tool market’ conference at the show on 20 September.

Some 45 Indian manufacturers are using EMO to promote themselves and their offerings to the world. India’s total demand for machine tools was €2.75bn in 2022, with about 60% met by imports. The country’s largest suppliers include China, Japan, Germany, Italy and the US.
The conference will take place from 11:00 to 14:00 on 20 September in Room 3B at the Hanover Exhibition Centre. The admission fee is €85, which includes an admission ticket to EMO.
For further information www.bit.ly/3KrX2kU

Floyd launches expanded PCD turning range

According to Floyd Automatic Tooling, the Applitec TOP-Line 700 series is the tool of choice for precision turning, parting, grooving and profiling on small turning centres and sliding-head lathes. Applitec,which has its headquarters in Switzerland,isexpanding its range with the introduction of an entire line of PCD-tipped inserts that are now available in the UK from Floyd Automatic.

With the introduction of this line of PCD inserts, Floyd Automatic can present the benefits to manufacturers machining a diverse range of non-ferrous materials, including precious metals, copper, brass and bronze, through to more challenging materials such as aluminium alloys, composites, thermoplastics, graphite and lead-free brass.

With its serrated insert teeth, corresponding tool-holder and two insert screws that combine to deliver precision and repeatability, Floyd Automatic says the Applitec 700 series provides rigidity, stability, high performance and astounding surface finishes. Utilising Applitec’s proprietary twin-screw offset teeth insert location system, the two clamping screws pull the teeth together so the insert does not vibrate.

Like the existing carbide version of coated indexable inserts in the 700 series, the new 700 PCD line is available with a range of parting-off inserts, front and back turning inserts, and grooving and turning inserts. Each of the cutting tools for the respective processes is available in a range of geometries, insert widths, lengths and radii, with both left and right-hand designations to cater for the diverse needs of the marketplace.

The TOP-Line 700 PCD series will extend tool life and deliver more consistent results when compared with solid-carbide tools, reports Floyd Automatic: months rather than weeks or days. In addition, the latestseries can run at machining parameters up to 10 times faster than solid-carbide tools, reducing lead times and increasing throughput.
For further information www.floydautomatic.co.uk

BLM Group to stage open house

At its headquarters in Levico Terme, Italy, BLM Group will host a new edition of its
open house. Specialising in the production of tube and sheet metal processing machines, BLM is opening its plant doors for two weeks (20 September to 4 October) to welcome its customers. The event will occupy a total exhibition area of more than 10,000 sq m divided into four main technical hubs, where attendees will have the opportunity to get hands-on with the latest innovations among the group’s various technologies: tube laser, sheet laser, 3D laser cutting cells, tube benders, wire benders, sawing machines and tube shapers.
For further information www.blmgroup.com/innova