Now available in the UK from NCMT is the Makino U6 HEAT Extreme wire EDM, which uses the largest diameter wire – 0.4 mm – of any machine on the market, says the company.

The wire is coated and distinct from the 0.25 mm uncoated brass wire that is commonly used in industry. This extra wire thickness, together with the use of a second booster generator in the machine, allows two-to-three times higher feed rates and heavier duty machining, coupled with a slower un-spool speed, so there is no increase in wire consumption rate. At MACH 2020 (now postponed to January), NCMT was set to highlight the roughing of a turbine blade’s fir-tree root form, assisted by dual pumps delivering high flushing pressure and volume.
Comprising part of Makino’s U-series wire EDM machine platform, the U6 HEAT Extreme uses a newly developed Bedra copper core wire with a double layer coating featuring controlled zinc donation. The wire has been optimised for use with Makino’s generator and is exclusive to the machine. Areas of application include aerospace and medical component machining, separating additively manufactured parts, machining tall moulds and dies, and tackling tough nickel alloys.
Makino’s U6 HEAT Extreme also features the company’s HyperDrive Extreme wire control, which employs servomotor tensioning to facilitate both jet and jet-less automatic threading modes, and expands the range and stability of wire tension to overcome the difficult job of reliably threading high tensile and stiff 16-micron wire.
A cutting conditions library has been developed to provide an optimum combination of speed, accuracy, surface finish and wire consumption for both sealed and poor flush applications. Settings for two-pass machining have also been created to provide optimal productivity.
To reduce maintenance costs, the machine features long-life energisers that extend the service life of this consumable. Moreover, to improve ease of-use and productivity, the U6 HEAT Extreme comes with the intuitive Hyper-i twin-screen control that includes functions to support the needs of operators at all skill levels.
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

In the face of shrinking demand for rubber injection moulds, AMB near Paris has been adding precision prototypes and mechanical components for a wide variety of industries to its portfolio.”

To aid this transition, the company began searching for a new wire EDM, as Jacques-Henri Miguet, second-generation managing director, explains: “We needed a new machine because our existing wire EDM from another manufacturer was unreliable and caused excessive maintenance costs.”
Initially there were discussions with three different suppliers, but the choice quickly narrowed down to the Mitsubishi Electric MV1200R offered by local agent Delta Machines. One important reason was that the system accommodates a working height over 200 mm.
Ultimately, a wire EDM system type MV1200R was purchased along with an EA8S die-sinking EDM system.
“Our Mitsubishi wire EDM machine works perfectly and delivers everything we expected of it,” says Miguet.
The MV1200R achieves an accuracy of 1/100 mm when used with wire diameters from 0.1 to 0.25 mm, usually with two passes to achieve the best possible quality. In two-shift operation and with an average spool life of 20 hours, jobs can usually be planned so that the next change falls within an employee’s working hours and the machine runs largely around the clock. In this context, the automatic re-threading of the wire after a breakage, even in the narrowest kerfs, is also very useful.
“If I should ever need another EDM system, I know exactly who to contact,” says Miguet, summing up his experience.
For further information www.mitsubishi-edm.de

Cutting-tool manufacturer Mapal opened its Fountain Inn, South Carolina plant in 2013 to complement the company’s existing US headquarters in Port Huron, Michigan, as production manager John Schuck recalls: “In 2013, we were sweeping the floors and waiting for the first machines to arrive, one of which was a Vollmer QWD750H wire-erosion machine with a 12-station tool loader. Our immediate growth noted an additional two QWD750H machines arriving in spring 2015.

“From day-one, our ambition and plan for this facility was to run ‘lean and unmanned’ production wherever possible, and the 12-station Vollmer QWD750H wire-erosion machines have supported this philosophy,” he adds.
As the company ramped-up production, it exponentially increased its investment in wire-erosion technology. For instance, Mapal acquired more Vollmer machines in 2018. Succeeding the Vollmer QWD series as the next-generation technology, Mapal took delivery of two new Vpulse500 machines in March 2018.
“We were really pleased with the performance of the QWD750H models, but the new Vpulse500 takes it to a new level,” says Schuck. “Vpulse500 machines incorporate a new erosion generator that is far more efficient than the QWD models. The new erosion generator and the new control format are optimising our productivity, giving us 25-30% cycle time reductions over the previous machines, while generating improved surface and edge finishes. Furthermore, the CNC control and software has been enhanced for greater ease-of-use and operator friendliness.
“No doubt more Vollmer machines will follow as we continue to grow,” he adds. “From a staff perspective, part of our growth trajectory will see us start an apprenticeship programme this year and what better environment for apprentices to learn than in a new factory with state-of-the-art machine tool technology from Vollmer.”
For further information www.vollmer-group.com

A steelmaker based in Poland is saving nearly €3m per year after switching to NSK´s sealed-clean KVS bearings in its roll mill.

Such has been the superior performance of these four-row tapered roller bearings that the company has adopted the solution for all of its tandem cold mills. NSK KVS bearings are said to offer 2-4 times longer life than standard bearings. There are many reasons behind this elevated level of performance. For instance, a special type of bore seal averts the build-up of negative pressure that can cause the entry of water through the main seals.
For further information www.nskeurope.com

Lantek has announced a collaboration agreement with Euromac, an Italian supplier of CNC punching and bending machines, as well as automated systems for sheet metal production.

The agreement reached by both companies enables control of a ‘sorting cell’ programmed with a Kuka KR 10 robot using two punching software solutions from Lantek: Lantek Expert Punch-Plus and Lantek Stackmaster. Combined, these solutions enable the automation of the discharge line for parts and their subsequent palletisation and storage.
For further information www.lantek.com