Fresh from its successful participation at the recent EMO exhibition in Hanover, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) is already in advanced negotiations regarding distribution agreements with a number of cutting-tool distributors based in mainland Europe.

ITC has in fact been working with a number of technical distribution partners around mainland Europe for a number of years. However, company expansion in 2016 and continuous investment in advanced production equipment has laid the platform to strengthen its position on the continent.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

The family of software products from Prima Power has been expanded with the introduction of the company’s FastSuite Prima Power Edition, which has been developed by Cenit AG for Prima Power. The agreement with Cenit provides for the new 3D laser CAM software to be dedicated to 3D Prima Power laser cutting machines and distributed globally by the Italian company.

“Our latest product enables customers to set up their production processes as quickly and efficiently as possible, as the software is tailored to their requirements,” states Marco Pivanti, Prima Power 3D laser product manager.
The FastSuite Prima Power Edition manages the entire offline programming process, from importing CAD data to optimising the NC program. Among the main strengths of the software are the user-friendly interface, the integrated Prima Power cycle time simulator, and greater simplicity of configuration and management of licences.
In order to further increase the flexibility of the offer, FastSuite Prima Power Edition is available in two packages: Prima Power 3D Laser CAM Sharp, which includes the complete CAM system at a competitive price; and Prima Power 3D Laser CAM Genius, which also includes the fixture builder functions and the Prima Power cycle time simulator. The latter is described as the solution with the best price-to-performance ratio.
For more specific needs, Prima Power also offers Cenit-standard products like FastSuite E2 OLP, for customers that need to use the software on non-Prima Power machines, and FastTrim, the offline programming solution integrated with CATIA V5.
Prima Power will continue the distribution of Tebis software packages.
For further information www.primapower.com

A UK specialist in the design and manufacture of cable management solutions has invested in shop-floor automation as it looks to capture further market share and spur even more growth. Unitrunk, which is based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, says recent investments in automated Amada technology are saving time and introducing greater levels of flexibility at this progressive and ambitious engineering business.

“Our growth over the past decade has been driven through production efficiency on the shop floor, as well as manufacturing automation, without any increase in additional labour,” states process engineer Mark Cartmill.
A recent case in point is the installation of the Amada CS stockyard automation system, linked to two Amada EM series punch presses (one existing and one new) that are fed by LIII loaders and unloaded by TK-3015R part picker/removal units.
“Previously we had stand-alone punch presses with Amada MP load/unload systems, but with the CS stockyard we now have no waiting for material to arrive or leave,” says Cartmill. “In addition, we can process a much wider range of material without any manual intervention whatsoever.”
The system offers full unmanned production, easy stock management, part picking/stacking and, with the addition of the new Amada EM-3612ZR T punch press, full automated tool selection in approximately 10 seconds (in hidden time while the sheet is running), providing high levels of flexibility.
Unitrunk completed a thorough review process, assessing a number of stockyard automation systems before opting for the Amada CS from a final shortlist of two. The company is currently in the process of writing upwards of 15,000 programs for the new system, but is hopeful this task will be complete within 12 months.
For further information www.amada.co.uk

This year, Taiwan was ranked second in terms of the numbers of exhibitors participating at EMO and third in regards to exhibition space; impressive for a country about the size of the Switzerland. Among the principal exhibitors from Taiwan was the Fair Friend Group, which is now the third largest machine-tool group in the world. FFG owns 37 machine-tool brands and 50 production bases worldwide.

At EMO 2019, FFG’s exhibit filled the whole of hall 14, showcasing over 35 machines from 20 brands, and offering smart manufacturing solutions integrated with future 5G networking applications for industries that include automotive, aerospace, rail and mouldmaking.
For further information www.taitra.org.tw

Working together successfully is a key feature of successful inclusion projects for people with and without disabilities. Clamping and gripping technology specialist Röhm, headquartered in Sontheim, Germany, wholeheartedly supports this philosophy.

The Lebenshilfe workshop for disabled people at Heidenheim and Giengen (HWW GmbH) and Röhm have been in close contact for some time now, collaborating on the implementation of a corresponding ‘pioneering project’. Its objective is to create 12 long-term jobs outside the workshop for disabled people who work at HWW GmbH. These positions will be fully integrated into the company’s operations.
But what makes this project so special? Well, Röhm is the first employer, at least in the rural district of Heidenheim, to create a significant number of long-term jobs instead of individual or temporary project-related jobs.
In the future, people with and without disabilities will work alongside each other. Within the scope of an internship, the first participants are already working with Röhm personnel in three assembly teams – fully integrated into operational processes, not in a separate area. Their tasks include the assembly and packaging of Röhm drill chucks.
“This project is very close to my heart and I would like to encourage other companies to integrate people with disabilities into their operations and society in general,” says Röhm CEO Gerhard Glanz.
German companies with 20 or more employees have an obligation to fill at least 5 % of their jobs with disabled people. Companies failing to meet this quota must make compensatory payments.
For further information www.roehm.biz