SPI Lasers is now Trumpf

Trumpf has completed the renaming and merger of its wholly-owned fibre laser manufacturing subsidiary SPI Lasers, into the Trumpf group and under the Trumpf brand. Effective from 28 November, the Southampton, UK-based company SPI Lasers UK Ltd will operate under the name Trumpf Laser UK Ltd. In addition, the companies SPI USA and SPI Korea have been merged with local companies Trumpf USA and Trumpf Korea, respectively, effective 1 November and 1 December. Trumpf merged the SPI subsidiary in China with Trumpf China back in April 2020.

For further information
www.spilasers.com

Robots aid scooter construction

The combination of unique design and a sustainable new production technique are responsible for the first stainless-steel electric scooter made by Swedish innovation company Stilride. With Semcon as its partner, the company is planning to challenge traditional manufacturing techniques and pave the way for new design by deploying robots to fold steel. “By using industrial robotic origami we can fold structures from a flat sheet of metal in completely new ways and create shapes true to the material’s characteristics and geometric nature,” says Tue Beijer, industrial designer at Semcon.

For further information www.stilride.com

EuroBlech postponed

Mack Brooks Exhibitions has postponed EuroBLECH, which was scheduled to take place at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Germany from 9 to 12 March 2021. The next EuroBLECH international sheet-metalworking technology exhibition will return to its normal event cycle and run on 25-28 October 2022. This decision was taken in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and following conversations with exhibitors and partners over the past weeks and months. Uncertainties around continued travel restrictions were also a contributing factor to the decision due to the international nature of EuroBLECH.

For further information
www.euroblech.com

Aerospace drives jig borer demand

Starrag Group company SIP is currently assembling a series of high-precision jig boring machines destined for installation by multiple customers active in the aerospace industry.

The five machines – comprising a four-axis horizontal model and the remainder of three-/five-axis vertical designs – are scheduled for installation and commissioning during the second half of 2021.

These SIP machines will produce a range of workpieces, including gearboxes, structural components and satellite guidance systems. The quartet of vertical machines under construction will be able to accommodate workpieces weighing ranging from 2500 to 4000 kg, and have clamping surfaces from 1200 x 900 mm to 1700 x 1200 mm. The horizontal machine will handle components weighing up to 4000 kg on a clamping surface of 1200 x 1200 mm.

For further information
www.starrag.com

Robots partner humans at FPT

At the plant of FPT Industrial Driveline in Turin, which produces transmissions and axles for heavy equipment, can be found a new Advanced Use Robotic Arm (AURA). Dedicated to assembling axle spindles, AURA is a robot designed and built by Comau and used in the HuManS (Human-centered Manufacturing System) project, which places humans at the centre of the production system, surrounded by machinery that helps and shares the space with them in complete safety. Almost 3 m high and weighing about 3 tonnes, AURA is a collaborative industrial robot that works alongside humans, without barriers.

For further information
www.comau.com