Additive manufacturing specialist EOS is celebrating 30 years since the company was founded in 1989 by Dr Hans Langer.

Today, the German family-owned enterprise has an installed base of nearly 3500 industrial 3D-printing systems. While the early phase of EOS was dominated by stereolithography, since 1997 the company has concentrated exclusively on laser sintering. This move was a far-reaching decision at the time and, as it turned out, the right strategy. The powder-bed based laser sintering process is particularly well suited to today’s rapidly growing market of series applications.
For further information www.eos.info

Heller reports, all things considered, that 2018 was a good year for the group: in the fiscal year, the company generated a sales volume of €558.3m, slightly below the previous year’s level; however, with a volume of nearly €700m, order intake reached a new high.

Orders were booked worth €695.2m, corresponding to a rise of €82.3m or 13.4%. With a total of €546m, the current order volume has also reached a high. The number of employees increased moderately from 2440 in 2017 to 2590 in 2018, while equity ratio increased to just under 35%.
For further information www.heller.biz

Metrology specialist Faro has appointed Michael Burger as its new president and CEO with effect from 17 June. Burger succeeds Dr Simon Raab, who will retire from his positions one day previous, on 16 June.

Offering over 20 years of experience as a global executive in the industrial technology sector, Burger most recently served as president and CEO at Electro Scientific Industries,
a supplier of laser-based microfabrication solutions. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a certificate from the Stanford University International executive management programme.
For further information www.faro.com

As an internationally operating supplier to the automotive industry, Neapco is receiving an increasing number of enquiries for electric vehicle components.

A current electric vehicle project the company is undertaking is a drive shaft, which has been supported with cutting tools from Mapal.
Located in Düren in the North Rhine-Westphalia area in Germany, the company relies on Mapal ball-nose milling cutters for hard machining the outer face of the constant velocity joint of drive shafts.
Production of the latest line of drive shafts started at the beginning of 2018, and the volume will be as high as 35,000 units in 2019. “We use the ball nose milling cutters from Mapal to machine the ball raceways of what is known as the bell or axle spindle, for which strict tolerances are specified,” says Ahmet Simsek, who is in charge of tool management at the Neapco plant in Düren.
It is important that this drive shaft joint transmits the torque with as little influence on the steering as possible, even in the case of large working angles on the drive gears of front-wheel drive vehicles. This is why all requirements regarding quality, dimensions and surface qualities must be observed in a process-consistent manner. For example, the contact angle must be within a tolerance of ±5°.
Machining of the forged axle spindles on an EMAG VSC 250 Twin machining centre is assisted by the tool, which has four soldered PcBN blades to remove between 0.2 and 0.4 mm of material. The tool is connected to the tool holder via Mapal’s own HFS connection (Head Fitting System).
For further information www.mapal.com

Seco’s new Double Quattromill 14 cutter allows manufacturers with lower horsepower machines to maximise their face-milling operations.

Double Quattromill 14 uses double-sided inserts with eight cutting edges for cost effectiveness and increased depths of cut in roughing, semi-finishing and finishing operations.
Double Quattromill 14 has been designed as a smaller version of the company’s Double Quattromill 22, which is suitable for large machines with higher horsepower and torque capabilities.
Seco’s Double Quattromill 14 comes in 45° and 68° lead-angle versions for depths of cut up to 6 and 8 mm respectively. With the 45° angle version, which aids set ups using weak or unstable fixturing, better chip thinning and higher feed rates are provided. The 68° angle cutter reaches high depths of cut with the same size inscribed circle on the insert as the 45° angle tool, but with better clearance to avoid sidewalls or part fixturing. Different to inserts on standard tangential-type face mills, the Double Quattromill 14 offers lower cutting forces. This factor extends tool life and decreases machine power consumption, reducing strain on the machine. The Double Quattromill 14 cutter bodies come in fixed-pocket and cassette styles, with standard or close pitch (in metric or inch versions). Seco has also applied its latest surface texture technology to the flute surfaces of the cutter body, a feature that helps improve chip control and evacuation, as well as durability. Double Quattromill 14 cutters can be accompanied by three insert ranges with various edges and grade options.
For further information www.secotools.com