Developed for high-precision cutting tasks mandated by the medical, as well as the tool and mouldmaking industries, two models from the Robocut range of wire EDM machines from FANUC were fully operational on the company’s stand at the recent EMO 2019 exhibition.

The smaller α-C400iB model was supported by a collaborative robot, complete with iRVision to identify components that need to be machined, while the larger α-C800iB machine was cutting aerospace parts.
Elsewhere on the stand, FANUC gave a full European debut to the company’s IIoT platform, which is called FIELD (FANUC Intelligent Edge Link and Drive). The FIELD system connects a broad range of FANUC and third-party production technologies – including both new and legacy models – to provide fast, centralised access to all production data within a factory; helping end users take a decisive step towards smart factory status.
Unlike other IIoT solutions, FIELD is ‘edge-heavy’, which allows data to be collected and processed at source on the shop floor, rather than in the cloud, thus giving the operators access to far more accurate real-time data and analytics, explains the company. FIELD is fully scalable across multiple cells within a factory, to allow manufacturers to make informed and intelligent decisions that can drive tangible improvements in productivity.
The FIELD system is compatible with a number of different applications, including those designed by third parties, such as software houses, system integrators and even end users. FANUC’s FIELD system app store will launch in Q4 2019.
For further information www.fanuc.eu

Wenzel will use Advanced Engineering to shine the spotlight on its exaCT U, which is designed for the measurement and testing of components where 3D data of complex internal and external structures are required.

Available to view on stand D20, the exaCT U can be used universally and is designed in such a way that each customer can tailor its individual system with the appropriate X-ray source and detector. The measuring volume of the machine is specified as 700 mm high by 300 mm diameter.
For further information www.wenzel-group.com

Trumpf will shine the spotlight on its e-mobility solutions from stand E22.

For instance, battery manufacturing alone accounts for 10% of the company’s turnover in the automotive sector, and more than 500 Trumpf lasers have already been installed worldwide for this purpose. Indeed, the company’s lasers are proving suitable for the mass production of batteries, high power electronic systems and electric drives. Visitors to the exhibition will learn about the latest Trumpf developments for e-mobility, which range from lasers that can weld all the seams on an electric motor in just one minute, to its TruConnect solutions, which allow the entire production process to be digitised.
For further information www.trumpf.com/en_GB

Visitors heading towards CGTech on stand L152 can see a demonstration of the newly introduced features in version 9.0 of the company’s Vericut CNC machine simulation and optimisation software.

Vericut 9.0 features several enhancements designed to increase power and improve efficiency. For instance, users can now: save time with instant access to viewing the workpiece, CNC machine, or both; use major functions (like Section, X-Caliper and Auto-Diff) in any view; easily switch between workpiece and machine views, layouts and docking arrangements; and auto-configure Vericut for optimisation with improved connectivity to tooling websites and cloud repositories.
“The all-new graphics display in Vericut 9.0 sets the bar for realism and streamlines user actions in all views,” says Gavin Powell, technical director at CGTech Ltd. “In version 9.0, there’s more flexibility to display/hide the machine and other components, as well as enhanced sections and better translucency. In addition, most users will experience gains in performance, especially in Vericut’s free Reviewer app.”
For further information www.cgtech.co.uk

Cutting-tool manufacturer Fraisa reduced set up from hours to five minutes through the new tool balancing feature in Anca’s latest ToolRoom RN34.

A specially designed software package for the aerospace, mould and die, general machining and power-generation industries, the product was officially launched at EMO last month. Customers can get improved productivity or minimise chatter through the intuitive design of high performance, complex end mills, says the company.
“ToolRoom RN34 is aimed to be the differentiator among many suppliers of end mills by allowing customers to design complex geometries and achieve increased tool life, productivity and cutting volume, as well as increased quality and precision of the workpiece,” says Thomson Mathew, Anca software product manager.
The constant-helix ball-nose option, for example, is replaced by a graphical drag-and-drop designer. This ball-nose type of tool, with optimised irregular helix curves to reduce vibration, can be achieved with near-instant visualisation by switching from 2D projection of the cutting edge, to 3D.
Douglas Franke, production manager at cutting-tool firm Fraisa, says: “With Anca’s balancing software we generally have a tool balanced within five minutes. Some of our more complex tooling can take a little longer, up to 20 minutes. This drastically decreases our machine set-up time, which could previously take several hours. Our biggest success story has been an aerospace customer who is running our 25 mm roughing tool for aluminium at 25,000 rpm.”
For further information www.anca.com