Three global manufacturing companies – Nokia, RMS Co and GF Precicast – have invested in additive manufacturing solutions from 3D Systems to transform their production workflows.

Through the integration of 3D Systems’ Figure 4 or DMP platforms, these manufacturers are able to achieve design freedom, increase agility, scale production and improve overall cost of operations.
Nokia has added 3D Systems’ Figure 4 Standalone to its ‘Factory in a Box’ mobile manufacturing solution – demonstrating how manufacturers can stay ahead of the demands of industry 4.0. Meanwhile, RMS Co, a supplier to medical device manufacturers, has expanded the use of 3D Systems’ DMP platforms to apply metal additive manufacturing to new applications. Lastly, GF Precicast, a technology provider for the aerospace and industrial gas turbine (IGT) markets, has integrated 3D Systems’ metal additive manufacturing platform as a cost-effective alternative to the investment casting of super alloys.
For further information www.3dsystems.com

The new TruBend Center 7030 bends parts up to 30% faster than its predecessor, while its tool change cycles are up to 70% quicker.

For the first time, Trumpf has also included the option of equipping the panel bender with a loading and unloading station.
The operator can stack various piles of metal blanks on the right-hand side of the machine. A suction cup initiates the automated loading process by picking up a sheet whilst simultaneously checking that it has not taken two by mistake. This gripper device deposits the blank on a brush table, with a positioning bar ensuring it is aligned correctly. A loading carriage then moves the blank into the machining area, simultaneously removing the most recently bent part from the machining area, and transporting it to a conveyor belt. During this loading and unloading process, the TruBend Center 7030 continues to operate.
The task of changing bending tools is handled by the ToolMaster. As well as increasing its axis speed, Trumpf engineers have also added a feature that allows it to change multiple small tools at the same time. These improvements reduce machine set-up time by up to 70%. The TruBend Center 7030 also features the offline TecZone Fold programming solution that enables operators to program many parts in just a few clicks of the mouse. TecZone Fold takes a matter of seconds to generate the bending program and 3D simulation of the parts, including collision monitoring.
Panel bending machines such as the TruBend Center 7030 are particularly adept at fabricating complex parts with radius bends, short side lengths, and narrow profiles. When it comes to producing parts with these kinds of specifications, this alternative bending technology is quicker than die bending machines, says the company.
For further information www.trumpf.com

UK-Irish trade relations will be at the fore of this year’s Manufacturing Solutions Ireland event, with the manufacturing supply chain roadshow and conference, hosted by GTMA and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), already confirming more than 100 exhibitors and participants from both sides of the Irish Sea.

The event, now in its third year, will take place on 12 June at LIT, Moylish Campus. For the first time ever, Manufacturing Solutions Ireland will include a one-to-one ‘Meet the Manufacturer’ brokerage event.
For further information www.manufacturingsolutions.ie

A Euromaster-S CNC press brake with 400-tonne capacity has been supplied to a leading Polish industrial company by Haco-Kingsland.

Since its formation in 2003, Stal-Bud Nastaj Wiesław has been providing its services in the field of special steel constructions. The company develops, produces and implements dedicated solutions that are tailored to the needs of its customers. Located in the Polish city of Chełm, Lublin province, Stal-Bud has production halls that cover an area of over 4000 sq m and house around 60 people – and growing.
Thanks to the ambition of the owner, several large investments have been successfully completed in recent times. Among the notable machines to arrive is the aforementioned press brake from Haco-Kingsland. The multi-functional Euromaster-S offers a working length of 4 m and 400 tonnes of capacity.
“Thanks to very high work parameters, the Euromaster-S gives us new possibilities compared with the 160-tonne press brake we had previously,” company owner Wiesław Nastaj said in a conversation with Paweł Janas, director of Haco FAT.
The Robosoft FastBend-2D control with ‘MultiTouch’ technology is said to give Stal-Bud a definite advantage over the competition, allowing the company’s service to be cheaper and faster, while retaining high quality.
“I cannot imagine a more user-friendly way of programming the machine,” said the operator at Stal-Bud after he had completed operational training.
For further information www.kingsland.com

The exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK, Mills CNC, is now offering the DNM 6700XL vertical machining centre, which features an X axis of 2.1 m.

This dimension is significantly longer than that offered by the standard DNM 6700 machine (1.3 m), while the work table is also larger, at 2200 x 570 mm.
DNM 6700XL machines are equipped with directly coupled 18.5 kW/15,000 rpm spindles as standard, which are said to minimise vibration and reduce noise, especially during high-speed machining operations. The spindles also have 20 bar through-spindle coolant capability.
Additionally, the machines feature Doosan Machine Tools’ proprietary thermal compensation system, which minimises the effects of heat generation and regulates thermal expansion.
Doosan’s DNM 6700XL boasts 36 m/min rapid rates in the X and Y axes, and 30 m/min in Z. Unproductive non-cutting times are further reduced via 30-position automatic tool changers (40 or 60-position options), which are recorded as having a tool-to-tool change time of 1.2 seconds.
Grease-lubricated axis travels (as opposed to oil lubrication) help to reduce maintenance costs by up to 60% and eliminate the need for oil skimmers. What’s more, grease cartridge systems only need replacing every 3 months, as opposed to oil-based systems that require more frequent servicing and manual intervention. Technical director Tony Dale says: “Some people say that size isn’t everything, but when you’re machining large parts – it makes all the difference. The introduction of the new DNM 6700XL is evidence of Doosan meeting market demand for a large, flexible and highly productive vertical machining centre.”
For further information www.millscnc.co.uk