INTERNATIONAL NEWS

EDM used on live nuclear reactor pipeline

Machining specialist Hydratight says it has become the first company to use EDM for maintenance work on a live nuclear reactor pipeline system.
The company completed the technically challenging campaign for a major energy company at a US power station as part of post-Fukushima upgrades.

Using EDM avoided an expensive unplanned shutdown of the reactor, and took 48 hours off the reactor outage schedule.
The process used a heated solid electrode to cut a hole (featuring 0.05 mm tolerance) within the reactor feed water line. Microscopic cuttings were then removed using back-flushing and vacuums. Hydratight’s process prevented 99.5% of foreign material exclusion particles, such as drill cuttings and debris, from entering the reactor.
Mike Riordan, Hydratight’s nuclear speciality services manager, says: “This was a milestone achievement on a live nuclear reactor pipeline system, and resulted in safety enhancements in line with the industry’s post-Fukushima requirements. The work has created another way to feed water into the main line if there is ever a power loss to the reactor.”
The line had water pressure of 8.3 bar and electrical conductance exceeding 3,500 micro-siemens. Hydratight’s speciality services deployed customised tooling to negotiate a 380 mm long, 25 mm wide pipe as an entry point to reach the spot where the 19 mm EDM penetration was to take place.
“Material contaminations are a major concern for most facilities, and EDM is a highly accurate and safe way of machining,” says Riordan. “Tool pressure was also a concern on this particular project, so we were able to use a method which was completely contactless.”
Hydratight has offered its services to the nuclear and power-generation industries for more than 30 years.
For further information www.hydratight.com

Marposs buys software specialist

Metrology specialist Marposs has acquired control over Blulink, an Italian software house that specialises in software for quality control and process management.

Based in Reggio Emilia and active since 1990, Blulink focused its work on the development of software solutions for the integrated management of quality and safety in the working environment. The most advanced results of its research have been gathered in the Quarta3 platform, released in 2012 and adopted by over 1000 companies in Italy, as well as many other countries around the world. Blulink employs 40 people.
For further information www.marposs.com

Precision required for rotor grinding

Thanks to the technologies of Holroyd Precision, a major industrial group in northern China will soon embark on the production of its own range of air ends, helical rotors and screw compressors.

A £1.4m order was secured recently that requires Holroyd Precision to supply one of its helical rotor and thread grinding machines to the customer. The machine, a Holroyd TG 350E, is set for delivery in early 2019, when it will be used to precision-grind helical components of up to 350 mm in diameter and 1795 mm in length.
“We are delighted to have secured this significant order,” comments Holroyd regional sales director, Steven Benn. “Although for commercially sensitive reasons we cannot name the customer, it is particularly rewarding to know that in their quest to achieve the highest levels of precision in rotor manufacture, they recognised the uncompromising levels of accuracy that our technologies offer.
“As we are members of the Manchester-China Forum,” he continues, “securing this significant order also underpins our ongoing drive to strengthen ties between the city and China.”
Equally suited to prototyping, batch and volume production, TG series machines are designed primarily for the finish-grinding of helical screw components such as worm screws and rotors after they have been milled to a rough or semi-finished state. Fully automated on-machine probing provides closed-loop feedback of corrections to the dresser wheel and does not require a high level of operator skill.
For further information www.holroyd.com

Complete machining of spherical components

The compact, high-precision machine tool Sphero, designed for machining workpieces with spherical forms, has been further developed by Thielenhaus Microfinish into a hybrid solution capable of handling the entire superfinishing process in just one set up.

Thielenhaus has designed an innovative trial machine that can machine spherical workpieces, with the highest demands in terms of fine dimensional accuracy and surface quality.
The workpiece is mounted vertically and is therefore easily accessible for fast changeovers. Thanks to the integrated tool changer with a capacity for up to 10 tools, even complex machining processes can be carried out in a single set up.
The trial machine is based on one that was previously used for the manufacturer’s subcontracting work, and is also equipped with QuattroClean CO2 snow-jet technology that enables workpieces to be cleaned using an environmentally friendly, dry and residue-free method. After cleaning, the machined component is subjected to a scattered light measurement procedure that allows, for example, the shape or the gloss value to be determined.
Workpieces with diameters of up to 75 mm can be machined on the Sphero. The machine is used in the automotive industry for machining the joint heads of wheel suspension and steering components that require a high level of freedom and movement for the associated assembly units. Sphero is also used to produce metallically-sealing valve balls and seating rings for valves in the chemical industry, through which aggressive or very hot media travel. Another application is the axial piston pump found in all fields of hydraulics.
For further information www.thielenhaus.com

Grinding advances on show at AMB

The latest Kellenberger 100 concept cylindrical grinding machine featured alongside two Hardinge Super Precision turning and turn/grinding CNC centres on the Hardinge Inc stand at the recent AMB 2018 exhibition in Stuttgart.

Since its introduction in 2017, the Kellenberger 100 concept has been well received. While adopting a modular design, the machine makes use of technology from Kellenberger’s Vista and Vita machine ranges, the Tschudin T25, and the Jones & Shipman Ultramat CNC and Ultragrind 1000.
In terms of functionality, the 100 concept delivers a range of configuration options. Modular construction based on a common platform is designed to reduce machine build time yet accommodate numerous ‘standard’ options with an attractive price/performance ratio for the end user.
Three important features distinguish the new 100 machine series. First, a collision-free, compact wheel-head solution with integral motor spindles and a reinforced casing for larger wheel diameters when internal grinding. There is a choice of 10 wheel-head variations to ensure the optimal machine configuration based on the components to be processed.
Secondly, the enhancement of performance parameters. A higher grinding wheel drive power increases productivity while the newly designed Z guideway produces higher profile precision from the C axis, again enhancing precision when non-circular grinding.
Finally, the service-friendly machine concept. Kellenberger’s service teams were involved in the design and optimisation of the machine. This factor impacts on faster maintenance and service operations while optimum accessibility of maintenance-intensive components is assured.
Kellenberger machines feature the latest Fanuc 31i CNC controls with 19″ touch-screen guidance system on an operator friendly, intuitive touch-screen panel. An option is the newly designed cycle programming or workpiece-related graphic programming.
For further information www.jonesshipman.com