At last month’s JEC World 2019 exhibition in Paris, AZL won the JEC Innovation Award 2019 in the ‘Industry & Equipment’ category with its ‘Ultra-Fast Consolidator Machine’.

The new machine is said to offer both high flexibility and mass production of tailored thermoplastic laminates with reduced scrap. Fully consolidated multi-layer laminates with different fibre directions can be produced in cycle times below 5 seconds. This capability is accomplished through a combination of laser-assisted tape placement with in-situ consolidation and a piece-flow principle, which has not been used previously in such a way within composite production.
For further information https://azl-aachen-gmbh.de/

Prima Power has opened a manufacturing site in Seinäjoki, Finland.

Finn-Power Oy, the company of Prima Industrie Group that manufactures turret punch presses, punch-shear/punch-laser combination machines and automation systems, has relocated its previous site in Kauhava to the new facility. The 20,000 sq m plant commanded an overall investment of around €20m, and was officially inaugurated on 21 March. Some 400 people are employed at the facility, 20% of whom are dedicated to R&D activities. The company’s production capacity
at Seinäjoki is increased by 40%.
For further information www.primapower.com

A specialist in Brinell hardness testing, Foundrax, will be launching its next-generation Robus machine at Control 2019 in Stuttgart (7-10 May), and will exclusively preview its newly developed low-force Brinell range of machines.

The company will be present on stand 5509. Foundrax managing director Alex Austin says: “Robus delivers a high-accuracy Brinell hardness testing capability from a robust benchtop system. Our machines provide laboratory-precision hardness testing in steelworks conditions, and we pride ourselves on the accuracy, repeatability and lifespan of our equipment. We have one example of a machine that has performed around 35 million tests.”
The company will also demonstrate the larger floor-standing BRIN400D, a rugged, shop-floor Brinell hardness tester that carries out automatic indentation and measurement for production-level applications.
Pioneers in Brinell hardness testing equipment, Foundrax has over 70 years of foundry, forge and steelworks experience. It is said to be the only company in the world to specialise in Brinell hardness testing equipment and accessories. Foundrax designs and manufactures all its own equipment, including custom-built solutions to customers in 46 countries worldwide, serving sectors such as aerospace, power generation, automotive, leisure and construction.
As well as its core business, Foundrax has recently launched factorysuppliers.com to source and supply materials testing equipment and consumables, as well as thickness and roughness testing equipment. The range is ever expanding and includes reference blocks and metallographic materials used for cutting, grinding and polishing.
For further information https://foundrax.co.uk/

Wenzel is celebrating following the installation of its landmark 9000th measuring machine, a feat that follows another important milestone in the German metrology specialist’s history – its 50th year in the business.

Installing the Wenzel LH 1512 3D CMM coincides with a record-breaking output of almost €92m in 2018, based on strong sales success across its four regions: DACH, EMEA, Asia and America. The CMM purchase also comes full circle, with the very first measuring machine sold in Austria and now its 9000th going to another firm in the country, Voestalpine Krems GmbH.
Heralding the landmark installation and prosperity across the region, Dr Heike Wenzel, managing partner of Wenzel Group, says: “In 1981, the very first measuring machine built by Wenzel was sold by agent GGW Gruber in Austria. Now, the 9,000th machine manufactured in our German factory – with the serial number 189000 – has also gone to Austria. That cannot be a coincidence.”
Installed at the Krems site in Austria, the decision to purchase the Wenzel LH 1512 3D CMM by Voestalpine means the firm can streamline its operations across the automotive, construction and energy sectors with high levels of performance and accuracy. Like all Wenzel machinery, the CMM has been engineered from granite to eliminate heat sensitivity and increase precision within its environment. The low cost of ownership and the competitive price-performance ratio of the CMM were further motivating factors behind the purchase of the 18-tonne machine by the Austrian technology specialist.
Wenzel’s LH 3D CMM is the latest in bridge-style technology. The machine’s long-term mechanical accuracy and ergonomic design, along with sensor choices to suit a range of applications, means it is suited to situations which require high throughput.
For further information www.wenzel-group.com

Abrasive waterjet machine specialist Omax Corporation plans to join forces with Hypertherm, a US-based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software.

The move follows the signing of a definitive merger agreement that establishes Omax as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hypertherm. Upon the closing of the transaction, expected on or around 9 April, Omax’s direct-drive pumps, software and applications technologies
will combine with Hypertherm’s complementary portfolio of intensifier-based pumps and abrasive recycling systems to form a significant waterjet technology offering.
For further information www.omax.com