Dormer Pramet has acquired Wetmore Tool and Engineering, a privately-owned US-based manufacturer of customer-specified HSS and solid-carbide cutting tools.

Based in Chino, California, Wetmore Tool and Engineering is a manufacturer of adaptive shank drill technology, as well as fasteners, reamers and rivet shavers. The company specialises in cutting tools for hand-held skin-drilling applications performed by several global aerospace organisations.
As part of the acquisition, Wetmore becomes a product brand of Dormer Pramet, alongside its current Dormer, Pramet, Precision Twist Drill and Union Butterfield assortments. Jerome David, CEO at Wetmore Tool and Engineering, will continue in his position and play an important role in overseeing the transition as a member of Dormer Pramet’s senior management team.
For further information www.dormerpramet.com

The World Economic Forum has officially recognised the Sandvik Coromant production unit in Gimo, Sweden as an advanced Industry 4.0 facility.

Gimo has been selected as a “lighthouse” site, namely one that comprehensively deploys a wide range of Industry 4.0 technologies and use cases at scale, while keeping humans and sustainability at the heart of innovation.
Each lighthouse facility was selected from a survey of over 1000 manufacturing sites based on their success in adopting Industry 4.0 technologies and demonstrating tangible benefits. To aid the learning and adoption of technologies by other companies, Sandvik Coromant and the rest of the lighthouses in the network have agreed to open their doors and share knowledge with other manufacturing businesses.
For further information www.sandvik.coromant.com

Drentea, part of the Dutch VDB Group, has invested €3m in the improvement of output and sustainability at its factory.

The combination of machines in the production line at Drentea now consists of a Salvagnini S4 and P4, on which Drentea can punch, cut, twist and bend metal. In addition, a Salvagnini L5 fiber laser is accompanied by a fully automatic sorting centre. This fibre laser generates much more energy from the same amount of power, resulting in substantially lower energy consumption. By producing products on this new line, the company has increased both its production capacity and flexibility.
“We want to achieve further growth by continuing to invest in state-of-the-art production facilities,” says CEO Bert Top. “These investments contribute to a natural evolution towards smart industry and result in a doubling of production capacity.”
In addition, enormous progress is being made in the field of sustainable production. The expectation is that, using this method of processing, the percentage of waste will be reduced by at least 90%. Drentea has now succeeded in integrating its entire business activities in a sustainable circular manner.
“This time of transition to a sustainable manufacturing environment offers Drentea plenty of opportunities to realise its green ambitions,” says Top. “Here at Drentea we focus on smart designs, the complete re-use of materials, production without waste and the use of regionally sourced green energy.
“We want to control our own raw material chains and energy supplies,” he continues. “The time in which price was decisive only tilts to a time where sustainability has actually become measurable. With this new production line we are more than ready to take advantage of the possibilities that time will provide.”
For further information www.salvagninigroup.com

At the recent EuroBlech exhibition in Germany, Bystronic showcased new solutions that in the near future will enable the company’s automated production line for the end-to-end manufacture of sheet metal parts to be expanded with value-added modules for the effective pre-processing of components.

For instance, prior to laser cutting, the latest ByFlex system is able to drill holes as well as deburr, thread-cut and countersink. The integration of these functions allows users to incorporate extra machining operations within the production line for added efficiency. In addition, a labelling function marks the parts with a code that can be scanned at downstream stations for reliable identification.
Newly developed software architecture, called Shop Floor Control System, was also launched by Bystronic for monitoring and controlling a complex production facility, which might involve an automated manufacturing solution such as a production line networked with stand-alone sheet metal handling and machining stations. Laser cutting systems, press brakes, automation equipment and machines from third party suppliers can all be included. The software assumes the centralised control function and helps users to optimise production flow continuously so that throughput and delivery times are met.
Within Shop Floor Control System, each integrated element provides real-time information on the current order status, scheduled maintenance and updates, or any malfunctions. All information is displayed on the control screen, enabling decisions to be made regarding any problems or warnings that arise.
For further information www.bystronic.co.uk

The new direct diode laser (DDL) version of Mazak’s Fabri Gear machine range made its European debut at the recent EuroBlech 2018 exhibition in Germany.

Mazak has fast-tracked the development of the DDL FG to complement the company’s existing CO2 machine, due to the productivity potential that laser users can derive from DDL technology.
DDL is suited to cutting both thin and thick materials, and is also capable of cutting high reflectance material, such as copper and brass. Moreover, the machine is equipped with a 4 kW DDL resonator that can achieve a 20% productivity improvement. This gain is derived from its use of nitrogen, a reduction in piercing time due to a beam-on approach pierce, and an increase in cutting speed thanks to its higher light harvesting. What’s more, the DDL is capable of rapid traverse rates of 100 m/min in the X axis, 36 m/min in the Y axis and 30 m/min in the Z axis. If production is interrupted by an alarm, the ‘Quick Program Restart’ function makes it possible to quickly restart the machine, reducing downtime.
The machine is also equipped with a new 3D head, developed with an independent Z axis and tapping units. Furthermore, new laser light shielding covers have been developed to cover both the loading and unloading sides of the machine.
High productivity is matched by quality of cut, with cutting quality for thick mild steel comparable to a CO2 laser, reports the company.
Mazak says that the Fabri Gear range has long been popular in the construction industry due to its ability to cut round, square and rectangular pipe or tube often used in building projects.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk