INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Latest press-hardening technology selected

Germany-based Gedia Automotive Group has been developing and manufacturing cold-formed body and chassis parts for the car industry for over 50 years. In order to meet growing demand for structural parts with low weight and high crashworthiness, the company decided to invest in the latest press-hardening technology from AP&T.

“Gedia wanted to find a partner that could offer market-leading production solutions as well as help develop the company’s press-hardening expertise,” says AP&T’s general manager in Germany, Michael Hunger. “Since the very start, we have worked together to achieve the high level of flexibility, availability and quality that Gedia and its customers want to attain.”
To date, AP&T has installed three complete press hardening lines at Gedia’s facilities in Germany and Poland. Among other things, the equipment includes the latest generation of AP&T’s Multi-Layer Furnace (MLF) and press-hardening tools. The lines are equipped with a sensor-based system that gives full control over the heating and cooling process, which is decisive in terms of ensuring each part obtains the exact properties and quality that are desired. Advanced process monitoring enables the high demands on quality imposed by car manufacturers and, for example, the CQI-9 standard to be met.
A high degree of flexibility and scalability are important to Gedia. AP&T’s MLF is said to enable optimised capacity utilisation. More layers can be used if production increases; if it decreases, heating can be limited to fewer levels, which also saves energy.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

Finance firm focuses efforts in Germany

Following a successful launch into Germany, Close Brothers Asset Finance GmbH has refocused its efforts on the engineering/manufacturing and print sectors.

This follows a detailed review of both the team’s activities and customer feedback since launch in June 2017. To support the strategy, the team has been bolstered by highly regarded and experienced sector specialists who have been working to bring Close Brothers Asset Finance’s products and services to a key European market.
“We have already learned a
great deal in our short time operating in Germany,” says Steve Gee (pictured), CEO of Close Brothers Asset Finance’s Industrial Equipment division.
“It’s become clear that our historical business model of operating in specialist sectors translates very well in Germany’s SME market, commonly known as the ‘Mittelstand’, and we are gearing up for continued growth.”
For further information www.closeassetfinance.de

Citizen names European manager

Citizen Machinery UK (CMUK) has appointed Sam Nottage-McNeice as its European sales manager responsible for co-ordinating distributor operations that come under the CMUK network, including France, Portugal, Spain, Scandinavia the Middle East and Africa.

Following an engineering background as an avionics technician in the REME, Nottage-McNeice spent six years in machine tool sales before joining CMUK. Machine tool exports from CMUK witnessed significant growth during 2017 with more than 300 machines being installed.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Zimmermann opts for Mapal

For demonstrations and machine acceptance tests, machine tool manufacturer Zimmermann says it equips the company’s latest horizontal machining centre with milling cutters from Mapal.

Zimmermann developed its first horizontal machining centre specially for the machining of structural parts used by the aerospace industry. Aluminium structural parts, such as wing parts and frame ribs, are generally milled from solid material – with up to 95% material removal. Fault-free machining with respect to dimensional accuracy and surface finish is crucial. Moreover, the component structure becomes more and more delicate with increasing material removal, representing an additional challenge.
In order to achieve maximum efficiency, Zimmermann employs its own patented M3ABC three-axis milling head in the machining centre. Particularly in the pocket corners of a workpiece, the milling head has to perform only very small swivel movements – allowing the feed rate to be kept more or less constant and hence the machining time to be significantly shortened.
“The perfect combination – the machine, the three-axis milling head and tools from Mapal – give the user a real performance boost,” says Steffen Nüssle, sales director export and head of applications engineering at Zimmermann. “With the SPM-Rough ISO shoulder milling cutter, we achieved the best results that we have ever witnessed using a tool featuring indexable inserts.”
The ISO tools with polished indexable inserts are the latest addition to the Mapal SPM product range. SPM-Rough with wave profile also surpassed the expectations for material removal with excellent smooth running.
“Complete machining of a 190 x 190 x 40 mm pocket is now effectively possible in less than a minute,” explains Nüssle.
For further information www.mapal.com

Drills boost productivity and tool life

The new range of Feedmax-P solid-carbide drills from Seco Tools is said to provide component manufacturers with up to 35% more productivity and improved tool life when machining steel and cast iron.

Featuring new geometry and a TiAIN coating, the range delivers improved chip management and control, says Seco. The end result being that manufacturers can drill holes faster (productivity) and use fewer drills (economy). Feedmax-P drills have strong, straight cutting edges with strategically located coolant holes. Moreover, narrow land margins help to minimise the effect of heat generation, while an improved flute design protects the drill point and delivers improved chip evacuation.
With a new TiAIN coating, which is said to deliver improved tool life when machining high heat-generating applications, combined with strong point geometry, cutting speeds of up to 190 m/min can be achieved when machining SMG P5 structural steel without causing excessive tool wear.
Feedmax-P drills are available in diameters ranging from 2 to 20 mm, and in length-to-diameter ratios of 3xD, 5xD and 7xD. Internal coolant supply is available as standard, while customised options, such as intermediate sizes, and chamfer and step-drill versions, can be supplied on request.
For further information www.secotools.com