INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Large order for rail wheel production line

India-based Ramkrishna Titagarh Rail Wheels has placed an order for a wheel roller, two forging presses, automation, dies, a rotary hearth furnace and heat treatment, from Schuler and Andritz Metals. Like Schuler, Andritz Metals is part of the international Andritz technology group. Schuler says the order is in the upper double-digit million euro range

Ramkrishna Titagarh Rail Wheels is a joint venture between one of the largest suppliers of forged parts in India and the nation’s biggest manufacturer of railroad wagons in the private sector. The world’s most populous country plans to invest over $700bn in its rail network over the next few years.

“Schuler has already proven its expertise in the manufacture of railroad wheels with numerous production lines installed on the Asian continent,” says Naresh Jalan, managing director of Ramkrishna Forgings. “It was important for us to select a supplier whose equipment stands for high quality.”

Christian Palm, director hydraulic presses at Schuler, adds: “Forged railroad wheels are best at handling the extreme stresses of heavy acceleration and deceleration. We’re pleased to help take rail transportation in India to the next level with this production line.”

The forming of rail wheels takes place in four steps before they enter machining. First, a 10,000 ton hydraulic forging press produces a disc-shaped pre-form from a heated billet in two stages, receiving its final diameter in a wheel roller. Then, the second 5,000-ton press calibrates the rolled-out wheel before axial offsetting and piercing of the hub.
For further information www.schulergroup.com

95,000 expected at METALEX 2023

The 37th edition of METALEX 2023, the ASEAN region’sleadingmachine tool and metalworking technologies event, will take place inhalls 98-104 at BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre) on 22-25 November. The event will see a 10% expansion on the previous show, featuringcirca 2500 brands of machine tools and metalworking technologies from 50 countries.

The organiser RX Tradex (formerly Reed Tradex) says it has tens of thousands of industrialistsfrom more than 40 countries pre-registered to visit the exhibition, which this year takes place under the theme of ‘The Innovators’. In total, the organiser expects around 95,000 visitors to attend and estimates the event will generate no less than THB7bn in trade value. In addition to the exhibition, the event will host 35 informative seminars.
For further information www.metalex.co.th

NIBE increases capacity with new press line

Heat pump manufacturer NIBE plans to increase the production of water heater components at its Markaryd, Sweden facility following the order for a new press line solution from AP&T.

“The demand for energy-efficient systems for heating and hot water production is growing steadily all over the world, and we continue to see a strong demand for our products,” says Henrik Broström, production technical group manager for sheet metal and welding at NIBE Energy Systems.“We’re now investing in new manufacturing capacity to future-proof the volumes we will need. The new production line from AP&T will manufacture stainless steel water heater ends and be an important complement to our existing lines.”

Stefan Persson, project manager at NIBE Energy Systems, adds: “In addition to manufacturing more units, the new line also ensures a stable production process with high repeat accuracy and availability.”

Together, NIBE and AP&T discussed and evaluated a number of different options before the final concept took shape.

“Our ambition was to develop a process solution optimised for NIBE’s specific needs and conditions that provides clear customer values,” explains Dan Barvö, key account manager at AP&T.“The line needed to be energy efficient, take up little floor space and be able to perform several steps with a few machines and tools.”

In the autumn of 2022, AP&T presented a fully developed proposal that met all of NIBE’s needs: a compact, energy-efficient, fully automated production line with a 500 tonne press for deep drawing, a smaller modular press, linear robots and tooling. Line commissioning will take place in 2024.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

TLM grows portfolio with ultra-short pulsed lasers

The latest addition to TLM Laser’s range, from partner FOBA Laser, is a new ultra-short pulse range of laser systems, the pulse width of which is in the femtosecond to picosecond range. These laser types are able to offer a number of distinct advantages in many marking applications.

Ultra-short pulse lasers produce an intensive beam of light that allows high-precision processing, while minimising the amount of heat absorbed by the surrounding area. Due to the adjustable pulse duration, from the femtosecond to picosecond range, the heat input remains low, despite the high pulse energy. As a result, it is possible to create precise marks even on temperature-sensitive materials, reliably and economically.

The fine structures created by the laser process prevent the reflection of light, so the laser marks appear deep black and offer good readability from different viewing angles. Almost any material can be marked with the F.0100-ir laser system. From metals to heat-sensitive components and even transparent materials, the new laser marker opens up many possibilities.

TLM Laser says the system is suitable for medical sector applications, where its performance characteristics allow it to produce high contrast marks on medical instruments made of stainless steel, titanium or even plastics. These same attributes also make it suited to various applications in the production of automotive and electronic components.

Depending on the workpiece material, marking speeds of up to five times faster than nanosecond laser systems are possible, reports TLM Laser. Furthermore, TLM says FOBA’s F.0100-ir offers one of the most compact designs in the field of ultra-short pulse lasers, suiting easy integration into production lines and laser marking machines such as the FOBA M series.
For further information www.tlm-laser.com

Mazak unveils OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO 20 kW at EMO

At the recent EMO exhibition in Hanover, Yamazaki Mazak showcased its newest high-power 2D laser machine for sheet metal cutting operations: the OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO 20 kW. The machine’s working area allows the processing of workpieces up to 1525 x 3050 mm through a new 20 kW fibre laser resonator. Thanks to this high power, the machine is able to cut 30% faster and reduce gas consumption by 30% when cutting with nitrogen.

Mazak says that the OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO 20 kW is equipped with proprietary beam-shaping technology to adjust the power density of the laser beam in a controllable and automatic manner, ensuring the best possible result on various materials and thicknesses.

The new MCT3 cutting head and MAZATROL SmoothLx CNC system are just two stand-out technical features of the machine. Mazak’s MCT3 boasts multiple intelligent functions to streamline the operator’s role. For instance, beam diameter control automatically adjusts the laser beam diameter while automaticfocus enables distance adjustment for different materials to deliver faster cutting speeds. Furthermore,automaticprofilercalibration is a function that maintains the nozzle to workpiece distance to boost edgequality and productivity.

Automating the overall set-up time can lead to 95% quicker preparation compared with standard laser machines, reports Mazak. Moreover, intelligent cutting functions such as flash cutting and fine power ramping are able to enhance the overall process even more. Instead of stopping at each axis, the laser turns on and off through ‘flash cutting’;synchronising the axis and laser movements leads to reduce cutting times. Another function, fine power ramping, adjusts the laser power and feed rate, minimising dross at cutting corners without compromising straight-line cutting speed.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk