INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Wind tower manufacturing line installed

Spanish wind-tower manufacturer, GRI Renewable Industries, has installed an automated PEMA production line for offshore wind turbine towers.

The line includes seven PEMA extra heavy-duty column and booms, one PEMA double-head welding platform, 32 pairs of heavy PEMA roller beds (up to 350,000 kg and 10 m diameter), four PEMA assembly lines, a plate joining station, and milling machines for longitudinal and circular joints. The ethos of the line is that all crucial processes, such as welding, milling and materials handling, are fully integrated to constitute efficient workflow and high quality.
For further information www.pemamek.com

Gearing up for WIN trade fair

The WIN Eurasia Metalworking and WIN Eurasia Automation fairs will this year be coming together under the same roof between 15-18 March in Tüyap, Istanbul. In line with the demands of the sector, these two established trade fairs of the Eurasia region will merge for the 2018 edition. WIN Eurasia Metalworking attracted 385 exhibitors from 19 countries at the 2017 show.

At this year’s event, exhibitors and visitors will have the opportunity to showcase and experience the 360° manufacturing industry. From sheet-metal processing to metal-forming technologies; automation services to electrical and electronic equipment; hydraulic and pneumatic services to intralogistics; WIN Eurasia 2018 will be bringing all the ecosystem needed for the factories of the future.
For further information www.win-eurasia.com/en

Clamping force verification made easy

Workholding equipment manufacturer OK-Vise has announced two new systems for checking how tightly a component has been clamped, mindful that during automated machining in particular, the verification of holding force has always been a challenge. The products are available in the UK through 1st MTA.

The accuracy of workpieces, especially those that are delicate or of thin-wall construction, can be adversely affected if the clamping pressure is too high. Conversely, if the grip is too weak, there is a possibility of the part becoming dislodged during machining, risking operator injury, machine damage, tool breakage and scrap.
During automated hydraulic clamping, oil pressure is easy to measure, but other variables can also influence clamping force. In manual clamping systems, straightforward torque measurement is often used, although the relationship between torque and actual clamping force can be inaccurate. As a result, the approach that OK-Vise has taken is to integrate clamping force measurements directly into the company’s modular Multi-Rail RM fixturing system.
An on-screen digital readout of clamping pressure enables the operator to verify that a hydraulically secured component is held correctly. If required, an optional SCADA system can collect information from several displays over a standard Modbus connection so that historical data can be viewed and adjustments made as necessary.
The system also allows the holding force of manually secured workpieces to be checked. Here, a visual red dot in a clamp module gradually fades to grey as a spanner is turned, showing when the holding force is correct. Various modules are available for different clamping pressures.
For further information www.1mta.com

Machining centre with universal appeal

Said to be universally applicable across the aerospace, mechanical engineering and mould and die sectors, DMG Mori has released its DMU 340 Gantry machining centre. The machine has a one-piece, thermo-symmetrical EN-GJS-600 cast-iron machine bed accommodating a working volume of 3400 x 2800 x 1250 mm, which is expandable to 6000 mm in the X axis and 1500 mm in Z.

Linear drives in the X and Y axes offer up to 0.5 G acceleration and (optionally) 90 m/min rapid traverse rates. The drives combine with a ram featuring an integrated, direct-drive C axis, as well as a B-axis milling head with direct drive and 50° swivel, to provide a fully interpolative five-axis machining platform for producing large, complex components. According to DMG Mori, the machine achieves surfaces finishes down to Ra 0.3 µm.
The standard machine version with 4400 x 2700 mm table accommodates workpieces weighing up to 10,000 kg, although the maximum load can be trebled on request.
A range of HSK-A63 and HSK-A100 motor spindles, manufactured in-house, is available rated up to 30,000 rpm (or 79 kW or 430 Nm). The SK40-SpeedMaster with 15,000 rpm and 130 Nm is standard. There is space for 30 tools in the chain magazine, although an optional wheel magazine can accommodate 63 tools, extendable up to 183 pockets.
DMG Mori deploys its CELOS app-based control and operating interface to a Siemens or Heidenhain CNC system. An Industry 4.0-ready interface, which is compatible with ERP systems and can be linked to CADCAM applications, integrates the machine into a customer’s production environment.
For further information www.dmgmori.com

Five-axis portal mill for prototypes

A portal, five-axis milling machine has been introduced by German machine-tool manufacturer Zimmermann at the lower end of its price range. Available in the UK and Ireland through Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools, the compact FZU is intended primarily for prototype, tool and mould making, as well as machining composite components such as airframes.

Of thermo-symmetrical and stable design, the machine is suitable for manufacturing workpieces from aluminium, plastics and model board. Unlike other machines in the Zimmermann range, the FZU is shipped in one piece so does not need to be assembled at the customer’s premises.
The working volume is available from a choice of X-axis travels of 2000, 4000 or 6000 mm, a 3000 mm Y axis, and either 1250 or 1500 mm movement in Z. Acceleration is 3 m/s2 to the maximum 60 m/min feed rate. Table loads of up to 10 tonnes can be accommodated.
The fourth and fifth CNC axes are provided by the newly developed VH10 spindle head, now the smallest in the manufacturer’s range. Of slender design, it provides minimal interference contours and high clamping force for stable milling.
A HSK-A63 spindle is standard, delivering 34 kW of power and 39 Nm of torque continuously, and offering a maximum speed of 24,000 rpm. The A axis swivels through 220°, while C-axis rotation is 300 or 360° for the smaller and larger Z-axis travels respectively. Resolution in both rotary axes is 0.0001°.
Control is provided by either a Heidenhain TNC 640 or Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl. Other options include spindle probing, tool measuring, and capacity for 40 or 60 tools in the magazine instead of the standard 20 tools.
For further information www.geokingsbury.com