INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Heavy-duty machining insight

Okuma Europe, represented in the UK by NCMT, recently welcomed international visitors to its Technical Centre East in Parndorf, Austria, to explore the large-parts cutting and milling capabilities of its double-column machining centres.

Highlights of the dedicated workshop included live demonstrations on an Okuma MCR-A5CII, as well as a look ahead at the future of Okuma’s double-column giants. Around 120 guests from eight European countries attended the event and seized the opportunity to engage in one-on-one discussions with Okuma experts.
For further information www.okuma.eu

Turning machines head to Germany

Colchester Machine Tool Solutions is exhibiting a complete range of turning machines with its distributor, Haberstroh GmbH, on stand 9D12 at AMB Stuttgart from 18 to 22 September 2018.

Alongside regulars such as the Colchester Student centre lathe and Harrison Alpha manual/CNC lathe, will be the new range of Colchester Typhoon CNC turning centres.
Recently launched in April, at the MACH exhibition in the UK, the Colchester Typhoon, which follows on from the Tornado range, has already created interest with orders now being taken.
Colchester offers Typhoon models as a choice of either linear (L series), or heavy-duty boxway (B series) turning centres, all available with variations of two-axis, C-axis, sub-spindle and Y-axis functions in a range of bar capacities to suit turning applications from 45 to 165 mm spindle bore.
Typhoon turning centres are fitted with the latest Fanuc Oi-TF control system with Manual Guide I, and are all manufactured with a one-piece cast-iron base featuring a 30° slant-bed design, giving a low centre of gravity and a better ergonomic design. Additionally, Typhoon models come with a large number of options for customers to get the best out of any complex machine tool requirements.
Paul Rushworth, Colchester Machine Tools’ sales director says: “AMB is one of the highest profile European shows in the machine tool calendar and, after considerable success in the UK, Spain, Russia and Austria already this year, we are looking to continue that trend.”
For further information www.colchester.co.uk

Machining research

Composite drilling and robotic machining were some of the research topics presented by staff from the University of Sheffield’s AMRC at a recent conference on advanced high-performance cutting.

The event was held in Budapest, Hungary, and organised by the CIRP, an international organisation for academic and industrial manufacturing research. Some 150 papers were presented by scientists, researchers and industrial partners from across the globe. The papers will be featured in the journal Procedia CIRP, which will be published online later in 2018.
For further information www.amrc.co.uk

Korea visit

Some 14 German machine-tool vendors recently showcased their production technology in the metropolis of Busan, South Korea.

The trip, organised by the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), allowed machine-tool suppliers to meet with 170 potential customers from South Korea, principally from the automotive industry and its component supply chain. Among the machine-tool vendors delivering presentations were Alzmetall, Chiron, Emag, FFG Europe, Pfauter, Heller and Kapp Niles. The presentations focused mainly on specialised capabilities for the Korean industrial sector, such as networking solutions in the Industry 4.0 environment.
For further information www.vdw.de

Optical co-ordinate measuring system unveiled

Alicona has unveiled its latest optical 3D focus-variation measuring instrument, the µCMM.

The µCMM has been designed to be the most accurate, purely optical micro-coordinate measuring system in its class. Users combine advantages from tactile co-ordinate measuring technology and optical surface measurement to measure the dimensions, position, shape and roughness of components with just one sensor. The µCMM is said to offer high geometric accuracy of several optical 3D measurements in relation to each other, enabling the measurement of small surface details, including precise determination of position, in a short time.
Users measure both surface roughness and GD&T features with tolerances in the single-digit µm range. The spectrum of measurable surfaces includes all common industrial materials and composites, including matt and polished reflective components. Simple operation is implemented by single-button functionality, automated measuring sequences and ergonomic operating panels. Air-bearing axles with linear drives enable wear-free use and high-precision, fast measurement.
The Alicona µCMM is designed for easy, flexible and expandable use by multiple operators.
This ambition is implemented by a series of options that extend the application range of the optical CMM and maximise fields of use in production measurement technology.
The motorised ‘Real3D Rotation Unit’, for example, turns the three-axis system into a five-axis system and enables
users to measure components from several, arbitrary perspectives. This capability allows contactless measurement of surface features such as flank angle, chamfer angle, thread pitch or undercuts.
For further information www.alicona.com