Horn Technology Days “complete success”

Cutting tool manufacturer Horn held its 9th biennial Technology Days open house at its Tübingen headquarters in Germany last month. Attended by around 3300 visitors from 33 countries, a total of 50 partner companies also took part in the event. Some 20 demonstration components were machined live on various machines using Horn tooling.

Visitors were able to expand their knowledge during six specialist presentations entitled ‘Mastering processes in theory and practice’, which were combined with the live machining demonstrations. Topics included machining aluminium with PCD tools, machining small bores, grooving, parting-off, form grooving and turn-milling. Those wanting more detail were able to take part in moderated demonstrations in three live production areas.

More information www.horn-group.com

New tech centre for CMZ in Haute-Savoie

Spanish Lathe manufacturer CMZ has consolidated its presence in France following the acquisition of industrial premises in Haute-Savoie. After opening its subsidiary CMZ France 20 years ago in Isère, this new space will be used to provide direct technical support, delivery of parts and advice on applications for CNC lathes. 

Part of CMZ’s international expansion strategy, the new technology centre will have a team of aftersales technicians to provide assistance in the area, as well as sales engineers who will offer direct advice for all customers. The facility will also house an applications engineering service and stock spare parts available on short lead times.

The facility’s permanent showroom for customers will display the full range of CMZ products and host technical workshops demonstrating the capacities of the lathes.

Benoit Branchu, a professional with a long career in the industrial sector will be heading the project. Throughout his career, Branchu has held a variety of posts which have given him in-depth knowledge on the use and operation of lathes, as well as a solid vision of the machining world. He did not hesitate to take up the lead in this new adventure in which Branchu is supported by a team of aftersales technicians for direct assistance.

Haute-Savoie is a strategic market for CMZ because the Arve Valley is recognised as the epicentre of precision turning in France and worldwide. The company has been operating in the area for just over a year and with this move is seeking to strengthen its presence with a strong, solid sales structure.

More information www.cmz.com

50 years of Okuma multi-tasking machines

In 1975, Okuma introduced its first multi-tasking machine, the LM70-AT. It was capable of turning, drilling and milling in a single unit, providing a complete machining process. Okuma has continued to develop this principle over the years in line with market requirements. Today, Okuma says its Multus range is synonymous with technological innovation and the highest standards.

The benefits of multi-tasking machines for manufacturers are huge: they reduce the number of work steps, minimise the risk of manual errors or material loss thanks to continuous processes, shorten set-up times, and require less floor space. Order acceptance has also become more flexible: even urgent jobs can be accommodated quickly, requiring only a program change to the user-friendly CNC software. The same applies to jobs from new industries or to meet new regulatory requirements: Okuma says its multi-tasking machines enable companies to respond quickly to new requirements. This improves competitiveness, especially for small and medium batch sizes.

The Multus range comprises Okuma’s most advanced multi-tasking solutions. While the Multus BII series includes various standard models for simple entry-level applications, Multus B machines are suitable for complex workpieces with diameters up to 1 m and lengths up to 6 m. The Multus U series offers a choice of three models with an optional lower turret for increased productivity.

Okuma can also upgrade its multi-tasking machines with Okuma Armroid or robot cells for automation. This increases productivity and efficiency while maintaining the customary user-friendliness and precision machining.

As a further point of note, Okuma’s modern machine tools are increasingly focused on low and sustainable energy use.

More information www.okuma.eu

Emag MSC 5 Duo for economic soft turning

In today’s world, manufacturing companies are facing major challenges: increasing cost pressures, a shortage of skilled workers and rising energy costs. This requires machine tools that generate more output with less manpower and are energy-efficient at the same time. The MSC 5 Duo from Emag has been developed in response to these requirements and will be officially presented for the first time at the EMO 2025 exhibition in Hannover this September.

The MSC 5 Duo is a two-spindle front-loaded CNC turning centre for automated batch production. Characterised by an optimal ratio of functionality and capital investments, the machine focuses on high-productivity soft turning and combines proven Emag technologies with cost-optimised basic equipment.

Emag says the economic benefits for users are obvious: the MSC 5 Duo costs significantly less per spindle than comparable models from higher product lines but offers the same productivity for standard soft turning applications.

The split-bed concept forms the foundation for precision machining results. This design decouples the two work areas from one another, preventing the transmission of vibrations during simultaneous machining. As a result, users benefit from constant dimensional accuracy on both spindles, even during demanding machining processes.

The main spindles of the MSC 5 Duo have been designed for a wide range of applications. With a maximum motor speeds of 4500 rpm and a standard spindle power of 5.5 kW in continuous operation or 7.5 kW for up to 30 minutes, there is sufficient reserve power available for demanding machining tasks. A more powerful version with 7.5 kW in continuous operation and 11 kW for 30 minutes is available as an option.

More information www.emag.com

Efficient turning and milling of technical plastics

Ament plastics GmbH from Wernberg- Köblitz has been producing complex precision components from technical plastics since 2005. Long-standing customers from the automotive, medical and aerospace industries rely on the know-how of the 25-strong team, particularly its expertise in the machining of thermoset plastics. Components made from this material account for a good 70% of day-to-day business. Ament plastics has now purchased a CLX 450 TC from DMG Mori as part of its capacity expansion and process optimisation. Thanks to six-sided complete machining, the company is drastically reducing throughput times, achieving higher quality and increasing its flexibility.

“The CLX 450 TC is a milestone in our production: we now produce on one machine, instead of two machines with several manual re-clampings,” says company founder and CEO Klaus Ament.

Ament plastics relies on modern CNC technologies to machine often complex component geometries. Five-axis simultaneous milling and six-sided turning and milling are now standard. Erik Fleischmann, production manager, believes that complete machining on turn-mill centres is the right way forward: “The original production process involved at least two machines and repeat manual re-clamping. This takes much longer, ties up machine capacity and the accuracy is more variable.”

The investment in a CLX 450 TC was therefore a major milestone. Together with a colleague, Fleischmann was responsible for the acquisition of the turn-mill centre. Good experience with older turn-mill machines from Gildemeister led him to DMG Mori. The choice was between the CTX beta 800 TC and the CLX 450 TC.

“As space is limited, we opted for the smaller model,” he recalls. “Integrating several machining processes into one work area is a good way to expand capacity.”

More information www.dmgmori.com