INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Lighting up productivity gains at Smithstown

Opening its doors with just four toolmakers 50 years ago, Smithstown Light Engineering is now a business with three manufacturing sites and over 165 employees. Working with the world’s leading medical device and orthopaedic companies, Smithstown uses hyperMILL CADCAM software from Open Mind Technologies to streamline its throughput and maximise efficiency.

Working with clients such as Stryker, Boston Scientific, Zimmer Biomet and Cook Medical, the company provides a turnkey service from concept and design through prototyping, machining and validation of medical components and orthopaedic implants. With over 14 million components manufactured annually, the Irish manufacturer adopts stringent quality measures that are a necessity for precision medical device parts used in life-saving surgery.

CEO Gerard Henn alludes to why the County Clare company opted for hyperMILL: “There are so many different CADCAM options in the marketplace, but Open Mind made it much easier for us to work forward with hyperMILL, explaining the facets, features and how we could optimise our machining strategies and cutting paths.”

He adds: “Open Mind were very enthusiastic and got behind us. They understood what we were trying to achieve, and it’s been a positive relationship all the way through. We’d recommend Open Mind to any companies interested in upskilling their internal workforce – the partnership has been extremely positive.“

Smithstown Light Engineering supports orthopaedic and medical device companies in Ireland and around the world. It also provides instrumentation for surgical procedures, making it a very medical-focused enterprise

“With Open Mind’s support, we now have a great understanding of hyperMILL,” concludes Henn.

More information www.openmind-tech.com

Custom lasers

Two manufacturers of laser technology, Trotec Laser and eurolaser, are combining their strengths by entering a sales partnership. The aim of this co-operation is to offer customers even more targeted advice and to provide optimally tailored system solutions based on the long-standing market experience of both companies. Trotec Laser and eurolaser have decades of expertise in the field of CO₂ laser processing. While Trotec impresses with a broad portfolio of systems for engraving, marking and cutting in small and medium formats, eurolaser specialises in large-format, precise cutting of non-metallic materials.

More information www.eurolaser.com

ModuleWorks Invests in Toolpath Labs

ModuleWorks, a global specialist in tool-path generation, simulation and automation software, has invested in Toolpath Labs, a company leveraging AI to optimise the machining industry. The investment is part of a round of strategic investment in Toolpath Labs led by cutting tool manufacturer Kennametal – and joined by Leaders Fund. It builds on the technology partnership announced between ModuleWorks and Toolpath Labs in September 2024. The latest funding is intended to accelerate further the development and deployment of AI-driven user-centric solutions for the manufacturing sector.

More information www.moduleworks.com

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