INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Horn secures Industry 4.0 award

Cutting tool manufacturer Paul Horn GmbH has received a second Allianz Industrie 4.0 Award Baden-Württemberg, underlining the company’s continuous pursuit of innovation and its pioneering role in digitalisation. Horn’s innovation has been to map the lifecycle of tools digitally, principally to enable the recording of quality-critical data using a web-based solution customised for specific groups of tooling products. The Horn Service Platform (HSP) prevents errors and reduces lead times by digitally automating and accelerating administrative tasks.

More information www.horn-group.com

Machine tool damping breakthrough

The Fraunhofer Institutes for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU and Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials Research IFAM have made a breakthrough in materials research. HoverLIGHT composite material is said to set new standards for the construction of machine tools: by combining aluminium foam and particle-filled hollow spheres, HoverLIGHT achieves a combination of lightness, stiffness, and vibration damping. Tests show that HoverLIGHT can dampen vibrations by a factor of three. All this comes with a weight saving of 20% compared with the original assembly.

More information www.iwu.fraunhofer.de

Tool Management Engineered In Record Time

Mapal’s offer for the series production of the motor block required for a new Deutz 3.9-litre
diesel engine included almost 100 different tools, as well as tool holders and adapters.
Effective tool management was therefore a priority. However, in the capable hands of
Mapal, the Zafra, Spain facility of Deutz knew it could rely on the delivery of an optimised
solution.
Deutz’s new 3.9-litre diesel engine sees most use in agricultural and construction machines.
Series production is due to start in the coming year after the current prototype phase. Some
50,000 units per annum will require manufacturing.
“Our clients’ development periods for new parts are becoming shorter and shorter,” states
Thomas Spang, global head of tool management at Mapal.
For the engine block of the new 3.9-litre diesel engine, Mapal only had two weeks after the
design freeze to complete a final offer. When Deutz sent its request, the Tool Management
department in collaboration with the Technology Expert Team (TET) at Mapal in Aalen first
gave some initial thought to the production process.
“To be quick, we don’t concern ourselves with detail at this early stage, but instead pull
together reference tools and concepts from previously completed projects”, explains Harald
Traub, project engineer from TET, who is responsible for planning the entire process. “In this
way, we’re able to specify an approximate budget and the rough scope of the tool package
for the client.”
After initial planning, concrete tool design followed in the second week. Mapal’s offer for
the series production of the motor block included almost 100 different tools. Many of them
are custom tools that achieve short machining time and thus high economic efficiency.
To produce prototypes quickly, a few close-to-standard tools were also specified.
More information www.mapal.com

Lantek opens in Japan

Sheet metal software company Lantek is opening a new subsidiary in Japan as part of its strategic growth plan. The move, which enhances Lantek’s ability to deliver solutions tailored to the Japanese market and machine tool builders, has been made possible through the integration of local company FA Service. The Japanese team comprises over 25 experts with extensive experience in the CADCAM industry and a deep understanding of the Japanese sheet metal market. With this latest expansion, Lantek now operates in 16 countries worldwide.

More information www.lantek.com

Software opens saw blade opportunities

The Loroch range of circular saw-blade grinding machines from Vollmer has seen a software update to the Twin 860 machine, a ‘2-in-1’ solution for grinding metal saw blades with CBN abrasive and TCT blades for the metal-cutting and wood industries. The new software can be integrated into new and existing machines to create new business opportunities for manufacturers.

Users of the Loroch Twin 860 can purchase four different software packages. The software program for ‘skip-tooth’ processing on circular knives and saw blades opens many new business opportunities for Vollmer customers. Perfect for generating a randomly arranged sequence of teeth and gaps, it is even possible to process saw blades with pointed and curved teeth. Skip-tooth blades are versatile enough for everything from wood and plastic to bone and Corian,  meaning manufacturers can now grind and re-grind skip-teeth saw blades for use in the food, medical and FMCG industries.

The plunge grinding program is another software introduction that can benefit the food industry supply chain. Developed for processing circular knives with any number of plunges, the shape of the grinding wheel is reproduced in every case. The number of teeth can either be distributed evenly around the circumference or ground one after the other on a limited segment. Users can even create micro-tooth wave profiles by entering different plunge depths for successive teeth. Manufacturers can now apply V-pointed grinding wheels or wheels with EDM-generated profiles to reduce production times.

Loroch experts have also created a software program for circular knives to accommodate single or double-sided grinding. The software combines with the kinematics of the Loroch Twin 860 machine to permit a maximum bevel angle of 75° at the front and 60° from the back.

More information www.vollmer-group.com