A partnership between SIGMA Clermont Engineering School and Fives Machining represents a model of collaboration between the worlds of education and industry that is crucial for training the engineers of tomorrow and ensuring the future of industry in France.

SIGMA Clermont Engineering School, born from the merger of the French Institute of Advanced Mechanics (established in 1991) and the National School of Chemistry of Clermont-Ferrand (founded in 1908), has rapidly established itself as a key player in training engineers in mechanical engineering and chemistry.

In the context of constant evolution, the school has developed a strategic partnership with Fives Machining, a specialist in the manufacture of large-scale machine tools. The partnership, initiated several years ago, is part of a shared commitment to maintaining high-quality industrial offerings in France, particularly in the aerospace, defence, rail, energy and general industry sectors, as well as in the manufacturing of complex, high-value-added parts.

Fives Machining regularly engages with students to enrich their education. Engineers from Fives share their technical know-how by teaching dedicated courses on the design and optimisation of industrial machines. Thanks to a machining centre installed in the school’s workshops, students gain a concrete, hands-on understanding of the challenges faced by industry, whether in complex machining processes, resource management or production optimisation.

“The Fives machining centre we integrated into our workshops is an indispensable tool for our students’ learning,” reports Professor Emmanuel Duc, researcher and professor at the school. “It allows them to machine complex parts each week, which is essential for their practical training and understanding of industrial processes in real-world conditions.”

More information www.fivesgroup.com

During machining, the cooling of tool’s indexable insert is an important factor for workpiece precision, chip breakage and tool life. The closer to the cutting edge, the better. One company that has mastered the art of cooling milling and turning tools is family business Aleit, based in Steffenberg. Machines from Chiron and Studer are the first choice for the production of the company’s tools and holders.

Aleit recently relocated an entire product family to a Chiron FZ 16 S machining centre with automation, which was actually acquired for a completely different task.

Roland Ranisch, managing director of FS Filter and regional representative for the Chiron Group, remembers: “Aleit decided on the FZ 16 S a good four years ago to produce a range of different variants of PSC tool shaft interfaces in five axes. As an automated solution, we provided the machine with a VarioCell system featuring a drawer system.”

He continues: “The programs were implemented; the results were correct; everything went as planned. Then came the unexpectedly high demand for Aleit’s ‘stabbing swords’ and there was an immediate need for more production capacity. The idea: distribute the PSC tools to the company’s mill-turn centres and convert the 16 S, including automation, for grooving blade production.”

The task was possible without much effort: the drawer inserts were given new templates for the blanks and finished grooving blades, a new device was added for the storage point between the robot and the machine to ensure dimensionally accurate orientation during loading, and the robot was trained.

“Since this change, the system has been running in two shifts,” says Ranisch. “Importantly, the process is reliable and highly productive.”

More information www.chiron-group.com

Machine tool manufacturer Unisign says that its compact right-angle machining head has received an upgrade. Thanks to the enhancement, maximum speed has doubled from 3000 to 6000 rpm, allowing machine shops to mill faster and more efficiently with their Unisign CNC machines. According to the company, these higher cutting speeds translate into significant time savings when producing components.

The upgraded compact angular head can be used on Unisign CNC machines – in both the company’s portal and multi task series – equipped with interchangeable heads. Specifically designed for flexible machining in narrow spaces, the compact right-angle head enables machine shops to tackle complex shapes and hard-to-reach areas with ease. As a result, users can ensure they get the most out of their milling operations.

The compact angular head is available in two different lengths: 300 and 430 mm (vertical distance from the main spindle nose to the spindle of the compact angular head). It has an offset distance (horizontal distance from the spindle nose to the centre of the head) of 125 mm. Notably, the angular head features an automatic tool changer with HSK-63A tooling system.

With this product enhancement, Unisign says its continues to deliver solutions that optimise production workflow at busy machine shops. The upgraded compact right-angle machining head is a case in point, helping users to save both time and effort.

More information www.unisign.com

At its in-house exhibition held in Pfronten, Germany, earlier this month, DMG Mori launched five new production platforms under its Machining Transformation (MX) strategy.

The DMU 60 eVo second-generation five-axis machining centre, with its proprietary table kinematics and proven machine concept, has been developed further to meet increasing demands for precision, dynamics and flexibility. The machine, which made its world premiere at the exhibition, integrates several manufacturing processes, including mill-turn machining, gear hobbing using the GearSkiving technology cycle, and grinding. Intelligent automation solutions optimise machine utilisation around the clock, if required.

Also launched at the show was the Ultrasonic 20 linear third-generation five-axis machine featuring ultrasonic-supported milling and optional grinding. It is especially well suited to processing materials such as composites. Experience gained from the installation of 600 predecessor models has allowed the manufacturer to raise positioning accuracy to 2 µm in the linear axes and 2 seconds of arc in the rotary swivelling axis.

The machining centre is the manufacturer’s most accurate simultaneous five-axis model. Superimposing tool rotation with ultrasonic amplitudes of up to 15 µm reduces process forces by 50% and enables higher feed rates, improved surface finish and longer tool life.

Based on the proven design of the three-axis DMV vertical milling machines, DMG Mori also demonstrated its new DMX 60 U and DMX 80 U production centres for five-sided machining of complex workpieces weighing up to 300 and 350 kg respectively. With travels of 600 x 600 x 510 mm for the DMX 60 U and 800 x 600 x 510 mm for the larger model, the new machining centres cover a variety of applications, particularly in the die and mould sector.More information www.dmgmori.com