SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Robot safety enables mobile machine tending

Be ambitious, dream big,’ proclaims a giant, brightly-coloured graphic that towers encouragingly above the bustling machine shop crammed with CNC machines at ALM Engineering near Newton Aycliffe in County Durham.

It was this spirit of enterprise and vision that turned necessity into a pioneering robotics innovation. ALM has uprooted machine tending robots, set them on wheels and turned them into freely accessible and adaptable mobile units that it can quickly and easily reposition wherever necessary.

The idea originated from the need for a device that would meet the growing needs of the family-run business. ALM’s development of collaborative robot (cobot) applications, based on technology from Universal Robots, was so successful that the company decided to perfect and market it to external customers, calling it the CoboTend. Now, a partnership with SICK UK enabled effortless safety without sacrificing productivity for the CoboTend, representing a vital step in the product’s continued development.

Two SICK nanoScan3 Pro safety laser scanners sit at opposite corners of the CoboTend’s trolley cabinet. Together, the laser scanners provide 360° coverage around the robot, slowing it to a safe speed when a person enters the outer of two fields and only stopping upon breaching the inner field. This concept means that the cobot can continue to operate safety and dynamically based on the proximity of the person rather than simply stopping if anyone gets too close, ensuring maximum uptime and productivity.

The SICK nanoScan3 Pro safety laser scanner is easy to integrate thanks to the SBot Speed URCap, a safety system that combines safety technology from SICK and Universal Robots.

SBot Speed URCap is simple and fast to set up using smart field definition and field teach-in. 

More information www.sick.co.uk

Advanex upgrades part cleaning capabilities

Advanex Europe’s latest leap forward in component cleanliness arrived following its purchase of a MecWash MWX400. Advanex has bought three parts washing systems since initially speaking to MecWash at the MACH 2012 exhibition. The upgrades were required to meet capacity increases and the strict cleaning requirements of customers.

“Every machine from MecWash has provided us with a leap forward in efficiency,” states Rob Newham, operations manager at Advanex. “Our MWX400 has made a substantial difference in the volume and speed of parts washing. The previous MecWash machines exceeded our expectations and the MWX400 has done the same.”

The precision engineering firm bought its first MecWash cleaning system, an AVD 300, to replace an ultrasonic tank system. In 2018, Advanex invested in a Duo from MecWash to ensure that increasing levels of demand, and the high standards of cleaning and drying complex machined coiled or pressed medical parts, continued. Since then, the business has grown substantially, thus the need for a continual improvement in cleaning productivity over the past decade.

“The MWX400 is the most advanced of the MecWash machines and, as a long-time customer, it was the best choice to satisfy our high-volume production requirements,” says Newham. “The machine meets and surpasses our needs and more by giving a controlled, validated outcome on each cycle.”

John Pattison, managing director of MecWash, adds: “The sale of the MWX400 and the continued relationship with a loyal customer such as Advanex is further proof of the effectiveness of a MecWash system. Investing in a MecWash machine generates significant benefits for manufacturers, with measurable improvements in cleanliness and productivity.”

More information www.mecwash.com

Milling and grinding to micron accuracy

Gerhard Rauch GmbH in Trasdorf, Austria, machines complex mechanical components and assemblies to tight tolerances. For high-precision prismatic machining, the company has standardised on the use of milling centres from German firm Roeders, which are available in the UK and Ireland exclusively from Hurco Europe.

CEO Anton Buresch says: “We produce punching tools to extremely high accuracy. For example, the mass production of aluminium foil yoghurt pot lids requires tools with clearances of 2 µm in some cases. This requires a tolerance of less than ± 1 µm for both the punch and the die.”

In the past, the company required multiple operations to manufacture such tools. Following pre-milling, hardening would result in a certain amount of distortion. Separate milling and grinding would take the tools to their final dimensions. This multi-stage process was necessary because the previous machining centres struggled to process hardened steel.

The solution was to invest in prismatic machining centres from Roeders, which are both rigid and precise enough to machine even extremely hard materials to the required accuracy, including tungsten carbide. Gerhard Rauch GmbH can now clamp and machine to final dimensions by milling and jig grinding on the same platform. This capability results in enormous savings in terms of personnel, throughput time and cost.


Today there are five five-axis Roeders machines on the shop floor in Trasdorf: three RXP 501 DS and two RXP 601 DSH models. All are automated with an RCE 1 pallet storage system which, depending on the pallet type, can hold between eight and 45 workpieces.More information www.hurco.co.uk

Tool manufacturing around the clock

Based in Lower Bavaria, Huber GmbH CNC-Präzisions-Werkzeugschleiferei is a user of sharpening machines from Vollmer, with a VGrind 360S grinding machine the most recent arrival. Huber is using the Vollmer machine and its 24/7 automation capability to boost the production of semi-standard milling tools for the machining industry.

Manufacturing standard and special tools, resharpening circular/bandsaw blades and supporting customers with reliable services – this is how Huber generates a profit of around €2.7m a year.

“Our latest VGrind 360S grinding machine with chain loader enables production around the clock, seven days a week, allowing us to fulfil our high order volume quickly and with high precision,” says Christoph Ziegler, production manager at Huber GmbH. “As such, the Vollmer machine is a perfect match for our guiding principle and self-imposed goal to deliver the best possible quality and precision ‘despite’ the high speed of our processes.”

Alongside automation, the decisive factor for Huber was that the VGrind 360S is suitable for ensuring consistently high-quality machining thanks to the wear-free linear induction motors in the X, Y and Z axes, as well as reducing maintenance costs. With two grinding spindles situated one above the other and the grinding wheel set positioned at the C-axis pivot point, the VGrind 360 tool grinding machine enables efficient multi-level machining. The company can reduce machining times thanks to the shorter travel distances of the linear axes, which is also beneficial in terms of the speed promised by Huber.

As a final point, a plate heat exchanger cools both the machine’s spindles and motors to increase thermal stability and improve both the precision and performance of the grinding process.

More information www.vollmer-group.com

Unipart acquires Formaplex Technologies

Unipart, a supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies partner, has acquired Formaplex Technologies, a lightweight components manufacturer serving customers in the automotive, aerospace, motorsport and healthcare sectors.

Formaplex Technologies was established two decades ago, initially as a specialist tooling partner in the Formula 1 sector. Major customers include McLaren, which is fully supportive of the acquisition and remains committed to working with the business. Unipart will integrate the operations into its existing manufacturing portfolio, ensuring continuity and maintaining the high operational and safety standards that both companies deliver. Formaplex has already been rebranded as Unipart Polymer and Composite Solutions.

More information www.unipart.com