THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Sheffield Forgemasters signs training deal

Sheffield Forgemasters has agreed a four-year engineering training contract with the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre. The package will support the professional and personal development of Sheffield Forgemasters’ apprentices and includes placement of a permanent engineering skills coach at the company’s site to deliver advanced machining methods for trainee engineers.

Adopting a bespoke model to train and upskill employees, the AMRC Training Centre will support the workforce as it makes the shift from traditional engineering to state-of-the-art machining facilities, currently under construction. Sheffield Forgemasters has worked with the AMRC Training Centre to identify the specific skills that its workforce will need to maximise efficiency from its 30,000 m² machining facility.

More information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Heller Becomes Part of DN Solutions

South Korea based DN Solutions has acquired fellow machine tool manufacturer, Germany-headquartered Heller. DN Solutions is part of the DN Automotive Group and is one of the fastest-growing companies in the international machine tool industry. With sales of around $2bn and more than 2000 employees, DN Solutions says it is now one of the top three manufacturers worldwide.

The merger with Heller strengthens DN Solutions’ presence in Europe and expands its portfolio in the field of complex machining centres and five-axis technologies. Since 1894, Heller has stood for precision, process expertise and turnkey solutions in machine tool manufacturing. The company employs around 2,100 people worldwide, has production sites on four continents.

More information www.heller.biz

Hurco to hold ‘Demo Deals Day’ in October

Inaugurated in 2023, a ‘Demo Deals Day’ will be hosted by Hurco Europe on 2 October 2025 at the company’s showroom and demonstration centre in High Wycombe. Every machine on show will be available to purchase at a discounted ex-demonstration price. Furthermore, a 20% discount will apply to some new ex-stock models, including the high-capacity, high-torque, three-axis VMX50Ti vertical machining centre.

New this year is that similar offers will apply to Hurco machines installed in the dedicated training facility and technical centre at Kirklees College, Huddersfield, with which the machine tool company collaborates. Furthermore, the scope of the offers extends to accessories fitted to the machines, such as Hurco software and tooling, Renishaw probing, rotary tables, and Filtermist units.

More information www.hurco.com

SW to launch BF 12-21D at EMO 2025

The right solution for every application, from small to large series production: at this year’s EMO 2025 exhibition in Hanover, Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen (SW) is presenting a new machine tool on stand C05 in hall 12. With the BF 12-21D, SW says it is responding to the current trend in automotive engineering toward die-cast aluminium body parts. The BF 12-21D is suitable for high production volumes, in particular for the fast machining of frame and structural components.

“In automotive engineering, we’re seeing a clear trend toward the use of aluminium die-cast parts in vehicle body construction,” explains product manager Michael Kreuzberger. “These parts require less manufacturing precision than, for example, gearbox or stator housings. With the BF 12-21D, we offer an economical and dynamic machine concept for precisely these applications.”

The BF machine series differs from other SW machines in its structural design: to fit specific market conditions it features a hybrid axis configuration, utilising a linear drive for the X axis, while the Y and Z axes are driven by ball screws. SW also relies on proven twin-spindle technology to meet high productivity requirements. With two three-axis units and one spindle per working area, the BF 12-21D can replace two conventional single-spindle machines and achieve higher output with a smaller footprint, reports the company. When components are changed in one working area, the second spindle in the other working area can be used to achieve even higher productivity.

SW will also exhibit an established machining centre at EMO. The BA 442 is one of SW’s fastest and most sustainable machines. With four spindles, it offers high effectiveness per square metre of space while also being energy-efficient.

More information www.sw-machines.com

Traditional homeware made on modern XYZ machines

Capacity in the Suffolk workshop of Jim Lawrence Traditional Ironwork is mainly taken up by producing parts for a range of lighting products. With recent growth, particularly during the pandemic when the company virtually ran out of stock, the focus of company owner Jim Lawrence is firmly on making investments to maintain high productivity and efficiency. This is among the reasons he recently approached XYZ Machine Tools to look at more effective ways of manufacturing the housing for the company’s popular ‘Harbour’ range of outdoor lights.

Production manager Chris Moore says: “We were machining these housings in six operations with the added complication that they are coming from a brass casting. The aesthetic appearance of these lights is critical to our customers, so ensuring that the two parts fit together correctly and the wiring inlets are central to the boss is of paramount importance.”

Having provided drawings and samples to XYZ, the applications team looked at how the cycle time could be reduced and that every single one of the housings machined looked pleasing on the eye. The team proposed an 800 HD vertical machining centre fitted with a Nikken 5AX-201 five-axis table and Renishaw OTS tool setting probe, along with an OMP 40 spindle probe arrangement.

“With the help of XYZ, we’ve reduced the machining of these parts to two operations,” reports Moore. “Having produced a fixture to hold the part on the bed for op 1, the parts are then located on a fixture which sits in the tilt/rotary table where [for op 2] we can machine not only the main face of the housing but also the features located around the outside in the same set up.”

More information www.xyzmachinetools.com