At the beginning of June, Porsche and Schuler started the operation of a fully-connected press shop in Halle (Saale), Germany. Apart from a servo press line with an output of up to 20 strokes per minute, the smart press shop features a state-of-the-art blanking line: a Schuler Laser Blanking Line 2.18 equipped with two cutting heads for processing strip material with a width of up to 1880 mm.

Blanking lines with lasers do not require expensive and heavy blanking dies, which is why they are particularly suitable for the production of new parts or small batch sizes with frequent product changes. The continuously moving coil material is processed into blanks at high cutting speeds. Thanks to tooling-free scrap separation, the result is high output rates. Furthermore, the system ensures gentle transportation of sensitive materials such as aluminium.

According to Schuler, the Laser Blanking Line 2.18 is the ideal solution for the smart press shop in Halle, which focuses on the production of aluminium outer skin parts in small batch sizes. By recording various measured values of the system, as well as the coil material (by smart marking of the blank), the line that supplies the blanks for the servo press line forms the point of departure for a track and trace system.

For further information
www.schulergroup.com

General Motors has revealed plans to invest $40m in its Pontiac Stamping Plant. The company will use the investment to renovate the existing facility and install new, highly flexible fabrication machinery and presses in support of future electric vehicle production and various product applications. Renovation work will begin immediately. GM anticipates the investment will create 20 new positions.

‘Flex Fab’ sheet metal fabricating technology will enable repeatable, custom and precise stamping, reducing costs for low-volume applications. According to GM, Flex Fab will require little or no additional tooling investment to fabricate new stampings for future products.

“This investment will bring the latest in flexible sheet metal fabrication technology to the Pontiac team,” says Phil Kienle, GM vice president of North America manufacturing and labour relations. “Our manufacturing capabilities create a competitive advantage for GM and I’m confident the team at Pontiac Stamping will continue delivering excellence in all areas of the business as they deploy this new equipment.”

Pontiac Stamping currently employs 191 hourly and 31 salaried employees. The hourly workforce is represented by UAW Local 653. The plant began production in 1926 as part of the Oakland Motor Car Company and became part of the Pontiac Motor Division in 1932.

For further information
www.gm.com

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has supplied precision subcontract specialist RPS Precision Engineering with a new multi-tasking, twin-turret, twin-spindle turning centre. The machine, a Puma TT1800SY, is now operational at the company’s new 674 sq m facility in Rawtenstall, Lancashire.

As part of the investment package, Mills also supplied the TT1800SY turning centre with a servo-driven Hydrafeed MSV 110 bar feed, as well as a number of different-sized collet chucks and adaptors. In just a few short weeks the investment is already paying off with the TT1800SY having a positive impact on the company’s productivity and performance.

Says Michael Sirrell, owner and managing director: “The TT1800SY is a productivity powerhouse. It might appear small from the outside, but its twin-spindle, twin-turret configuration is helping us machine high-precision components quickly and accurately – in one hit. Furthermore, by integrating the machine with a servo-driven bar feeder, we’ve created an automated manufacturing cell that is both efficient and reliable, which we can run unattended during the day. It’s a real win-win situation for us.”

He adds: “In the near future, when we fully embrace lights-out operations and run the machine unattended overnight and over the weekends, the productivity benefits will be even more impressive.”

A significant percentage of parts at RPS are small and have short cycle times. Materials include hardened and mild steel, aluminium, stainless steel, copper, bronze, brass and plastics, while geometric tolerances are often in the realm of 0.002 mm.

The Fanuc controlled 65 mm bar capacity TT1800SY is equipped with a left and right spindle (both 26 kW/5000 rpm) and features a Y axis (±50 mm), driven tools (5.5 kW/5000 rpm) and an upper and a lower turret (12/24 position).

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

A consortium led by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has secured £22.6m of funding for a five-year innovation initiative, the first for the Advanced Machinery & Productivity Institute (AMPI), which will be based in Rochdale. The provision of this funding has come through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund (SIPF).

AMPI will stimulate and support the rapid growth of the UK’s machinery manufacturing sector as it transitions to highly integrated digital solutions with sophisticated automated and autonomous robotic systems. The institute will enable invention, realise innovation, and increase the adoption of new machinery and robotics through UK equipment manufacturers. AMPI expects to grow the UK’s advanced machinery capability to a £2bn export capacity within 10 years, establishing over 30,000 high value manufacturing sector jobs in the process.

For further information
www.ampi.org.uk

ABB will acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group (ASTI), a global autonomous mobile robot (AMR) manufacturer with a broad portfolio across all major applications enabled by the company’s software suite. The move will expand ABB’s robotics and automation offer, ensuring it can offer a complete portfolio for the next generation of flexible automated solutions.

Founded in 1982, ASTI has its headquarters in Burgos, Spain and employs over 300 people in Spain, France and Germany. The company is majority owned by Veronica Pascual Boé, who is also CEO. Today, ASTI supports one of Europe’s largest installed fleets of AMRs and has a broad customer base in sectors such as automotive and pharmaceutical, across 20 countries. Since 2015 the company has enjoyed close to 30% growth annually and is targeting approximately $50m in revenue this year.

For further information www.astimobilerobotics.com