Mills CNC Automation, a division created by Mills CNC to provide a clear focus for the company’s automation business, will showcase its latest collaborative robot technology at the Robotics & Automation Show (CBS Arena Coventry, 2-3 November). The three Doosan cobots on stand 710 (the A0509 entry-level model, six-axis M1013, and H2017 with 1700 mm reach radius and 20 kg payload) will be performing tasks that demonstrate their versatility, user-friendliness, inherent safety and broad application potential.

Says Peter McCullough, product manager (Doosan Robotics): “Doosan cobots are designed to perform a range of tasks, from machine tending, testing, inspection, polishing, deburring and assembly, through to packaging, palletising and repetitive ‘pick and place’ operations. The three cobots we’re taking to Robotics & Automation will demonstrate the productivity and operational efficiencies that can be achieved through investing in collaborative robot technology.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Ingenium Integration Ltd, the sister company of UK-based tube-bending machinery specialist Unison Ltd, has been appointed as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Nukon’s 2D fibre laser, 3D fibre laser and fibre laser tube-cutting machines.

“For quite some time we’ve been looking at extending our product range to include high-quality laser-cutting technologies, particularly as we believe they would be of significant interest to owners of tube-bending machines from Unison Ltd,” says Ingenium Integration sales manager, Steve Haddrell. “Short of building our own laser-cutting machines in-house, our challenge was to find an established product range that mirrored the uncompromising levels of accuracy, reliability, build quality and support that are synonymous with the Unison name. Having researched the marketplace extensively, we believe we’ve found such a product range from Nukon.”

For further information
www.ingeniumintegration.com

An increase in production orders for new breeds of high-volume and high-value automotive components prompted OMG s.r.l Officine Meccaniche to consider alternative approaches to part inspection. Investments in off-machine gauging and on-machine probing enabled the company to increase manufacturing throughput, avoid rejects and reduce scrap.

Established in 1949, OMG’s manufacturing capabilities span a complete range of automotive component requirements, including engine blocks, cylinder heads and suspension assemblies. Quality, of course, is an essential cornerstone of the company’s business. For many years Renishaw has played an important role as a technology partner to OMG, as Guido Mautino, the company’s COO explains: “Our partnership with Renishaw began in the mid-1990s when we started machining our first engine heads. We needed to take precision measurements directly on the machining centres, so we turned to Renishaw for advice.

“Today we have 23 machining centres fitted with a range of Renishaw machine tool probes,” he continues. “Over the years, this has put us in a position to engage with a variety of global product markets where high-precision measurement during production is a pre-requisite. All our CMMs are fitted with Renishaw PH10 motorised indexing heads.”

In the manufacture of a new engine block, OMG chose to use Renishaw’s OMP60 optical transmission probe for the first time. A compact 3D touch-trigger probe, the OMP60 is used for both initial workpiece set-up and post-machining inspection on a wide range of four- and five-axis machining centres. The probe incorporates a proven kinematic design and interference-free secure modulated transmission to access previously difficult-to-reach workpiece areas. In this case, the OMP60 is used to verify valve seats, transmission gears and other key engine features.

For further information
www.renishaw.com

German machining centre manufacturer Röders has introduced to its range an upgraded CNC system capable of programming and controlling a full range of metal-cutting operations more efficiently, from roughing and high-speed milling, to micron-accuracy jig grinding.

Available on its three- and five-axis machining centres, the Racecut control enables demanding precision requirements to be met, while at the same time delivering high cutting performance, including when machining hard materials. Availability of the machines in the UK and Ireland is through sole sales and service agent Hurco Europe.

Underpinning the high performance in terms of accuracy and speed are frictionless linear drives and 5 nm resolution glass scales. These combine with the benefits of the new CNC system, which has a high clock rate of 32 kHz. The smallest deviations in cutter paths can be detected and corrected, even during high-speed cutting, raising processing speed and optimising surface quality. Tests carried out by the manufacturer indicate that it is possible to reduce machining times by as much as 20% while maintaining the same surface finish.

Additionally, extensive compensation in the control for deviations in the angular position of the rotary table and swivelling trunnion of five-axis machines, plays a central role. Particular attention has also been paid to the control’s ability to compensate precisely for spindle growth, while a further notable feature is the patented, frictionless weight compensation system in the Z axis.

For thermal stability to ensure positioning accuracy of less than 1 µm, the machine has sophisticated temperature management. The temperature of the medium that flows through all key elements is controlled to an accuracy of ±0.1°C, which may be extended down to ±0.02°C for certain applications.

For further information
www.hurco.co.uk

New CAM technology introduced by Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division makes it possible to use complex six-axis milling machine tools for the production of large parts. The specialist programming tools provide accurate simulation and generate efficient six-axis tool paths to ensure that these advanced machines offer increased productivity.

Hexagon’s Edgecam software features new tools that focus on six-axis machines equipped with two rotary axes on the head and one rotary table, where this sixth axis enables milling tools to machine all sides of a large part, including areas that are otherwise impossible to reach without repositioning workpieces. The new dedicated six-axis tools provide greater tool-path control and more accurate simulation of processes, reducing the need for expert intervention on the shop floor, improving the utilisation of advanced machinery and avoiding the risk of costly damage.

Edgecam improvements additionally provide greater flexibility for five-axis milling by offering tools that allow CNC programmers to select the level of automation they prefer when creating tool paths. Using these tools, programmers can choose to automate tool-path generation, manually create all tool paths, or generate tool paths using a combination of automated and manual tools. The ability to customise programming preferences increases control over exactly how parts are machined, helping users reduce programming time on tasks that are simple to automate and making it easier to work more closely with complex tool paths when needed.

Productivity is also improved with rough grooving operation optimisation that eliminates unnecessary machine movement, resulting in a cycle time reduction of up to 60%.

For further information
www.edgecam.com