The latest version of the hyperMILL CADCAM suite, 2019.1, is now available from Open Mind.

Enhancements include expansion of the finishing module in the hyperMILL ‘MAXX Machining’ performance package. Further highlights include process optimisations, as well as new functions for reducing calculation times.
‘5-axis Prismatic Fillet Finishing’ is a new function in the finishing module of hyperMILL MAXX Machining: thanks to the geometry and automatic setting of the barrel cutter, this feature can be used in accordance with the principle of a high-feed milling cutter.
Processing takes place in a plunging and pulling movement with an extremely high feed, thus optimising performance when using conical barrel cutters, also called circle segment or parabolic cutters. In addition, ball and radius cutters can be used efficiently with this strategy.
Thread-milling options have also been completely redesigned for hyperMILL 2019.1 to improve convenience and ease-of-use for the programmer. The module supports a variety of different thread-milling cutter types and allows easy selection of right-hand and left-hand threads, or the definition of the milling direction from bottom to top, or vice versa. Additionally, the thread-milling feature offers automatic approach and retract macros, a selection of roughing options and simplified programming.
Open Mind’s hyperMILL manages the order of the processing steps with job IDs. Changes to job numbers have so far resulted in recalculations, but these are now avoided to save time. The improvement in job management now means that a job ID can be changed without having to subsequently recalculate the machining job in question. Consecutive numbering of the compound and machining job is controlled via a start value and an increment value. The benefit of this new feature is transparent structuring and reduced calculation times.
For further information www.openmind-tech.com

The latest Heidenhain TNC 620 control is now available as a standard option across the range of heavy-duty vertical machining centres from XYZ Machine Tools.

Customers ordering the XYZ 660 HD, XYZ 800 HD and XYZ 1100 HD VMCs can now choose between the Siemens or Heidenhain control as standard.
“We’ve supplied a Heidenhain control option for many years, but due in part to complexity and cost, found it to be a slow seller,” says Nigel Atherton, managing director of XYZ Machine Tools. “The arrival of the TNC 620, with its touchscreen user interface and latest machine control technology, means the time is right to offer it as a standard fit on machines within our heavy-duty range.”
Heidenhain’s TNC 620 is a successor to the iTNC530 control, which is being phased after 18 years of sales. XYZ’s addition of this control as a standard fit will help to future proof its heavy-duty range of machines and deliver the performance that customers demand, particularly those in the aerospace, mould and die, toolmaking, and education sectors.
“Due to our independence as a machine tool supplier we are free to adapt our range quickly,” says Atherton. “As a result, we can offer the latest in control technology to meet the needs of customers.
“Customers often tend to be loyal to a particular CNC due to their expertise and familiarity with it,” he adds. “Therefore, extending our use of Heidenhain controls to the HD series of machines – we already offer Heidenhain on our flagship UMC-5X machine – is a logical step. With prices starting at just under £60,000 for the XYZ 660 HD featuring the Heidenhain TNC 620, we are confident that this will be attractive to both new and potential customers.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

A total of nine orders to the value of £2m were placed at Citizen Machinery UK’s first open house at its new Midlands turning centre of excellence in Brierley Hill.

The company reports that the order total is likely to double in the immediate aftermath of the event. Attendance over the three days exceeded 300, a record number. Visitors looking to upgrade their sliding- and fixed-head CNC turning capacity were welcomed from OEMs and subcontractors throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as from mainland Europe.
A quartet of new products were launched, all of which benefit from Citizen’s patented LFV chip-breaking software: the L32-X, L32-XII and D25-VIII Cincom sliding-head bar automatics on which the software is optional; and the Miyano BNA-42GTY, the first Citizen fixed-head lathe to have the addition of LFV in the operating system of the Mitsubishi control. A further 11 machines were on display cutting metal.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Kasto Maschinenbau, which has its UK subsidiary in Milton Keynes, is this year celebrating 175 years of trading.

With headquarters in Achern, Baden-Württemberg, the firm has evolved from a one-man business into a globally successful company that remains in the hands of the founding family. With the assistance of numerous subsidiaries around the globe, Kasto has sold more than 140,000 bandsaws, circular saws and hacksaws, as well as 2200 storage systems for long stock such as bar and tube, and for sheet metal.
Among the oldest family owned and run companies in Europe, Kasto is using this anniversary year as an opportunity to offer an in-depth look into its history. Marking the occasion, the company is launching a contest to find the oldest Kasto saw still in use. Machines built in or before 1980 may be entered, and customers are invited to e-mail details, including a photo of the saw and of the nameplate, to 175@kasto.com. Every entry will be rewarded and the winner
will be announced later in the year.
For further information www.kasto.com

SME manufacturers across England have been awarded an £11.8m business support boost.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme, which is funded by ERDF and delivered by Economic Growth Solutions, has been extended until September 2021 and will help a further 2400 companies to tackle growth barriers, with the potential of creating 2500 new jobs. Going forward, support can be used for an array of projects, such as continuous improvement, change, environment and sustainability, leadership and management, marketing, people and skills, productivity and capacity, quality and strategy.
For further information www.manufacturingrowthprogramme.co.uk