THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Awards recognise future engineers

Three schools from Wales and Warwickshire were the main winners at the first ever ‘Design and Make Challenge’ organised by the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN).

Alcester Grammar, Southam College and Ysgol Bro Dinefwr beat off competition from other rivals to take the Manufacturing, Innovation and Efficiency titles respectively, impressing judges with their teamwork, creativity and ability to meet the project brief.
In total, 28 students swapped their daily lessons for the chance to test out their engineering and design skills by using basic materials and tools to make a device capable of lifting a 13 kg block of stainless steel using friction grip alone. The event, which was hosted by WMG, is the first in a number of activities being created by MAN in order to help it bridge the skills gap and start developing a pipeline of future engineers.
For further information www.man-group.co.uk

No stone unturned in pursuit of excellence

As part of its quest for continued growth, excellence and product diversification, CMS Cepcor of Coalville has recently invested in the latest Creaform HandyScan3D from Measurement Solutions.

CMS Cepcor says it is Europe’s largest aftermarket manufacturer and supplier of stone crusher, screen and asphalt plant spare parts. The company provides its products and services globally to the mining, quarrying, demolition and recycling industries, exporting to over 100 countries.
To maintain its market status, operations director Chris Sydenham is constantly looking at new technologies and capabilities to drive efficiencies, customer satisfaction and product diversification.
This has been exemplified in recent years with around £7m invested in CNC, milling, turning, boring, slotting, grinding, drilling, welding, co-ordinate measuring and materials testing.
CMS Cepcor has made significant investments in three portable measuring and scanning arms during the last decade. However, the portability, and scanning capability in particular, resulted in the need to assess complementary technologies capable of increasing measurement efficiency
and usability.
“The Measurement Solutions team were able to visit our facility and demonstrate a device which is truly portable,” says Sydenham. “Although we design and manufacture in the UK, having the ability to take the HandyScan3D overseas is a major advantage, as the whole system is transported in a carrying case no larger than aircraft hand luggage. This gives us a whole new capability of scanning on-site, with the ability to send data back to the UK and begin the reverse engineering or inspection processes before our engineer has even boarded the plane home.”
Due to the scale of the components, the large field of view and scanning speeds generated by the HandyScan3D’s 14 laser lines far surpassed any other system considered, says the company.
For further information www.measurement-solutions.co.uk

Drill specialist invests in CNC lathe

Chester Machine Tools, the exclusive UK supplier of Style machines (made in Holland), says it has supplied a Style 510 CNC lathe to Sheffield-based Armeg Ltd, a manufacturer of drills and power tools.

The lathe was selected for its intuitive, simple operation, which will boost prototype machining at Armeg. Style 510 lathes feature functions that are said to be suitable for R&D departments, including easy, smart and simple programming, and extensive CNC capability.
“This is the second Style machine to be placed in a highly competitive UK industrial market,” states Anthony Edwards, UK sales director at Chester Machine Tools. “Chester are experiencing increasing sales of its own range of CNC and conventional machine tools, as well as Style CNC lathes in the UK. We continue to forge ahead with supporting and supplying our brands and machines to British manufacturing, while responding to the continuing technological demands and expectations of our customers for innovative and highly productive machine tools. The team at Chester feels extremely proud to have won the tender for such a prestigious company as Armeg.”
For further information www.chestermachinetools.com

Nikken and Boeing in technical partnership

At its innovation Centre on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield, Nikken Kosakusho Europe recently hosted a visit from Boeing senior executives and engineers to sign a long-term technical partnership between the two companies.

Boeing senior executives Dave Hyem, Don Hendrickson and James Needham are pictured with Nikken Kosakusho Europe director Gary Williamson and European CEO Tony Bowkett, following the signing of an integrator agreement to provide precision tool holders, cutting tools and tool pre-setting solutions to the aerospace giant’s new Sheffield manufacturing facility, the first in Europe, based within the High-Value Manufacturing (HVM) cluster in Sheffield.
As Integrator and technical partner, Nikken will work closely with Boeing’s engineering team to help optimise manufacturing processes and achieve production goals and Industry 4.0 ambitions.
Boeing Sheffield will employ approximately 30 people, including 18 apprentices, when it opens later this year as part of Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ (BCA) fabrication operations, and will work closely with Boeing Portland, a company Centre of Excellence for complex machining, gear systems and flight controls. The manufacture of high-tech components for Boeing’s Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX and 777 aircraft is due to commence at the new facility in September 2018.
“This is a very proud moment for the Nikken European team, resident here on the AMRC park,” says Bowkett. “We have worked tirelessly to put together a total support solution that will allow the Boeing engineers to produce upwards of 10,000 parts per month, supporting its Portland facility in the USA. It’s a great opportunity for our engineering and logistics teams to integrate world-class machine tools and equipment, and to use their knowledge and experience to optimise their performance, resulting in productivity and efficiency gains.”
For further information www.nikken-world.com

Efficient pneumatic workpiece ejector

Clamping specialist Hainbuch is now offering users of its Mini series, or the earlier Toplus or Spanntop chucks, a device that is designed to save time and cost.

The Vario part and Vario quick end-stop systems, already in the product portfolio, are joined by a third variant: the Vario flex pneumatic workpiece ejector that ejects the component from the chuck automatically.
Hainbuch’s pneumatic workpiece ejector allows users to adjust the depth flexibly by means of a novel retaining mechanism, ensuring it can be positioned in the machine exactly as required for the workpiece. The Vario flex can also be used as a basic end stop for coolant wash or air flush. To achieve this function, the pneumatic spring is removed and a feed tube attached. The optional workpiece-specific end stop with holes for the wash and air flush can then be mounted directly to the interface.
Set-up time can be saved using the standardised end stops. Whether to use Vario quick or Vario part is just a matter of preference. For precise, rigid clamping, Hainbuch recommends using the Vario part system, which works on the same principle as a gauge block, and its height can be adjusted in 1 mm steps with gauge discs. With an axial run-out of <0.02 mm at the part of the end stop that touches the workpiece, Vario part is suitable for machining finished parts. The Vario quick variant is intended for fast, flexible clamping as it has a precise trapezoidal thread screw to allow the clamping length to be adjusted quickly. A half-turn is equivalent to an axial adjustment of 1 mm. For further information www.hainbuch.com