THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Training the future at Babcock

Bringing on the next generation of engineers to work across its many customer programmes is a key focus for engineering company Babcock International.

This is highlighted at its Bristol facilities, where it develops specialist systems and complex equipment from concept through design, manufacture and assembly, to installation. Here, investment has taken place in the company’s production training facility, with seven machines being installed by XYZ Machine Tools, including a number of ProtoTrak controlled turret mills and ProtoTrak controlled lathes.
Bringing in these machines has enabled Babcock to adapt its training as the technology adds greater flexibility and capability. “We are now able to deliver the Performing Engineering Operations (PEO) NVQ 2 in the first year of training; after that apprentices and higher apprentices can focus on specific departmental roles in machining, fitting, assembly or project management,” explains Babcock’s apprentice training manager Tim Jacobs.
The XYZ ProtoTrak control delivers on requirements with its ease-of-use, making the transition from manual to CNC straightforward. The ProtoTrak mills are set up with just a two-axis option, with no powered Z axis. This means that apprentices and graduates gain good experience in ‘feel’ when it comes to machining through the combination of manual and CNC operation.
Jacobs highlights the simplicity of the conversational programming systems: “The XYZ ProtoTrak control is very straightforward to use and we always have the assurance that we can call on XYZ with any questions that we may have; be it on programming, or simply just getting the best out of the machines.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Mazak’s Inabe plant goes into operation

Yamazaki Mazak has announced the completion of the first construction phase and start of assembly operations at its new Inabe plant in Mie prefecture, Japan.

The new plant has been opened to meet the increasing demand for large five-axis machine tools, specifically in the aerospace, construction and energy industries. Inabe is the sixth Mazak production facility in Japan.
Construction of the Inabe facility began in 2016, with the first phase completed in February 2018. The production of large machine tools has already been transferred to Inabe from the Minokamo plant in Gifu prefecture. In addition, by starting operations at Inabe, overall production capacity in Japan has been increased by 20%. The plant represents an investment of ¥16bn (first construction phase) and presently spans a floor space of 33,000 sq m.
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

Tornos secures orders at MACH 2018

MACH 2018, held at the Birmingham NEC last month, got off to a flier for Tornos with two verbal orders for the Swiss GT26 from day one being signed and confirmed on day two.

This was rapidly followed by an order for a CT20 with a number of additional enquiries turning into firm orders in the two weeks after the show.
With the SwissNano micro-turning solution and the robust GT32 on the stand, the diversity of turning solutions certainly appealed to show visitors. This was indicative of the orders received, with the heavy duty GT26 being chosen by a medical specialist for its ergonomic and modular configuration on a robust platform. The GT range also allows B-axis machining and the option of simultaneous five-axis machining. According to Tornos, the smaller, second-generation CT20 turning centre was selected for its ability to work with or without a guide bush, while offering more tools in counter spindle operations and the ability to run with a choice of mineral or soluble oil. Selected by a medical and scientific subcontractor, the CT20 has undoubtedly been a machine of interest since its launch.
The SwissNano machine that appeared on the stand is said to be unlike any other machine in the marketplace, and its ability to offer precision machining of turned parts below 4 mm impressed a number of MACH visitors.
Commenting upon the show, UK account manager David Dunn, says: “Winning orders and picking up leads at the show really demonstrates why the show is a ‘must-attend’ event for the industry. The lead generation from MACH is extremely diverse, with interest from a complete spectrum of industry sectors, geographical locations and application requirements.”
For further information www.tornos.com

Heptron going global with renewable energy systems

Heptron Manufacturing, a specialist in innovative flywheel-based energy storage systems, is looking to license its patented technology around the world, a move that had led to new investment in machine tools.

“We initially put machining out to subcontract, but as things developed, we were constantly facing delays in production, so the decision was taken to invest in our own machining capacity,” says managing director Gary Murphy. “An ex-colleague of ours is a service engineer with XYZ Machine Tools, so we talked to him and then got the area sales manager in for a chat. He sat us down, looked at what we needed and suggested a solution, the result being the arrival of an SLX 1630 ProTurn lathe and an XYZ 1000LR vertical machining centre.”
XYZ says that the SLX 1630 ProTurn lathe is proving a popular choice for those companies making the transition from manual to CNC turning. The machine makes use of the latest ProtoTrak SLX control system that ensures even one-off and small batches are produced with high efficiency.
The simplicity of the conversational programming means that even those with limited or no CNC experience can be producing complex components in a matter of hours of the machine being installed, says the company. Regarding the specification of the SLX 1630, a 400 mm swing over bed, 760 mm between centre distance and 54 mm spindle bore is combined with a 5.75 kW spindle offering a speed range of 150-2500 rpm, to create a versatile package for prototype and small batch production.
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

CT for process control in AM

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) company Sintavia has installed a Nikon Metrology computed tomography (CT) system at its facility in Florida, US to help control the AM process.

Using powder-bed AM with electron and laser-beam melting, Sintavia currently manufactures components from Inconel 718 and 625, aluminium, titanium, cobalt-chrome, stainless steel and other proprietary powders.
AM allows special internal designs to be realised, such as conformal cooling channels, lattice networks, hollow members and other complex geometries. Both additive and traditional manufacturing can result in microscopic voids and gaps within the structure, which can cause stress fractures and reduce the longevity of a component’s lifecycle. All of these internal features can only be inspected non-destructively with CT scanning.
Sintavia has installed a 450 kVA micro-focus CT (micro-CT) system from Nikon Metrology. By converting 2D pixels to 3D voxels, supplying a full 3D density map of the samples, the technique presents information in a visual, easy-to-interpret format and shows any departure from the CAD model. It is said to be straightforward to detect and measure powder residues blocking channels, porosity, contamination, cracking, warping, and dimensions such as wall thickness to an accuracy within tens of microns. Given a 100 mm sample and a detector 2000 pixels across, the limiting resolution would be 50 µm, for example.
Micro CT is now much faster and more suitable for production-line use, while CT scanning of similar parts can be automated using loading and unloading equipment. Scan times down to a few tens of seconds per part are possible.
For further information www.nikonmetrology.com