CMZ increases lathe production capacity

CNC lathe manufacturer CMZ has taken a step forward in its growth strategy: setting up its new ‘Precitor’ plant. With the target of manufacturing 850 machines a year, the company has invested around €8m in extending its current machining plant in Elorrio, Spain.The new Precitor plant will be working at 100% capacity by the second half of 2023. Notably, the extension of the plant will help the group to increase the manufacture of cylindrical parts by 55% compared with the existing plant. At the same time, closure of the current plant at Elorrio is planned for mid-2023.
For further information www.cmz.co.uk

Mazak hosts Primary STEM Challenge Final

Yamazaki Mazak hosted over 80 primary school students from across Worcestershire as they showcased their skills and ideas in the 2023 Primary STEM Challenge Final. While the judges deliberated, all the students who took part in the final had a guided tour of Mazak’s European Technology Centre, which also included the opportunity to help program some of Mazak’s latest machine tools. Teams from Nunnery Wood Primary School and Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School were eventually crowned winners.

Max Jones, people development manager at Yamazaki Mazak UK, says: “Fostering the next generation of engineering talent is central to the Mazak philosophy. While we have multiple entry points for school and university leavers, as well as experienced engineers and career-changers alike, activities such as the Primary STEM Challenge are a brilliant way of enlightening young minds to the rewarding opportunities a career in engineering can deliver.”
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

ITC unveils Big Kaiser Hydraulic Chuck Jet Through

Run-out can be relatively low on some hydraulic chuck systems, and diminish further after intensive use. However, it is now possible to take advantage of a significant improvement in this situation with the Hydraulic Chuck Jet Through, which in now part of the Big Kaiser HDC series of hydraulic chucks available in the UK from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC).

Hydraulic chucks compress an internal membrane in the holder body to apply uniform pressure around the cutting tool that optimises concentricity and minimises run-out. Clamping with the Big Kaiser Hydraulic Chuck Jet Through chuck series is easy, fast and safe, making it simple to change tools in the machine. With no heat-shrink clamping machines required, users can extend the life of the tool holder indefinitely, saving money and reducing the environmental impact of holder replacement when compared with shrink-fit counterparts. The through-coolant chuck provides precise clamping in the 4 to 12mm diameter range with the accurate Big Capto interface.

Giampaolo Roccatello, chief sales andmarketing officer for Europe at Big Kaiser, says: “Our jet-through hydraulic chucks are ideal for applications that would benefit from improved coolant delivery. By directing coolant to the cutting edge, you can improve surface finish and extend tool life.”

The chuck is suitable for all small to large machine shops that undertake precision milling where the lowest possible run-out is required. It combines a sleek contour and through-coolant capability to deliver significant improvements for the end user. Big Kaiser’s Hydraulic Chuck Jet Through is available for Big Capto C5 and C6 machine spindles, as well as the BBT 30/40/50, BDV40 and HSK 63 spindle interfaces.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

The Hainbuch approach to zero-defect manufacturing

Work-holding specialist Hainbuch takes a comprehensive approach to zero-defect manufacturing. Stefan Nitsche, director main products, describes the basic requirements for clamping devices: they must be impervious to dirt and require almost no maintenance. Furthermore, they must offer very high rigidity and holding forces, with high concentricity accuracy offering deviations of no more than 5 µm, and minimal centrifugal losses.

Nitsche also recommends that users always use the right clamping device for the workpiece, even if this increases the set-up effort. For example, ID clamping is the best solution for five-sided machining. However, if the workpiece does not have the necessary clamping bore for this strategy, Nitsche believes that OD clamping with chucks is the ideal solution.

Says Nitsche: “We make use of our Centrotex quick change-over interface and Docklock zero-point clamping system to keep manual set-up times to a minimum – under one minute with our system instead of 30 minutes or so using conventional means – and change-over accuracy down to no more than 3 µm.”

Hainbuch’s measuring intelligence, which enables in-line process control, has been in successful use for over 15 years now; the company describes it as its third ‘zero-defect’ component. It checks the pre-machining clamping diameter down to the nearest micron, and detects the workpiece system.

“In addition, the actual clamping force on the workpiece is measured continuously,” says Nitsche.“As components gain in complexity, this represents a crucial process stability factor. We’ll be showcasing all three technologies and products live at the EMO 2023 exhibition in Hanover in September. Using Centrotex or Docklock, it’s child’s play to change over our clamping devices in seconds with microscopic precision, or use our IQ clamping devices for high-precision clamping while simultaneously performing various measuring operations.”
For further information www.hainbuch.com

Great success on all fronts

MACH Machine Tools’ attendance at last month’s Manufacturing Solutions – Ireland show yielded great results on all fronts. Exhibiting at the event for the first time, the company exhibited a best-selling MACH VS-1SP turret-type milling machine and a MACH MDS 900-4T CNC/manual knee mill, equipped with a four-station ATC and WinDelta DynaPath control.

By the end of the show, MACH Machine Tools had taken a significant number of serious enquiries, especially from Irish educational institutions and organisations, and confirmed the sale of a MACH MDT 1, a two-axis turret mill, toCounty Sligo based Lawrence Engineering.In addition, the event helped MACH Machine Tools solidify its presence in Ireland by signing upIMS Tooling, a Limerick-basedmachine tool andequipment repair and maintenance specialist, as its servicing agent in Ireland.
For further information www.machmt.co.uk