THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Big Kaiser delivers quality to MS Feinmechanik

Founded in 2005 by Markus Schenk, MS Feinmechanik GmbH, based in the Bavarian town of Unterammergau,focuses its core technological expertise on milling.

Recent years have seen not only a dramatic rise in the volume of machined parts, alongsideincreasingly strict requirements on precision and final product quality. To keep on top of these growing requirements, MS Feinmechanik has taken the strategy of continuous investment in the latest machinery and tooling solutions, leading the company to invest in Big Kaiser technology (available in the UK from Industrial Tooling Corporation – ITC).

“To manufacture high-precision components, the entire system must function flawlessly, with no weak spots,” states Markus Schenk, founder and managing director of MS Feinmechanik.“In other words, the machine, the clamping system, the spindle, the tool holder, and the tool itself – all have to merge into a tuned holistic system that outputs high-precision components.

To achieve this, MS Feinmechanik has five-axis Matsuura machining centres featuringBig-PLUS spindles. Depending on the Big-Plus holder application area, the company utilises a variety of clamping technologies, such as various collet systems, power chucks and hydraulic expansion chucks from Big Kaiser.

“Choosing the right tool holder has a defining impact on the lifetime of the tool and quality of the final product,” says Schenk. “For example, we use the hydraulic expansion chuck from Big Kaiser for a finishing cutter with a 16mm diameter and 80mm cutting edge length. We mill stainless steel parts with this chuck and you can see a visible difference both in terms of smooth operation and surface quality.”
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Manufacturing collective launches MANifesto

Eight manufacturing SMEs have responded to the lack of a coherent industrial strategy in the UK by launching their own MANifesto.The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), which comprises of seven subcontract manufacturers and an engineering design agency, has responded to the Government’s faltering strategic vision for industry by delivering its own blueprint for making the country globally competitive.

Bosses believe the four pillars of ‘Investment’, ‘People’, ‘International Trade’ and ‘Sustainability & Net Zero’ should lead the overarching approach and form the guiding principles for individual businesses inside the collective.MAN is now calling on the powers in Whitehall to facilitate growth by providing tailored support and removing some of the bureaucratic barriers currently in place.
For further informationwww.bit.ly/3B0gVdC

Driving productivity with generative AI

Siemens and Microsoft are harnessing the collaborative power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help industrial companies drive innovation and efficiency across the design, engineering, manufacturing and operational lifecycle of products. To enhance cross-functional collaboration, the companies are integrating Siemens Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management (PLM) with Microsoft’s collaboration platform Teams and the language models in Azure OpenAI Service.

At theHannover Messe exhibition in Germany last month the two technology leaders demonstrated how generative AI can enhance factory automation and operations through AI-powered software development, problem reporting and visual quality inspection.Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI at Microsoft, says: “With Siemens, we are bringing the power of AI to more industrial organisations, enabling them to simplify workflows, overcome silos and collaborate in more inclusive ways to accelerate customer-centric innovation.”
For further information www.microsoft.com www.siemens.com

Impossible Objects breaks 3D printing speed barrier

Impossible Objectsis taking its CBAM composite 3D-printing process to the next level with the announcement of the CBAM 25 machine, which was unveiled at the RAPID +TCT tradeshow in Chicago last week. According to the company, CBAM 25 prints15 times quicker than the fastest competition, bringing 3D printing into mass production. Commercially available in early 2024, CBAM 25 uses advanced materials offeringgoodproperties. Notably, the ‘Carbon Fiber PEEK’ material set achieves very high chemical and temperature resistance, and mechanical properties superior to most engineering plastics.
For further information www.impossible-objects.com

Nucor commissions huge steel rolls

Nucor, the largest steel producer and recycler in North America, has placed orders for ultra-large steel rolls with Sheffield Forgemasters for its brand-new plate rolling mill.Sheffield Forgemasters will deliver three rolls weighing 147 tonnes each to Nucor’s Brandenburg Mill near Louisville, Kentucky, which can produce 1.2 million tons annually.

Dan Millington, technical sales manager (steel processing) at Sheffield Forgemasters, says: “Manufacturing rolls of this size is a highly technical process, requiring multiple forging operations through our 10,000 tonne press, controlled heat treatment to meet the customer requirement, as well as rough and finish machining. We are the only UK company with the capability to produce rolls of this size.”
For further information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com