THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

NTG expands capabilities ahead of move

NTG Precision Engineering is preparing for the company’s move to larger premises with a significant investment in technology to boost its capabilities and capacity. Ahead of the move to a 45,000 sq ft facility in Gateshead later this year, NTG Precision has acquired a £500,000 Mazak five-axis machining centre, which will manufacture metal components for industries including electric vehicles, food production and power generation. It forms part of an ongoing £3.5m capital investment programme, which also includes the recent addition of two Haas CNC milling machines.
For further information www.ntg-ltd.co.uk

ITC launches Widia turning insert for aluminium

For medium to finish turning applications on aluminium and other non-ferrous materials, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) is introducing the new Widia AL geometry ISO turning insert for aluminium workpieces to the UK market. This cost-effective, universal solution expands the company’s ISO turning portfolio, strengthening its broad offering of affordable tooling solutions for small to medium-sized machine shops.

The AL geometry insert is available in two grades for increased machining versatility: the WU10HT uncoated micro-fine carbide grade and the WU05PT PVD AlTiN coated grade. Each grade is available in all popular styles, including C, D, R, T, and V inserts to increase customer options.

In addition to enhanced product versatility from multiple grades and style offerings, the AL geometry insert offers a highly polished rake face that improves chip flow. The periphery ground insert also features a sharp cutting edge to increase overall tooling precision and reduce cutting forces. Reliable tooling performance means that customers can dedicate more time to machining and less time to post-machining deburring operations caused by built-up edges.

Commenting upon the new arrival, Anil Kumar, Widia global turning portfolio manager, says: “The AL geometry portfolio offers tooling versatility when machining different components and workpieces, while also providing more precise and reliable machining performance. By focusing on both tooling performance and value, we’re helping our customers to maximise their return on our products.”
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

BI-MU 2022 opening for business

On 12-15 October 2022, Fiera Milano will host the 33rd edition of BI-MU, the most important Italian exhibition dedicated to metal cutting, metal forming, additive manufacturing, tools, robots, digital manufacturing, automation systems and subcontracting. The show will take place exactly one year after EMO Milano, the sector’s world trade show, which achieved resounding success.

Following on from this outcome, companies attending BI-MU will find a very dynamic and receptive Italian market, in some way thanks to government incentives that will remain in place until at least the end of 2022. A willingness to invest in new production technologies and the need to renew industrial plants, which increasingly require state-of-the-art systems and machines: these are the reasons that will ensure BI-MU attracts a wide spread of visitors from all major sectors.
For further information www.bimu.it

14th edition of Toolex set to open

The Toolex 2022 exhibition will open its doors this week (4-6 October) at the Katowice International Congress Centre in Poland. This international trade fair for machine tools, tooling and processing technology is now in its 14th edition. At the last Toolex around 10,000 visitors attended to 500 exhibitors from 13 countries.

Katowice in southern Poland is where many factories in the automotive, mining, metallurgical, energy and chemical industries have their machine shops. Each has the ambitious goal of increasing the availability of their machines, improving safety standards and cutting the overall cost of production. Toolex provides the answer to the needs of companies that want to pursue these goals by means of optimising their machining resources.

For further information www.toolex.pl

Arturn makes a turn for Hanwha turning centres

Arturn Precision Engineering has invested in a Hanwha XD38II sliding-head turning centre from Dugard to enhance capacity and throughput at its Rugby-based facility. As a tier-one automotive supplier, as well as a manufacturer for the fastener, electrical, food and pharmaceutical industries, Arturn is no stranger to high-volume production runs, which is where the Hanwha machine from Dugard is making a difference.

Myles Rudkin, foreman at Arturn Engineering, says: “One of the main reasons we bought the Hanwha XD38II is because we can turn up to 38 mm diameter on a sliding-head machine, which in my opinion is pretty impressive, especially when the sweet spot is from 32 to 38 mm. That’s where we have a broad diameter of parts, so it means we can expand the range of components which we can machine for customers.”

Looking at the specific attributes of the machine, Rudkin adds: “It’s a great machine and, where the tools are located, particularly the power tools, makes it easily accessible to interchange cutting tools and accelerate our set-up processes.”

Considering the FANUC 32i-Model B CNC system and the programming, Rudkin says: “I like the programming on this machine. It has broadened my knowledge because a lot of the M codes are familiar, like on a fixed-head machine. This means that my knowledge of fixed-head machines and the respective G- and M-codes will transfer directly to the Hanwha.”

With flood coolant on the new Hanwha XD38II sliding-head turning centre, ISO9001-accredited Arturn has noticed a marked improvement in tool life.

“The coolant flow on this machine is excellent and there is a high number of coolant hoses on the machine that can be moved and directed at specific tools,” says Rudkin.
For further information www.dugard.com