BAM GmbH, based in Weiden, Bavaria, is going all in with digital processes in an effort to reduce costs and project production times in contract manufacturing. With the support of Open Mind Technologies, BAM has used the hyperMILL Automation Center to streamline and markedly accelerate CAM programming, representing the final digital step in transitioning from customer design to finished workpiece. Automation has helped reduce CAM programming times in hyperMILL by 70-80%.

“Thanks to the powerful 2.5D, 3D and five-axis cycles of hyperMILL, we’ve succeeded in reducing set-up and programming times on our machining centres, resulting in greater efficiency and higher capacity utilisation,” states Stefan Bauer, head of manufacturing at BAM. “With its feature-based technology, macro databases and associated process, hyperMILL also provides a solid basis to automate programming and significantly reduce time expenditure by reusing pre-existing programming know-how.”

The hyperMILL Automation Center is built on feature and macro technology, allowing any user to standardise machining steps and automatically apply them to new workpieces. Open Mind honed and optimised the process for use at BAM. To handle a wide variety of orders and workpieces, the CADCAM developer integrated an interactive user guide that uses just a few parameters to control automated programming.

Marco Bauer, managing director of BAM, is extremely satisfied with the support provided by the team of hyperMILL experts. “Open Mind staff always provide us with expert support, even when dealing with highly complex applications and exotic projects,” he says. “One of the key factors for us was that Open Mind develops its software in-house. As a result, we were able to obtain customised functions for our automation projects very rapidly, which has helped us improve leaps and bounds.”

For further information
www.openmind-tech.com

Three VUE 2021 (Vericut User Exchange) events held in late 2021 attracted over 60 people from UK advanced manufacturing and technology companies. The events kicked-off at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, followed by Aerospace Bristol and the Nikken Innovation Centre Europe in Rotherham. Technical staff from CGTech used the events to provide customers with a feature review of the enhancements made in the latest release of Vericut, version 9.2.

Attendees were welcomed by Gavin Powell, CGTech UK’s newly promoted managing director. “With the major features of version 9.2, Vericut offers its users even more protection and opportunities for productivity and efficiency gains,” he said. “Version 9.2 includes collision and performance improvements; new graphs and tool use windows that provide visual data in an easy-to-use format; enhanced support for hole-making tools; annotation and section for cutting tools; new cutter types; user-driven changes to improve multi-tool stations; and ‘Force’ and ‘Additive’ enhancements.”

Collision and performance improvements of v9.2 were demonstrated with material removal at tight cutting resolutions carried out up to 30% faster. Deep concave collision penetration has been enhanced, especially against high triangle count models, and an example of an impeller case highlighted the speed of the latest version, reducing the time required from 12 minutes in v9.1, to just 36 seconds.

Regarding hole making the CGTech technical team asked: ‘What could possibly go wrong?’ Very little with the support of Vericut v9.2 as the software now checks for wrong location, size or depth; cut deeper than flutes; motion not along tool axis; pre-drill operation before ream or tap; and incorrect feeds/speeds for tap.

For further information
www.cgtech.co.uk

An open house held last month at Hurco Europe’s headquarters, showroom and technical centre in High Wycombe attracted 70 visitors from 30 companies. The company took orders valued at £450,000 over the two days, providing an excellent springboard into 2022. Managing director David Waghorn says: “Despite the difficulties of trading during Covid and some disruption caused by Brexit, we ended our financial year at the end of October 2021 with our second highest turnover ever, only a little less than our record year of 2018.”

Close to 300 Hurco machining centres and lathes were sold into the UK and Ireland market during the company’s latest financial year period, nearly one-third of which went to first-time users of Hurco machine tools. As a postscript, Waghorn mentions that Hurco Europe plans to continue increasing its number of service engineers. The company added two service engineers during 2021 and plans to recruit another three in 2022, which will bring the total to 25.

For further information
www.hurco.co.uk

CNC machining services provider ‘Get It Made’ is offering a £10,000 grant to manufacturing start-ups led by under 30s. Those selected to receive the grant can spend the money on developing solutions to progress their chosen industry. The grant will provide manufactured parts (to the value of £10,000) and allow successful applicants to work with Get It Made’s engineers, resulting in a huge acceleration of the design and development process.

Get it Made’s manufacturing grant is available to start-up businesses that are smaller and currently less established in the manufacturing industry, and be led by a person under 30 years of age. The company must have launched in the past three years and have fewer than 25 employees. University-based research projects are also eligible for the grant. Applications close at midnight GMT on 31 March 2022.

For further information
https://get-it-made.co.uk/grants/under-30s/

Bystronic customers know that with powerful machines and optimised processes they obtain solutions that make them even more competitive. Accordingly, there was considerable interest at the recent Blechexpo 2021 exhibition in Germany, where Bystronic presented its latest technology in the areas of laser cutting, software and services.

In addition to manual production, a clear focus was on the topic of automation. Here, it was evident that Bystronic supports its customers, step by step, on the way to fully automatic production. Numerous customers came and showed great interest in the company’s solutions.

In his technical presentation on the topic of smart factories, Thorsten Stahl, product manager for software services, illustrated to the audience that anyone can venture the first step toward an intelligent factory. In doing so, he addressed everyday problems in production, and in particular, how they can be overcome with the BySoft Suite.

“We can digitalise your processes and present your business procedures in the digital world, and you can carry out agile, smooth and transparent production,” he said. “A smart factory is not for the faint of heart, but also not impossible.”

A further highlight was the Blechexpo Innovation Prize, now secured by Bystronic for the fifth time. The award is presented to the most outstanding exhibits. On this occasion, Bystronic was recognised (together with its collaboration partner AIRCO Systems GmbH) as the most innovative enterprise of the year in the category of separation and connection technology with the Blechexpo Award for ‘AIRCO Infinit Mixgas’.

For further information
www.bystronic.com