Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied EDM precision subcontract specialist – Erodatools Ltd – with three new Doosan machine tools: two compact multi-tasking Lynx lathes (a Lynx 2100LSYB and a Lynx 2600Y) and a DNM 6700 vertical machining centre.

“The new machine shop complements the EDM side of the business,” says machine shop manager Jon Harper. “It’s run on the same business principles and company values that have served Erodatools well for almost 50 years – namely a commitment to continuous improvement, ‘best-in-class’ quality and unrivalled customer care.

“We wanted to expand our customer base to include non-EDM users, and offer them the same high-quality CNC milling and turning services,” he continues. “Doosans are high-performance machines. They are accurate and reliable and, in my experience, do not miss a beat.”

The first Doosan acquired by Erodatools was a Lynx 2100LSYB. This 8-inch chuck, FANUC-controlled compact lathe is equipped with a 15 kW/4500 rpm main spindle, a 5-inch chuck 6000 rpm sub-spindle, a 24-position/12-station turret, 6000 rpm driven-tool capability and a ±52.5 mm Y-axis stroke.

“The Lynx 2100LSYB is a multi-tasking lathe that, with its live tooling and sub-spindle, can machine small parts to completion in a single set up,” says Harper. “It operates as a de facto self-contained turning cell.”

Since then, Erodatools has installed a Lynx 2600Y which, incidentally, was one of the first in the UK. The Lynx 2600Y, again with the latest FANUC control, is a 12-inch chuck lathe with a 18.5 kW/3500 rpm spindle, a 24-station turret, 5000 rpm mill/drill capability and a ±52.5 mm Y-axis stroke.

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

As part of its growing portfolio of machine tools, GM CNC has introduced the Victor Vturn-A20Y turning centre. Now available from GM CNC, the upgraded Victor Vturn-A20Y features increased structural rigidity on the headstock, box slideways, turret and carriages, as well as the latest Victor technology – such as Direct Drive Spindle (DDS) – built-in as standard.

From a capacity perspective, the Victor Vturn-A20Y offers a swing-over-bed of 700 mm with a 550 mm swing-over-carriage. This compact footprint machine offers a turning capacity of 630 mm between centres, with a maximum turning diameter of 390 mm and a bar capacity of 52 mm (66 or 75 mm options).

The rigid machine base has an equally robust Victor servo driven VDI or BMT tooling turret option with 12 tool positions that can accommodate tool shanks up to 20 mm, while the 11/18.5 kW continuous spindle motor offers a maximum spindle speed of 5000 rpm.

At present, GM CNC has stock models available with the AICC-2 for FANUC 0i-T (10.4-inch) CNC, an upgraded Kitagawa chuck, Grundfos SPK4-8 or MTH4-40/4 high-pressure coolant system, Renishaw manual tool pre-setter, bar-feed interface, swing-type parts catcher, four additional ‘M’ codes and an oil skimmer.

For customers wishing to tailor the Victor Vturn-A20Y turning centre to their specific production needs, the machine can be supplied with either manual or automatic Renishaw tool pre-setter, parts catcher, auto door opening, bar-feed interface, air-blast system, high-pressure coolant, oil skimmer, larger spindle bore (66 or 75 mm), gantry loading robot, independent tailstock, bolt-mounted turret, gear-hobbing interface and, of course, a sub-spindle.

For further information
www.gm-cnc.com

Mills CNC Automation, a division created by Mills CNC to provide a clear focus for the company’s automation business, will showcase its latest collaborative robot technology at the Robotics & Automation Show (CBS Arena Coventry, 2-3 November). The three Doosan cobots on stand 710 (the A0509 entry-level model, six-axis M1013, and H2017 with 1700 mm reach radius and 20 kg payload) will be performing tasks that demonstrate their versatility, user-friendliness, inherent safety and broad application potential.

Says Peter McCullough, product manager (Doosan Robotics): “Doosan cobots are designed to perform a range of tasks, from machine tending, testing, inspection, polishing, deburring and assembly, through to packaging, palletising and repetitive ‘pick and place’ operations. The three cobots we’re taking to Robotics & Automation will demonstrate the productivity and operational efficiencies that can be achieved through investing in collaborative robot technology.”

For further information
www.millscnc.co.uk

Ingenium Integration Ltd, the sister company of UK-based tube-bending machinery specialist Unison Ltd, has been appointed as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Nukon’s 2D fibre laser, 3D fibre laser and fibre laser tube-cutting machines.

“For quite some time we’ve been looking at extending our product range to include high-quality laser-cutting technologies, particularly as we believe they would be of significant interest to owners of tube-bending machines from Unison Ltd,” says Ingenium Integration sales manager, Steve Haddrell. “Short of building our own laser-cutting machines in-house, our challenge was to find an established product range that mirrored the uncompromising levels of accuracy, reliability, build quality and support that are synonymous with the Unison name. Having researched the marketplace extensively, we believe we’ve found such a product range from Nukon.”

For further information
www.ingeniumintegration.com

An increase in production orders for new breeds of high-volume and high-value automotive components prompted OMG s.r.l Officine Meccaniche to consider alternative approaches to part inspection. Investments in off-machine gauging and on-machine probing enabled the company to increase manufacturing throughput, avoid rejects and reduce scrap.

Established in 1949, OMG’s manufacturing capabilities span a complete range of automotive component requirements, including engine blocks, cylinder heads and suspension assemblies. Quality, of course, is an essential cornerstone of the company’s business. For many years Renishaw has played an important role as a technology partner to OMG, as Guido Mautino, the company’s COO explains: “Our partnership with Renishaw began in the mid-1990s when we started machining our first engine heads. We needed to take precision measurements directly on the machining centres, so we turned to Renishaw for advice.

“Today we have 23 machining centres fitted with a range of Renishaw machine tool probes,” he continues. “Over the years, this has put us in a position to engage with a variety of global product markets where high-precision measurement during production is a pre-requisite. All our CMMs are fitted with Renishaw PH10 motorised indexing heads.”

In the manufacture of a new engine block, OMG chose to use Renishaw’s OMP60 optical transmission probe for the first time. A compact 3D touch-trigger probe, the OMP60 is used for both initial workpiece set-up and post-machining inspection on a wide range of four- and five-axis machining centres. The probe incorporates a proven kinematic design and interference-free secure modulated transmission to access previously difficult-to-reach workpiece areas. In this case, the OMP60 is used to verify valve seats, transmission gears and other key engine features.

For further information
www.renishaw.com