From its biggest ever stand at MACH 2018, Thame Workholding (Hall 6, Stand 170) will display a number of products receiving their UK exhibition premiere. For instance, RoboTrex is the first Lang automation equipment based on the small QuickPoint 52 system.

Suitable for retrofitting to the front or side of a machine tool, the RoboTrex can work with individual components up to 12 kg. Customers can choose from up to four specially designed workpiece trolleys that serve as vice storage systems. Furthermore, two new RoboTrex vices, with a jaw width of 46 and 77 mm, can be mounted vertically for optimal use of space when being picked-up by the robot.
Another MACH debutant on the Thame stand will be the Inoflex VL range. This weight-reduced series of self-centring four-jaw chucks is suitable for vertical turning centres, offering part-clamping capacity from 420 to 1200 mm. Compensating features permit the clamping of round, cubic and geometrically irregular workpieces when milling or turning.
While conventional chucks operate with all jaws moving in the same direction, either towards or away from the centre of the chuck, the Inoflex chuck operates with the jaws moving together or apart on two parallel axes. In addition, weight-reduction characteristics improve clamping forces at higher machining speeds while simultaneously reducing the stress and forces placed on the spindle when machining large workpieces.
Thame will also introduce its latest series of multi-face fixture systems for five-axis machining. This three-faced fixture facilitates the clamping of three individual components on a single device. According to the company, the fixture provides greater clearance and access to five-axis parts, especially when compared with standard four-face tombstone systems.
For further information www.thame-eng.com

Just over three years ago, deep sea welder and fabricator Ben Goodwin gave up his dangerous day job to start BRG CNC Machining, a subcontract machine shop. The Market Weighton-based company was launched with a three-axis machining centre, but has now taken its next step, installing a DMG Mori NLX2500-700 turning centre with workholding equipment from Hainbuch.

“With regard to a new high-end turning centre, one key area of investment was the workholding solution for the main spindle: a Hainbuch Spanntop Nova Combi collet chuck,” states Goodwin.
Typical workflow on the DMG Mori NLX2500-700 involves the machining of a huge variety of components.
“This week, we are machining 48-off parts for the utilities sector; 68-off 35 mm diameter components for a rape seed
drill in the agriculture industry; and motorsport components that are an urgent requirement,” explains Goodwin. “To effectively machine the huge diversity of parts that any subcontract company faces, we had to
have a machine fitted with chucks that facilitate fast changeovers, with rigid and
high clamping forces.
“By way of example, we regularly machine 76 mm diameter parts from 304 stainless steel in batches of 100-off,” he adds. “Using the milling turret, we are rough milling the components with a Seco HF end mill at over 6000 mm/min, at a depth of 0.8 mm. Clamping the parts on less than 30 mm of material, the Spanntop is achieving clamping forces of over 3.5 MPa. In comparison, the hydraulic three-jaw chuck on the sub-spindle only attains a clamping force of 1.6 MPa. The result of the high clamping force is enhanced surface finish and extended tool life, which we are achieving while running the jobs at speeds and feeds faster than we ever could have imagined.”
For further information www.hainbuch.com