UK NEWS

International 3D metrology workshop series

On 8 March 2018, GOM UK will host a ‘3D Metrology for Casting and Foundry Processes’ workshop in Coventry. The event is part of an international workshop series, taking place over 42 locations from Asia to America, between January and April 2018. The global GOM network established the series of events to transfer process-related insights and knowledge to design engineers, pattern, die and mould makers, as well as specialists from quality assurance and production.

The free workshop is an industrial meeting platform for exchanging knowledge and sharing experiences. In 29 different countries, GOM and selected speakers will show how full-field surface measurements guarantee faster first article inspection and targeted tool correction, thereby reducing production lead times. For production-related quality control, both the measurements and entire evaluation process can be automated. In addition, GOM will introduce the latest developments in 3D metrology systems and inspection software.
For further information www.gom-workshop.com

Key sales appointment at XYZ

XYZ Machine Tools has recruited Graham Cherry to the newly created role of premium product sales manager, where the prime focus for his machine tool sales experience will be on the recently introduced XYZ UMC-5X gantry-style five-axis machining centre and other premium products as they are added to the XYZ range. Cherry’s background includes 10 years of shop-floor experience, including an apprenticeship, backed up by 29 years in sales,
25 of which were in the machine-tool industry, working for leading industry names.

“My time on the shop floor, followed by four years in cutting-tool sales gave me the knowledge to make the progression to machine-tool sales, where I developed into a specialist in the sales of premium, multi-axis, precision machine tools,” says Cherry. “The opportunity to join XYZ as it moves further into the premium sector with the UMC-5X is one that I’m relishing, and one that I see being very successful.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Honorary award for Renishaw founder

Sir David McMurtry, an engineer, inventor and founder of the multi-national company Renishaw, which has long-standing links with the University of Huddersfield, has received an ‘Honorary Doctorate of the University’ for services to design and innovation. After receiving his award, Sir David paid tribute to the quality of the academic staff and students, stating: “This university has played a great part in the development of scientific measurement in this country. Not many universities have taken on this challenge.”

For further information www.renishaw.com

Paving the way for used CMM market

Independent measurement solutions provider Status Metrology and metrology specialist Hexagon are celebrating a 20-year partnership that the pair say helped pave the way for a second-user CMM market in the UK. Nottingham-based Status spotted a gap in the market in the late 1990s and pitched the idea of becoming a supplier of retrofit legacy CMMs alongside its established service and calibration operation.

“We spoke to all the manufacturers but it was only with Brown & Sharpe, which was later acquired by Hexagon, that we found synergy,” explains Tony Tillett, Status Metrology’s managing director. “They shared our vision that there were opportunities for upgrading machines.” As well as supplying second-user bridge, side-arm and gantry CMMs, Status also offers a selection of new machines, sensors and Hexagon’s PC-DMIS inspection software.
For further information www.status-cmm.co.uk www.hexagonmi.com

HPC orders Citizen sliding head with LFV

HPC Services of Ilkeston has ordered the latest Cincom L20-VIIILFV turn-mill centre from Citizen Machinery UK. By including Low Frequency Vibration (LFV) machining technology in the specification, HPC’s managing director Paul Cobb maintains his business will get a lead in the market by boosting the production of materials such as 321 corrosion-resistant stainless steel and 416 chromium steel alloy stainless steel, and plastic-type materials.

“This machine will enable us to competitively quote on new work that we would normally decline, and will give us additional capacity as we build up production for our in-house developed water-based fire-suppression system,” he says.
LFV enables selected operational sequences to be programmed at the machine control to impart the size of chip to be produced. The ability for the operator to control the size of chip eliminates problems such as ‘bird nesting’, improves depth-of-cut and surface finish, delays the onset of built-up edge on tooling and aids the management of swarf. LFV can be applied to turning, profiling, facing, taper cutting and interrupted cutting sequences, plus drilling and even thread cutting.
HPC has currently 10 Citizen Cincom machines installed, with the most recent Cincom L12-VII ordered from the Citizen Machinery stand at MACH 2016. This is currently producing components as part of a 40,000 a year contract. A plastic tube, 110 mm in length, is turned and a hole produced through its length to a concentricity tolerance of 0.05 mm TIR.
“So productive is the machine that we have reduced our cycle time from over a minute to just 12 seconds,” says Cobb.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk