As the UK distributor for Rosa Ermando’s Rosa GrindTech and Favretto GrindTech grinding machines, Master Abrasives is introducing two key themes that are central to the future of manufacturing: energy-saving solutions and sustainability.

In the face of today’s complex economic challenges, Davide Lucca, CEO of Rosa Ermando, believes that businesses must leverage digitalisation, energy efficiency and sustainability to gain a competitive edge.

“European machine manufacturers have excelled at designing and producing high-quality machinery,” he says. “However, to remain competitive on a global scale, we must go beyond just manufacturing products. We need to focus on integrated solutions that combine innovative machinery, services, and processes.”

Master Abrasives shares this vision and excited to bring these innovative solutions to the UK market, highlighting how Rosa and Favretto’s technology can drive both operational efficiency and sustainability.

One of the stand-out features of Rosa and Favretto machines is their focus on energy saving – an essential consideration for businesses aiming to reduce operational costs and their environmental impact. At the BI-MU exhibition in Milan last year, Rosa Ermando presented an advanced energy management system that is now available on all Rosa GrindTech and Favretto GrindTech machines. This new feature allows users to measure energy consumption in real-time, providing detailed insights into energy absorption across different components and processing steps.

“Our new system not only tracks overall energy usage but also enables differentiation by monitoring the energy consumption of specific parts of the machine,” says Lucca. “The next step is to modulate machine functions based on actual energy requirements, which helps optimise consumption and enhance overall system efficiency.”

More information www.master-abrasives.co.uk

When it comes to cutting tools, Guhring says its brand is synonymous with innovation and pushing the boundaries of convention. Driving this culture is a management structure that provides its 48 worldwide subsidiaries with complete autonomy. Guhring UK has led the charge on several fronts, from powering its Birmingham facility with solar panels to investing in a Vollmer VHybrid 260 grinding and erosion machine.

Guhring UK’s PCD supervisor Alan Pearce says: “We sent Vollmer some PCD step drills to trial on the VHybrid, followed by ball-nose tools for a prestigious customer. The results were exceptional.”

Production manager Gary Field adds: “Last year, my job role changed to production manager, giving me oversight of our PCD department. I spoke with Alan about our future direction and what we needed to keep moving forward. With the new VHybrid, we can immediately target several areas, with micro-drills being a priority for the electronics, medical and miniature industry sectors.”

Installed in late 2024, the Vollmer VHybrid 260 has already proven transformative to shop-floor operations.

“The VHybrid enables us to combine multiple operations into a single machine,” says Pearce. “Rather than grinding a tool diameter, wire eroding and grinding drill points, we can combine all three operations on one platform.”

As early examples of savings derived from transferring tools to the VHybrid, a PCD Drill Relap tool has moved from a two-machine 1-hour 25-minute process to a 29-minute process on the VHybrid, a 70% cycle time saving with additional set-up savings. The production time of another PCD Drill Relap tool has fallen from 1 hour 30 minutes to 21 minutes.

More information www.vollmer-group.com