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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE FOR METALTECH 2014 April 2014

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ISCAR HIGH Q LINES ISCAR JAPAN 1-5-3 Shinsenri-Higashimachi toyonaka-shi, Osaka 560-0082 tel + 81 6 835 5471 Fax + 81 6 835 5472 iscar@iscar.co.jp

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ISCAR TAIWAN 395, Da Duen South Rd. taichung 408 tel + 886 (0)4 247 31573 Fax + 886 (0)4 247 31530 iscar.taiwan@msa.hinet.net

ISCAR THAILAND 57, 59, 61, 63 Soi Samanchan-Babos Sukhumvit Rd. Phra Khanong, Khlong toey Bangkok 10110 tel + 66 (2) 7136633 Fax + 66 (2) 7136632 iscar@iscarthailand.com

ISCAR VIETNAM (Representative Office) Room D 2.8, etown Building, 364 Cong Hoa, tan Binh Dist., Ho Chi Minh City, tel + 84 8 38123 519/20 Fax + 84 8 38123 521 iscarvn@hcm.fpt.vn

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SINO TOOLING SYSTEM Blk 502, Jurong West ave 1 #03-813 Singapore 640502 tel + 65 6566 7668 Fax + 65 6567 7336 sinotool@singnet.com.sg

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ENQUIRY NO 047

CONTENTS 24

April 2014

42

36 MAKING THE CUT 24 Total Machining With Turn/Mill Spindle

Blurring the line between milling and turning machines can help Asian manufacturers cut down on cost and increase their productivity.

By Joson Ng

28

Delivering A Secure Cutting Edge Process security will always be the one overriding factor that is highlighted in a turning operation. By Christer Richt, Sandvik Coromant

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44

The use of coated indexable inserts in turning has helped strengthened cutting tools and reduce tool wear, achieving shorter production times. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

A CNC interface has the ability to paint a clearer picture for machine operators. By Dipl Eng Engelhard Tobisch, Siemens AG

Coat Of Arms

SHOP TALK 36

Add Another Dimension To Manufacturing

Using AM to produce end parts may not be widespread but the potential is there and should definitely be evaluated. By Joson Ng

40

Using Metal AM Systems For Series Production

Modularity, increased productivity and a larger build volume have helped a metal AM system make the leap towards series production. By Terrence Oh, EOS

32

Achieving Process Reliability In Parting Off Operations

For parting off operations, a tool should be as stable and as narrow as possible, giving rise to the development of single-edge grooving systems. Contributed by Markus Stumm, Walter AG

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asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Delivering A Clearer Picture

FABRICATOR'S NOTE 46

Solid-State Laser: A Bright Idea

Adding versatility and the ability to produce better parts to a fibre laser cutting machine have made it competent in cutting both thick and thin sheet metal while producing a level of quality that was difficult to achieve in the past.

By Joson Ng

DESIGN & MEASUREMENT 42

50

A CNC upgrade gives a new lease of life to a line of high-volume centreless grinding machines that are still being used by thousands today. By Steve Moore, for NUM

We see how fibre laser cutting technology is a meaningful extension to existing CO2 laser cutting systems. By Oliver Hergt, Bystronic Group

A Controlled Facelift

Fibre Laser Reaching Out To Medium Sheet Thicknesses

www.equipment-news.com

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CONTENTS 52

April 2014

64

INDUSTRY FOCUS 52

60

Doron Cohen, Iscar’s die & mold industry manager shares what’s new in the traditional world of die & mould making.

Using a laser to alloy surfaces of forming dies with filler material can make them more robust and resistant to wear. By Dipl Kfm Martin Bock, Fraunhofer

Traditional Beliefs Vs Modern Thinking In The Die & Mould Industry

Get Tough With Dies

Italy Takes Aim At Southeast Asia

Not satisfied with their endeavours in China, Italian machine builders are now casting their sights on Southeast Asia. By Joson Ng

We take a look at how radial chip thinning, advanced carbide cutting tools and dynamic milling strategies are dramatically improving CNC machining productivity. By David Conigliaro, CNC Software

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Staying Ahead With Modern Manufacturing

Why rely on physical prototyping when digital prototyping solutions are available to make the manufacturing process more agile? By Chris Lee, Autodesk

REGULARS 08 Business News 70 Product Finder 78 Exhibition Programmes 80A Product Enquiry Card 4

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

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INDUSTRY Endorsements

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Singapore Precision Engineering and Tooling Association (SPETA)

Trunnions turn the tables on wasteful setups, allowing one actuator manufacturer to crank up productivity, hit part tolerances and eliminate WIP. By Jeff Drum

Federation of Asian Die & Mould Associations (FADMA)

Machine Upgrades Can Be Simple

Adopting Dynamic Machining Strategies

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: M.E.N. is available to readers on a per annum subscription basis depending on location: Singapore: S$60.00, Malaysia: S$60.00, Asia Pacific/America/Europe/ Others: S$100.00. Refer to the subscription card in each issue for further details. For change of address, please notify our Circulation Manager. For more subscription information Fax: (65) 6379 2806 Singapore E-mail: samanthatan@epl.com.sg

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ASIA PACIFIC METALWORKING EQUIPMENT NEWS (M.E.N.) is published 8 issues per year by Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road EPL Building #02-05 Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 Fax: (65) 6379 2806.

EVENTS & EXHIBITION 66

Federation of Malaysian Foundry & Engineering Industry Associations

Event Preview: Intermach 2014 Event Preview: Metaltech 2014

PARTING SHOT 74

Supersonic Car Relies On CAM

Let’s take a look at the work that goes behind a car that is gunning for a speed record. By Stewart Bint, Vero Software

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EDITOR’S NOTE Published by:

EASTERN TRADE MEDIA PTE LTD (a fully owned subsidiary of Eastern Holdings Ltd)

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When

Disruptions Are Fine

managing director Kenneth Tan senior editor Joson Ng

josonng@epl.com.sg

business development manager Randy Teo randyteo@epl.com.sg

sales manager Carrie Ho

carrieho@epl.com.sg

editorial assistant Sharifah Zainon

sharifah@epl.com.sg

Most disruptions result in the loss of time or money. In the manufacturing world however, being disruptive can also be a good thing. Smartphones are a good example. They are an innovation that help to create a new market and also to a certain extent, have displaced an earlier technology in some countries.

In the world of metalworking, where it is relatively difficult for anyone to claim to possess a disruptive technology, additive manufacturing technology developers may be able to stake that particular claim. While its additive nature may prove to be ‘disruptive’ to an industry that is used to building parts by subtracting materials, it does not have the same reach as the subtractive technologies.

The technology’s status as disruptive may be opened to interpretations or debate, the excitement generated in this part of the world however, is clear for all to see. Events related to additive manufacturing are almost certain to be well attended, particularly in Singapore.

One reason is obviously its novelty, but others will probably be adopting a more practical mindset, noticed

one market observer. He said that cost advantages could be significant especially in short series production.

Although additive manufacturing is by no means taking over the traditional machining technologies, it may prove to be applicable and more importantly, profitable for some.

Another recent happening in the metalworking world comes from the fibre laser cutting segment.

Its disruptive effect may not be as great, but it does open up plenty of opportunities for sheet metalworking co nt rac t m a nu fac t u re r s f ro m Southeast Asia. According to its developer, this fibre laser technology allows operators to cut stainless steel up to 25 mm thick, at a quality that was difficult to match when compared to previous technologies.

Disruptive technologies generate excitement, uncer ta intie s a nd probably a little bit of fear. With good management and information, they can be successfully adopted and for some, even become a life changing event. Look no further, just see what smartphones have done to us and our society and you will know what I mean.

graphic designer Jef Pimentel

jeffreypimentel@epl.com.sg

circulation executive Nurulhuda binte Suhaimi nurulhuda@epl.com.sg

contributors Christer Richt Markus Stumm Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid Terrence Oh Steve Moore Dipl Eng Engelhard Tobisch Oliver Hergt Doron Cohen David Conigliaro Chris Lee Dipl Kfm Martin Bock Jeff Drum Stewart Bint board of consultants Wäinö A Kaarto AB Sandvik Coromant Dr Moshe Goldberg Iscar

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced in any form or means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, taping, etc – without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher and editor.

Printed in Singapore by Fabulous Printers Pte Ltd MCI (P) No. 050/06/2013 PPS 840/09/2012 (022818) ISSN 0129/5519

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chairman Stephen Tay group executive director Kenneth Tan executive director Lum Kum Kuen

Joson Ng Senior Editor

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Trade Media Pte Ltd an Eastern Holdings Ltd company

Head Office & Mailing Address: 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building #02-05, Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379-2888 Fax: (65) 6379-2806

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Watch trailer:

MORE FORCE, MORE STAMINA, MORE BITE. Tiger·tec® Silver turning inserts for ISO P, ISO K and ISO M materials New cutting materials and new geometries – coming together to increase performance by up to 75 %. Based on the unique wear resistance and toughness, it is possible to predict what these cutting materials can endure.

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Tiger·tec® Silver – because process reliability deserves more bite.

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ENQUIRY NO 060

BUSINESS NEWS US Cutting Tool Consumption Rose In January While Manufacturing Technology Orders Fell $300,000 $250,000

$250

$200

$150 $150,000 $100

Cutting Tools

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$100,000 $50,000 $0

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US cutting tool consumption

US: January US cutting tool consumption totalled US$158 million, according to the US Cutting Tool Institute and AMT — The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was up 14.5 percent from December’s total and down 10.6 percent from January 2013.

“As the CTMR enters the second calendar year of publication, the last four months have been marked

by volatility,” said Brad Lawton, chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group. “While it is difficult to draw a clear conclusion from just a few years of data, the pattern so far in this series suggests we might see smaller swings each month later in 2014.”

The CTMR program is indicative of some 80 percent of the US market for cutting tools. Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a reliable gauge of both upturns and downturns

Grinding Symposium 2014 Kicks Off In May

Schaeffler Fights Against Counterfeit Products With Global Certification Program

Switzerland: The United Grinding Group will conduct its third Grinding Symposium from May 21 - 23, 2014 in Thun, Switzerland. According to the organiser, the event is a platform for participants to gain an insider's view of current and future developments in hard fine machining.

They will present the latest technologies, including several developments that allow the increase of productivity and quality. Finally, leading experts will supplement the practical demonstrations with lectures on the latest research results and current developments.

8

in US manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.

Meanwhile, the countr y’s manufacturing technology orders for the month of January totalled US$365.06 million according to AMT. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 25.2 percent from December but up 1.3 percent when compared with the total of US$360.31 million reported for January 2013. Interestingly, the weather in the country was cited as a contributing factor.

“While monthly order totals are down from December, January is always a soft month and more so this year due to an unusually harsh winter. Overall the news for manufacturing remains positive, with an improving housing market and strong indicators for nearterm capital investment,” said Douglas K Woods, AMT president.

“We are still optimistic for a strong 2014 and 2015 for manufacturing technology orders, especially as we move through an IMTS year.”

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Schweinfurt, Germany: Schaeffler has assessed and certified its distribution partners worldwide as part of its Distribution Partner Concept. With this standardised certification, the program ensures an optimum expert advice and supply strategy for end customers by providing support through distribution partners that meets the standards of the company.

This concept signals a significant step in the fight against counterfeit products. With a global network comprising more than 1,000 distribution partners with over 4,000 offices, authorised sales channels play a very important role in making the sale of counterfeit products more difficult and protecting customers and consumers against damage.

According to the company, only those distribution partners who fulfill the requirements can position themselves as authorised distributors on the market with an official plaque and a certificate.

All authorised distributors are listed on the company's website and can be checked by entering the certificate number. www.equipment-news.com

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Malaysia Is World’s Top Manufacturing Location Hoosablink, Singapore

New York, US: Malaysia ha s b e e n reve a le d a s t he world’s top manufacturing location, according to a report from global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. The country scores particularly well in the costs and risks categories, justifying its position at the top of the ranking. It is one of the least expensive locations within the index. Mea nwhile, Taiwan places second with South Korea in third and Thailand in fourth.

The largest manufacturing country in the world, China, is well positioned in fifth overall, performing strongly in terms of costs, but the nation falls short of the top spot due to its weak score in the risk category.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Richard Middleton, executive MD, Asia Pacific, Corporate Occupier & Investor Services, said: “Asia Pacific continues to be at the forefront of the global manufacturing sector —

and this is highlighted by the top five countries in the index all being located in the region. Furthermore, locations such as Vietnam and the Philippines are also anticipated to emerge over the next few years as notable manufacturing destinations.”

The report assesses factors likely to affect the successful operation of production facilities in the 30 countries with the largest manufacturing output, as defined by UNCTAD (United Nations Trade and Investment).

In the report, three principal areas — costs, risks and conditions — are analysed and broken down again into more than 30 sub-categories. Factors including logistics; the likelihood of natural disaster; economic risk; and energy and labour costs are all taken into consideration and individually weighted to create an illustration for comparison.

The index takes the example of a company with highly mechanised operations, which generally requires unskilled labour, operating within a multiregional market for a single finished product. These types of companies typically target a growing urban population and consider sustainability to be an important factor. All of the countries have been ranked using this example as a benchmark and the category weightings reflect these requirements.

Machine Tool Builder Expands In Singapore

Singapore: Yamazaki Mazak Singapore has expanded its operations in Singapore. The company has doubled their factory size to 15,300 sq m and quadrupled the size of the technology centre to 4,300 sq m. Following the expansion, the company will be 10

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

able to increase their production capacity by 60 percent.

The move is in line with the company’s aim to offer more customer oriented support to their customers in Southeast Asia, and to establish a manufacturing system that will increase export

of machine tools to worldwide markets. The company said this production expansion will shorten delivery time and cushion exchange rate fluctuations.

Spea k ing at the opening ceremony, Tomohisa Yamazaki, t he pre side nt of Ya ma za k i Mazak Corporation said that the Japanese headquartered company has always been focused on product development. He added that the company is one of the most globalised machine tool manufacturers in the world. This outward looking strategy has resulted in the company setting up many plants outside of Japan and one of its destinations is Singapore.

Calling Singapore “an ideal platform” for the company to make the step up into the next level, he revealed the company has been making continuous investments over the years and he is happy with their growth in the country. www.equipment-news.com

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Argentina _ Australia _ Belarus Rep. _ Belgium _ Brazil _ Chile _ China _ Croatia _ Czech Rep. _ Denmark _ Finland _ France Germany _ Greece _ Hungary _ India _ Indonesia _ Ireland _ Italy _ Japan _ Lithuania _ Malaysia _ The Netherlands _ New Zealand Pakistan _ Philippines _ Poland _ Portugal _ Romania _ Russia _ Serbia _ Singapore _ Slovakia _ Slovenia South Africa _ Spain _ Sweden _ Taiwan _ Thailand _ Turkey _ Ukraine _ United Arab Emirates _ United Kingdom _ U.S.A. _ Vietnam

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TaeguTec Ltd. World Headquarters

BUSINESSNEWS This growth, according to Teo Ser Luck, Singapore’s minister of state for trade and industry, mirrors the progression made by the country’s precision engineering sector over the last two decades.

He told the crowd the sector’s value add has grown at an annual rate of 7.3 percent over the last five years and the country is home to an extensive network of global suppliers.

To enable further growth of knowledge intensive industries, he said the government has set aside S$52 million (US$40 million) for the Precision Engineering Vocational Continuing Education and Training (PEVC) initiative, which was launched in 2012.

The plan is to elevate the precision engineering sector of the country and he said the program will “provide an attractive and structured career pathway for master craftsmen.”

Following the expansion, the company will be able to increase their production capacity by 60 percent.

Finally, he said Asia accounted for more than 60 percent of the global demand of machine tools in 2012 and industry production in Asia is projected to grow at five percent or more this year and the machine tool markets in Asia are growing in tandem.

The Southeast Asia Technology Centre plays an important role to provide quality before and after sales service. The showroom currently houses multi-tasking

machines and five-axis machines. It offers manufacturing consultation as well.

The showroom is enlarged to 1,300 sq m (four times larger tha n prev ious one) so that large machines suitable for the oil & gas, semiconductor and aerospace can be exhibited. In the total 14 machines exhibited, 10 units were Japanese made machines and the remaining ones were made in Singapore.

Fluctuating Investment & High Subsidy Spending Impede Higher Growth Potential In Indonesia: World Bank Jakarta, Indonesia: Fluctuating investment growth, reflecting lower export prices and tighter financing conditions, as well as regulatory uncertainties, will continue to moderate Indonesia’s growth rate to 5.3 percent for 2014, says a World Bank report.

Policy reforms are key to supporting growth, which at 5.7 percent for 2013 has fallen from 6.5 percent in 2011, reports the March 2014 edition of the Indonesia Economic Quarterly.

“Forward looking public policy making would consolidate Indonesia’s economic success. These policy adjustments include redirecting high subsidy spending to more pressing needs such as increasing infrastructure investment, improving the investment climate, and improving service delivery at the local level,” says World Bank country director for Indonesia Rodrigo Chaves.

In 2014, subsidy spending is expected to increase to approximately 2.6 percent of GDP, compared to 2.2 percent of GDP in 2013, and above the current 2014 budget allocation.

Meanwhile, recent policy and regulator y developments, including the partial ban on mineral exports, have heightened uncertainty for long-term investors and add to budget pressures. The World 12

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Bank estimates that the ban will negatively impact net trade by US$12.5 billion and result in US$6.5 billion of losses in fiscal revenues (royalties, export taxes, and corporate income tax) for three years starting from 2014.

“Positive signs are emerging in global growth.

But challenges remain for Indonesia, including flat terms of trade, higher interest rates and policy uncertainty. In light of ongoing economic risks and Indonesia’s ambitious development agenda, minimising regulatory uncertainty and sustaining reforms should be a priority,” says Jim Brumby, World Bank lead economist and manager of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management unit.

The marked narrowing of the current account deficit in the last quarter to US$4.0 billion shows that tighter monetary policy and exchange rate flexibility are working. However, the drag on trade from the mineral exports ban and subdued commodity prices lead the World Bank to project only a modest narrowing of the current account deficit for 2014 as a whole, to 2.9 percent of GDP compared with 3.3 percent in 2013. The majority of the contribution to the improved trade balance over the past year has been through reduced imports. www.equipment-news.com

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BUSINESSNEWS

Kemper To Equip Welding Schools In Oman

Björn Kemper

Vreden, Germany & Muscat, Oman: Kemper will equip one of the biggest welding schools in Oman. In the capital city of Muscat, the equipment manufacturer will be furnishing 100 welding work stations with its extraction and filter technology along with welding booths. This project is aimed at strengthening the company’s market position in the Middle East.

“We have earned an excellent reputation in the metalworking indu st r y, even b eyond ou r borders,” said Björn Kemper, MD of the company. “The order from Oman confirms the quality of Kemper products and of the comprehensive services offered both before and after the equipment is installed on location.”

Škoda Electric Won Tender In China

Plzeň, Czech Republic: The Škoda Electric company will deliver drives and motors for 40 metro trainsets, which will be used in the Chinese city of Suzhou. The contract volume exceeds CZK 1.1 billion (US$55.9 million). The first trainsets from the order will be in operation on the new No 4 line in Suzhou by next year. The main deliveries of 40 vehicles should take place in 2015 and 2016.

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asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Kline: Global Lubricants Market Remained Static In 2013

Parsippany, US: The global lubricants market is flat, up only one percent with an estimated 39.2 million tonnes in 2013 compared to 38.8 million tonnes in 2012. In terms of lubricants volume consumed, the US continues to be the largest country market, although its total global volume has now dropped from 25 percent to below 22 percent.

Interestingly, Russia has surpassed Japan and is now the fourth largest country market. Both North America and Western Europe continue to stagnate below pre-recession levels. Although Asia and other developing regions picked up in 2011, the market lost steam in 2012, most notably in China, down 1.1 percent.

For example, global lubricants demand is projected to grow at less than two percent per year to reach 42.1 million tonnes by 2017. Kline predicts that China will be the leading market by 2015 or 2016. In addition to volumetric growth, quality levels are also improving, offering opportunities for all industry players.

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles To Construct New Plant

Chennai, India: Daimler India Commercial Vehicles ( DICV ) has laid the foundation stone of its new bus plant at the company's ma nufacturing facility l o c a te d n e a r C h e n n a i , signalling its intent to have a larger presence in the Indian market.

Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, Daimler AG board member responsible for Daimler Trucks & Buses, said: “On the basis of our strong truck business, we are now pressing ahead on the Indian bus market. For that purpose, we are consistently using existing suppliers, our production site and our sales network in India.”

The bus manufacturing plant is spread across an area of 27.91 acres and will be constructed within the existing premises of DICV. The plant will manufacture and assemble buses under the Mercedes-Benz and BharatBenz brands and will be completed by the second quarter of 2015.

An investment of INR 425 Cr (US$69 million) has been earmarked for the bus project in India for an installed capacity of 1,500 units in the initial phase. The capacity can be further expanded to 4,000 units subsequently. www.equipment-news.com

ENQUIRY NO 057

BUSINESSNEWS

MOTIE: South Korea's Exports Grew In February 2014, More Expected From Q2 Onwards

APPOINTMENTS Esab Asia/Pacific Appoints New VP & MD

South Korea’s strong showing can be attributed to the exports of automobiles.

Stanley Chew

South Korea: The Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy of South Korea (MOTIE) has reported strong exports to the ASEAN countries and the EU nations.

They revealed that the country’s daily average exports during February rose by 1.6 percent yearon-year to US$42.99 billion, while imports grew by 4.0 percent to US$42.06 billion. The trade balance showed a surplus of US$930 million, the 25th consecutive month of surplus since February 2012.

This strong showing can be attributed to the exports of wireless communication devices, semiconductors, IT devices and automobiles. They are driven by growing demand in emerging markets, strong memory prices, product competitiveness and improved brand recognition respectively.

On the other hand, exports of petroleum products and LCD devices were down due to the continued decline in the price of panels related to instability in supply and demand, as well as exports of ships due to delays in delivery.

By nation, exports to the EU (expansion of exports of wireless communication devices and

Esab has announced the appointment of Stanley Chew as VP and MD of Asia Pacific. Mr Chew will take over from Harald Hespe who will retire after almost 30 years with the company. He will be responsible for all of the company’s commercial activity in the Asia Pacific region.

consumer electronics), the ASEAN countries (growing exports of ships), and China (strong sales in capital goods such as general machinery) all increased. However, the sharp drop in ship exports resulted in a temporary decrease of exports to the US and Latin America. In addition, the weak Yen continues to drive down exports to Japan.

In terms of the F5 nations, exports to Turkey and Brazil picked up, while exports to South Africa and Indonesia suffered.

Export growth by nation saw ASEAN grew by 15.1 percent, the EU by 10.6 percent and China by 3.8 percent. Countries like the US and Indonesia posted negative growth.

According to MOTIE, the growth of South Korea’s exports was slower than anticipated due to the slow economic recovery of advanced nations and the emerging market crisis. In particular, ship orders have been repeatedly delayed upon request, stalling economic recovery. It is however not all doom and gloom, industry insiders predict that exports will pick up from Q2 this year.

DMG Mori Goes To The WEC With Porsche Bielefeld, Germany: DMG Mori is now the Porsche Team’s exclusive premium partner for the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

T he comp a ny w i l l supp or t Porsche in the sports car world motor racing championships, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours as the season’s highlight.

The machine tool builder will offer its machine tools a nd services, as well as software and energy solutions.

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www.equipment-news.com

Transform your manufacturing performance with help from the process control experts and reap the rewards Probing systems for CNC machines Renishaw provides solutions for tool setting, broken tool detection, component set-up, in-cycle gauging and first-off inspection of parts, with automatic offset updates.

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QC20-W ballbar system The QC20-W ballbar with Bluetooth® wireless technology, totally revised electronics and enhanced test capability offers you the perfect solution. It’s the quickest, easiest and most effective way to monitor machine tool condition.

Styli and stylus accessories Renishaw offers a comprehensive range of precision-engineered styli, stylus types and accessories so that you can carry out all your measurements successfully.

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ENQUIRY NO 063

BUSINESSNEWS

Leovdworp, Netherlands

IDC: Tablet Sales In India Soars To New High In CY 2013

India: According to a market intelligence provider, the overall India tablet shipments for CY 2013 stood at 4.14 million units, representing a year- on-year growth of 56.4 percent over CY 2012. While the first half of 2013 witnessed substantial growth in tablet volumes driven largely by low-end devices, the market observed contraction in the second half of 2013. Despite a strong

festive season demand, spending on tablets slowed down in the second half of 2013 as the consumer adoption approached early stages of maturity on this category of devices.

“The popularity of phablets has in fact crossed over the demand for seven inch tablets. For a price conscious market like India, it is about owning a combination device, meeting the needs with

iPad App For Better Shop Communication

Irvine, US: CGTech has developed a Vericut Reviewer iPad App. According to the developer, the App allows shop floor personnel and other production staff to view 3D animations of CNC machining processes at the machine tool, during meetings, or at any other location.

A report containing information about cutting tools, job setup, machining instructions and other information can be automatically packaged within each saved Reviewer session, creating a virtual workshop document. The App is offered free of charge.

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asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

one device instead of two. Also, the return rates on low cost seven inch tablets have been unexplainably large. First time users latching onto such devices are now looking to move to products that offer better experience in terms of life span and quality,” said Karan Thakkar, senior market analyst with IDC. In terms of market coverage, Samsung leads the way with 18.7 percent market share with Micromax (8.9 percent) and Apple (7.5 percent) both registering healthy figures.

IDC anticipates the overall tablet market to remain flat in C Y 2 014. “ T he gover nment mandate on BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) Certification mixed with the growing popularity of phablets is likely to obstruct the growth in the tablet category,” said Kiran Kumar, research manager with IDC.

MHI Reaches Milestone With Large-Size Machine Tools Tokyo, Japan: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has completed the shipment of an MAF180C horizontal boring mill to Formosa Heavy Industries Corporation, bringing the company's total number of large-size machine tool shipments to date to 3,000 units.

The landmark shipment comes some 53 years after the company launched the production of its first large-size machine tool, the Mitsubishi-Innocenti CWB millingand-boring combined machine, in 1960.

Going forward, the company will continue to undertake aggressive business developments in this segment in its quest to become the world's top manufacturer of largesize machine tools. www.equipment-news.com

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DKSH Technology Pte Ltd · 625 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #03-00 · Singapore 319519 · kelvin.low@dksh.com DKSH Technology Co., Ltd. · E-Town 2 Building 1st floor, 364 Cong Hoa Street, Ward 13 · Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · ngoc.thihong.vu@dksh.com DKSH (Thailand) Limited · 2106 Fantree 4 Building · Sukhumvit Road · Bangkok 10260 · Thailand · weilun.tsao@dksh.com DKSH Technology Sdn Bhd · Company No. 47709T · 46200 Petaling Jaya · Malaysia · claus.bressmer@dksh.com

ENQUIRY NO 042

BUSINESSNEWS OIL & GAS

ExxonMobil Reports Record Number Of New Oil & Gas Projects In 2014

Frost & Sullivan: Oil Exploration Activities In Southeast Asia Give MES A Boost

James Knight, UK

New York, US: Ex xon Mobil Corporation expects to start production at a record 10 major projects in 2014, adding new capacity of approximately 300,000 net oil equivalent barrels per day and contributing to profitable production growth.

“These projects exemplify our focus on maintaining a diversified portfolio and highlight our ability to grow profitable volumes,” said Rex W Tillerson, chairman and CEO, at the company’s annual investment analyst meeting at the New York Stock Exchange.

“We are adding new volumes that improve our profitability mix with higher liquids and liquids linked natural gas volumes.

We’re also driving increased unit profitability through better fiscal terms and reducing low-margin barrel production.”

The company’s capital spending will decline to US$39.8 billion this year from a peak of US$42.5 billion in 2013, he said. Excluding potential acquisitions, capital expenditures are expected to average less than US$37 billion per year from 2015 to 2017.

“We have financial flexibility to pursue potential strategic opportunities and maintain a disciplined and selective approach to capital that ensures any new investment will contribute to robust cash flow growth,” he said.

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asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Jamie Brelsford, Cheshire, UK

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Asia-Pacific accounts for nearly 2.5 percent of the total global Oil & Gas (O&G) reserves, making it an O&G hub with exploration expansion in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. According to a business consulting firm, this increase in exploration and export capacity has enhanced the demand for Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).

An analysis of the Southeast Asian MES market finds that the market earned revenues of US$39.0 million in 2013 and estimates this to reach US$51.6 million in 2017. The ease with which MES can be integrated into the existing machinery is one of the key reasons for its popularity.

Therefore, even brownfield projects are gradually adopting MES for higher productivity and meeting stringent global standards of quality and reliability.

“The high inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the US and Europe into Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam has made these countries competitive manufacturers,” said Frost & Sullivan industrial automation & process control senior research analyst Vandhana Venkatesan. “This, along with the rise of the middle class and availability of cheap labour, has made Southeast Asia a lucrative manufacturing destination, in turn, ramping up the demand for MES.” MES are considered crucial for goal-oriented support of production.

They not only link production and enterprise but also other activities in the supply chain, proving a continuous, holistic, and manageable value addition for end users.

The analysis pointed out that some of MES’ functionalities include quality assurance, support of production scheduling, evaluation of production with focus on product quality, integration with safety systems and management of current and historical stock.

A liquefied natural gas project in Papua New Guinea and the largest offshore oil and gas platform in Russia are among significant projects scheduled for startup this year. Others include a heavy oil expansion project in Canada and deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company anticipates additional project startups in the next few years in several countries, including Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Nigeria and the US. All of these projects are expected to add about 1 million net oil equivalent barrels per day by 2017. www.equipment-news.com

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ENQUIRY NO 068

BUSINESSNEWS AEROSPACE

Rolls-Royce Shares Next Generation Engine Designs

Embraer Achieved Revenue Target In 2013, Projecting More In 2014

Brazil: In the fourth quarter of 2013, Embraer delivered 32 commercial and 53 executive (38 light and 15 large) jets and ended the year with total deliveries of 90 commercial and 119 executive (90 light and 29 large) aircraft.

As a result of aircraft deliveries and growth in the company’s defence & security segment, the fourth quarter and 2013 revenues reached US$2.3 billion and US$6.2 billion, respectively, meeting the company’s revenue guidance range of US$5.9 to US$6.4 billion.

Looking ahead, the company guidance for 2014 is net revenues of US$6.0 to US$6.5 billion, driven by growth in the defense & security segment and expected deliveries of 92 to 97 jets in the commercial aviation segment and 25 to 30 large jets and 80 to 90 light jets in the executive jets segment.

Finally, the company’s backlog ended 2013 at a value of US$18.2 billion, representing a 46 percent growth from the US$12.5 billion reported at the end of 2012.

Airbus Re-Enforces Its Presence In India Airbus

Toulouse, France: Airbus is grouping its activities in India through the creation of a fully owned subsidiary called Airbus India to manage the company’s Indian footprint spread across several sites. The company’s India organisation will have customer service centres in Delhi and Mumbai.

Building on the success of the Airbus Engineering Centre India (AECI) in Bangalore, Airbus India will also include strategy, customer services and procurement teams under one organisation. A Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capability will be established at a later date.

Currently Indian carriers operate a fleet of over 170 Airbus aircraft. The company’s current market share of sales in India represents over 60 percent of the country’s total aircraft backlog. In addition, since 2005, the company has enjoyed over 60 percent market share of all new orders.

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Rolls Royce

UK: Rolls-Royce has shared details of its next generation of engine designs, which could be ready within 10 years, featuring technology innovation designed to transform performance.

The first design, Advance, will offer at least 20 percent better fuel burn and CO2 emissions than the first generation of Trent engine and could be ready from the end of this decade.

The second, UltraFan, a geared design with a variable pitch fan system, is based on technology that could be ready for service from 2025 and will offer at least 25 percent improvement in fuel burn and emissions against the same baseline.

Colin Smith, Rolls-Royce director of engineering and technology, said: “These new designs are the result of implementing our ongoing technology programmes. They are designed to deliver what our airframe and airline customers tell us they need: even better fuel efficiency, reliability and environmental performance.”

Both engine designs are the result of the ongoing research and development investment, of approximately £1 billion (US$1.6 billion) a year, which the company makes across its aerospace and non-aerospace businesses. www.equipment-news.com

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ENQUIRY NO 067

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MAKING THE CUT

Total Machining With Turn/Mill Spindle Blurring the line between milling and turning machines can help Asian manufacturers cut down on cost and increase their productivity. By Joson Ng

E

ngaging a contract manufacturer in Southeast Asia is no longer as affordable compared to a few years back. While this is partly due to higher operating costs, the ability to produce better quality parts is also a factor.

As Asia makes the transition from a low cost manufacturing region to a destination capable of manufacturing quality components at a competitive price, there is a greater emphasis on productivity and of course, the versatility of the machines used to manufacture the parts. By the looks of it, machine builders have taken heed of this trend.

“The CTX beta 800 TC turnmill centre is a model, which makes entering the world of turn/mill machining easier.

Bringing together turning and milling without constraints, this

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machine concept enables our Asian customers to upgrade their production to higher productivity and more flexibility,” says Frank Holzheid, product sales manager of Asia, Gildemeister Drehmaschinen.

This upgrade, according to him, is a natural step to take for Asian manufacturers. He said the desire to be competitive in the world has made Asian manufacturers think about technology integration.

“It is a matter of fact that the main advantages of this (machine) are higher quality and an increased efficiency to produce more complex and accurate workpieces,” he says.

Making Financial Sense For Asian manufacturers to be competitive, their operations and costs need to be as streamlined as possible. It therefore comes

as no surprise that investments in machineries are crucial to the success of the business.

With so much on the line, research and time studies are often carried out before making any capital expenditure(s) as investors must make sure they get the decision right. Technical specifications and capabilities of the machine may be important considerations, but ‘softer’ aspects like flexibility and economies of scale are factors that cannot be ignored.

“The entry price in particular makes the decision in favour of a turn and mill machine easy, as the theoretical additional cost is easily outweighed by the advantages of the machine,” says Harry Junger, MD of Gildemeister Drehmaschinen.

According to the machine manufacturer, the turn and mill www.equipment-news.com

MAKINGTHECUT machine is available for the price of a universal lathe but its possible uses and the target industries are substantial.

While the machine is mainly intended for the classical user of a universal lathe, it is more flexible due to the integral tool changer, as there is no need for time-consuming retooling on the turret with up to 80 tools.

Furthermore, due to the B-axis, only low-cost standard tools are required for machining at an angle.

The machine has a stroke in the Y-axis of ±100 mm, a facility which is not available on any universal lathe in this size category.

spindle. The work area therefore provides space for machining even large workpieces with a diameter of 500 mm and a length of up to 800 mm. Chuck-mounted components up to a length of 150 mm can also now be drilled all the way through — with a Z-axis of 750 mm (plus 95 mm for tool changing),” says Mr Junger. Another feature is the spindle bearing with 70 mm diameter and sleeve cooling for temperature stability.

Contract Manufacturers Need To Be Flexible In Asia, many machine tool buyers are contract manufacturers supplying to the aerospace, automotive and oil & gas industries. Although they tend to specialise in certain industries, it still pays to have a machine that is flexible and customisable.

In a changing global landscape,

ENQUIRY NO 058

Giving It A Positive Spin The centrepiece of any machine tool is quite rightly the spindle and this is no exception for the turn/mill machine. According to the machine tool manufacturer,

the B-axis is equipped with a compact turning-milling spindle with integral release cylinder for tool changing and a torque of 120 Nm with a spindle length of 350 mm. Compared with a conventional spindle, there is 170 mm worth of larger work area and 20 percent more torque.

The B-axis is also equipped with a DirectDrive, which enables machining with a swivel range of ±110 deg with rapid traverse speeds of 70 rpm. To facilitate complex milling operations right through to five-axis simultaneous machining, the B-axis has a 12,000 rpm, 120 Nm, 22 kW HSK-A63 turning-milling spindle (Capto C6 as an option). A 20,000 rpm highspeed version is also available as an option.

“The tool clamping system is integral, making the spindle 170 mm shorter than a comparable

www.equipment-news.com

April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

25

MAKINGTHECUT drives or pressure accumulators in the hydraulic system. It is also possible to switch-off the sealing air when a work area door is open.

The manufacturer added that the machine comes with a frequency-controlled hydraulic pump, and a cooling unit with active cooling control to ensure l e s s e n e rg y c o n s u m p t i o n .

Overall, it is said these measures collectively reduce the machine’s energy consumption by more than 25 percent.

Turn/mill machining centres make it possible for Asian manufacturers to upgrade their production.

it certainly does no harm to be flexible and have a production line that reflects that.

“Our module provides customers with the option of customising the machine individually to their range of parts. This includes different capacity tool magazines with a capacity of up to 80 pockets.

Furthermore, the optionally available counter spindle enables six-sided complete machining even for complex workpieces,” says Mr Junger. It is also said that with the B-axis, holes and surfaces can be machined from any angle, increasing the machine’s flexibility.

Ergonomics & Energy Savings The manufacturing industries in Asia may be booming now but it is not without its challenges.

For instance, the lack of skilled labour is an issue that is faced by many Southeast Asian nations.

For countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, this shortage is arguably more evident as they move from the traditional 26

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

realm of agriculture and align themselves with regional and global manufacturing markets.

With this shortage, the value of a skilled worker is elevated and the onus is on the companies to keep them fit and happy. While the latter is more or less a human resource issue, keeping fit and healthy is something that can be addressed with the design of the machine that employees work on day in day out. With 350 mm separating the front of the machine to the spindle centre, the machine manufacturer said the CTX beta 800 TC is suitable for ergonomic loading and unloading.

When the labour segment of production is being taken care of, it is time to zero in on other operating expenses like the monthly electric consumption.

Bearing this in mind, machine builders have introduced a slew of energy savings initiatives into their machines.

The turn/mill machine is equipped with a number of energy-saving features such as low-friction bearings, regenerative

Cutting Down Processing Time In addition to eking out savings f r o m o v e rh e a d e x p e n s e s , processing time is another significant factor that affects the profit margin of any contract manufacturers. This places a great emphasis on using machines that are able to cut down on processing time.

“The success of our turn and mill machines is also the result of simple and fast programming. The technology cycles also accelerate the process. This increasingly makes the series (of machines) a profitable alternative for a growing number of users compared to sequential machining on different machines,” says Mr Junger.

The possible applications of the turn/mill machine are rounded off by eight technology cycles which are available as an option.

These enable up to 60 percent of the programming time to be saved due to the ease of programming.

Based on a conversational entry of the required parameters, the machining functions, for example in off-centre turning and milling or special threads, are generated with the multi-threading cycle, without the need for a CAD/ CAM system. A tool selection cycle is also available, which minimises idle times by sorting tools in the chain magazine according to their programmed call sequence.

Enquiry No. 3001 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

www.equipment-news.com

HAIMER Cool Flash: Optimal cooling – Even at the speed of light.

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Haimer Asia Pacific Ltd. | Technical Center Indonesia | Alam Sutera Town Center, Block 10F, No. 28 | Serpong - Tangerang, 15326 Phone +6221-2900-8575 and +6221-8030-2528 | E-Mail: support@haimer-asia.com | www.haimer-asia.com

ENQUIRY NO 065

MAKINGTHECUT

Delivering A

Secure Cutting Edge Process security will always be the one overriding factor that is highlighted in a turning operation. By Christer Richt, technical editor, Sandvik Coromant

T

he most recent development towa rds higher security in the turning process has been in the area of tool material, ie: insert grades. Steel turning is a dominant area in machining, one which nearly all machine shops are involved in. As such, the steel-types, components, operations and volumes vary a lot.

Furthermore, steelturning often involves ISO P25 (type of metal grade) where machinability and conditions vary from good to bad, often challenging process security.

This application area includes m a te r i a l s f r o m u n a l l o y e d steels, low-alloyed and highalloyed steels. They can range from soft and sticky, to hard and abrasive. In summary, there are varying physical properties and conditions. Machinability ratings too differ considerably and the material comes in bar, tube, forgings, castings, rolled, drawn, untreated, hardened/tempered and pre-machined workpieces.

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Considering the different destructive mechanisms exerted by these different steels, it does seem unlikely that one insert grade would be able to cope satisfactorily with the machining.

Add to this the different types of production requirements — lowvolume cuts in small machine shops to mass-production in large shops — and the equation seems even more complicated.

Therefore, it is not a n exaggeration to say that a new P25-grade development for steel turning is a good addition to manufacturing. It is also a step forward in the material science of cutting tools, taking into account modern demands and challenges in production like predictability in tool-life, part-quality consistency, higher machine utilisation and process security.

A new- generation coated cemented carbide grade is said to be suitable for ISO P25 materials.

According to the developer, it has a stronger, more balanced insert substrate as well as edge-treatment processes and control.

Uni-Directional Crystal Orientation The edge-line of the indexable insert is the front-line to the battle for high process security. The durability of this line on the insert is a result of the combined effects of the above factors. It is here that a coated cemented-carbide grade innovation has made a difference.

T he I nveio t y p e coat ing is based on R&D in Chemical D e p o s i t i o n Va p o u r (C V D) technology for alumina-coating of inserts. The coating has a unidirectional crystal orientation.

This has been achieved through the controlled growth of crystals in a uniform way throughout the CVD-process.

With all the aluminium-carbide crystals lined up, facing the same way, the coating is stronger due to an uniform structure. As such, new properties have emerged to withstand the forces and temperatures of the flow-zone.

In effect, a completely new type of rake-face contact surface has been created. According to the developer, this coating technology can be applied to a range of different new insert-grades.

I n p ra c t ice , t h i s m e a n s improve d proce ss se cu r it y throughout a longer tool-life as well as a potential for higher cutting speed. The edge -line of the insert determines both part quality and the rate of edge-breakdown and this line is now more resilient, giving improved predictability of the insert capability and part results throughout the broad P25 area.

The insert grade for the ISO P25 application area can in fact be said to be the seventh generation of coated steel-turning grades since coated inserts were introduced 40 years ago. It provides an opportunity for improvement in competitiveness — be it for all-round capability in varied, low-volume operations or massproduction optimisation. www.equipment-news.com

MAKINGTHECUT Parting Off Operation Another area of turning that recently experienced a lift in capability is in the parting off of larger diameter components or when the parting or grooving tool has to reach past a sub-spindle.

This area of turning involves deeper plunging-cuts and a higher potential risk of insecurity to the machining process. The area in question is that of bar-diameters of 38 mm and larger, 32 mm on sliding head machines.

Tool overhang should be minimised in any machining operation but in parting off largediameter bars and when having extended tool-reach, long overhang is unavoidable. It is therefore up to the tool to compensate for the inherent instability of the operation and to have the capability to ensure a safe, satisfactory operation that is also competitive.

A parting- off tool- system de dicate d for dept h a nd overhang is a necessity today.

Like ma ny other machining operations with slender tools protruding out-of-sight into the material during cut, there is often a tendency to under-perform the operation in the name of ‘just-incase’ process security.

Fear of a v ulnerable tool being subjected to excessive demands is a natural phenomenon in metal cutting but it is one that can be overcome through correct application and trust in a qualified, dedicated concept with proven performance.

The main process requirements for parting off larger bars or extending tool reach are: • Tool-life is important to ensure a satisfactory number of cuts per edge

• User-friendly tooling and an easy-to-select, comprehensive tools coverage • Minimisation of bar-material wasted through the cut • Chip-control and evacuation that is good and reliable • Satisfactory surface finish when high levels are demanded • Optimised productivity, low machining-cost per cut with high operational efficiency in line with other machining operations • Process security Dedicated deep-parting-off inserts with new geometries for all materials, chipbreaking and wiper cutting edges for surface finish are essential. Inserts have

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ENQUIRY NO 010

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April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

29

MAKINGTHECUT also been designed to make the best use of precision-jets of coolant. Lower cutting forces are now generated with good chip control for efficient evacuation.

New, improved insert-grades have been de sig ned, where coating adhesion and edge-line security have been prioritised to better cope with the different stages of the parting-off plunge cut. A broad a ssor tment of inserts that are straightforward to select from ensures both a good sta r ting - off level a s well a s broad opt im isat ion possibilities.

Relatively thin tool-blades are necessary in parting off but how narrow they can be without compromising security and limiting performance is a critical factor.

Bar-material saving is often a manufacturing issue when parting off bars is involved. A new balance between blade width and performance capability is necessary.

This has been achieved partly due to a new material especially developed for the tool-blade. The tool-steel alloy for the blades with considerably higher fatigue and bending resistance and better insert-seat properties has made a difference. Also, the high stability of the insert-location

The application of coolant has started to play an increasingly important role in several machining applications.

plays a n impor ta nt role for performance, handling, precision and reliability. The interface between blade and insert makes possible dependable blade widths as low as 2 mm for deep parting-off operations.

Stay Cool The application of coolant has started to play an increasingly impor ta nt role in severa l machining applications. When coolant is supplied and directed through nozzles as precision jets, they make a difference to performance — even when t he co ola nt i s suppl ie d at considerably lower pressure than the recommended optimum of 70 bar.

A parting-off tool-system dedicated for depth and overhang is a necessity today.

The new deep parting- off concept makes extensive use of high-precision coolant in that the jets are directed from both below and from above to assist the cutting process, chip control and limit tool wear. Internally supplied through the inside of the tool-blade, the coolant is applied where it has the best effect and allows for improved performance with tougher insert grades and higher cutting data.

Tools that are user-friendly are becoming more sought after in machining because of the difference they make to machine stoppages, as a security factor for correct tool changes and in setting-up.

With a precision rail-interface, ensuring clear, exact, firm insert location and clamping, tool changing is much easier and safer with this development in parting off tooling. It means foolproof insert changing without torque control and easy blade adjustment in the holder along with plug-and-play, high-precision coolant connection. Suitable for most machines, this takes a load and risk off operator and toolroom procedures and contributes to higher productivity through green-light machining with high process security.

Enquiry No. 3002 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

www.equipment-news.com

BrightLine fiber: Breakthrough in laser cutting.

Through thick and thin with the solid-state laser: the new BrightLine fiber option now lets you achieve excellent cut quality when processing thick sheets and the ultimate in productivity when processing thin sheets. Using one and the same machine to process your entire range of parts, you can look forward to impressive edge quality with stainless steel up to 25 mm thick, the tiniest contours, much easier removal of parts – combined with maximum productivity when cutting thin sheets. No more compromises! www.trumpf.com

ENQUIRY NO 061

MAKINGTHECUT

Achieving

Process Reliability In Parting Off Operations For parting off operations, a tool should be as stable and as narrow as possible, giving rise to the development of single-edge grooving systems. Contributed by Markus Stumm, product manager for grooving and thread turning, Walter AG

M

ore industries a re using materia ls k now n a s duplex steels. Due to their high chrome, nickel and tungsten content, these high-performance materials are extremely difficult to machine. As a result, the use of old machines and tools is often no longer cost effective.

In parting off operations, typical problems encountered when parting off on machines with bar feeders are a bar that vibrates or turns out-of-centre, and the consequent limitation in machine speed. In addition, when a component is turned on old machines without a part catcher, the falling part can damage the cutting edge and the tool holder.

With double edged system and a newer single edge grooving inserts system available now, making a decision between two systems depends much on the machine and the diameter of the component. On old machines, tough cutting tool materials tend to be used more. On newer style machines, wear-resistant, high-performance cutting tool materials are used.

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Going Solo P ro ce s s re l ia b i l it y i s ve r y important, especially in deep groov ing. The cha llenges encou ntere d a re t he r ising temperature in the cutting zone and impeded chip evacuation.

W hen inser ts w ith t wo cutting edges a re used, the cutting depth is dependent on the insert length. For instance, the maximum cutting depth for the GX24 system (double edged system) is approximately 23 mm. With the development of a single-edge system (Cut-SX), cutting depths of up to 80 mm are possible.

The system is characterised by positive-locking integration in the tool insert seat, which is achieved through their curved shape. This ensures that the cutting insert is not lost during machining.

Many single- edge systems available on the market work with only one positive cutting-insert clamping arrangement. With these tools, it was, depending on the application, possible for the indexable insert to be pulled out of the tool during retraction.

A self-clamping arrangement

therefore results in a longer service life for the tool. Walter has developed a design for this feature.

Using high force, the top clamp retains the cutting insert in the insert seat without obstructing chip flow. The cutting insert is located and supported by a peripheral V-shaped groove and a back stop contact surface at the rear. The machining forces are transferred via this contact surface into the solid part of the tool.

Chip Evacuation Through High-Pressure Cooling Armed with an internal cooling system, the SX system is optimised for high-pressure cooling, as the chip breaker of its cutting insert has been adapted to the coolant jet.

The coolant helps the chips to move clear of cutting zone more quickly. The result is short chips and longer tool life, even from a coolant pressure as low as 20 bar. The process reliability gained allows higher cutting data, which in turn increases productivity. It is essential for the machine to have an integrated fine filter, through which wear to the coolant bores is prevented. www.equipment-news.com

MAKINGTHECUT Parting off tools with two cutting edges are thought to be more cost-effective for small diameters.

The SX clamping system is characterised by positive locking.

The single - edge grooving system tools are suitable for u se i n ge ne ra l me c ha n ic a l engineering, and deployment on lathes with bar feeders, multispindle machines and all lathes with a high-pressure pump.

The considerable cutting depth is often not required, but just the possibility of changing the cutting insert easily and quickly in the machine can also be an attractive feature.

complex components and large dia meters. In this ca se, the machining time is usually more than a minute per component.

The tools of the SX system can be used on all three types of machine. Ideally, manufacturers should use them on machines on which they can connect the internal cooling.

Using the single-edge grooving system is recommended for

Machine Accessibility Determines Tool Design There are basically three types of lathe used for parting off operations. On the multi-spindle type of machine, diameters of up to 52 mm are machined on up to eight spindles. With these machines, machining times per component of less than 20 s are not uncommon.

On the Swiss type auto lathe, there is a relative movement between workpiece and tool, whereby the workpiece is clamped in the spindle using a collet and guided in a bush. This type of machine is suitable only for very small components. Only a few tools are used on the Swiss type auto lathe, and part production times averaging less than a minute are comparatively very fast.

Fixed headstock lathes, on the other hand, are used for

Walter: Grooving System

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considerable cutting depths and for the option of using internal cooling. For low cutting depths and machines that are suitable for that application, the Cut-GX system is still preferred. The two tool systems together allow suitable solutions for a wide variety of different machining situations.

Enquiry No. 3003 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Walter has developed the Cut SX grooving system that features single edge grooving inserts. The system has a positive-locking integration in the tool insert seat, which is achieved through their curved shape. This positive locking prevents the cutting inserts from being lost when placed under heavy load in the direction of feed.

The developer supplies the grooving inserts in the Tiger tec Silver PVD cutting material grades WSM33S and WSM43S for steel, stainless steel and materials with difficult cutting properties. There is a selection of three geometries with optimised chip breakers. •

Enquiry No. 3004 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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MAKINGTHECUT

Coat Of

Arms The use of coated indexable inserts in turning has helped strengthened cutting tools and reduce tool wear, achieving shorter production times. By Shahnawaz Abdul Hamid

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hen indexable inserts are coated, as they usually are, they offer better performance.

It is believed that coatings can increase productivity, reduce tool consumption and minimise aggravation such as built up edge, cratering and deformation.

Coatings can be divided into two major categories, depending on the process used in providing the coat. The first process is Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), and the second process is Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD). Inserts which have been coated using PVD are thinner but sharper, making them more suitable for machining materials which are less common such as super alloys and titanium.

What exactly do the processes of PVD and CVD look like? How are the two different? In PVD, the coating material is evaporated at high temperatures and in a vacuum from its liquid or solid state to form a gas. This gas is then transported and deposited onto the material that is to be coated. The processes involved, evaporating and condensing, are physical.

In CVD however, the material to be coated is exposed to one or more volatile precursors which react or decompose on the

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material surface to produce the desired deposit. In this chemical reaction, volatile by-products are removed by gas flowing through the reaction chamber.

Under the CVD category, there are three common coatings. They are titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3). In the PVD category, three common coatings are titanium a luminium nitr ide ( Ti A lN ), titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium carbonitride (TiCN).

Coating Microstructure To better understand the various types of coatings, their relative hardnesses as well as effects on turning performance and tool life when used in lathe machines, it is vital to study the microstructure of such coatings.

One such relationship that can be found from this study of microstructures is one that exists between microhardness and grain size. According to the Hall-Petch relation, a decrease in grain size leads to an increase in yield strength, or microhardness. This has been found to be true for all types of coats, both PVD and CVD. N e ve r t he le s s, g i ve n t he finer grain size in PVD coats, microhardness tends to increase

for coatings made through PVD as compared to CVD. We can arrive at this conclusion by studying the difference in the measured microhardness for PVD titanium nitride versus CVD titanium nitride.

This increa sed ha rdne ss is due not only because of the finer grain structure resulting from the PVD process but also because of the presence of compressive residual stresses.

These compressive residual stresses, which are developed during ion bombardment in certain PVD processes prevent crack propagation and produce fracture toughness in PVD-coated cutting tools.

The coating structure can also affect surface roughness, which then causes an increase in frictional forces and heat ge nerate d at t he c h ip - to ol interface. Relatively smoother PVD TiN-coated carbide tools decrease cutting forces, producing better workpiece surface finishing, as compared to CVD-coated tools.

This reduction in heat generated is also one reason why PVD-coated inserts are especially useful for turning applications involving high-temperature alloys.

However, if an alloy is on the softer side, CVD-coated inserts are preferred.

To date, many companies in the metalworking industry have depended on coated turning inserts to improve tool life and productivity. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly important to have the right knowledge when using such technology, so that the right coating type can be chosen for the right job.

While this article may shed some light on the various coating types available, it would be best for plant managers to speak to the right professionals to get the best option needed.

Enquiry No. 3005 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 049

SHOP TALK

Add Another Dimension To Manufacturing

Using AM to produce end parts may not be widespread but the potential is there and should definitely be evaluated. By Joson Ng

3

D printing can mean d i f f e re n t t h i n g s f o r individual companies.

Some companies use the technology solely for rapid prototyping to good effect.

For example, the technology

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is used to produce prototype helmets for ergonomic evaluation.

On the other hand, certain companies have found success in manufacturing end parts like moulds for injection moulding.

According to industry sources,

many companies still use 3D printing for prototyping purposes.

While this trend may not be changing drastically in the near future, many will agree that there is massive potential in producing finished parts using 3D printing.

One possible application can be found in future aircraft cabins.

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has revealed certain elements in the cabin could be created using additive layer manufacturing.

While this technique is already being tested for small aircraft parts today, the technology could move to larger aircraft in the future as this form of production results in lower level of material wastage compared to cutting shapes out of bigger blocks.

Making End Parts Giving several reasons why 3D www.equipment-news.com

SHOPTALK printing is seen as an attractive proposition for producing end parts, Jonathan Jaglom, GM in charge of Stratasys’ operations in Asia Pacific & Japan pointed out that space is a big factor.

He said: “The US Navy is talking about having a (3D) printer on aircraft carriers. When they need something, they can print (the parts) and then assemble it.” The reason for doing so, according to him is that they can save space and do away with the need to stock up inventory. This is also a very pertinent point for a small country like Singapore, where space is limited.

Describing the printing tray where parts are printed as a production line, Mr Jaglom referred AM for manufacturing purposes as “a very exciting market.” However, he cautioned that there is still a long way to

go and added that currently, only 10 percent of his company’s application is in manufacturing end products.

In order to convince people to use 3D printing in mainstream production, there are certain fears that 3D printer manufacturers need to allay. One of them is a typical reaction to anything new.

“The main fears lie in the unknown,” he said. Adding that making the switch from traditional manufacturing technologies like injection moulding and milling would require a change in management as people are very experienced and knowledgeable in creating end par ts through those technologies.

The key to overcoming the fear of the unknown is simple according to him. Giving people

useful information can go a long way in addressing this issue.

Although there are concerns, he noticed there has been an increase in users adapting 3D printing for manufacturing purposes because “the cost advantages are huge,” especially when it comes to short series production. “For short series production and short runs, AM could be very interesting,” he said.

For those who may be interested in exploring AM as a technology for manufacturing end parts, Ofer Nir, director of product management at Stratasys believes they should be looking at areas that changes take place ver y quickly and areas where customisation is frequently observed. One area of application can be found in the usage of jigs and fixtures.

On a typical production line, new

new Overwhelming high productivity One-rank higher machining capabilities Better usability through machine/controller integrated development Top-level environmental performance

R450X1 Twin-Pallet Machining Center

M140X1 Multi Task Machining Center

The SPEEDIO series, launched in 2014, is Brother’s way of showing that it continues to be a cut above the rest – the next generation of high efficiency BT30CNC vertical machining centers remains the fastest in the world, offering high productivity and maximum efficiency based on Brother’s original technologies. The SPEEDIO range is available in a variety of configurations, including twin pallet, moving table and fully integrated 5-axis capability. www.brother.com Official Distributor: www.lionapex.com.sg

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LIONAPEX EQUIPMENT PTE LTD 1 Woodlands Industrial Park E1 #03-01 Singapore 757724T

LIONAPEX EQUIPMENT (M) SDN BHD Lot 0001 Ground Floor, Kompleks Sentral 33 Jalan Segambut Atas, Segambut 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

63D-G Persiaran Bayan Indah, Bayan Bay 11900 Bayan Lepas Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Visit us at booth 1270

21 – 24 May 2014

ENQUIRY NO 059

S500X1/S700X1 Compact Machining Center

April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

37

SHOPTALK

The latest 3D printers are capable of producing parts with unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible, and transparent colour materials

Mr Jaglom predicts an exciting future for using AM in the manufacturing of end parts.

products usually mandate the introduction of new fixtures as it is difficult to find suitably sized fixtures in the existing inventory.

3D printing can be used to produce these new fixtures.

Nifty Manufacturing Speed is another issue that is important in the manufacturing world. Western Tool & Mold, a Hong Kong-based company that specialises in engineeringgrade tooling fabrication and injection molding, managed to use 3D printing to provide its customers with new ways to meet urgent deadlines.

For example, an aerospace client urgently needed parts for an aircraft already on the assembly line. Only a quick deliver y could avoid the consequences associated with a delay. Using a Fortus 3D Production System, they helped their aerospace customer manufacture the parts it needed on time.

Crediting 3D printing technology for the fast turnover, Collin Wilkerson, MD of the company said the quick nature of the technology allows time savings and gives them the ability to “provide fast reactions to immediate needs.”

Apart from speed, using the technology also resulted in a leaner manufacturing team for the 38

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

company. They claim that with 3D printing technology, the number of workers needed on the project is greatly reduced.

“In traditional manufacturing, you have to deal with quick spikes in the need for resources, but 3D printing smoothes the spikes out,” said Mr Wilkerson. He added it is now possible to re-engineer resources to produce greater benefit, resulting in a leaner manufacturing process, which includes a smaller workforce and less idle time.

Adding Colour To AM A M i s n o t i n m a i n s t re a m production in a big way today.

However, the ability to produce parts with virtually unlimited combinations of rigid, flexible, and transparent colour materials as well as colour digital materials in a single print run is pushing AM a little closer to that segment of manufacturing.

The Objet500 Connex3 Colour Multi-material 3D printer, touted by its manufacturer as the only 3D printer to combine colours with multi-material 3D printing, is said to be suitable for production, as well as prototyping and personal use.

The printer features a triplejetting technology that combines droplets of three base materials to produce parts. This ability to achieve the characteristics of an

assembled part without assembly or painting is a significant time-saver.

It helps product manufacturers validate designs and make good decisions earlier before committing to manufacturing, and bring products to market faster.

Similar to a 2D inkjet printer, three colour materials — VeroCyan, VeroMagenta and VeroYellow — are combined to produce hundreds of colours. These colour materials join the company’s range of PolyJet photopolymer materials including digital materials, rigid, rubber-like, transparent, and high temperature materials to simulate standard and high temperature engineering plastics.

The usage of 3D printers today may be getting closer to mainstream production with its ability to print different colours, textures and even moving parts.

However, many will still argue they lack the dimensional accuracy that traditional subtractive technologies can provide.

Although it is a valid point, applying AM in the right segments can still be beneficial. For manufacturers who are sharp enough to see the technological benefits, incorporating 3D printing into production or using it to produce end parts may prove to be a financial masterstroke.

Enquiry No. 3101 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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New CVD Coated Carbide Grade for Steels

Pushing the boundaries of steel machining.

MMC Hardmetal (Thailand) Co., Ltd. A Subsidiary of Mitsubishi Materials

MMC Hardmetal (Thailand) Co., Ltd Tel: +66-2661-8170 Fax: +66-2661-8175

Singapore Branch Tel: +65-6634-8250 Fax: +65-6634-8257

Indonesia Representative Office Tel: +62-21-8261-6417 Fax: +62-21-8261-6416

www.mitsubishicarbide.com

Viet Nam Representative Office Tel: +84-4-3772-8362 Fax: +84-4-3772-8299 ENQUIRY NO 043

SHOPTALK

Using Metal AM Systems For

Series Production Modularity, increased productivity and a larger build volume have helped a metal AM system make the leap towards series production. By Terrence Oh, VP Asia Pacific, EOS

A

modular, extendable platform is now available to help Additive Manufacturing or AM make the transition into an industrial production environment.

With an eye on productivity, a main ingredient in any successful production line, EOS, the developer of the EOS M 400 metal AM system claims that the system is able to increase the level of productivity and process automation.

In addition, a larger building c ha mb e r (wh ic h me a su re s 400x400x400 mm) allows the system to manufacture larger components, broadening the scope for new applications. These factors are crucial in making the system suitable for series production, something the developers were shooting for right from the start.

The company is pursuing a platform-based strategy for the metal technology and is able to support its customers from the research and development phase, through to series production. The EOS M 400 represents the key to the industrial series utilisation of AM. The system supports users not only in the context of its qualification for production, but also in actual manufacturing applications.

Modularity Is Key The manufacturing solution is initially available with both setup and process stations. Within

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asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Formula student, Race Team University of Stuttgart, Germany

a year, an automated unpacking station will also be on offer. With this extension of the system, an exchangeable frame, including components and residual powder, is moved, following the build process, from the process station to the unpacking station.

Here, the job will quickly be cleaned of all loose and excess powder by way of a clean-up program comprising rotation and vibration. The modular concept makes it possible to incorporate the unpacking station retroactively to expand on the set-up and process stations.

Users thereby gain a future oriented e-manufacturing solution designed for application-specific, modular extension.

The first extension to the basic model, with its corresponding processes, will initially be offered with the EOS Aluminium AlSi10Mg a nd EOS Nickel A lloy I N718 materials. They are particularly suited for use in the automobile and aerospace sectors. Processes for further materials are still in the development phase, including both tool steel and titanium.

Expanding Capabilities Into Production AM’s route to series production is just starting as certain industries are only beginning to accept the manufacturing process as a true manufacturing technology.

Today, the path to production acceptance is no longer just about making the most of the freedom of design that AM is offering. It is about taking the benchmarks set by other — mostly conventional — manufacturing technologies, meeting them and then adding the unique benefits of layer-by-layer production.

In the past, the user of an AM system would have said “this part looks nice, I can use it.”

Today, the bar has been raised for applications that come from a production environment. Their focus is now on the right material, mechanical properties and even a microstructure that is available from their existing conventional techniques — yet they want to add the freedom of the AM process on top. It is up to the developers now to combine something known — such as casting, forging, and milling — with the characteristics only available to AM. As a result, new solutions are being developed, taking into account the following factors: the further optimisation of a reliable process, productivity increase and reduced costs per part, together with offering new features as well as materials.

Putting AM To The Test In a bid to develop a system that will stand up to the rigours of series production, the laser in the www.equipment-news.com

SHOPTALK and represents a revolution in series production. Now, larger high performance components can be created using AM and these,

at the same time, produced in larger quantities.”

Enquiry No. 3102 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Metal AM Technology In Asia In Asia, the growth of metal AM technology is particularly driven by the growing demand in the aerospace and the tooling industries. The move of AM towards production has also generated more metal applications than in the past.

EOS is expecting this trend to continue. In 2013, the market share of its Asian market was at about 18 percent of the company’s worldwide customer base. The figure is projected to grow over the next few years as the Asian markets are starting to embrace the technology. As far as the company is concerned, the aerospace, tooling and automotive industries are the ones that are emerging at the fastest rate in Asia.

Worldwide and in this region, all of the company’s systems and materials were predominantly used in prototyping until recently. Yet at the same time, the technology was used by the most innovative companies in the world who saw the potential for AM as a serious production tool.

Among them was GE who some years ago started to take a closer look at metal AM for production. This resulted in a paradigm shift for all parties involved as for the first time, a business model that could become larger than the companies providing the machinery was created.

Enquiry No. 3103 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

ENQUIRY NO 054

EOS M 400 has a performance of up to 1,000 watts. It allows the use of new materials that require more powerful lasers. Additionally, the filter from the air filtration system is automatically cleaned and has a longer use-life.

I n t e r m s o f u s a b i l i t y, a touchscreen user interface simplifie s operation of t he system. In addition, the complete handling has been optimised along with improved monitoring and reporting functions.

Sharing his experience in witnessing metal AM’s foray into series production, Carl Brancher, CEO at Materials Solutions, a UK based company that supplies additive layer manufacturing parts says: “The EOS M 400 enables the production of series components rather than just the simpler manufacture of functional models.

The metal process is scalable

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April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

41

DESIGN & MEASUREMENT

A Controlled

Facelift A CNC upgrade gives a new lease of life to a line of highvolume centreless grinding machines that are still being used by thousands today.

By Steve Moore, UK sales manager for NUM

S

ometime s, vetera n machine s ca n be a s good as new with an upgrade, and it makes sense too, especially when there are many still in service. Giving their Cincinnati 2-OM family of centreless grinder machines a dash of modern CNC technology, grinding specialist RefreshEng has managed to come up a reengineered version of their centreless grinder.

With CNC vendor NUM’s Flexium CNC kernel, together with other software development support, the centreless grinder machines are said to possess the same kind of automated and precision machining available on modern grinders.

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The upgrades have t ra n sfor me d t he machine s’ original hydraulic- and mechanical-dressing architecture (with its fixed camand-stylus control) to a CNC software-based system with up to seven axes of servomotorbased motion, depending on customer choices.

Automatic Production The re - engineered machines come at a cost that is some 60 percent lower than a new machine and are targeted at centreless grinding applications in the aerospace industry. They are also bundled with an applicationspecific software to automate the

production of countersink, buttonhead and relief style fasteners used in aviation fuselage and engine production.

In terms of operation, NUM’s operating software employs dialog boxes to simplify programming — allowing new grinding profiles to be created in less than a minute.

The operator simply populates data fields on a sequence of screens, which include graphical representations of the fastener style selected, and the profile is automatica lly generated.

Parts can then be produced automatically, with the machine’s software also automatically performing housekeeping tasks such as dressing the wheel. www.equipment-news.com

DESIGN&MEASUREMENT A re-engineered machine targeted at centreless grinding applications in the aerospace industry has been produced with the help of CNC hardware and software.

fitted with absolute encoders. The seven axes controlled by the CNC, depending on the machine model, are control wheel-infeed, -traverse and -rotation, dresser-infeed and -traverse, backstop and spindle lateral adjust.

“The Flexium upgrade we’ve

Enquiry No. 3201 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

ENQUIRY NO 064

Hardware The hardware upgrade is based on the Flexium 68 CNC kernel.

It includes an FS152i touchscreen HMI, a machine panel with handwheel for operator programming and control, MDLU3 drives, and BPX servomotors

devised provides an economic CNC solution that brings the 2- OM ra nge of machines up to date in terms of precision, programming flexibility and automation — boosting productiv it y substa ntia lly,” says Damian Clements, CEO of RefreshEng. “Capital investment cost is reduced by such a large margin compared with a new machine that payback can be as short as a few months — which is critical for many of the manufacturers i n t h i s h i g h l y co mp e t it i ve sector. The new machine also automates all aspects of the centreless grinding process, eliminating any need for manual interventions such as loading and hand finishing, to deliver a much higher level of safety.”

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April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

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DESIGN&MEASUREMENT

Delivering A Clearer Picture

A CNC interface has the ability to paint a clearer picture for machine operators. By Dipl Eng Engelhard Tobisch, product manager Sinumerik, Siemens AG (Industry Sector)

W

ith Sinumerik Operate, a CNC user interface, it is now possible for users to operate their complex machining centres, including multitasking machines, with even more clarity.

Along with the capability to present 3D simulation in high resolution, the developers have also extended their control with several operations, including 3D collision monitoring.

Just 10 years ago, many CNC experts were convinced that the significance of the operator panels on the machine tool will decrease. The reason for thinking so is because essential computerbased preparatory activities such as the creation of programs are completed at external workstations, so the only thing that remains to be done at the machine is to load the material and press the start button.

This is particularly accurate in the case of flexible job shop operations.

However, this vision has not come true at all.

Comfort Zone Continuous product changes mean that short response times are absolutely essential for small a nd medium - sized contract

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ma nufacturers. It therefore makes sense to write the program directly on the machine tool so that it can immediately be set up and the manufacturing process started immediately. For providers of CNC technologies, it is imperative to configure the design to make work as comfortable and pleasant as possible for machine programmers and operators.

According to Siemens, Sinumerik Operate meets these requirements. The company’s application engineer Wolfgang Reicha r t e x pla ins: “ We a re now used to using progressive inter face s, on ou r laptops, smartphones or tablets. No one wants to go back to the eighties’ style of working. With Sinumerik Operate, all our users stay in the more comfortable here and now.”

Tool Management Heav y duty CNC processors form an important base for an optimum production run. This allows representation of programs of complex multitasking machines as real 3D simulation in high resolution. An additional advantage is that tool management can be integrated in turning-milling as well as in milling lathes and turning

centres. All milling and turning tools including multi-tools can be placed on one side of the screen.

Icons make it easier for the operator to capture all relevant data and assign them correctly.

Furthermore, various innovative cycles are available in the CNC user interface. Mr Reichart cites one example: “Using the Program Guide, all the technology cycles for turning can now also be used in the milling lathes — from contour turning and recess turning right up to Cycle800 that facilitates the setting of the turning tools. For milling profiles, it is particularly useful to have the cutting positions of the turning tools taken into consideration and shown on the correct plane.”

Another feature highlighted

by Mr Reichart is 3D Collision Avoidance. It operates reliably with the B axis even in complex five axis simultaneous milling or turning.

It prevents moving parts such as tools and their cutting edges from colliding with static machine components. The CNC screen can constantly display all machining steps in three dimensions for the operator’s convenience.

Enquiry No. 3202 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 050

FABRICATOR'S NOTE Solid-State Laser:

A Bright Idea Adding versatility and the ability to produce better parts to a fibre laser cutting machine have made it competent in cutting both thick and thin sheet metal while producing a level of quality that was difficult to achieve in the past. By Joson Ng

M

aking solid-state lasers more versatile than before is the B r i g h t L i n e f i b e r.

Trumpf claims this technology allows the changing from thin to thick sheet processing on one machine, depending on the job requirement. With this newfound versatility, the technology has enabled the TruLaser 5030 fiber to cut stainless steel up to 25 mm thick with its 5 kW laser, at a quality that was difficult to match when compared to previous technologies.

Although the same machine with solid-state laser was previously capable of cutting stainless steel up to 20 mm thick and mild steel up to 25 mm thick, burring and uneven cutting surfaces ensued when it encountered higher material strengths.

These imperfections came about due to fluctuations in material quality (when cutting thick mild steel) and could lead to poorly executed cuts or cutting tears. The technology is said to

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be able to reduce burring and the roughness values of the cut edge and increases process reliability when cutting mild steel.

Currently, this technology is not available in Southeast Asia but it is garnering a certain amount of attention. Francesco De Bonis, regional sales manager (Asia Pacific Machine Tool Division) of Trumpf told APMEN that the technology will be released in this region before the end of 2014.

Judging from the responses during its launch in Europe, there will be a certain level of interest here.

“We showed this technology for the first time in November (2013) in Germany at an exhibition. We had a couple of delegations from Southeast Asia at that time. The feedback was quite positive,” he said.

Opening Up New Opportunities Technologies evolve over time and it is inevitable that they will reach their limit eventually, be it in productivity or other

areas. For a job shop facing this problem, particularly in stainless steel processing, it is high time for a change in order to move up a level in terms of quality. This may even open the door to new opportunities.

“Even when working with thicker materials, BrightLine fiber reduces the formation of burrs while smoothing the cutting edge. At the same time, process stability rises when cutting mild steel,” said Martin Krämer, owner of Krämer Brennteile and user of the technology.

Using his 5 kW Tr uDisk Laser, he is able to cut stainless steel up to 25 mm thick while retaining a good quality. Cutting aluminium of the same thickness is also possible. For him, the universal nature of the machine has opened up potential business opportunities for him. In fact, he has successfully completed his first orders for brass parts by utilising the option of using nitrogen to cut copper without the formation of oxide. www.equipment-news.com

FABRICATOR'SNOTE

Mr Kr채mer uses the technology to achieve unrestricted flexibility demanded by the market.

minimum contour diameters of 1 mm when cutting stainless steel that is 12 mm in thickness.

The technology also facilitates the removal of parts, making

them easier to extract from the scrap skeleton. This saves time during manual unloading and increases process reliability during automated unloading.

ENQUIRY NO 052

In addition, the technology allows particularly small holes and contours to be cut in thick stainless steel, as well as increasing the quality and productivity in the processing of mild steel between 15 and 25 mm in thickness. In short, his all-purpose solid-state laser machine can process all common material types and thicknesses in good quality.

Used in conjunction with the technology, a new multi-stage piercing process offers additional advantages when cutting stainless steel. It prevents slag from forming when the laser beam pierces the sheet. This means that the machine no longer has to give the piercing site a wide berth and can execute even finer contours than have been possible to date.

For example, this enables the TruLaser 5030 fiber to attain

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FABRICATOR'SNOTE

Mr De Bonis believes flexibility is very important for contract manufacturers in this region.

The multi-stage piercing p ro c e s s h a s a l s o l a i d t h e foundation for a new service being offered by Mr Krämer.

As the laser can cut the small mounting holes needed at exactly the desired spot, in thick or thin sheet metal, customers are frequently asking him to deliver parts incorporating threads.

All in all, he reported that his output has increased by a factor of four to five when compared with the TruLaser 1030. The rise is even more significant when working with thinner sheet metal.

“BrightLine fiber has pushed back the physical limits that formerly prevailed. That makes the TruLaser 5030 fiber a real all-purpose machine. That helps us — as a job shop — to achieve the unlimited flexibility that the market requires,” he said.

This flexibility is also going to be a big differentiator in the Southeast Asian market. “The majority of our customers (in Southeast Asia) operate job shops. They do not manufacture their own products,” said Mr De Bonis. He remarked that 48

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With the new technology, the machine can now cut stainless steel up to 25mm thick.

customers belonging to that group cannot afford to not have flexibility as requirements can change drastically over a short space of time.

“You never know which kind of order you have tomorrow.

Today you cut thin mild steel, tomorrow you get job orders to cut thin stainless steel, aluminium and copper. You need a flexible machine,” he said.

Apart from flexibility, the technology features a higher l e v e l o f p ro c e s s s t a b i l i t y.

Previously, small holes that could only be drilled can now be cut with a laser. This option can be used to reduce the cutting time for complex parts. In terms of piercing, the technology enables no spatter even with the smallest of piercing holes.

Making Its Mark In History Solid-State Laser or SSL has come a long way. In 1993, way before the development of the current fibre laser technology, the first demonstration of a new laser medium known as Yb:YAG in the form of a very thin disk took place, according to Francis

Lee, GM of Trumpf Malaysia.

That ushered in the era of a new type of solid state laser, where it is now easy to scale power by increasing the diameter of the pump source (diode).

Back at EuroBlech 2010, the launch of the TruLaser 5030 fiber powered by the SSL Disk was introduced to the market.

The combination of knowledge and proven track record from CO2 laser cutting ensured that SSL laser cutting was quickly recognised by the market.

Fast for ward to the present, the BrightLine fiber technology may prove to be another important milestone in the development of laser cutting technology. The region of Southeast Asia will also benefit from it, albeit at a later date.

“This market (Southeast Asia) is growing, the customers are developing their business and their production. Tolerances are decreasing and requirements are increasing. Due to that, the technology has potential in the future,” concluded Mr De Bonis.

Enquiry No. 3301 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 053

FABRICATOR'SNOTE

Fibre Laser

Reaching Out Bystronic

To Medium Sheet Thicknesses

We see how fibre laser cutting technology is a meaningful extension to existing CO2 laser cutting systems. By Oliver Hergt, editor corporate communications, Bystronic Group

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he fibre laser's range of applications is rapidly expanding. Until recently, cutting systems with fibre lasers were used primarily in the thin sheet metal range, because in sheet thicknesses above 8 mm, the advantages of CO2 laser systems prevailed. Now this is changing. Other solutions are said to significantly improve t he cut t ing cha rac ter ist ic s and overall efficiency of the fibre laser right through to the medium sheet thicknesses.

Sheet metalworking machine tool builder Bystronic says their fibre laser cutting machine BySprint Fiber (4 kW version) is now more economical than a CO2 laser system in the thin and medium range of sheet thicknesses. They are basing their claim on the account that the fibre laser system has better energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs.

With an energy efficiency gain of approximately 30 percent, the fibre laser is more efficient than a CO2

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laser. Overall, this results in a lower energy consumption. For many users, this is the main advantage of the fibre laser.

In addition, the fibre laser cutting system's resonator is virtually maintenance-free and does not require any laser gas at all. Elaborate and high-maintenance deflection optics in the beam path are eliminated in the machine, because the laser beam is guided to the cutting head via fibre optics.

As a result, the users benefit from long operating times and long maintenance intervals. In addition, the machine is said to achieve almost comparable cutting speeds to a CO2 laser, right into the medium sheet thicknesses segment.

Monitoring The Cutting Process Although the fibre laser machine is outshining its CO2 counterpart, there are pertinent technologies that are derived from CO2 laser systems in the first place. For instance, BySprint Fiber with 3 kW and above has a technology

called Cut Control function that is already established in the company’s CO 2 laser cutting systems.

The function supposedly improves the monitoring of the cutting process and enables precise edge detection. Edge detection enables the position of a loaded metal sheet to be determined precisely. This results in an optimal degree of utilisation, particularly with long and straight cuts that run close to the edge of the metal sheet.

Fast Changes & Large Working Area The automatic nozzle changer is another function available on the fibre laser cutting machine, which has already proven itself on CO2 laser cutting systems.

With the nozzle changer, the operator no longer has to think about which cutting nozzle is correct, because the machine automatically fetches the optimum nozzle from one of a total of 40 magazine stations. With the nozzle change that takes 15 seconds, this is faster than a manual change and increases process reliability.

In addition to the standard 3015 format, the fibre laser is also available in the 4020 large format with a working area of 4 by 2 m.

Large formats are useful for large metal sheets, where more cut parts can be placed and nested even more efficiently. In addition, with the increased volume of parts per metal sheet, the period during which the machine is able to cut without interruptions is increased. Therefore, the nonproductive time decreases and the parts output increases.

Overall, the fibre laser is a meaningful extension to existing CO2 laser cutting systems. Its special characteristics make it predestined for certain fields of applications in the thin to medium range of sheet thicknesses.

Enquiry No. 3302 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 038

INDUSTRY FOCUS

Traditional Beliefs Vs Modern Thinking In The Die & Mould Industry

Doron Cohen, Iscar’s die & mold industry manager shares what’s new in the traditional world of die & mould making.

I

n many cases, the key people in some enterprises view mould or die making as a process that does not belong to mass production. As a result, they feel there is no pressure to improve tooling or change technology, as parts are different from one another.

In fact, one of the ways to analyse a mould shop’s level of technology is to have a look at their machining methods and tools because many of the die and mould producers and common mould shops tend to develop a sense of loyalty to their old instruments.

Although their mindsets can be seen as archaic, the common mould maker is very qualified and skilled.

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They are able to utilising a wide variety of techniques, including metal removal, metallurgy, polymers, plastic flow, EDM and wire cut technology.

A Cause For Change Die and mould machining can be done with a wide range of cutting tools. They are selected and optimised in accordance to the process chain, process step specifications, final required geometr y, surface integrity, workpiece material and its properties, machine tool specifications as well as environmental conditions.

Despite the plethora of cutting

tools available in the market today, a common mould shop will still use standard round-shaped milling inserts for rough milling applications, standard ISO turn inserts for rough turning on a lathe, and the HSS drill or tap.

In these shops, it is widely believed that there is only a specific hole to drill and only one or two threads to tap, making the purchase of new tools a process that results in higher cost as the savings are considered to be small in relation to time.

However, in reality, there is a huge difference between shops who remained the same and shops that adopt new technology. Also, adopting new tools along with the new machines and toolpath technologies will definitely make a difference in the long run.

Rough Milling With Round Inserts For rough milling of a mould cavity or a core, there used to be a school of thought that sees no alternatives for the standard round insert geometry. Methods that use either an endmill (shank adaptation) or a shell mill (screw and two keyways) with round inserts are well-known and still widely used.

T h e re a re m a n y m i l l i n g application which are applicable to this type of tooling such as face milling, shoulder milling, and linear and circular ramp milling. This, in addition to relatively low prices for the cutting inserts, is the main reason for the wide use of the round inserts or tools.

This notion may no longer be accurate. By optimising the common roughing technology through looking at each parameter or application at the whole milling process, it is found that new cutting technologies, tools and methods can change how things were made in the past.

When approaching the metal it mills, the round-shaped insert creates different approach angles www.equipment-news.com

INDUSTRYFOCUS Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 4 Figure 5

Figure 3: Specially shaped clamping face prevents movement even under extremely high loads

at each depth of cut. Basically, there is a need to change the machining parameters for each depth.

A common method adopted by mould shops is to apply certain consistent machining parameters for all mould parts using the same tool — a fact that is maybe easy and safe for the shop employees, but this serves to limit productivity and efficient machining.

Iscar has developed a milling line, Helido H600, which enables mould shops to expedite the time on the machine for each part. The approach angle is a linear constant 17 or 30 deg (figures 1 and 2) for Fast Feed (FF) or Medium Feed (MF) implementation. For each depth of cut applied, the same machining parameters can be used. In addition, they provide very high metal removal rate and machining efficiency.

Rough Turning With ISO Standard Inserts Another example where modern technology has helped improve an age old process can be found www.equipment-news.com

Figure 6

in the rough turning process using ISO standard inserts. For several decades, using the ISO standard turning inserts was the only turning method in the market for lathe products. In fact, the negative-shaped doublesided insert for medium to rough turning was quite popular.

Rough turning was commonly done with a diamond (80 deg) shaped insert, while clamped with a lever-clamping mechanism. Under heavy loads, micro lifts at the back of the insert occur and create micro chipping and breakage.

To mitigate this problem, a top clamping mechanism is used, but only for light depth of cuts; due to the fact that large chips are rubbing the top arm which clamps the insert.

A cutting tool manufacturer has designed and developed a diamond and trigon-shaped turning line of tools and inserts called Dove IQ Turn (figure 3), where at the clamping face are dovetailed prisms (figures 4 & 5), which prevent movement even under extremely

high loads. This results in longer tool life (figure 6). Technology adopters have readily bought the new idea of non-ISO inserts and toolholders, but it remains to be seen if the common mould shop will follow suit.

Conclusion The world of metalworking is constantly evolving with the introduction of new machines, tool path software and cutting tools.

Adopting the new technologies and having an open mind to test them will bring innovative solutions and ideas to the common, relatively old-fashioned mould shop.

It will benefit them to come to the conclusion that the development of new cutting tools combined with the various machining processes and the complete process chain is essential for higher productivity and improved performance in the manufacturing of dies and moulds.

Enquiry No. 3401 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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INDUSTRYFOCUS

Adopting

Dynamic Machining Strategies We take a look at how radial chip thinning, advanced carbide cutting tools and dynamic milling strategies are dramatically improving CNC machining productivity.

By David Conigliaro, MasterCAM mill product manager, CNC Software

Radial Chip Thinning: As stepovers become less than 50 percent of the cutting tool’s width, progressively higher feed rates are needed to maintain targeted chip thickness and heat removal.

M

achinists and those who own or operate machine shops are understandably reluctant to alter their machining strategies when the old ones have proven to be reliable over long periods of time. This is particularly the case when the new strategy they are being asked to consider defies common sense and seems risky.

However, some shops have made this change by adopting new dynamic machining strategies that leverage recent brea k throughs in ca rbide tooling combined with CA M software to fully take advantage of a phenomenon known as RCT (Radial Chip Thinning).

They can compete effectively and profitably with quotes that other shops would consider selfdestructive because production volumes are higher, tool wear is far less, yet no additional equipment or manpower is required.

What Is Radial Chip Thinning?

RCT is a phenomenon that has been well understood for decades.

It is the simple observation that:

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• When the stepover is 50 percent of the tool's width or greater, the width of chips being removed at any speed remains constant.

• H owe ve r, w he n t he s te p over is less than 50 percent, the chip w idth become s progressively smaller as the stepover decreases.

Why is it important to know this? Because most of the heat generated in the tool and the steel part is removed, not by coolant, but by the chips. If you decide (for good reasons) to use stepovers smaller than 50 percent, you will need to run at a faster feed rate to get the chip thickness back up to target. If you are not cutting at the targeted chip thickness, your heat management will be off because the chips do not have the mass needed to retain the heat, pull it away from the tool and the part and into the chip pile.

Here is one practical application of this knowledge: Say you are programming a part to run at 35 in/min at a 50 percent stepover, but the tool may be long or the material very tough,

so you decide to run a little bit lighter on the tool by reducing the stepover to 30 or 40 percent.

To compensate for the thinning effect, you should look up and set a higher feed rate, using tables readily available on the Internet*.

This will produce two benefits — you will cut the part a little faster and these settings will do a better job of managing the heat. A far more important and game changing application of this knowledge is the use of dynamic machining strategies to improve productivity and reduce tooling wear and costs.

Convergence Of Technologies Improvements to cutting tools and CAM software now make the RCT phenomenon more useful to those wishing to cut steel at far higher rates.

1. New Carbide Tools During the past five years, the latest generation of carbide cutting tools for cutting steel have made enormous strides in terms of cutting efficiency, durability and vibration reduction: • N e w c a r b i d e m a te r i a l s www.equipment-news.com

INDUSTRYFOCUS incorporating better grades of carbide, with smaller grains secured w ithin superior bonding matrices are tougher and cut better.

• Advanced coatings allow t h e to o l s to c u t m o r e efficiently while resisting heat degradation.

• New variable pitch cutting tool geometries eliminate harmonics that used to cause vibration and chatter on hard materials as speeds increased.

Now at high production rates these tools make a pleasant hu m, in ste ad of a n e a r splitting moan.

Ironically, these tools need to operate at higher temperatures (in the range of 700 to 900 deg F or 371 to 482 deg C) for coatings to protect the tools effectively and to improve cutting performance.

Heat is no longer the enemy. At high temperatures, steel softens and cutters, operating at higher speeds and smaller stepovers, slice the material almost as if it were butter.

2. Dynamic Machining Strategies At the same time cutting tool vendors were making major leaps forward in cutting tool performance and durability, CAM software developers were creating equally impressive machining strategies that made it possible for shops to operate at dramatically reduced machine cycles with reduced wear and tear on tools and equipment in a wide variety of circumstances.

Dynamic machining CAM technology is based on an everexpanding set of material aware toolpath algorithms that are capable of compensating for the actual condition of the material at each stage of the machining process. The introduction of these algorithms marked the www.equipment-news.com

Traditional Cutting: Chips are the primary means of heat removal. Traditional cutting yields larger chips with good heat removal capacity at stepovers of 50 percent of the tools width or greater.

onset of a radically new type of CNC machining in which the toolpath itself would be expected to behave intelligently by following an expansive set of rules that include: • Minimal stepovers to avoid e xce ssive latera l force s and allow for more efficient heat removal.

• Smooth motions (eg: trachoids) that alleviate stresses on tools and the machine.

• H i g h s p i n d l e s p e e d s , if available.

• M a x i m a l f l u t e l e n g t h engagement for the deepest, most efficient cuts possible.

• Continual material engagement (climb milling) to minimise air cutting.

• Dynamic adjustments of feeds, speeds and stepovers to keep tool load constant.

• Intelligent entry strategies p r e s e n t i n g t h e to o l to the material at the most effective angle.

• Material awareness so the cutter cannot be buried and will not travel to a new location until material in the tool's current vicinity has been cleaned up.

• Micro-lifts away from walls and the part's floor so that heat does not build up when cutting speeds are being adjusted during dwells.

With all of the intelligence embedded within the dynamic machining process, it frequently happens that one toolpath may do all of the work that used to take three — roughing, cleanup and finishing.

Increasing Cutting Efficiency Now comes the interesting part for those who want to boost their CNC manufacturing productivity: • If you use the new tools (which actually cost less on a per piece basis), you can achieve incremental improvements in machining productivity — enough to achieve a fast payback on the carbide tools and more.

• If you use dynamic machining strategies without the advanced carbide tools, you will also achieve incremental improvements.

• Using both together, it is often possible to attain one or more step increases in productivity.

The difference is that dynamic milling technology allows advanced tools to cut safely at higher speeds.

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INDUSTRYFOCUS Dynamic Motion Technology adjusts approaches, feeds and speeds based on the material conditions ahead of the tool to maintain a constant chip load. This makes it possible to take advantage of the RCT phenomenon at stepovers smaller than 50 percent of the tool width to achieve increases in both cutting tool efficiencies and tool life.

behind the effective applications of higher speeds in CNC machining.

However, a simple analogy will make obvious the difference speed makes when it comes to cutting: Two Samurai swordsmen are at a picnic and each is asked to cut a watermelon. One puts the watermelon on the ground, places his blade along the melon's centre and leans down with all his weight to accomplish the deed after a few seconds.

At the same starting point, the other throws the melon in the air, takes a lighting fast swipe at it with a similar sword and in the blink of an eye, the watermelon halves fall to the ground. Before the first Samurai has finished his task, the other has already wiped his sword and put it back in its sheath.

That is the difference the phenomenon of speed makes.

When you pair advanced carbide cutting tools with dy na mic machining strategies, it is possible to leverage the phenomenon of speed to achieve substantial tool steel cutting productivity gains — frequently 30 to 200 percent and sometimes far more.

The Cutting Edge...

Literally & Figuratively There are few manufacturers that do not obtain impressive p ro du c t i v i t y i mp rov e m e n t 56

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by employing advanced cutting tools w ith dy na mic machining strategies.

Such productivity improvements frequently cost nothing to implement because the cost of the tool per part is low and the dynamic machining technology may already be an option in the CA M software they currently own. Of course advanced tools and dynamic machining strategies do not apply to every machining application.

For example, they should not be used with alloys, at least not yet. They also provide little value for cutting softer materials like

aluminium or plastic. However, the potential benefits of these technologies may make it possible for shops to be far more profitable with the work they have and compete more effectively for high quality work that other shops seem to be underbidding on. It does not take much to explore the potential of these technologies.

Consult with a trusted tool ve n do r a n d C A M s o f t w a re vendor a nd a sk for their recommendations and help with your potential applications.

The good news is that the new tools and dynamic machining strategies are both literally and figuratively ‘cutting edge’ technologies. Only a small number of shops have implemented them to date, even though they are certainly the wave of the future.

Being an early adopter of what everybody else will eventually be using could have tremendous competitive advantages.

Note: *The factor for taking best advantage at a given conventional feed rate and stepover is available on the Internet. Multiply this times the conventional feed rate to get the optimised feed rate for when the stepover is more than 50 percent.

(Conventional feed rate) x (RCT factor) = (RCT optimised feed rate).

Tool vendors are also beginning to work with CAM suppliers to incorporate these factors into the software’s tool library.

Enquiry No. 3402 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Case Study A cutting tool vendor and a CAM software developer visited a tool & die shop's mould plate manufacturing cell. It was taking them 70 minutes to cut single pockets A and B mould plates using a conventional insert cutter, aggressive but shallow cuts with a conventional insert tool.

There were six plates per job and the plates were stacked up all around the machine waiting to be cut. During a single shift they could complete one job. Next, the visitors used the same cutting parameters but exchanged the conventional insert for good quality carbide tool.

After that, they were cutting a plate in 45 minutes — a 36 percent machine cycle improvement. Once more the visitors exchanged tools — this time using a variable pitch carbide cutter in conjunction with dynamic machining toolpaths with feed rates calculated to take advantage of radial chip thinning. This made it possible to cut one plate every 12 minutes. Production in the cell went from 0.86 plates an hour to five plates an hour — a 580 percent improvement.

The only downside many shops find with these high productivity rates is that conveyors can no longer remove chips fast enough to keep pace with their accumulation.

Enquiry No. 3403 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 033

INDUSTRYFOCUS

Staying Ahead With Modern Manufacturing

Why rely on physical prototyping when digital prototyping solutions are available to make the manufacturing process more agile? By Chris Lee, regional industry manager (Manufacturing), Autodesk ASEAN

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ig ita l protot y ping solutions and cloudbased integrated systems are pointing the way forward, all the more so with the emergence of cloud. While the concept of digital prototyping is not new, its adoption has been inhibited by its high cost and a lack of compelling events to motivate organisations to change. Many times companies only realise a need to change when it is late in the game or when deals are lost.

However, with the emergence of cloud, digital prototyping solutions that are scalable and work on a pay-as-you-go model are now available. Also, with increasing regional and global competition, there is a real imperative now more than ever to adopt digital prototyping.

Digital Prototyping Digital prototyping solutions allow the various teams involved in the manufacturing process to work on a single system and format to develop a single digital model. This minimises instances of incompatibility that typically exist between the conceptual design, engineering and manufacturing teams.

A single digital model ensures seamless data collaboration and simulates the complete product, giving engineers the ability to better design, visualise, and simulate their product with less reliance on costly physical prototypes — thereby improving

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time-to-market, and increasing competitive advantage.

T h e d i g i t a l p ro to t y p i n g solutions available today are one-stop shops. Such software facilitates a two-way flow of data and information between the teams working in different stages.

Having a single digital model also ensures that everyone is using the same up-to-date information

throughout the different stages, which helps to improve speed and accuracy of communication and collaboration.

Cloud-Based Integrated Systems Traditionally, digital prototyping solutions were costly and better suited for large scale projects and processes. But the emergence of cloud has led to more costeffective, scalable options for digital prototyping, making it a more viable approach today.

Access to infinite computing power through faster multicore and embedded processors are combining with cloud-based innovations to increase the capabilities and expand the boundaries of CAD/CAM software far beyond the origins of its traditional work envelope.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN)

Digital prototyping solutions have helped the company achieve 90 percent design accuracy at a speed that was up to 50 percent faster

TMMIN

TMMIN is an automotive company in Indonesia. In 2012, the company faced several issues creating Class A surfaces (a term used in automotive design to describe a set of freeform surfaces). This included achieving the speed and accuracy required to finish the design, as well as the time-intensive efforts of synchronising surface models in CAD with clay model and arriving at a high quality rendering. These issues took a toll on both operating costs and time-to-market for the company.

As a result, the company turned to digital prototyping solutions (Autodesk’s Product Design Suite and Alias Automotive) to address these issues. This move helped the company achieve 90 percent design accuracy at a speed that was up to 50 percent faster than it was before the implementation of the solution. Overall, the development lead time for creating Class A surfaces was reduced by 35 percent.

“At Toyota, design strategy plays a very integral role and it is important for us to use the best design software in our designing and manufacturing process. At the same time, to stay competitive, it is critical for us to manage operating cost and time to market. With the proper software, we have been able to bridge these goals and optimise our overall project delivery,” said Rudi Budiman, styling design chief, TMMIN.

Enquiry No. 3404 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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INDUSTRYFOCUS Shops are hard pressed to keep up with all of the competitive advances in machining alone.

Each day results in a new tool path creation, a new machining simulation on a part, a new program that performs more simultaneous operations than ever before in one machine setup — all of which are accessible and can be monitored from anywhere through new mobile applications.

This is the magic that the cloud brings to enterprises. Cloudbased design technology offers more than just storage, it offers a single platform for collaboration — a point of access for everything de sig ners, eng ineers, a nd manufacturers need to get their jobs done from anywhere, at any time, from any device. The actual game-changing element of cloudbased technologies comes from leveraging it to target a set of pervasive customer challenges and workflows.

These previously challenging work f lows a re now made possible through cloud-based platforms that help improve the way users design, visualise, simulate, and share work with others anytime, anywhere.

Distributed Manufacturing In The Horizon With improved cloud-based CAD/ CAM solutions facilitating radical changes in manufacturing and supply chain processes, nearly anyone with an idea can turn concepts into reality overnight and scale globally.

Ma nu facturers now have the access to the technology and solutions that will enable them to innovate, to produce more efficiently without compromising on quality, and to opt imise proce sse s t hat will give them a competitive advantage in the market. These embody the agile manufacturing philosophy, which we will see more manufacturers adopting. www.equipment-news.com

As a result, we are looking at a future where manufacturers are geared towards differentiated goto-market and customer-oriented output in order to set themselves apart from the competition.

This will translate to a more distributed manufacturing model, with manufacturers customising products based on the markets they serve.

We foresee an exciting time for global manufacturing ahead — for both mature and emerging markets which will be driven by shifts in demand and by innovations in materials, processes, information technology and operations. In

mature markets, manufacturing will continue to drive innovation, exports and productivity growth.

While for emerging economies, manufacturing will continue to play a greater role as these ma rkets a re source of new customers, innovation and lowcost production.

There is no better time than now to start preparing a smart plan of attack for this change. In the box stories, we take a look at how manufacturers in Asia Pacific have successfully adopted the agile manufacturing approach.

Enquiry No. 3405 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) KHI

A manufacturer in the region that has benefitted from the agile manufacturing approach is KHI. Headquartered in Japan, the company is a manufacturer in several industries including: transportation, aerospace equipment, rolling stock, shipbuilding, energy plants and facilities, as well as industrial equipment.

Recently, the company has shifted its focus to meet the growing demand in China and India for industrial automation. The company is also expanding its capacity to provide industrial robots in order to meet the need for automation in a variety of new fields, as well as in more traditional sectors such as automotive, semiconductor and solar panel production.

This has led the company to buy into the agile manufacturing approach by adopting AutoCAD Electrical for designing, creating and producing electrical systems and circuits.

This enabled them to establish a more efficient design workflow for higher productivity, while continuing to expand its industrial robot business on a global scale.

The software enabled the builder to process multiple drawings simultaneously and consistently. Drawings for electrical control design could also be efficiently produced through capabilities such as component and circuit transferability and automatic circuit generation. This reduced the time required to create drawings by up to 80 percent. To top it off, the solution automatically generated reports for KHI, helping to eliminate interference and duplication in drawings and streamline works for component aggregation.

According to Yasuhiko Hashimoto, GM of the Robot Division at KHI, this shift in approach has facilitated the company’s efforts for global expansion. “To enhance our competitiveness, using AutoCAD Electrical and AutoCAD Mechanical design software helped us achieve greater efficiency and productivity in our design work,” he said.

Enquiry No. 3406 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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GetWith Tough Dies Using a laser to alloy surfaces of forming dies with filler material can make them more robust and resistant to wear. By Dipl Kfm Martin Bock, manager (business unit tool and die making), Fraunhofer

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eep drawing, a forming process used by the automotive industry to form vehicle body parts into the requisite shape, may look smooth and delicate on the outside but it actually puts enormous strain on dies. The high pressure generated during the pressing operation, especially at the die shoulders, results in wear. Dies therefore have to be maintained regularly and even replaced in extreme cases in order to ensure proper function.

T he se ma intena nce or stoppages, although necessary, are expensive because manufacturing machines can be standing idle for up to an hour. To compound the problem, pressing dies are costly, one-of-a-kind items made from special raw materials. Even dies just a few centimeters in size can cost up to â‚Ź600 (US$811).

Laser To The Rescue What manufacturers need are

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processes that increase the lifetime of dies and reduce setup times. One such method is laser metal deposition. A laser beam carefully melts the surface of the die and the filler materia l to produce a loca l layer that guards against wear on the die surface. This process increases the robustness and resilience of the stainless steel die at critical points. The laser beam treatment is completed in fractions of a second.

What has been lacking until now, however, is a universal, reproducible process for practical industrial use. This deficiency ha s now been remedied by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technolog y IP T together with the tool maker MĂźhlhoff Umformtechnik and further partners in a joint project.

Increase Lifetime By 150 Percent Researchers rebuilt a conventional

five-axis milling machine so that it could be used to alloy form dies automatically via laser.

The machine can be embedded into the current manufacturing process and increases the lifetime of dies by over 150 percent. The new process also improves the quality of components and makes it possible to plan set-up times with greater precision, as practical tests carried out have shown.

In addition to the laser metal deposition machine, another key part of the system is the integrated CAx software (CA = computer-aided). This software allows all the requisite laser surface treatment processes to be controlled in a clear, reproducible manner. All necessary process parameters are transmitted to the machine without the need for any interface. Processes can be simulated in detail and optimised in advance of actual processing operations.

Enquiry No. 3407 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 006

FEATURES

C

ompanies are coming to this market,” said Dr Ing Luigi Galdabini, president of UCIMU Sistemi Per Produrre a s he explained Italian companies’ recent activities in Southeast Asia at a business matching workshop in Singapore.

From January to September la st ye a r, fig u re s from t he association showed that ASEAN market volume increased by 16.9 percent when compared to 2012.

This trend looks set to continue as Dr Galdabini has said that Italian companies would like to improve their position in the ASEAN market with offerings, which he added are “the right products for this market.”

According to him, Italy has been exporting machine tools actively over the years. As a matter of fact, he revealed that more than 75 percent of the country’s output is exported to all corners of the globe, cementing the country’s position as the third largest exporter of machine tools in the world.

Currently, Italian machine tool builders’ activities in Asia largely centre around China and they have been fairly successful.

“One in every six machines that go to China is an Italian machine,” he said.

This is a significant amount given that the country’s total machine tool output in 2013 was almost €5 billion (US$6.85 billion).

However, as the fourth largest producer of machine tools in the world, they believe they can do better in Asia and have targeted Southeast Asia as their next port of call as they muster resources to make a big push in the next few years.

Eye On Indonesia In order to have a meaningful presence in this region, companies have to cater to local needs. According to Dr Galdabini,

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Italy Takes Aim At Southeast Asia

Not satisfied with their endeavours in China, Italian machine builders are now casting their sights on Southeast Asia. By Joson Ng Italian builders are primed for such endeavours.

He said: “Italian (companies) are very good in making special solutions with high technology.

In Italy, companies specialise in niche programs. We use the same technology as the Japanese and Germans but tune the solutions for you. Our culture is that we are very good in manufacturing, particularly in small batches, or even unique pieces.”

He added that they usually target to position themselves in the medium to the high end spectrum of the industry but with the ability to offer special solutions.

Before the event in Singapore, the compa nie s a lso v isited I n do ne sia , a s t he y s o u g ht opportunities to conduct business there. “(In) Indonesia, the market for us is still small and we are not satisfied,” said Dr Galdabini, who signalled his intent to have a larger presence in the archipelago.

A lthough the countr y

undoubtedly has potential for development w it h it s la rge middle class growing day by day, 2014 may yet prove to be a challenging year as the weak Rupiah may present a barrier for machine builders eager to sell their machines into the country.

For UCIMU however, it is more important to sow the seeds first before they can expect a bumper crop.

“If the Rupiah is going down, (there will be) probably less purchase this year. However, we cannot go in when it is booming and go away when it is not booming as our kind of business is a long term relationship. You need to be in a country for years before being profitable,” he said.

For Giovanni Zacco, market development manager of the BLM Group, currency fluctuations may prove to be a problem in the future, but that is a bridge he is quite prepared to cross when he gets to it. For now, the important www.equipment-news.com

FEATURES Dr Galdabini said Italian companies have the right products for the Southeast Asian market.

Italian companies signalled their interest in this region by organising a business matching workshop in Singapore.

thing is to make contact.

“The movement of money (currency rates) is normal in different periods. I don’t see this as our biggest problem at the moment. This is a secondary problem,” he said.

Exploring Opportunities Along with Dr Galdabini and M r Z acco, si x ot her Ita lia n companies also participated in the workshop. Most of them have little or no presence in the region of Southeast Asia.

However, it is fair to say that they all feel this is a region with tremendous growth potential.

“We are still not present in Southeast Asia and we would like to be. The first step is to find a trading agency to promote our products, to let people know not only BLM, but (also) the Italian machinery industry. The main purpose (for now) is promotion,” said Mr Zacco.

Many companies are also taking the same stance and dipping their toes into the Southeast Asian market for the first time.

“We are here to find out the right strategy (for this region). As we operate in a very small niche market, we need more agents or local support that could help us find a possible end user,” said Stefano Dellacqua, sales manager of Somo.

“The target of our visit is www.equipment-news.com

Indonesia. We see that these areas have big potential. The reason we are here is to know about the approach to enter into this market,” said Ennio Zaffaroni, MD of Zani.

Unlike their counterparts, Omera already has some initial success in Southeast Asia and they are looking to expand their operations here. Dott Massimo Carboniero, GM of Omera and also the VP of UCIMU-Sistemi Per Produrre told APMEN that they have sold machines into Thailand and the Philippines but it is “very important” to try to enter the markets of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Another company successful i n T h a i l a n d i s P ro d u te c h , a company producing sheet metalworking machines. Calling it a country with “big potential,” Dr Andrea Pedrini, sales manager of the company, remains optimistic about the country despite its recent political turmoil.

“I am positive in any case because the middle class is growing and that means the countr y is growing too. My forecast is positive for this part of the world,” he said.

Increasing Presence For many Italian companies, Asia is China and as such, most of them have a respectable presence in the country. Moving ahead, they will

be looking to expand their playing field in Asia and many companies will export more products into Southeast Asia as a result.

Veronica Just, VP of Millutensil, revealed that her company’s Asian operation takes up “about 10 percent” of their total export and there is ambition to grow that number. She said that in the next five years, she hopes to improve that value.

Thinking along the same vein was Filippo Gasparini, the CEO of Gasparini. His company currently exports some 20 percent of their production to China and he plans to gain more market share in Southeast Asia.

When asked about his export target for this region, he said: “To reach 10 percent in South Asia in five years.” He added that in order to do so, they need to find the right customers as they supply “very customised lines.”

In the metalworking community in Southeast Asia, people are quite familiar with German, Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese machines.

If the companies are successful in their charm offensive in this region, people can soon add Italy into the ever-growing list of nations looking to sink their teeth into the lucrative Southeast Asian machine tool market.

Enquiry No. 3501 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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FEATURES

Machine Upgrades Can Be Simple

Trunnions turn the tables on wasteful setups, allowing one actuator manufacturer to crank up productivity, hit part tolerances and eliminate WIP. By Jeff Drum, contributing writer

U

pgrading machine tool technology — either by the major retrofit of existing machines or purchase of new equipment — is often an expensive proposition requiring non-productive downtime and months or even years to realise a return on the capital expenditure.

However, Indelac Controls discovered an easy way to boost production and maintain tight accuracy requirements for its electric actuator housings, while not breaking the bank on new machines or costly upgrades. By using bolt-on trunnion tables, the shop managed to cut cycle times by 40 percent and eliminate batch processing that required work in process.

The tables were installed in minutes on the fourth axis indexers of the company’s two Haas VF4 vertical machining centres, producing a 100 percent ROI within days. The two machines now mill, drill, tap and even do light contouring on 319 aluminium castings with 66 percent fewer part setups.

Time-consuming part locating, previously required to meet accuracy requirements of 0.0005”,

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was also eliminated without compromising part quality.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see that something so simple could exploit the fourth axis on our machines and have such a dramatic impact on our business,” said Bill Robinson, shop foreman for the company. “We can now produce the same number of parts in a day that may have taken a week using our old methods.”

Fewer Setups = More Parts The company manufactures a variety of electric actuators.

Today’s actuators have advanced functions that go beyond simple open and close capabilities. Some are packaged with position sensing equipment, torque sensing, motor protection, logic control and digital communication. These hi-tech functions make accuracy of the housings critical to proper function, so the company has always produced its machined parts with an accuracy of 0.0005”, even when the process methodologies made this time consuming and labourintensive.

The company’s need for accuracy required frequent indexing off of previously machined

features using ‘homemade’ fixtures, clamps and angle plates. “On top of everything else, locating on cast parts is more difficult because the surfaces can vary greatly from part to part,” said Clay Huff, machinist at the company.

Multiple part setups had driven cycle times at the company up to 50 minutes or more and parts were batch processed and created stage by stage over a series of operations.

“Some of our housings require machining on all six sides, and with our previous workholding methods, that meant six separate setups,” said Mr Huff.

Make More, Sell More To improve cycle times in its machine shop, the company purchased two custom-made tables and four fixtures, as well as a standard model Stallion 9\23 — a double-sided table with quickchange plates — that is compatible with most vertical machines. The quick-change plates allow oneminute changeovers and 0.0005” repeatability.

The trunnion tables and fixtures use locator pins to position and hold the part, ensuring part-topart consistency. Mr Huff routinely checks every fifth part with a CMM to close the quality control loop.

Fewer setups and part handling have made hitting the accuracy tolerance a faster, easier enterprise.

“With the old fixtures, we had to indicate repeatedly to make sure we had it right. My life is a lot less stressful now that we have the trunnion tables,” he added.

With the trunnion tables, the company was able to implement continuous production and improve its cost-per-part numbers by decreasing manufacturing costs and increasing finished part production. “Our cycle time is down to about 30 minutes with the trunnions compared to 50 minutes or more with our old fixtures, and we get a finished part off every time we hit the cycle start button,” said www.equipment-news.com

FEATURES Mr Robinson. “We’ve reduced cycle times and eliminated WIP, so if a quick-turn order comes in we can setup the machine, run the part and get it out the door.”

A Small Investment With Big Results Ninety percent of the company’s parts can be run using the workholding devices, and the days of manual clamps, angle plates and plugs are over at the shop.

“Compared to purchasing a US$300,000 five-axis horizontal machine, spending a few thousand to get the most out of our fouraxis verticals is the deal of the centur y,” said Mr Robinson.

“Sometimes the simplest, least expensive method produces the desired results and that’s what we found with these trunnions.”

Enquiry No. 3502

Stallion 9\20 and 9\23 tables allow users to exploit the rotary fourth-axis capability of horizontal and vertical machining centres, and they deliver a low-cost path to higher productivity and improved accuracy.

The bolt on trunnions are work-ready right out of the box and the trunnion fixtures are engineered to bolt on to any machine’s rotary indexer, allowing operators to precisely mill, drill, tap and contour up to three sides of a part in one setup without special fixtures.

Heavily ribbed cast iron construction provides high rigidity and durability, which are needed to withstand long-term repeated use in demanding shop environments.

Built for precision as well as durability, the US-made tables have 0.001” flatness over 23 inches and 0.001” squareness to the faceplate.

Enquiry No. 3503 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

ENQUIRY NO 055

Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

TrunnionTable: Turning Vises Into Virtues

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April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

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EVENTS& EXHIBITIONS

Event Preview:

Intermach 2014

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I

n t e r m a c h w i l l re t u r n t o BITEC in Bangkok from May 15 to 18, 2014. According to the organiser UBM Asia (Thailand), the event this year will stage many new activities including special seminars and conferences on the production of component parts for important future industries such as medical devices and the aerospace industry.

With over 30 years of experience in successfully building business for Thailand’s manufacturing industry, the organiser claims that the 2014 edition of the event is now the largest and the most comprehensive industrial machiner y and equipment exhibition in the region.

This is partly due to the fact that, in the last eight years, they have joined forces with Subcon Thailand, an international industrial subcontracting exhibition for the procurement of parts and business matching in the region. As a testament to the event’s internationality, the multination event now represents over 38 countries. www.equipment-news.com

EVENTS&EXHIBITIONS A good crowd is expected at this year’s event.

The strength and histor y of the event has led to a good response, particularly from exhibitors as they continue to show support to the show. Sanchai Noombunnam, group director, UBM Asia (Thailand) said: “The overwhelming response from our 2013 event has resulted in Intermach 2014 being fully booked by the end of the year.”

He also said the show’s main strength is its international p re s e n t a t i o n o f t h e l a t e s t technology in industrial machinery, which is well-timed with the industry buying cycle.

This, he feels is very assuring for exhibitors because they can feel the maximum effect of their investment. Finally, he pointed out that the exhibitors also have the opportunities to meet with new business prospects and buyers at the show.

This edition will, as always, be held with Subcon Thailand, ASEAN’s subcontracting event for procurement of industrial parts, which has been organised by the Thai Board of Investment (BOI) for eight successful years.

Enquiry No. 3601 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Show Highlights • 1,200 companies from 38 countries, pre senting ove r 4,0 0 0 pie ce s of machinery and equipment. More than 100 products will be seen for the first time in ASEAN and Thailand.

of c omp one nt pa r ts re quire d by upcoming industries in Thailand and ASEAN. This will include the latest needs in major areas such as medical devices and aerospace.

• 3 0 0 l e a d i n g i n d u s t r i a l p a r t manufacturers from 12 countries at Subcon Thailand, in addition to special business match-making with parts buyers from around the world.

In collaboration with the BOI and the Alliance for Suppor ting Industries A s s o c i a ti o n, th e 2014 s h ow w ill feature special events and seminars that will introduce and inform entrepreneurs about the production

• 11 International Pavilions including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, ASEAN Subcontracting Associations, Enhancement of Mould and Die Industry Competitiveness Project, and Thai Subcontracting Association.

• O ve r 10 0 s p e c i a l s e m i n a r s a n d conferences

including leading machiner y and industrial part makers from Japan like Okuma Techno ( Thailand), Toyoda Machinery (Southeast Asia), Mitsubishi Electric Automation Thailand, Sodick and Mazak Thailand.

• Featured in conjunction with Sheet Metal Asia 2014 — ASEAN’s International Sheet Metal Fabrication Technology and Machinery Exhibition — the largest event of its kind in Thailand.

BITEC Bangkok, Thailand May 15 - 18, 2014

• ‘The Top Japanese Maker Zone’ —

Enquiry No. 3602 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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EVENTS&EXHIBITIONS

Dato’ Albert Lai (far left), MD of Trade Link ITE escorting foreign delegates visiting the foreign exhibitors’ booths.

T

he year 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Metaltech, a trade event for the machine tool, metalworking and manufacturing industr y. According to the organiser Trade Link ITE, the exhibition will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from May 21 - 24, 2014.

This year’s event will open from 1000 to 1800 hrs daily and will host more than 1,800 exhibitors from 37 countries.

It also features five national pavilions. As a whole, the trade show will showcase over 3,000 latest technologies from nine specialised profiles, providing a sizeable variety of sources all under one roof.

Covering over 35,000 sq m of gross exhibition space, this

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Event Preview:

Metaltech 2014 international machine tool show is expected to attract more than 27,000 trade buyers in related industries such as aerospace, automotive, marine/ offshore, metalworking, energy, electrical and electronics, and even medical, from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and more.

Incorporated into the show are the Welding Technology Exhibition 2014 (Weldtek 2014) and Malaysia International Robotics and Automation Te c h n o l o g y E x h i b i t i o n (IATECH 2014).

Taking place concurrently with the show is the 7th A u t o m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y Exhibition & Conference www.equipment-news.com

EVENTS&EXHIBITIONS

Dato’ Albert Lai ushering the guest of honour during the Metaltech exhibition.

(Automex). It covers all c o m p o n e n t s r a n g i n g f ro m complete systems to integrated automation solutions, as well as motion control technology and associated technologies.

This makes the event the very first international event in Malaysia that brings together all branches of the robotics and automation industry in a single event.

According to the organiser, Metaltech has been the flagship event for the metalworking and machine tool industr y in Malaysia for the past 19 years and it is known by the manufacturing industries as an effective platform for suppliers to launch their new products and services to local www.equipment-news.com

a n d re g i o n a l b u y e r s , g a i n new contacts and attain new businesses.

Visitors can use the event as an effective market place to source for metal work, machine tools, CAD/CAM/CAE solutions, p r o t o t y p i n g , m e t r o l o g y, mould & die, surface & heat treatment, sub-contracting, foundry, industrial automation, robotics, warehousing, precision engineering, welding technology, as well as related products and services.

Throughout its history, the show has weathered several economic downturns, locally as well as globally, and succeeded in providing both suppliers and buyers with abundant business opportunities against the odds.

MD of Trade Link ITE, Dato’ Albert Lai said: “This exhibition is where movers and shakers have convened to network, source for the latest technology, gather knowledge, as well as share invaluable insights upon such a profitable industr y.

The show has proven to be a springboard for the nation’s manufacturing sector based on the achievements and success that our exhibitors and buyers have acquired.”

Putra World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 21 – 24, 2014 Enquiry No. 3603 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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PRODUCT FINDER Etalon: Absolute Measuring Interferometer

Delcam: CAM Solution With Extra Five-Axis Options

The 2014R2 release of Delcam’s PowerMill CAM software for high-speed and five-axis machining includes options to machine parts and tooling with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

A series of improvements to the developer’s Vortex high-efficiency area-clearance strategy is also included in this release. The most important additions for five-axis machining are a dialogue to track the position of the machine tool, and a toolbar to simulate and adjust the configuration and tool axis of a 3+2 machine or any equipment with incremental rotary axes. Another addition is a plug-in that provides a graph of the linear and rotary axes of the machine during the simulation.

Enquiry No. 3701 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Enquiry No. 3703 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Dürr Ecoclean: High Pressure Solution

Haas: Big-Bore Turning Centres

High-pressure water jetting is becoming increasingly widespread as a method of activating the cylinder bore surfaces of engine blocks prior to thermal coating. This technology is a very costly one, involving pressures of up to 3,000 bar.

However, with Dürr Ecoclean’s PulseBoreCenter, it is now possible to use no more than 600 bar in this ultra-high pressure application. The gain is due to the integrated EcoCBooster, which generates a pulsating water jet of much higher kinetic energy.

Users will now benefit from savings in investment and operating cost as well as from improved process results. This technology offers advantages also in other operations such as cleaning, deburring and decoating.

For shops wanting more bar capacity without the space requirements of a larger-footprint lathe, Haas Automation now offers a complete line of big-bore turning centres. Each of these versatile turning centers offers more power, a larger chuck, and greater bar capacity — without having to step up to the next larger machine.

The ST-25 has a maximum capacity of 15” x 21”, with a 31.75” swing over the front apron while its variant ST-25Y has a maximum capacity of 12” x 21”.

The ST-35 has a maximum capacity of 21” x 26”, with a 31.75” swing over the front apron. The ST-35Y has the same footprint and spindle specifications as the former, with a maximum capacity of 18” x 23”.

The ST-45 has a maximum capacity of 25.5” x 44”, with a 34.5” maximum swing over the front apron. The ST-45L on the other hand, is a long-bed version of the former.

Enquiry No. 3702 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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In cooperation with the University of Oxford, Etalon has developed the Absolute Multiline Technology for use in the precision measurement of le n g t h s up to 2 0 m. This mea suring technology combines the advantages of an i nte r fe rome te r w it h those of absolute measuring systems.

Integrated in a large machine tool, the measuring device continuously monitors machine calibration, and initiates compensating measures as needed to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the components.

Comparison measurements using a conventional interferometer confirmed a measurement uncertainty of 0.5 ppm (equivalent to 0.5 µm per metre) for distances between 0.2 m and 20 m. According to the manufacturer, a single system can drive up to 100 measurement channels, depending on the system configuration.

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

Enquiry No. 3704 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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PRODUCTFINDER

WORLD INNOVATION ÂŤROUND FINE CENTERING SYSTEMÂť

STANDARD GUIDING ELEMENTS FOR THE MOLD CONSTRUCTION. ENQUIRY NO 179

WWW.AGATHON.COM AGATHON AG | CH-4512 Bellach phone +41 32 617 45 01 | fax +41 32 617 47 01 normalien@agathon.ch | www.agathon.com RENOWNED FOR EFFICIENCY AND PRICE!

Kennametal: Solid Carbide Drill For Aluminium Workpieces

MMC Hardmetal: Exchangeable Head End Mills

With its Beyond grade of fine-grain carbide and point geometr y, the HPS solidcarbide drill from Kennametal is capable of achieving good metal-removal rates and long tool life, making it suitable for holemaking in aluminium.

T he B e yo nd K N15 carbide grade is specifically tailored for aluminium machining and features a polished surface that reduces friction on flutes, margins, and cutting edges.

This results in good chip evacuation, even in minimumquantity lubrication processes.

Drill design features include a proprietary 135-degree drill point for good centring capabilities and improved feeds. It also includes sharp cutting edges that lower cutting forces and extend tool life.

Enquiry No. 3705 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 044

High-precision standard and special design guiding elements.

The iMX series is an end mill system that combines the advantages of both solid carbide and indexable end mills. Performance advantages and savings can be gained especially when long overhang applications are required. The high cost of extra long solid carbide end mills is negated by using exchangeable heads.

The feature of the carbide head and carbide holder enables security and rigidity close to that of a solid type end mill. This is made possible because the taper and end clamping faces of the head and the holder are both solid carbide, only the threaded part is composed of steel.

Benefits of this clamping method when compared to the usual steel to carbide method are greater efficiency from increased cutting parameters, improved accuracy and reliability.

Enquiry No. 3706 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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PRODUCTFINDER Schaeffler: System Solutions For Machine Tools

Siemens: NX Software Now Available In Private Cloud

Schaeffler’s Linear Technology business unit has now completed its RUE-E range of linear recirculating roller bearing and guideway assemblies through the addition of a new size: The RUE25-E. According to the manufacturer, optimisations made to the design, materials, and manufacturing process allowed the friction and displacement resistance to be reduced by approximately 40 percent.

The series can be installed as a 1-to-1 replacement for its predecessor. The guideways remain unchanged, but the carriages and guideways can now be combined in any way desired.

The linear recirculating roller bearing and guideway assemblies are available in a standard flange version, with a long flange carriage, and with a high and long carriage.

Siemens’ NX software is now available in a cost-effective private cloud environment. The developer has worked with Nvidia Corporation to certify the deployment of the software in the private cloud using Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with Nvidia Grid virtual graphics processing unit technology.

This technology enables companies to use central servers with remote access to host software on a virtual desktop. VDI certification eliminates the need to install NX on a local client which helps reduce IT support costs. The deployment option enhances flexibility and further expands the variety of platform choices available.

Enquiry No. 3707 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Seco: Shoulder Mill Balances Economy & Performance

5ME: High-Performance Machining Fluids

Seco’s Square T4-08 shoulder milling solution with four cutting edges balances economy and performance in cast iron and steel machining applications, as well as those that involve contouring operations in challenging materials.

The solution’s pocket seats combined with multiedge inserts optimise cutting stability and allow for clean 90-degree walls. The inserts mount tangentially in the cutter so that the cutting forces impact the thickest parts of the inserts, allowing manufacturers to achieve the required levels of strength for increased depths of cut with small diameters.

In addition to high metal removal rates, manufacturers will also benefit from the versatility of the solution as there is a variety of insert geometries and grades, and it is available in various mounting types.

Enquiry No. 3708 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Enquiry No. 3709 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

5ME’s Cyclo Cool 900 series synthetic metal machining fluids utilise a nearneutral pH formula developed to meet heavy-duty, highhe a t m a c h i n i n g requirements at a lower cost than se m i - s y nt he t ic s and soluble oils.

The additive -free, low-foaming fluids are formulated for machining titanium, Inconel, beryllium copper, hardened steels, stainless steels, and other exotic alloys. The cationic-based synthetic coolants contain specialised boundary lubricants that penetrate the cut zone heat barrier, even at lower fluid pressures (300 to 400 psi), to absorb heat from the tool and the part, minimising tool-tip work hardening and premature wear.

The series of fluids are designed for high-pressure, low foaming, through-tool delivery systems at 2,000 psi, as well as flood coolant for chip flushing.

Enquiry No. 3710 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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DRILL BITS WITH EXTRA BITE Sutton Tools Viper Plus brings enhanced performance to the general-purpose jobber drill.

Wear rate is reduced with its Futura Nano coated tip and its split point design enables ease of penetration and eliminates wandering.

• Excellent performance in tough materials • For use in machine and handheld applications • Ideal for multi-spindle special purpose machines

ENQUIRY NO 066

GAIN IN PRODUCTIVITY

ENQUIRY NO 051

45%

Contact Sutton Tools +65 6745 6388 suttontools.sg@sutton.com.au

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PARTING SHOT

Supersonic Car

Relies On CAM

Let’s take a look at the work that goes behind a car that is gunning for a speed record. By Stewart Bint, public relations officer, Vero Software

T

he Bloodhound supersonic car is on a mission to break the World Land Speed Record in 2016. For obvious reasons, this feat requires the car to travel at high speeds, over 1,000 mph to be exact. In order to do so, the designers have to look beyond the automotive industry. In fact, the car is a mix of automotive and aircraft technology. It is powered by the engine used in the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, along with a hybrid rocket.

The engine and the hybrid rocket, primarily responsible for propelling the car at high speed, deserve the attention they are getting. However, the unsung hero in this case is an assembly that is holding the rocket motor in place. It should get a mention as well, along with the manufacturing technology behind it.

Keeping The Car Grounded An essential part of the assembly has been made using a CNC software program.

“The accuracy of Edgecam’s toolpaths was vital in allowing us to achieve the extremely tight

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tolerances required,” says Andrew Wright, production engineer at the Sheffield-based Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, which manufactured the rear subframe of the car, a large complex assembly which sits inside the exterior Titanium skin.

Mov ing away from the a ssembly, t he ma nu fac tu re of the body and chassis also relied on a range of advanced d e si g n a n d m a nu fa c t u r i n g techniques, including a specific production engineering solution that prevented the distortion of the rear subframe side wall structural panels.

The 1.6 m x 1 m panels were produced by the Nuclear AMRC on its Starragheckert HEC 1800 large format horizontal boring machine.

They have to mate up with other parts in the rear assembly, which are vital in keeping the rocket pointing perfectly backwards and providing downward thrust.

Maintaining Wall Thickness While the typical machining tolerance for milling was +/- 0.1 of a millimetre, some of the wall

thickness tolerances were +/0.05, and hole diameters down to +/- 0.025.

“Also, the original billet of aerospace grade 7075 aluminium was 80 mm thick, and the finished component was 20 mm, with some minimum wall thicknesses at just 6 mm. Removing such a large amount of material while maintaining the flatness and shape of the component over that size and envelope of machining was quite a challenge,” says Mr Wright.

Couple that to the fact that the billet was only around 30 mm longer and wider than the finished part, and it is easy to see why his experience in finding the correct production engineering solutions across a variety of projects was essential.

“My main concern when I started programming was that the part would distort and we’d struggle to maintain wall thicknesses. If some of the walls became too thin, the component may not have been strong enough.” But he says the CNC software program’s roughing strategy and profiling cycles were suitable for his solution. www.equipment-news.com

PARTINGSHOT

Machining work was supported by various simulations.

“ We u s e d a t h r e e - s i d e machining strategy of roughing one side out , rot at i n g t he component and roughing the opposite side before releasing and reclamping it to finish machining that side. We turned it back round again to finish the side we’d started cutting originally. That way we minimised distortion and any chance of having the walls too thin.

I built the machine setup in a 3D design package and Edgecam allowed me to import this directly into the system. This included the part model originally supplied

by Bloodhound in NX format, the modified stock model and all clamps and fixture elements. The software program’s ability to read a wide range of model formats and to handle assemblies was invaluable, with multiple setups of the part required,” he says.

Maintaining Efficiency While Working Quickly While utilising some 3 + 2 operations, much of the work was three-axis milling, contour and profile milling, with fourth axis rotation to reach www.equipment-news.com

additional features. He says the program was used to set multiple datums, and indexing between those datums were all done within the same set-up.

The program tailored the toolpaths exactly to the features t h e y n e e d e d to m a c h i n e , particularly when it came to leaving extra material for clamping. With scant excess material on the length or width of the billet, clamp areas were required and then removed later. The toolpaths were customised around the clamp areas with extra geometry added.

“With the difficult shape of the component and small amount of stock material, Edgecam’s ability to tightly control the link moves and feed in/out moves between sections, enabled us to produce smooth and safe transitions between machined features and areas,” he says.

For the main machining he kept the cutting tools, all of which were supplied by Sandvik, down to a minimum. “As we were looking for a secure and accurate process rather than a high productivity operation, I only used three cutting tools to

do most of the milling — a solid carbide end mill, a solid carbide ball nose end mill to finish the profiles, and a chamfer mill to deburr as much of the component as possible in the machine, which reduced manual handling.”

The software’s Code Wizard was another plus for Mr Wright, so much so, that he says they could not have produced the components in the allotted time without it. “As we were using a brand new machine we only had a simulation post processor for its predecessor, the Starrag 1600. But the software made it very easy to create, in effect, a daughter post processor for the new 1800.”

He created the code using the 1600 post processor, ran a simulation and then re-processed the file for the 1800 with minimal changes. “This gave me absolute confidence in the toolpaths going down to the shop floor without having to do too much on machine prove-out, knowing that the X Y G-code wasn’t affected between the two simulations.”

Enquiry No. 3801 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

75

PARTINGSHOT

Japanese Machine Tool Industry

107.74

The total value of machine tool orders in December 2013 was

JPY

German domestic machine tool orders were up

3% in Q4 of 2013

billion (Japan Machine Tool Builder Association)

(VDW)

600

Demand for machine tools in China is forecast to reach

CNY

billion in 2017 (Freedonia Group)

December US manufacturing technology orders totalled

US$

491.89 million, up

11.8%

Worldwide Sales of Toyota Hybrids Top

Units As of December 31, 2013

(Toyota)

Using a laser to alloy surfaces of forming dies with filler material can increase the service life of dies used in automotive manufacturing by

when compared with November 2013.

(AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology)

76

asia pacific metalworking equipment news March 2014

(Fraunhofer)

www.equipment-news.com

ENQUIRY NO 040

EXHIBITION

PROGRAMMES

2014

APRIL

1–3 MTA Hanoi 2014 ICE Hanoi, Vietnam SES mta@sesallworld.com www.mtahanoi.com

4-6 IDEM Singapore Suntec Singapore Singapore Koelnmesse www.idem-singapore.com

9 – 13 SIMTOS 2014 KINTEX Seoul, South Korea KOMMA jjy0331@komma.org www.simtos.org

16 – 18 Metal Japan

Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo, Japan Reed Exhibitions Japan metal@reedexpo.co.jp www.metal-japan.jp

16 – 19 Intermold 2014 Intex Osaka

Osaka, Japan Intermold Development Association www.intermold.jp 78

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

23 – 25 Semicon Singapore 2014 Marina Bay Sands Expo Singapore Semi semiconsingapore@semi.org www.semiconsingapore.org

MAY

7–9 Blech China 2014

Suzhou International Expo Centre Suzhou, China Mack Brooks Exhibitions info@blechchina.com www.blechchina.com

13 – 15 Inamarine 2014

JI Expo Kemayoran Jakarta, Indonesia GEM Indonesia info@gem-indonesia.net www.inamarine-exhibition.net

8 - 11 MT duo

TWTC & Nangang Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan TAITRA mt@taitra.org.tw www.mtduo.com.tw

15 – 17 Subcon Thailand 2014 BITEC Bangkok, Thailand UBM Asia (Thailand) warayut.c@ubm.com www.subconthailand.com

15 – 18 Intermach 2014

BITEC Bangkok, Thailand UBM Asia (Thailand) intermach@intermachshow.com www.intermachshow.com

15 – 18 Sheet Metal Asia 2014 BITEC Bangkok, Thailand UBM Asia (Thailand) info@sheetmetal-asia.com www.sheetmetal-asia.com

21 – 23 Indorenergy 2014 Grand City Convex Surabaya Surabaya, Indonesia PT Napindo Media Ashatama info@indorenergy.com www.indorenergy.com

21 – 24 Metaltech

PWTC Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Trade Link info@tradelink.com.my tradelink.com.my/metaltech

JUNE

11 – 14 Manufacturing Surabaya

Grand City Convention & Exhibition Centre Surabaya, Indonesia PT Pamerindo www.pamerindo.com

18 – 22 CIMES

NCIEC Beijing, China Reed Exhibitions nicole.ci@reedexpo.com.cn cimes.net.cn

19 - 22 Intermold Thailand 2014 BITEC Bangkok, Thailand Reed Tradex contactcenter@reedtradex.co.th www.intermoldthailand.com

www.equipment-news.com

EXHIBITIONPROGRAMMES

JULY

8 – 11 MTA Vietnam

SECC Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam mta@sesallworld.com www.mtavietnam.com

9 – 11 Aluminium China 2014 Shanghai New Int’l Expo Centre Shanghai, China Reed Exhibitions Greater China nicole.ci@reedexpo.com.cn www.aluminiumchina.com

14 – 17 EMTE Eastpo

Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China MP International eastpo@eastpo.net www.emte-eastpo.com

AUGUST

27 – 30 Taipei Int’l Industrial Automation Exhibition 2014 TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan Chan Chao International automation@chanchao.com.tw www.autotaiwan.com.tw

27 – 30 Taipei Int’l Mold & Die Industry Fair 2014 TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan Chan Chao International show@chanchao.com.tw www.odm-dmi.com

27 – 30 MTT Expo 2014 Malaysia PWTC Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ECMI overseas@ecmi.asia mtt-kl.com

To be considered for inclusion in the calendar of events, send details of event to:

SEPTEMBER

9 – 11 Medical Manufacturing Asia Suntec Singapore Singapore Messe Dusseldorf Asia shirley@mda.com.sg www.medmanufacturing-asia.com

24 - 26 MTT Expo Surabaya (Tentative) Grand City Surabaya, Indonesia ECMI info@mtt-indonesia.com mtt-indonesia.com

OCTOBER

2-4 Manufacturing Myanmar Myanmar Convention Centre Yangon, Myanmar SES mm@sesallworld.com manufacturingmyanmar.com

9 - 11 Metalex Vietnam 2014 SECC Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Reed Tradex metalexvietnam@reedtradex.co.th www.metalexvietnam.com

29 – 31 Indonesia Mining & Engineering

Jakarta International Expo Jakarta, Indonesia Reed Mining Events hanung.hanindito@reedpanorama.com www.miningandengineeringindo.com

Oct 30 – Nov 4 JIMTOF 2014 Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo, Japan JMTBA www.jimtof.org

NOVEMBER

5–8 Indo Aerospace 2014 JI Expo Kemayoran Jakarta Jakarta, Indonesia PT Napindo Media Ashatama yulisa@napindo.com www.indoaerospace.com

5–8 Indo Marine 2014 JI Expo Kemayoran Jakarta Jakarta, Indonesia PT Napindo Media Ashatama yulisa@napindo.com www.indomarine.org

5–9 TMTS 2014

GTIEC Taichung, Taiwan TMBA ricky@tmba.org.tw www.tmts.tw

12 – 14 Welding Busan Korea 2014 BEXCO Busan, South Korea Metal Network Korea Company www.weldingasia.org

DECEMBER

3–6 Manufacturing Indonesia Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran Jakarta, Indonesia PT Pamerindo www.pamerindo.com

11 – 13 Indometal

JI Expo Kemayoran Jakarta Jakarta, Indonesia Messe Dusseldorf Asia beattrice@mda.com.sg www.indometal.net

The Editor (APMEN) Eastern Trade Media

1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building, #02-05 Singapore 169206 Email: josonng@epl.com.sg • Tel: +65 63792888 www.equipment-news.com

April 2014 asia pacific metalworking equipment news

79

ADVERTISING INDEX Page No.

Enquiry No.

AGATHON AG

71

044

AWEA MECHANTRONIC CO LTD/GOODWAY MACHINE CORP

35

049

BENIGN ENTERPRISE CO LTD

45

050

BYSTRONIC PTE LTD

FC/03

048

CARL ZEISS S.E. ASIA

15

057

DEES HYDRAULIC INDUSTRIAL CO LTD

65

055

DELCAM PLC

05

012

DMG ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD

21

068

EVERISING MACHINE CO

49

053

FRITZ STUDER AG

19

042

GANRO INDUSTRIAL CORP

73

066

HAAS AUTOMATION INC

09

041

HAIMER ASIA PACIFIC LTD

27

065

HEXAGON METROLOGY ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD

13

062

ISCAR LTD

IFC

048

OBC

011

LICO MACHINERY CO LTD

47

052

LIEH CHIEH MACHINERY CO LTD

25

058

LIONAPEX EQUIPMENT PTE LTD

37

059

MMC HARDMETAL (THAILAND) CO LTD

39

043

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

23

067

OPTICAL GAGING (S) PTE LTD

01

047

PALMARY MACHINERY CO LTD

43

064

RENISHAW (HONG KONG) LTD

17

063

SINGAPORE EXHIBITION SERVICES PTE LTD (MANUFACTURING MYANMAR 2014)

77

040

SINGAPORE EXHIBITION SERVICES PTE LTD (MTA VIETNAM 2014)

61

006

SUTTON TOOLS PTY LTD

73

051

TAEGUTEC CO

11

056

TAIWAN TAKISAWA CO LTD

41

054

TORNOS TECHNOLOGIES ASIA LTD

29

010

TRADE-LINK ITE SDN BHD (METALTECH 2014)

57

033

TRUMPF PTE LTD

31

061

TUNGALOY SINGAPORE (PTE) LTD

IBC

045

UBM ASIA (THAILAND) CO LTD (INTERMACH 2014)

51

038

UNIS INDUSTRIAL SOLUTION CORP

71

179

WALTER AG SINGAPORE PTE LTD

07

060

Advertiser

KENNAMETAL INC

80

asia pacific metalworking equipment news April 2014

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ASIA PACIFIC METALWORKING

No. 3 2014

The Engineering Journal For Manufacturing,Automation & Quality Control

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Tungaloy Singapore Pte. Ltd. 31 Kaki Bukit Road 3 #05-19 Techlink Singapore 417818 Tel: (65) 6391 1833 • Fax: (65) 6299 4557 www.tungaloy.co.jp/tspl/

ENQUIRY NO 045

Knowledge and Performance in Concert Imagine running in perfect, synchronized harmony. Any project, any challenge, optimized and refined using digital intelligence to fundamentally transform your workflow into seamless, elegant, simple production. From art to part — to profit.

With NOVO™ you can now have the right tools on your machines, in the right sequence.

This enterprise-wide solution ensures that you execute flawlessly to accelerate every job, maximize every shift. And that should be music to your ears.

That’s Different Thinking. That’s Kennametal.

TM

www.kennametal.com/novo

Experience Powering Productivity ™

©2013 Kennametal Inc. l All rights reserved. l A-13-03372

ENQUIRY NO 011