APMEN Sep 2011

Bending:

It’s More Complicated Than It Looks

Composite Materials:

Machine It Right September 2011

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ENQUIRY NO 001

Contents

September 2011

First Cut

26 Composite Machining: Tailored-Made To Each Application

With the growing influence of composite materials, there enters a generation of cutting tools especially in hole-making, in order to improve performance and results. By Christer Richt, Sandvik Coromant

30

Better Tools For Drilling Composite Materials

Drilling and milling composite materials are quite simply a balancing act. By Dr Moshe Goldberg and Reuven Shapir, Iscar.

32 Last Word On Composite Materials...

Making Lightweight Sports Cars

Many racecar designers are now turning to composite materials to make their car go faster. Many machinists in turn are looking at special cutters to help them process the challenging material. By Bettina Lutz, Publicis Consultants, Deutschland PRCC Germany, for Hoffmann Group

Technology Insights 34 CMM Advancements Aid Mars Exploration

The ability to measure tight tolerances is just as important as having manufacturing capability to make these complex parts. By Janelle Gregerson, Carl Zeiss

38 Bosch Rexroth Case Study:

New Metrology For New Strategy A shift in production strategy can be facilitated by precise metrological equipment. By Birgit Albrecht, Hexagon Metrology

Software & Metrology 40 Spruce Things Up With PLM Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News recently caught up with PTC’s senior director of product marketing Sandy Joung to talk to her about PLM and its relevance in metalworking. By Joson Ng

42 Breaking Away From

Conventional Production Methods

Incorporating Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in the automotive industry can lead to cost and time savings, better profit margins and an improved product. By Amreet Singh

44 PLM In Red Bull Racing

Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News speaks to Steve Nevey, relationship manager, Red Bull Racing to find out PLM’s role in the world of Formula One racing.

2

metalworking equipment news September 2011

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ENQUIRY NO 143

Contents

September 2011

Fab & Form

46 Bending Is More Complicated Than It Looks Sheet metal bending techniques like air bending, bottom bending and folding require understanding and also the right parameter settings.

By Gabriela Buchfink, Trumpf

50

Industry Focus Winds Of Change

With the right focus and enabling policies in place, global energy requirements can be largely met by the use of wind turbines. By Amreet Singh

54 Powering The Engineering Sector Machining specialists are turning their attentions to technology partnerships to counter challenges posed by sophisticated materials. Contributed by Yvonne Ng, Walter AG Singapore

Features

56 Hurco: Destination Indonesia

Hurco Southeast Asia along with its partner in Indonesia, Gerfa Manunggal Teknindo recently opened a show room and training facility to reaffirm their commitment to their customers in the archipelago. By Joson Ng

58 Metalworking From Your Cell Phone

The machining apps in smartphones allow it to make the transition from a communication device to a tool in the machine shop, adding mobility to machining. By Michael E Neumann

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.

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60 The Ultrasonic Shake-Up In Additive Manufacturing Harnessing ultrasonic in solid-state additive manufacturing of high temperature alloys is proving to be a quick and cheap way to produce high temperature metallic components. By Matt Short, EWI

Federation of Malaysian Foundry & Engineering Industry Associations

62 Vibration Analysis Training:

E-Learning Vs The Classroom Indian Machine Tool Manufacturing Association (IMTMA)

Imparting skills for vibration analysis and certification. Is one approach better than the other? By Bill Slonaker, Mobius Institute

66 Take A Bite Into The Dental Industry

Complex, small and difficult to make — these are arguably the common consensus for many when the manufacturing of dental implants come into mind. Though these beliefs may be true, there are technologies to help make things easier.

By Michael E Neumann

China Machine Tool & Tool Builders' Association (CMTBA)

70 Events & Exhibition

Machine Tool Club (MTC)

Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI)

• Event Preview: Metalex Vietnam 2011 • Event Review: Manufacturing Expo 2011 • Event Preview: EMO Hannover 2011 • Event Review: MTA Vietnam 2011

Regulars 8 75

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79 Exhibition Programmes 80A Product Enquiry Card

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ENQUIRY NO 111

editor’s note

When The

Published by:

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Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd (a fully owned subsidiary of Eastern Holdings Ltd)

Reg No: 199908196C

managing director Kenneth Tan editor Joson Ng

josonng@epl.com.sg

business development manager Randy Teo

randyteo@epl.com.sg

assistant sales manager Isabella Ong

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editorial assistant Sharifah Zainon sharifah@epl.com.sg graphic designer Jef Pimentel jeffreypimentel@epl.com.sg

Indonesia, the land of a thousand islands has evolved from the spice trade in the yesteryear to a modern industrialised country. With the automotive, oil and gas and the manufacturing sectors as the pillars of the economy, the metalworking community can expect much from the archipelago.

Take the automotive sector as an example, with the juggernauts of the industry like Honda, Toyota and Suzuki setting up production plants in the country, the manufacturing industry is on the ascendancy. This positive force manifests itself as the industrial estates in the regions of Cibitung, Cikarang, and Karawang, some 30 km east of Jakarta, where the core businesses of the small and middle enterprises are related to the automotive industry.

With a critical mass of companies devoting their resources to support the automotive industry, there is a need to improve existing equipment and machineries. This no doubt drives the sales of machine and cutting tools

in the country to a point all signs and trends indicate good business.

Distributors of machine tool in the country are currently enjoying increasing sales and Ir R Rammon, director of one such distributor has great faith in the economy. He recently opened a show room and training centre and predicted the Indonesian economy to remain stable from now till 2014. He also believes the future in machine tool in Indonesia lies in fiveaxis machining as the country gradually shifts towards higher technology.

T he ‘ fe el go o d’ fac tor in Indonesia resonates and transcends industries. In order to better serve our Indonesian readers, Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News will launch its Indonesia edition, MEN Indonesia in October 2011. The maga zine will be presented in Bahasa Indonesia and focus on the automotive industry, oil and gas industry and their related shows.

metalworking equipment news September 2011

circulation executive Irene Tow

irenetow@epl.com.sg

contributors Christer Richt, Dr Moshe Goldberg Reuven Shapir, Bettina Lutz Janelle Gregerson, Birgit Albrecht Michael E Neumann Amreet Singh, Gabriela Buchfink Yvonne Ng, Matt Short Bill Slonaker Steve Nevey 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 MICA (P) No. 053/06/2011 PPS 840/09/2011 (020177) ISSN 0129/5519

Eastern HOLDINGS Ltd Executive Board

chairman Stephen Tay group executive director Kenneth Tan financial controller Robbin Lim

Joson Ng Editor

6

contributing graphic designer Libby Goh libbygoh@epl.com.sg

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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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ENQUIRY NO 139

www.equipment-news.com

Businessnews GE Technology To Power Wind Farm In Mekong Delta

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: GE has signed a contract with local developer Cong Ly Company to provide 10 of its 1.6-82.5 wind turbines and operations and maintenance services for phase one of the Bac Lieu Wind Farm, totaling 16 MW of power generation capacity.

Cong Ly Company also has plans for a second phase of the project, which would add up to 120 MW of power to help resolve the country’s chronic power shortages. The project will bring clean power generation to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and also is expected to create a number of local jobs during the construction phase.

“This will be the first large-scale industrial/ energy project in Bac Lieu province, which has huge potential in wind energy, along with agriculture and

seafood farming,” said To Hoai Dan, chairman of Cong Ly Company. “We expect that the project will help to improve the social and economic conditions of the province by creating new jobs requiring technical and industrial skills, while producing much-needed power. We also hope this first large-scale wind farm project will help to attract more investments into the Bac Lieu province in the future.”

The Bac Lieu wind project further expands GE’s role in Vietnam, where the company has been active since the 1960s, providing technological support for a variety of power generation projects throughout the country.

In 2009, the company increased its investment in the future of Vietnam by establishing a manufacturing plant near the seaport city of Hai Phong. The facility produces wind turbine components.

Posco Starts Construction Of The Third FINEX Plant Pohang, South Korea: Posco has started construction of the world’s first FINEX plant with an annual capacity of two million tonnes. At the groundbreaking ceremony chairman Joon-yang Chung said: “FINEX is a technology that allows the use of both normal coal and low-quality iron fine ores accounting for 80 percent of the world’s iron ore deposits, and lowers pollutants compared to the existing blast furnace method.

It will continuously contribute to 8

metalworking equipment news September 2011

sound development of Posco, a late starter in the world’s steel industry, as a leader in green steel manufacturing technology.”

The plant is the world’s largest in terms of using a non-blast furnace steel manufacturing method.

FINEX facilities skip the coking and sintering processes while utilising cheap powder from iron ores or soft coal, reducing investments or manufacturing costs by 15 percent. In addition, they emit low levels of sulfur

oxides, nitric oxides and dusts (3, 1 and 28 percent of blast furnace respectively), spotlighted as an environmentally friendly green technology.

The pla nt is pla nned for completion in 2013 and will allow 25 percent of Pohang Steelworks’ molten iron production, 4.1 million tonnes, to be produced by the FINEX method, leading to a 177.2 billion KRW (US$167 million) reduction of costs annually by using low-cost materials.

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CBN Engineering Sdn. Bhd. No, 20 Jalan 51/205 Highway Centre, 46050, Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Tel: 60-3-77852333 • Fax: 60-3-77883318 E mail: engineering@cbn.com.my

PT. Rukun Sejahtera Teknik Komplek Ruko Glodok Jaya No. 80-81 Jl. Hayam Wuruk Jakarta 11180, Indonesia Tel: 021-628 1615 (Hunting) • Fax: 021-626 5559 E mail: marketing@abrasive-tools.com www.rsttools.com

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Bon Industrial Sales 35 Macopa St., Quezon City, Philippines Tel: 781-2740; 749-3672; 740-0458 • Fax: 712-4771 E mail: bonind@skyinet.net Manila Branch: 554 Rizal Ave., Cor. Raon St. Sta. Cruz, Manila, Philippines Tel: 734-2740; 733-1532 • Fax: 733-1534; 733-1569

ENQUIRY NO 122

businessnews

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Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Launched In The US McLean, USA: Douglas K Woods, president of the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), greeted news of the US administration’s launch of its Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. The initiative is a national effort to bring industry, universities and the federal government together to invest in emerging technologies that create manufacturing jobs and boost global competitiveness, particularly in industries critical to national security.

The US$500 million plan uses existing funds and future appropriations from various federal agencies to boost innovation in manufacturing technologies such as small, high-powered batteries, advanced composites, metal fabrication, bio-manufacturing

and alternative engineering. The goal is to enhance defence-critical industries; build US leadership in next-generation robotics; increase energy efficiency in manufacturing; and develop technologies to help improve manufacturing efficiency.

“Collaboration is key to speeding the development of next-generation manufacturing technologies and products, as well as building a manufacturing smartforce,” Mr Woods said. “Leveraging existing funds to jumpstart this effort is a big plus given the current deficit. However, as congress grapples with the debt ceiling and budget this summer, it must consider that investments in science, technology and smartforce made today will increase revenue in the long-run.”

Walter Uses Social Media

Andreas Evertz

Tübingen, Germany: Walter is using its social media presence as a channel for communicating with its target groups, starting with an official Facebook page and YouTube channel.

“Direct communication and interaction with our target groups are new aspects of our corporate communication, which we take very seriously,” explains Andreas Evertz, CEO at Walter. “Social media

Like 10

metalworking equipment news September 2011

have become indispensable in the world of business when it comes to modern methods of exchange and dialogue with important partners, international customers or potential employees.”

The varied extent of subjects covered in Walter’s Facebook and YouTube presence range from the latest company news to information on the product and consultation expertise of the company.

In addition there are adverts for current vacancies, and a behind the scenes look at Walter and the special formats that the company wishes to utilise to interact with users. To make communication via social media platforms as professional as possible from the start, the company has appointed a social media officer, who directs and coordinates all activities in that area.

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ENQUIRY NO 129

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Rapidform 3D Scanning Software Sales Continue Growth S eou l, S out h Kor e a : I nus Te chnolog y ha s exceeded internal sales expectations with its worldwide revenue for the first half of 2011, beating results from H1 2010 by more than 33 percent. Following the company’s best Q1 sales in its 13-year history, this H1 achievement is a testament to the value that the company creates for its customers and their increased spending on Rapidform technology.

“We’re very pleased with our sales performance so far this year,” said Calvin Hur, CEO of Inus Technology. “Our partners, including both 3D scanner manufacturers and value added resellers, have been quite successful in selling Rapidform along with the full breadth of 3D scanners out on the market today. This year’s sales are at an all-time high, which motivates us further to drive innovation and make 3D scanning more productive for our customers.”

APPOINTMENTS

Renishaw Makes Appointments In Singapore & Taiwan

Steve Bell

Chobby Lai

Servos, Motors & Actuators Driving Robotic Components Market New York, USA: Servos, motors, and actuators will show significantly higher growth rates than the overall robot market, due to the increasing complexity of robots. ABI Research forecasts robotic component revenues to exceed $2.36 billion in 2016, in a total robotics market of some $22 billion.

In addition, components such as wheels, microcontrollers and battery units will show high unit shipping volumes, due to their use on multiple types of robots, particularly in the personal robot segment.

According to research director Philip Solis: “Today, personal robots are leading the market with 97 percent of unit shipments, although military, industrial and medical robots, due to their much higher ASPs, deliver almost 12 times as much overall revenue. The greater complexity of new models, and growing demand for that complexity, require more expensive parts and materials.”

On the downside, Mr Solis notes: “Continuing global economic instability (as well as man-made or natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in Japan) could impact demand for robots and their components, while rising commodity costs can mean more expensive components.”

12

metalworking equipment news September 2011

Gloucestershire, UK: Renishaw has recently appointed Steve Bell as GM of Renishaw Singapore, a n d C h o b by L a i a s c o u n t r y manager of Renishaw Taiwan.

Mr Bell will now oversee the business activities for the ASEAN region. He joined Renishaw in 2006 as GM for Taiwan, and has spent his working life within the metrology industry, with a strong focus on sales and technical support within Asia.

Mr Lai, as country manager of Renishaw Taiwan will continue to provide sales and technical s u p p o r t f o r t h e c o m p a n y ’s machine tool, calibration, CMM and automation product lines, including its two major distributors and key machine tools OEM manufacturers.

Dow Performance Materials Gets New Strategic Marketing Director

Carlos Silva Lopes

Horgen, Switzerland: Dow Per formance Materials has named Carlos Silva Lopes as strategic marketing director for the business, which includes the specialty companies Angus Chemical Company and Acima Specialty Chemicals.

In this role, Mr Silva Lopes will lead all global marketing activities for a number of diverse markets — from personal care and paints and coatings to catalysts, metalworking fluids and life sciences.

www.equipment-news.com

businessnews

Birmingham, UK: Delcam will launch the 2012 version of its PowerMill CAM system for highspeed and five-axis machining at the EMO World of Metalworking exhibition to be held in Hannover from September 19 – 24, 2011. The release will include a number of strategies, together with more general enhancements to make programming faster and machining more efficient with the best-possible surface finish.

The most important new option is flowline machining. With flowline machining, the toolpath is divided between a pair of drive curves in a constant number of passes, rather than having a varying number of passes with a constant stepover.

The toolpath will have its start and end passes on the drive curves, with the intermediate passes blending between them.

The software has offered an optional module for automated machining of blades, blisks and impellors for some time. This module has now been enhanced with the addition of a spiral machining strategy. This keeps the cutter on the surface of the part for the complete operation and so gives more even tool loading and a better surface finish.

Another new option that will give better results during five-axis machining is the ability to control the angular point distribution. This option can be used to keep the machine tool moving smoothly when there is rapid angular change in one of the rotary axes of the machine tool.

ENQUIRY NO 132

Delcam To Launch New Machining Options In PowerMill At EMO

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

13

businessnews

www.equipment-news.com

Haas Automation Hosts Demo Day

USA: On September 14, 2011, Haas Automation will host a ‘MultiTasking Turning Centre’ Demo Day at more than 40 Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs) throughout the US and Canada. This 18th national event will feature the Haas ST and DS series multi-tasking turning

centres with Y-axis and dualspindle capability.

In addition to live demonstrations running on the machines, each local HFO will host educational seminars on the latest trends for boosting output and increasing profits.

Haas applications engineers — as well as representatives from major tooling, workholding, and CAD/CAM manufacturers — will be on hand to help customers adapt the machine technology and manufacturing strategies to their shop floor.

BP Delivering Progress London, UK: BP said that it expects future cash flows generated by its worldwide operations to grow faster than output. This growth is expected in both its upstream and downstream businesses as the company delivers its strategic priorities, increases its investment in future growth opportunities and portfolio work continues.

Introducing BP’s financial results for the second quarter of 2011, group chief executive Bob Dudley said: “BP is making rapid progress against our priorities.

In February we said we expected 2011 to be a year of consolidation as we reset the focus of the company.

This is going well, while it is having the expected nearterm impact on our volumes and costs.”

The company reported underlying replacement cost profit of $5.6 billion (US$9.2 billion) for the second quarter of 2011, an increase of 13 percent on the result for the same period last year.

“We expect the momentum of our recovery to build into 2012 and 2013 as new projects come on stream, particularly in higher-margin areas; as we complete current turnaround activity; as we return to work in the Gulf of Mexico; and as uncertainties reduce. At the same time we will increasingly focus both our portfolio and our investments on long-term value growth,” said Mr Dudley.

The company expects average unit operating cash margins to improve as new higher-margin projects come online. It will continue to invest to grow its upstream business, increasingly focusing on longer14

metalworking equipment news September 2011

term growth. Nine new projects are expected to come on stream in 2012 and 2013, most in higher-margin areas such as Angola, the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

BP will also continue to reposition its downstream segment, investing in businesses, which underpin long-term growth and improved returns, and divesting others for value.

The underlying profit of $5.6 billion for the second quarter primarily reflected higher oil and gas prices and refining margins, partially offset by lower production and higher costs, many of which are temporary and specific to the company’s circumstances at this time.

Oil and gas production in the second quarter was 3.43 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed).

This was 11 percent lower than the same period in 2010, primarily reflecting the ongoing impacts to Gulf of Mexico production as a result of the suspension of drilling, and the continuing divestment program.

Full year production is expected to be in line with the guidance of 3.4 million boed given in February.

Increased levels of turnarounds and maintenance to underpin long term reliability and integrity, as described in February, also resulted in both lower production volumes and higher costs in the quarter, particularly impacting higher margin areas such as the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. These effects are expected to continue into the third quarter but, describing them as “a near term effect”, Mr Dudley said that he “expects to see momentum returning as we enter 2012.”

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Kobe Steel To Boost Production Of Compressors In China

Tube Bending Tooling Calculator For The iPhone

Tokyo, Japan: Kobe Steel announces that its Chinese subsidiary, Kobelco Compressors Manufacturing (Shanghai) Corp (or KCMS), has increased production capacity at its compressor plant in Shanghai, China. A manufacturing line in the expanded facility has been completed and has started commercial operation. Approximately 74 million yuan (US$11.5 million) was invested in the expansion.

The Kobe Steel Group manufactures standard compressors in three countries: Japan, the US and China. Started in 2005, the company marketed its compressors in China and Southeast Asia. In 2008, it moved to its current location in Shanghai and increased production capacity. Strong demand has kept the company in full operation. To meet the growing market, KCMS added the new manufacturing line, which increases total annual capacity to 3,500 units, from the previous 2,200 units.

Many of the compressor parts are sourced within China, with some models having a local content rate of nearly 90 percent. However, the screw rotors and other crucial parts are imported from Kobe Steel’s Harima Plant in western Japan.

Standard compressors are widely used in plant utilities in numerous industries. Demand for compressors has risen sharply in recent years due to strong economic growth in China and other emerging countries. Energy efficiency is a highly important issue as compressors consume a large amount of electricity.

Scarborough, UK: A calculator for evaluating bending machine tooling is now available for the Apple iPhone. Developed by tube bending machinery maker Unison, the calculator enables users to determine the tooling needed for performing a particular bending task on any type or make of tube bender.

Compatible with any iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running IOS 4.0 or later, the tube bending tooling calculator will be regularly updated with new features and functions.

Already under development are userselectable tube profiles and material types, such as steel, stainless steel and copper, which will facilitate machine-specific calculations such as bending force requirements.

Version 1.0 of the calculator can be downloaded free of charge.

Coming in October 2011:

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Indonesia

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Muratec Strengthens Its Presence In India

Bangalore, India: Muratec, a Japan based company is strengthening its presence in India through its associate company — Meiban Engineering Technologies. With the inauguration of the latest technology centre in Bangalore, the company is eyeing a larger share of the Indian market for turn key projects for manufacturing automobile and sheet metal components.

The tech centre is situated in JC Industrial Estate and is over 9,000 sq ft (840 sq m). The facility acts as a demo centre and will help Meiban in providing better quality sale support. Currently Muratec’s sales turnover is slightly above Rs 30 crores (US$677,000) in India and with the additional set up, aims to achieve Rs 125 crores in four years time.

Takahiro Yamada of Muratec said: “India has always been a key strategic market for us. We see a great potential for our products in India. We would like to grow four times the present share in sheet metal machines and three times in metal cutting machines in five years.”

Meiban Engineering supplies and services sheet metal machines, which include the latest CNC AC Servo Turret Punch presses of various capacities. It is also equipped to supply punch press tools from Japan. In the metal cutting division, the company serves with automated twin spindle chuckers for manufacturing automotive components, hydraulic components and bearing components.

Success For Invensys Rail

Wiltshire, UK: A consortium of Invensys Rail and Frauscher Sensor Technik has won a contract worth a total of £7.3 m (US$11.9 million) from India’s Mumbai Rail Vikas Corp (MRVC) to supply axle counters to the Central and Western railways.

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T he Wo rl d B a n k- f u n d e d project will see the consortium design, supply, install, test and commission 1,500 multi section digital axle counters in a bid to expand capacity and improve safety on key parts of Mumbai’s

commuter network, which is among the busiest in the world.

MRVC is a state owned company, which undertakes suburban rail enhancement projects in Mumbai.

The city’s 319 km network is being upgraded to meet growing demand and provide urban regeneration.

Invensys Rail Named Supplier Of The Year Elsewhere, the company collected two industry awards at Network Rail’s annual Partnership Awards ceremony. It won the ‘Best Large Project’ award and the ‘Supplier of the Year’ award.

In addition to these two awards, Invensys Rail was also one of the companies who received a special award for the Reading station area redevelopment project.

ENQUIRY NO 067

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Automotive

Toyota To Strengthen Production In Japan With New Corporate Structure J a p a n: Toyota Motor Cor p (Toyota) and subsidiaries Toyota Auto Body and Kanto Auto Works have reached an agreement with respect to the conversion of Toyota Auto Body and Kanto Auto Works to wholly owned subsidiaries of Toyota through sha re excha nge s (ex pected January 2012).

In addition, Kanto Auto Works, Central Motor (Central Motor) and Toyota Motor Tohoku Corp (Toyota Tohoku) have reached an agreement to begin discussions for the proposed merger and integration of the three companies (targeted July 2012).

Toyota believes that the new corporate structure resulting from these agreements will maximise the strengths of each Toyota group company, enable the company to utilise its group resources to the fullest extent and further advance monozukuri (conscientious manufacturing) in Japan.

New Roles Aimed At Strengthening Their Areas Of Specialisation Historically, the Toyota group automobile manufacturers have

supported the global development of Toyota a nd Lex us bra nd vehicles primarily through the development and production of individual vehicle models. Moving forward, each group automobile manufacturer will be actively involved in the integrated planning, development and production of specific vehicle types.

The company believes that enabling management to make decisions that are in line with the group’s overall direction and increasing speed of management are crucial in order to facilitate these structural changes.

Through this new corporate structure, each vehicle manufacturer will be further specialised and will be better able to pay close attention a nd respond quick ly to the preferences of customers around the world.

In addition, Toyota is working to develop vehicles targeted at overseas markets, support the preparation of overseas production, and strengthen its capabilities for the overseas expansion of vehicle related operations).

A Possible Merger And Integration Of Kanto Auto Works, Central Motor And Toyota Tohoku Kanto Auto Works, Central Motor and Toyota Tohoku will begin discussion towards a merger and integration that would result in the creation of Toyota’s Tohoku area manufacturing hub, Toyota’s third national manufacturing hub following Chubu and Kyushu.

Toyota believes that further solidifying the three hubs of its domestic production base and building on their independence will further strengthen monozukuri in Japan.

The resulting company would work to become a comprehensive automobile manufacturer that manufactures unit parts and supports overseas operations, in addition to the planning, development and production of compact cars.

Going forward, in line with the strengthening of Tohoku, Toyota expects Chubu to become the hub for technological innovation and Kyushu to become the hub for mid-sized and Lexus brand vehicle production. Each hub is expected to develop its strengths in order to promote shared growth.

Dongfeng Honda Produces Its One Millionth Unit

Wuhan, China: Dongfeng Honda Automobile, an automobile production and sales joint venture of Honda in China, has commemorated its one million unit milestone in cumulative automobile production.

Reflecting its strong sales, the company has 20

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been expanding annual production capacity of its auto plant from the initial capacity of 30,000 units to 120,000 units in 2006 and to 240,000 units in 2010.

I n a d d it io n , t h e co mp a n y i s c u r re nt l y constructing a second plant, which is scheduled to become operational in 2012 with an initial production capacity of 100,000 units, and an expansion of capacity to 120,000 units is already scheduled in 2013.

With this expansion, the total annual production capacity of the company will reach 360,000 units in 2013. Combined with the capacity of Guangqi Honda Automobile, and Honda Automobile (China), an export automobile production plant, Honda’s total annual automobile production capacity in China will reach 890,000 units in 2013.

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Aerospace

Lufthansa & Airbus Make Step Toward Sustainable Aviation

Andres Rueda

Germany: Lufthansa has launched the world’s first ever da ily commercial passenger flights using biofuel. The flights will be the first in the world to use a biofuel blend using 50 percent hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids.

The aircraft is an Airbus A321, equipped with IAE engines.

Airbus’ role is to provide technical assistance and to monitor the fuel

properties. The daily flights will initially continue for six months as part of the ‘Burn Fair’ R&T project to study the long term impact of sustainable biofuels on aircraft performance.

“Fuel quality is a critical issue in aviation. Neste Oil’s NExBTL technology is suited to producing aviation fuel that meets the aviation industry’s toughest quality

standard,” says Matti Lievonen, Neste Oil’s president and CEO. “Airbus is proud of its role as catalyst in bringing together various stakeholders to speed up the commercialisation of biofuels. These daily biofuel flights are a significant step forward in our industry-wide pursuit of a sustainable future for aviation,” said Tom Enders, Airbus president and CEO.

Rolls-Royce Wins $1 Billion Order From Singapore Airlines

Jordan Vuong, Perth, Australia

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London, UK: Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has won a $1 billion order from Singapore Airlines to supply Trent 700 engines to power 15 Airbus A330 aircraft, along with TotalCare services support.

Nick Devall, the company's chief commercial officer (civil aerospace), said: “The Trent 700 has proven itself to be the most efficient engine for the Airbus A330. Our continuous investment in the improvement of our products has ensured that the Trent 700 is the clear leader in the market. Singapore Airlines has been a great partner and we are delighted to extend this relationship further.”

The Trent 700, the only engine designed specifically for the A330, has won more than 75 percent of orders in the last three years. More than 1,300 Trent 700 engines are now in service or on order.

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Tungaloy Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Kallang Avenue, #06-03, Singapore 339505 Tel: (65) 6391 1833 • Fax: (65) 6299 4557 www.tungaloy.co.jp/tspl/

Tungaloy Malaysia Sdn Bhd (876763-H) 50 K-2, Kelana Mall, Jalan SS6/14, Kelana Jaya 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Tel: +603-7805 3222 • Fax: + 603-7804 8563 www.tungaloy.co.jp

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statistics

USMTO: Manufacturing Technology Orders Up 108 Percent In 2011

USA: May US manufacturing technology orders totaled $388.27 million according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association and AMT — The Association For Manufacturing Technology.

This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 2.6 percent from April but up 121.3 percent when compared with the total of $175.46 million reported for May 2010. With a year-to-date total of $1,984.87 million, 2011 is up 108.0 percent compared with 2010. These numbers and all data are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program.

“The May order numbers confirm our members’ reports of continued strong project levels by

manufacturing companies to improve productivity in their factories,” said Peter Borden, AMTDA president.

“The 2,000 unit-per-month level signifies a very healthy demand still in place as we head towards the close of the second quarter.”

The United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report, jointly compiled by the two trade associations representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national US orders data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment.

Analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.

The Italian Robotics Industry Consolidates Recovery In 2011 Cinisello Balsamo, Italy: According to the forecasts, production of the Italian machine tools, robots and automation manufacturing industry in 2011 will rise to €4,955 million (US$7,122 million), an increase of 18.1 percent compared with the previous year.

T he p o sit i ve re su lt w a s mainly due to the performance of exports, which with an increase of 22.3 percent, will amount to €3,185 million.

China was the number one outlet market for the made in Italy supply in the sector in 2010, unseating Germany from the top position, in the first three months of 2011. Sales of Italian machine tools intended for German manufacturers indicated a 24

metalworking equipment news September 2011

marked increase. For this reason, Germany and China absorbed the same amount of Italian exports, which was 13.9 percent.

During the period JanuaryMarch 2011 in particular, the main destination areas were: China (+13.8 percent) compared to the same period in the previous year, Germany (+115.6 percent), USA (+123.4 percent), India (+58.9 percent), Brazil (+125.7 percent), France (-14.7 percent), Turkey (+110.5 percent), Poland (+96.3 percent), Russia (-52.5 percent) and Switzerland (+42.7 percent).

Pertaining to the domestic market in 2011, consumption is expected to grow by 11.7 percent, to reach €2,755 million, with

the recovery of deliveries by manufacturers trailing behind to amount to a value of €1,770 million, 11.2 percent more than in the previous year.

Giancarlo Losma, president of UCIMU-Sistemi Per Produrre said: “Despite the framework of general improvement, manufacturers’ fears remain high because of the weakness of the domestic market which has only recovered a small share of the ground lost during the crisis.”

“Unwillingness of domestic demand has urged manufacturers to intensify their activities on foreign markets, even in the most far-off markets. To support companies, the association has developed concrete initiatives,” said Mr Losma.

VIETNAM MANUFACTURING EXPO 2011 Booth No. G11 September 15-17 2011 Hanoi, Vietnam

METALEX VIETNAM 2011 Booth No: B15 October 6 - 8, 2011 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Singapore

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Hexagon Metrology Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. 2 Woodlands Sector 1 #01-10 Woodlands Spectrum 1 Singapore 738068 Tel : +65 6463 6242 Fax : +65 6463 8030 contact@hexagon-metrology.com.sg

Hexagon Measurement Technologies Sdn.Bhd 11 Jalan PJS 7/21 (758921-A) Bandar Sunway 46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Tel : +603 5632 8900 Fax : +603 5632 8955 contact.my@hexagonmetrology.com

Hexagon Metrology (Thailand) Ltd. 3 Soi, Bangna-Trad 34, Bangna-Trad Rd. Bangna, Bangna, Bangkok 10260 Tel : +66 2361 3695 to 9 Fax : +66 2746 9607 hexagon.thailand@hexagonmetrology.com

Hanoi Representative Office 5th Floor, Regus Hanoi Press Club, 59A Ly Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, S.R. of Vietnam Tel: +84 4 3936 7935 Fax: +84 4 3936 8069 hexagon.thailand@hexagonmetrology.com

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Composite Machining:

TailoredMade To Each Application With the growing influence of composite materials, there enters a generation of cutting tools especially in hole-making, in order to improve performance and results. By Christer Richt, technical editor, Sandvik Coromant

M

achining composite materials is completely different to conventional machining of metals. What is more, machining one type of composite is usually different to machining another. In this respect they are not unified at all and, furthermore, the range of composite materials is broader than the range of metals.

Implications for machine shops involved in manufacturing using these materials are considerable and need a reassessment of tools, methods, set-up and in some cases machinery and fixturing. It is quite likely then, that every new composite material entering the factory doors needs a new approach because the material consistency of metals with regard to machining is not there.

The cutting action in composite materials is quite different to that of metals’. The cutting edge does not generate a chip through shearing as with the majority of metals, it breaks off the composite material to be removed, often cutting the matrix material while fracturing the reinforcement fibres in the process.

The general principle of machining composites is with sharp

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cutting edges having sufficient clearance giving a clean cut and minimised tendency for the tool rubbing against the workpiece.

Tool wear needs to be minimised as geometrical changes to the edge rapidly lead to excessive heat generation, edge breakdown and component-quality problems.

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) have poor heat dissipation and as there are no chips as with metal, heat is not removed as effectively from the cutting zone. This means that temperature considerations should be made both as regard to effect on the tool material and the workpiece material.

Both the reinforcement fibres and the matrix of a composite material can be very abrasive on cutting tools, making tool life a major issue. Cutting forces are another issue in composite machining as pressure on components and the effects of the cutting edge on finish and accuracy are primary concerns.

Workpieces are often susceptible to the effects of forces as many are thin, slender or stacked.

Composite Machining Is Application Specific Establishing machining solutions for composites mean selecting a suitable tool, geometry, tool material, grade and cutting data in the usual way. But it is the establishing of individual processes for applications that is the corner stone of successful composite machining performance, security and results.

The most frequently used machining processes are holemaking, surface machining and edging and trimming. Drilling CFRP materials, CFRP with aluminium stacks and CFRP with titanium stacks are common operations in CNC machines, in positive feed machines and are performed by robots. Milling of edges on finished components or facemilling of contact and assembly points of carbon fibre materials are common on five-axis CNC-machines and in PKM machines.

Drilling dominates as an operation in composites. It is challenging because the material at entry as well as the exit of the hole

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can both splinter and even split into separate layers (delamination). To achieve the required surface finish often needs extra efforts by way of obtaining satisfactory cutting action between fibre layers and the matrix, partly because of the way CFRP materials vary in this respect.

As impact resistance and heat resistance improve for composites as design materials, machining usually needs more attention and a new solution. Some carbon fibre materials are very good at standing up to heat demands and is therefore used close to turbine engines but this makes the material even more challenging with extensive abrasion wear mechanism acting on the cutting edges of the drill.

Making a hole to high quality demands is becoming more challenging as composite materials are developed to satisfy demands from new aircraft designs. Holequality demands are high and the degree of automation is also increasing with a trend of eliminating secondary operations.

This of course makes even higher demands for the performance of cutting tools to be adapted to composites. Also stacked materials are becoming more common as the volume of carbon fibre increases, making surface finish, tolerance and material evacuation tricky with added challenges on the cutting tool capability and for the right method to be in place.

Drilling Composites Drilling CFRP materials can often be solved in a relatively straightforward way but when combined with a layer of titanium, the entry from composite to titanium needs adjusted cutting data and for the titanium chips to be formed and handled so as not to affect the surface of the composite material.

Obviously the cutting tool also needs to be capable of machining both types of these very different materials. Cutting data for composite materials vary and may also depend upon the capability of the machine to be used. In drilling, cutting speeds of 100 to 200 m/min are common with small feed rates, typically 0.02 to 0.06 mm/rev. The most common diameters involved in composite drilling are 3 to 12.7 mm.

Solutions are application-specific and may include geometries selected or adapted to the material. Resinrich materials, on the other hand, will often demand a steeper helixangle on the drill to reduce the risk for delamination and splintering. To get started and assess machinability, a medium speed, typically involving a spindle speed of about 2,000 rpm for a small to medium tool, and a low feed rate should be applied. In this way, the machining properties can be observed in order to adjust cutting data further or even the choice of a different tool geometry and grade. Surface finish demands

ENQUIRY NO 126

It is challenging to drill a hole in composite materials because the material at entry as well as the exit of the hole can both splinter and even split into separate layers (delamination)

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

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are increasing and are typically in the region of Ra 1.6 microns and these, along with cpk values, will also affect the choice of both geometry and grade.

Cutting Tools For Composites As with hole-surface quality, demands on flat-machined surfaces are high for composite components, demanding innovative approaches with modern indexable insert tooling. Facemill and endmill with polychrystalline diamond tipped or coated inserts are effective for high-fibre-content composites. Edging and trimming have carbide, diamond inserts or solid carbide cutters for achieving quality results.

Cutting tools need to be easycutting, generating minimal cutting forces. Various tool geometries are needed to arrive at the best solution due to the varied character of composite materials. As for tool material, diamond-coated carbide drills are used in applications where stability is lower through the mobile machines used typically in airplane assembly. Diamond-like coating is also an alternative when the carbon fibre is stacked with aluminium as diamond coated tools are often not favourable in these conditions.

Diamond-tipped (PCD) drills and milling cutters have the best tool-life as diamond stands up to the wear of various carbon fibre materials and stacked materials — including titanium. In milling applications, diamond-tipped inserts are the most common while diamondcoated solid carbide tools can be utilised for trimming carbon fibre components, but usually resulting in shorter tool life.

A machining-economic calculation should determine what solution is the most favourable.

Material removal rate is important, but often not the main factor. The quality of a hole, combined with satisfactory tool life and tool cost will affect productivity more when it comes to composite machining.

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On-Going Activities Provide Solutions Apart from developing cutting tools that will lift performance in composite machining, the development of optimum processes is high on the agenda. A range of drills and milling cutters has recently been developed to improve competitiveness in the area of composite materials.

Carbide drills have been designed with a carbon coating (diamondlike coating) or true diamond

coating suitable for a number of applications.

Three drill geometries have been developed to date for making high quality holes in various CFRP materials. These are suitable for use on both carbide and PCD tipped drills. For milling, edging and trimming, there have for some time endmills and facemills with diamond inserts that are suitable for composite machining.

Enquiry No. 6001 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Machining Composite Materials: Why Go Through With It? A composite is when two materials, each with different individual characteristics, are combined to form a material with a certain property. Materials with properties have always been needed, properties that cannot be met by one material alone. Composite materials are not modern science, they were, for example, made centuries ago through forging irons with different properties into a combination material having a sought-after property.

The individual materials have defined functions in the resulting composite material, which then receives new properties — a principle of combined actions. Today, they are artificially manufactured materials composed of a matrix with dispersed phases. Such is the case with the silicon nitride ceramics — a composite tool material — where whiskers provide added strength and stiffness. Another example is the composite-filling material in machine tool bases for dampening using granite in a resin.

Composites today are as structural materials for aerospace, automotive, wind-power and numerous other applications. For airframes, they are developed to add stiffness, strength and durability to structures. Composites have excellent strength to weight ratio and can be formed into complicated shapes. In comparison to aluminium, carbon fibre composites typically have more than 14 times the tensile strength; 19 times lower thermal expansion; five times greater stiffness and yet weigh only half as much. But they are also much more challenging and varied to machine. MEN Total Materials Used

By Weight Steel 10% Titanium 15%

Other 5% Composites 50%

Aluminium 20% By comparison, the 777 uses 12 percent composites and 50 percent aluminium.

Enquiry No. 6002 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Answers for industry. © 2010 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All rights reserved. Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. NX is a trademark or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other logos, trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks used herein are the property of their respective holders.

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ighter and stronger than ever, the new breed of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Pl a s t ic s (C F R P ) a n d laminates are elevating performance levels in applications ranging from downhill skis and tennis rackets to military aircraft and automobiles.

A s a workpiece material, however, their main impact has been to elevate the fabrication challenges, especially machining.

While superb in airframes or marine vessel frames — types of fibre-reinforced epoxy, polyester and vinyl are harder on tools and less forgiving of even small vagaries in processing. Moreover, their higher added value pre-machining leaves even less tolerance for scrap.

A New Beginning Fortunately, a generation of cutting tools that is tailored specifically to perform the most frequently required operations on all types of advanced composites is emerging.

For instance, there are drills suited for thicker materials with aluminium on the bottom, as well as for thinner materials with the CFRP on the bottom.

There are combination drillcountersinks and drill-reamers, slotting cutters and combination mill/drill cutters. The list goes on.

The bottom line is that possibly for the first time since reinforced composites came on the scene, you can find a no-compromise tool for any conceivable composite machining task.

Presently the cutting tool material of choice for composites is a solid carbide shank with thin PCD coatings, brazed-in PCD inserts or PCD veins at the cutting edge. This type of tool has outperformed all others, including CVD diamond coated solid carbide. The harder and more highly reinforced the material, the greater the margin of improvement.

The reasons are clear. The solid carbide shank provides the rigidity and dimensional accuracy necessary to maintain close

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Better Tools For Drilling Composite Materials Drilling and milling composite materials are quite simply a balancing act. By Dr Moshe Goldberg, marketing technical advisor and Reuven Shapir, aerospace industry manager, Iscar. tolerances on size and location as well as smooth surfaces. Solid carbide also makes it possible to start with an optimal cutting geometry that minimises cutting forces, heat, uncut fibres, cups, fuzz and burrs while controlling chips.

The thin PCD coating (or insert) provides the wear resistance at the cutting edge to maintain that optimal geometry over long service intervals.

Note the emphasis on thin PCD coatings. They deliver the wear resistance of diamond while preserving the ideal cutting geometry machined into the carbide shank. By contrast, CVD inevitably creates a thicker diamond layer that may detract from optimal geometry.

Hole Making, Close Up Hole making, mainly for rivet holes, is a mainstay process in composites work, and very unforgiving. Because of their inherent hardness and dimensional stability, Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites do not readily resolve misalignment stresses introduced during fabrication by offcentre rivet holes.

Early solutions centred on orbital drilling on CNC machines with offset and interpolation programming capabilities, using solid carbide tools.

This is actually an orbital milling process, not true drilling, which uses a tool smaller in diameter than the

hole. The process runs cooler and reduces thrust forces compared with drilling. It also enables a single tool to produce different diameter holes and irregular cavities, which reduces tool inventory costs.

Tool wear remained a problem, however, leading to a common ‘workaround’, ie: programmed tool wear compensation. While this strategy maintained dimension, it did nothing for surface finish or heat management.

Diamond Carbide Tools Diamond-enhanced solid carbide drills described earlier have proven very successful, as they stay sharper longer than plain solid carbide tools in composites machining service. Four styles of diamond-enhanced tools are now available for composites machining: • CVD Diamond Carbide — combines the wear resistance of diamond and the dimensional accuracy of solid carbide. The downside is that the coating is inherently thick, which can detract from sharpness and geometry right at the cutting edge.

• PCD Coated Solid Carbide — offers the same advantages plus better sharpness and geometry control at the cutting edge.

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• PCD-Veined Solid Carbide — features ‘veins’ of PCD bonded into grooves machined into the carbide shank.

Improving Hole Making Keep cutting forces light to minimise delamination and stress on the material is one of the ways to improve or troubleshoot a hole making operation in composites.

E lsewhere in a lu m in iu m honeycomb or foam core, solid carbide drills will likely suffice. The harder the matrix and higher the reinforcing fibre content, the more you will need PCD coatings/inserts at the cutting edge.

When hole size allows it, orbital drilling with a solid carbide endmill or milling interpolation using tools with PCD coated tips is preferable to straight twist drilling.

For sha llower holes, use stubby, straight-shank drills. For deeper holes, design the process for absolutely reliable ejection of all types of chip. Consider ‘peck drilling’ and even coolant flushing, if possible.

Match speeds and feed to the layers in the laminate. Be ready to change parameters for each layer as the drill progresses.

Select the tool geometry based on the last material in the stack. If a plastic, use a tapered drill with a

Final Point...

Composite Milling Milling composites, as for drilling, is equally challenging. If the tool encounters several different layers at the same time, you need to engineer the process, taking all limitations into account. If you are progressing through the layers pass by pass, you may have to change parameters to match the layer.

long point angle. If the last layer is aluminium or titanium, a high-shear drill with a sharp point angle will exit more cleanly and leave less burr. The tapered drill would just smear aluminium.

In thicker composite structures, beware of heat buildup as well as chip jamming. Select drills with narrow flutes, wide gullets and tighter spirals that complete the hole before things get too hot and in addition consider coolant.

What About Titanium?

When titanium is in the stack, the preferred practice is everything that composites hate. To avert work hardening and overheating and to keep chips controllable, select tools with low reliefs and rake angles and a low spindle speed. Although coolant or mist is not generally used, it may be unavoidable for titanium because of the heat and/or chip flushing.

In short, take everything into account in tool selection, including the relative thicknesses and location of the metal and plastic layers. It is a balancing act. A stack heavy towards the metal favours solid carbide tools with internal coolant.

If CFRP is the main part, PCD carbide tools would be preferable.

Be sure the process reliably breaks up the titanium chips into small, easily ejected pieces. You especially do not want to risk a titanium chip jamming the hole in a composite. Again, the most effective remedies are slower speeds and pecking cycles. MEN Enquiry No. 6003 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Tool systems for machining centers • Angle heads • Multi spindle heads • High speed spindles Tool systems for CNC-lathes • Live tools & static tools • Modular systems Visit us at EMO Hall 4 | Booth C 76

SINGAPORE Precise Tooling System Fon +6563832345 mail.ch@precisetooling.com.sg www.precisetooling.com.sg

CHINA Shanghai Times Seiko Technology Co., Ltd Fon +8618601783201 times.seiko@gmail.com www.times-seiko.com

ENQUIRY NO 150

• PCD Brazed-in Inserts in Solid Carbide Shanks — suitable w h e r e d i a m o n d’s w e a r resistance is needed only at the leading edge.

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

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Last Word On Composite Materials...

Making

Lightweight

R

oding Automobile’s twoseater roadster features a bearing passenger cell made of carbon composites. The Roding fuses the vehicle design with high-tech materials. While the front and rear of the vehicle use an aluminium space frame design, the entire bearing passenger cell and the trim components are made from Carbon fibre-Reinforced Plastic (CRP).

With its low weight a nd exceptional rigidity and strength, CRP is ideally suited to sports car production. Yet the material is also extremely abrasive and will destroy tool cutting edges quickly.

As the material consists of two components, the properties for both must be taken into consideration.

If an excessively high speed is selected, for example, the resins will melt with the chips. In addition to that, drilling can quickly cause delamination or the formation of burrs. For these reasons, this material places especially high demands on tooling.

High-Performance Tools Required All lightweight parts of the Roding are cut using Garant special tools.

Most of these come from the Black Ring series, which has been

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Sports Cars Many racecar designers are now turning to composite materials to make their car go faster. Many machinists in turn are looking at special cutters to help them process the challenging material. By Bettina Lutz, Publicis Consultants, Deutschland PRCC Germany, for Hoffmann Group

developed specifically for CRP, GRP and graphite materials. Milling tools with high-performance diamond cuts prevent the material from wearing rapidly.

For example, the blank is cut using a solid carbide router cutter.

The high-performance diamond cut features six cutters and ensures that large, clean chips are produced.

The sliding cut of the router cutter presses the component onto the support without placing it under any tension.

Solid carbide milling cutter with helical and curved cutting edge can be used for clean and precise edge milling. The special shape of its cutting edge makes it possible to mill without burrs on the bottom and top edges of the CRP component. The cutting edge pushes and pulls simultaneously to prevent delamination of the component. MEN Enquiry No. 6004 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 154

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Insights

CMM Advancements

Aid Mars Exploration

The ability to measure tight tolerances is just as important as having the manufacturing capability to make these complex parts. By Janelle Gregerson, Industrial Metrology, Carl Zeiss

W

hen Andrew Tool got the call to quote on a Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project, they were determined to succeed by taking advantage of their expertise. At the company, CMMs have been an integral part of their manufacturing processes for years, but they had never faced a project with such intricate measurements, tight tolerances, heat treatments and a very short time frame requirement.

The complex project from MSL required Andrew Tool to manufacture actuators (gearboxes) for the next Mars rover, Curiosity.

This rover will weigh over 10,000 lbs (4,535 kg), five times the weight of the current rovers, and carry more than 10 times the weight in scientific instruments compared to the current Spirit or Opportunity rovers. Therefore, the propulsion system’s power and torque will be more robust, and the unit’s wheels considerably larger than previous

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designs. NASA engineers believe these changes will help prevent the problem that Spirit is encountering now: it is stuck in a sand pile.

A Challenging Project There were many parameters that the machine shop had to adhere to in order to help NASA make their new actuator design a success.

Many of the parts had very deep pockets (almost a 20:1 ratio), small radii, along with extremely tight tolerances, many of which are tied to different gear pitch diameters.

The parts are very labour intensive with thousands of points of data measured on individual parts.

T h e Va s co M a x m a te r i a l (speciality steel) used for the actuator parts, changes in size slightly during heat treatment. As a result, many of the part features were machined and inspected to process dimensions that allowed for this size change if the feature was not going to be final finished

post-heat treatment.

Additionally, position tolerances of 0.0002” (0.0051 mm), geometric control of 0.00008”, and size control within 0.0001”, even on relatively large (5” range) dimensions added to the challenge. All of these factors coupled with a demanding 18-month timeline and AS9100 certification requirements made it critical that Andrew Tool bolstered its CMM capabilities for precision and speed.

New CMM For New Project The company decided to purchase the Zeiss Accura with the VAST XT gold active scanning sensor.

With any new machine being added to the production process, there is always a learning curve.

The first surprise they had was seeing how seemingly benign parameter setting changes could dramatically affect measurement results. The discipline of always verifying critical measurements

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ENQUIRY NO 154

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Operator measuring actuator part with the Zeiss Accura. The VAST XT gold active scanning sensor is a useful feature for the complex and heavy stylus configurations.

Temperature sensor on part used for temperature compensation

with another method was crucial to the learning curve.

Additionally, probing strategy for some of the features and proper alignment sequences to achieve correct results were developed and refined to achieve consistently correct results.

“The CMM helped us orchestrate the project by providing timely, accurate, and understandable in-process reporting. It can’t be overstated how cr itica l good inspection is for process development and setup,” says Bryant Broderick, quality control engineer at Andrew Tool.

T he project included 14 different part numbers with quantities ranging from 4 to 12 plus setup parts. Throughout all of the different processes including milling, gear cutting, heat treatment, and stabilisation, each part was successfully measured up to 60 times by the CMM to ensure accuracy every step of the way.

The temperature compensation feature was especially helpful because they were able to check parts right off the machine tool and relay the results to the toolmaker instead of having to wait for the 36

metalworking equipment news September 2011

part temperature to stabilise before measurement. With a coefficient of expansion of five and one half millionths of an inch per degree, a few degrees could mean the difference between acceptance or rejection.

The reporting capability in the Calypso standard measuring software is useful for the AS9100 certification process required by NASA. This certification involved a lot of time on the program ma na gement side of things ensuring there was documentation for all of the critical paths of

each part throughout the whole manufacturing process.

All of this information was contained in a spreadsheet with all of the serialised parts to clarify where each part was at any point.

The software easily documented the information electronically each time the part was measured.

“Verbal information of part details means nothing; documented data is everything,” states Don Felix, director of sales and marketing. MEN Enquiry No. 6101 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ENQUIRY NO 154

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Bosch Rexroth Case Study:

New Metrology For New Strategy A shift in production strategy can be facilitated by precise metrological equipment. By Birgit Albrecht, marketing manager, Hexagon Metrology

O

ver in a factor y in Nuremberg, the mobile hydraulics division of Bosch Rexroth manufactures external gear pumps and motors. The company’s products achieve their degree of efficiency through their pressure-sensitive gap sealing and precision production technology.

“With such a level of process reliability, we can ensure that the gap dimensions comply with the specified tolerances,” says Felix Zacharias, quality management external gear machines.

The individual components — gears, housings and bearing bushes — are subjected to tight tolerances. For example, the tolerance for some features on gear wheels is as small as 2 microns. Only if the components match one another at the detailed level can the assembled unit perform to its maximum.

Production operators use special gear inspection machines, optical metrology and in-line measuring machines to ensure that everything matches down to the finest detail. A climate-control measuring room provides even more accuracy for special cases.

Each shift selects and inspects the specified number of components from the production floor. The company inspects bearing bush

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and pump housing characteristics such as flatness, parallelism or cylindricity with a Dea Global Image 7.7.7 3D CMM. On top of this, the inspection technicians in the measuring room perform special inspections for new production runs or machine capability analyses.

Intensive Metrology For intensive gear inspection, the company uses a Leitz Reference HP 5.4.3 CMM, which was recently received.

“With the Leitz Reference, we are meeting the challenges presented by modern gear manufacturing. The CMM is suitable for high tolerance features on gears (eg: for scanning measurements of the form and position of bearing pins in gear assemblies or for scanning faces of gears to check flatness). The machine also has the benefit of being universally applicable. We can use the same machine equally well to measure the form and position of bearing bushes, housings and gears,” says Mr Zacharias.

From Job Shop To Modular Production On the production floor, Bosch Rexroth is switching in gradual stages from job shop production to modular production. The external gear pumps and motors are now to be manufactured completely in a module using efficient methods.

Measuring master parts will take the place of testing random production samples.

The master part is measured by a measuring machine in the module and in the measuring room. The results from the manufacturing module and the measuring room are then compared with one another. If the values remain within the specified tolerance band, the company can be sure that its quality requirements are being met. This shift in production philosophy was met with a boost with the addition of Leitz Reference HP 5.4.3 as it achieved a volumetric accuracy of MPEE = 0.8 + L/400 μm. MEN Enquiry No. 6102 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

MMC Hardmetal (Thailand) Co.,Ltd.

Singapore Branch

8th Floor Regent House Building, 183 Rajdamri Road, Lumipini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, THAILAND Tel: 66-2651-9800 Fax: 66-2651-9803

33 Ubi Avenue 3, #05-14 Vertex, Singapore, 408868 Tel: 65-6634-8250 Fax: 65-6634-8257

http://www.mitsubishicarbide.com

ENQUIRY NO 134

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Metrology

Spruce Things Up With Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News recently caught up with PTC’s senior director of product marketing Sandy Joung to talk to her about PLM and its relevance in metalworking.

By Joson Ng

PLM

APMEN: Do you foresee a high take-up rate in PLM solutions in certain parts of Asia where the focus is arguably still on labour-intensive manufacturing?

Sandy Joung (SJ): The adoption of PLM is early, but growing. The percentage versus CAD is roughly 20 percent. Asia compared to some of our other geographies has a lower percentage of adoption, but we see a latent demand for it because PLM is not just for design engineering, it is also for manufacturing and services. The solution can provide value for customers in manufacturing as well as control manufacturing product drawings and workflows.

Finally, it can store information on NC and tooling designs and operations.

The real experts in PLM are the solution providers.

The users on the other hand do not have a very firm understanding of the solution. Do you agree with this statement?

The users do not have to understand the full nature of PLM. They just need to know how it is going to impact and improve their business. The solution providers should focus on how to make and implement the software so the end user/customer can focus on their products.

I used to work in the manufacturing sector before PLM systems were developed. A lot of systems were homegrown; as such they do not call it PLM. It does not matter what you call it, you just need some kind of system to control and manage all your information and processes.

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There are fewer companies that can build their own systems today. It is very expensive and time consuming for companies to develop and maintain their own systems. Having a system that works straight out of a box will be very good for business owners.

They can focus on delivering great products, not the PLM software.

Can PLM be independent?

Is there a need to combine it with ERP? It depends on the industry, the company and the processes. We believe by integrating those two gives a lot of value because you can have faster process information and data transfer.

At some point you will need to transfer data from a PLM system to an ERP system. If the two are separate and do not work well together, it may introduce data error. Having two systems working seamlessly saves you time.

How efficient do you think PLM system can be in the metalworking context? How do you change the traditional mindsets and ways of data management that exist in certain machine shops?

If people want that single source of information and they need to find how a part or a product is made, PLM can help them find it quickly since it contains all of the 3D product data (2D and 3D CAD geometry), manufacturing tooling design information, machining programs, and other information.

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Oftentimes there are some reliability issues that need to be investigated after a product is shipped.

When that happens, people always go back to the manufacturers. The typical questions would be: how did you manufacture the parts? Did you use the right parts and can you verify everything that had happened?

If you have a PLM system specifying and controlling the processes, you can verify the steps. If you do not, that is a lot harder to do. When I was in manufacturing, there were older facilities that have paper routes attached to boxes. Those can get separated and you could lose the instructions. As such, there is potential for large data loss. The newer factories no longer have hard copy instructions attached. They are all computerised. You scan a barcode and the correct processing steps appear. The system lets you track through manufacturing progress preventing accidental duplication of processes.

PLM is touted to be an enabler for collaborations between different departments and enterprises.

With information sharing very much at the forefront, how does PLM solution provider like PTC protect intellectual properties?

Windchill is very secure. Once the data is inside the system, it ca n give ver y specific access to different parties. It also logs when people access information making it a very secure environment. In addition to a secure PLM system, PTC offers persistent and dynamic digita l rights ma nagement protection w ith Creo. Once the data leaves the PLM system, you can control who can access the file and even change or remove those rights in the future if needed. MEN Enquiry No. 6201 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Sandy Joung On Creo 1.0 …

PTC’s Technology Forum bandwagon recently found its way to Singapore where the attendees were treated to the live demonstrations of Creo 1.0, the company’s design software.

With this launch and new product strategy, we are tackling the unsolved challenges that our competitors are not (usability, interoperability, technology lock-in and assembly management) with our four key technologies. The technologies leverage on our knowledge in PLM and as such, we are able to differentiate ourselves. Creo 1.0 offers 2D CAD, 3D CAD, visualisation and 3D technical illustration software and there are nine apps available in this release.

1) The Creo Parametric is a 3D parametric CAD solution. We also provide extensions from this base app to give more functionality.

2) Cero Direct is a new app that provides 3D direct modeling capabilities. It also integrates with Creo Parametric to ensure the data can move between different apps without losing design intent.

5) Creo Schematics — the schematics app creates 2D diagrams for piping, cabling and other routed systems that can be automatically routed into 3D designs in Creo.

6) Creo Simulate is an app for analysts to perform structural and thermal simulation exercises.

7) Creo View MCAD is a visualisation app for mechanical geometry.

8) Creo View ECAD is a visualisation app for electronic design information.

3) Creo Sketch, the app for sketching, allows 2D free hand sketching. You can use a tablet or even a mouse. It can also create finished artwork.

9) Creo View Illustrate is a new app that enables users to leverage 3D CAD data to create rich interactive 3D technical illustrations and animations.

4) C r e o L a y o u t i s a 2 D a p p f o r m o r e d e t a i l e d concept designs.

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

Enquiry No. 6202

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

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Breaking Away From Conventional Production Methods

Incorporating Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in the automotive industry can lead to cost and time savings, better profit margins and an improved product. By Amreet Singh

T

he automotive industry continues to change every year. Priorities shift and new technological advances are being introduced. However, the underlying principle of earning profit remains. The main change that has occurred is one of innovation. It has taken precedence in most major automotive companies.

The ability to utilise innovation to bring about better profits coupled with better standards has led to a sort of reinvention of the automotive industry.

Innovation is a broad ranging concept that involves the automotive cycle in its totality. It consists of products, services, operations as well as business models. In other words, it lends its hand from the man on the ground to the finished product all the way to the salesman.

Every implementation has the potential to lead to a better product and better profits.

Today, most advancements are electronically led. The value of electronics within the automotive industry can be said to be within the range of 30 to 40 percent per car. With new models and products

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Jeremy Atkinson, Manchester, United Kingdom

constantly being pushed through the pipeline, improvements with regard to electronics garner even more importance.

PLM: Restructuring Methods To Achieve Greater Efficiency PLM is a business strategy that is built around the idea that a reallocation of resources coupled with a reduction of waste can lead to better products and profit margins. In the automotive industry, where change is incessant, PLM is becoming vital in order to save money and increase efficiency.

In the automotive industry, the concept has been used to save millions of dollars and effectively route these savings to product safety. Today, by using PLM, one can simulate over a hundred crash tests for one full vehicle crash test.

Also, these simulations are able to test a wide array of defects and conditions that cannot possibly be replicated in that single physical test. What it means is that there can be time and cost savings from using simulations instead of physical tests. With computer models that can now solve millions of equations,

the complexity of these tests are enhanced and this allows engineers to analyse crash events with greater precision. This translates to a better product for the consumers and at the same time saves cost for the producers as they can avoid costly physical tests, which do not reveal as much detail.

PLM not only involves the testing process of a car but also includes the entire process from start to finish. As such, it acts as a unifier and ties in the company as a whole. By utilising PLM, processes and sections are no longer segregated. Also it means that when a fault is located early along in the process line, it can be identified in virtual space through computation and rectified before being passed on to the next stage.

In essence, the next stage will continually evolve its process in accordance to the stages preceding and succeeding it as opposed to non-PLM systems, which require stages to continue production separately until it is identified.

This non-PLM system means that it cannot support an adjacent stage. Also, this would have already resulted in an increase in cost due to parts that will not be used. However, PLM allows for transparency in the entire process and it also allows a worker to focus on his job while relating to the product as a whole.

Reduction Of Non-Essentials PLM involves a reduction in faceto-face meeting and production methods. Instead, it strives to bring as many processes and meetings into virtual space. By cutting down on the need to spend time to find the people to meet or the place to do things, or even the time needed to rectify wrong material deliveries, money can be saved and re-routed into processes that require a larger budget in order to produce a better product. Also, the PLM process would prevent re-duplication of another person’s work.

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Furthermore with rising costs in electricity, fuel and a highly competitive environment, it is becoming increasingly important to streamline production to make work as effective as possible and to reinvent methods so as to maximise profits. As such, PLM brings to the table this opportunity to change work processes such that both the producer and consumer benefits — the producer from lower expenses and the consumer with a better product.

Implementation Results An example of PLM implementation can be found in the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) program. This program sees the coming together of about 20 universities, 200 students, four continents and 16 time zones

through the use of PLM to design, manufacture and assemble a racecar according to Formula One specifications.

The partnership between corporate and academic areas uses the PLM software by Siemens to design and develop the automobile product. In the space of one year, through the collaborative use of the software, students engage one another in aspects such as the designing and building of rear suspensions, outer shells, exhaust systems and fuel systems.

The car is designed and built virtually through the program simultaneously and advanced simulations are used to perform stress and kinematic analyses.

T he p ro g r a m a c t s a s a central information repository where designs can be shared and discussed without the need for physical face-to-face interactions.

This lowers the cost of bringing the students together and also keeps up efficiency by rendering meetings and designing sessions in real time.

The ability of PLM to transcend time and space differences means that it eliminates such challenges and allows organisations to become more cost effective and save on time.

Also, as in the case of the PACE program, information created will be stored in the repository for the benefit of future users.

PLM has the potential to drive innovation further for organisations that are willing to adopt such technologies. With the ability to reduce costs, enhance efficiency and prevent time wastage, the automobile industry has and will continue to benefit from PLM. MEN Enquiry No. 6203 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

ENQUIRY NO 130

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In Red Bull Racing

Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News speaks to Steve Nevey, relationship manager, Red Bull Racing to find out PLM’s role in the world of Formula One racing.

How are PLM software programs deployed at Red Bull Racing to make the cars go faster (indirectly)?

In your opinion, how does PLM translates design and engineering ideas into parts that are crucial for racing applications?

We are using CAD, CAM, CAE and ERP systems at Red Bull Racing. We refer to the PLM system as our ‘Digital Backbone’, through which many people access the data they need and are, therefore, able to make smart and rapid decisions. The ‘seamless’ integration between CAD, CAM, CAE and ERP using PLM means that engineering and design data is available to all who need to see it, immediately and in a controlled way.

In the fast-paced world of F1, how important is PLM in the designing and manufacturing process?

PLM is essential to racing success, as it is in many other high-pressure industries. The ability to get a design improvement through R&D, manufacturing and then onto the car, means that we get the performance immediately, rather than having to wait until after one or two races. Also, the electronic workflow and easy-touse visualisation tools mean that design approvals are not held up by busy work and travel schedules. Senior design and engineering colleagues can see exactly what is going on and can make appropriate choices about which aspects of the car we should focus upon to maximise our competitive advantage.

How important is PLM in the current economic climate?

PLM supports effective collaboration and rapid decision making. This is vital, not only for us, but for innovators in other, more commercial, industry 44

metalworking equipment news September 2011

sectors. The current economic climate requires agility and smart decision making as the marketplace shifts and changes. Presenting all stakeholders with appropriate and accurate data enables flexibility and minimises guesswork. A well-defined PLM system delivers this.

What is the typical lead-time for a part in F1? How can PLM help shorten that lead-time?

This is a difficult one. When we are developing and ‘building’ the first car for the start of the season, we have many components going through the system at the same time. It can take several weeks to make some parts from start to finish. However, when we need a part for the next race, it can take, literally, hours. We are good at being flexible. We can switch from one project to another rapidly. This is one of the reasons why we try to keep as much of the process in house as we can. PLM helps, because it gives everyone who is involved in the process, visibility of the project, its status and its objectives.

In your opinion, do you think PLM software, while understood by vendors, has yet to be fulfilled by users?

Again, this is a difficult question to answer definitively.

Some ‘users’ have very clearly defined processes that are limited only by their ability to communicate and collaborate comprehensively. PLM enables a significant improvement in this facet of a business. The popular misconception is that PLM is a ‘golden bullet’ that can be installed on your network and solve all of your lead-time and time-to-market problems. PLM is, of course, a concept. If the concept is understood in the context of your business and is aimed at solving your

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AsiaPacMetWrk_80x240(NB)_Eng_AW:Layout 1

problems and enhancing your existing processes, it is immensely powerful. That is where the vendors — and especially Siemens PLM — come into their own.

Not only do they understand their own suit of tools and how they integrate with each other, they have a wealth of knowledge and experience from deploying PLM in a wide variety of industry sectors. They will quickly understand your environment, will identify your bottlenecks and process deficiencies, and will work with you to develop your processes to maximise the implementation of, not only their own numerous products, but those of third party vendors.

15/7/11

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Sustainable success in a global market

Please share with our readers the difference between the production floor at Red Bull Racing and a regular metal jobshop?

For one, it is not just metal. We are increasingly producing more detailed and accurate components in composites. This, of course, means that we have to include colleagues with a wide diversity of skills and expertise. Collaboration is essential. Yes, there is a strong R&D and developmental element to what we do, but it is not guesswork. We are drawing together a wealth of knowledge and expertise from all corners of our organisation.

Specifically, how did the inclusion of PLM software help in getting the Red Bull Racing team the championship?

PLM opened up fast, reliable and easy-to-use channels of communication and data sharing that enables immediate and smart decisions to be made. Speed of appropriate development is key to our success, as it is with many businesses; and that results from good decisions being made throughout the organisation.

22nd International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition

23-27 October 2012 • Hanover, Germany

Enquiry No. 6204 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Sheet metal, Tube, Section • Handling • Forming Finished products, Parts, Assemblies • Separation Flexible sheet metal working • Machine elements Tube / Section working • Composites • Joining, Welding Surface treatment • Tools, Dies • Safety at work Controlling, Regulating, Measuring, Inspection Data capture / processing • Quality control Factory and warehouse equipment Environment protection, Recycling Research and development • CAD/CAM systems

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ENQUIRY NO 137

What kind of improvements would serve to keep the Red Bull Racing team at the top of their game?

Obviously, a continual improvement in the cars physical characteristics around aerodynamics, structures and vehicle dynamics make it more efficient and effective on track. That is served best by accurate and reliable simulations. The trick is to understand those simulations in context with each other. This means accurate data sharing across the company and then smart decision making, to choose which of the available improvements provide you with the best holistic result. MEN

Mack Brooks Exhibitions Ltd

If you had to name one element of the design process that brought you to the championships, what would that be?

The people. PLM enabled us to get the best out of them quickly.

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

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Form

Bending Is More Complicated Than It Looks

Sheet metal bending techniques like air bending, bottom bending and folding require understanding and also the right parameter settings. By Gabriela Buchfink, Trumpf

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F

ormed parts are everywhere. We come across them at every turn, but never really take much notice of them. These techniques all function according to the same principle: a punch pushes down on the workpiece, pressing it into the bottom die.

A large number of these parts are fabricated using air bending, bottom bending or coining, folding and hemming.

The machines used to perform these operations are called press brakes. The press tonnage of press brakes ranges from 50 to 3,000 tonnes. Some tools permit uniform loads of up to 1,000 tonnes per metre, making it possible to bend extremely thick sheets.

The press brake has to be designed in such a manner that it is not only able to generate the required tonnage, but also to withstand these very same forces.

For operators, an ergonomic, user-friendly design is extremely important. To maximise efficiency, tools should be easy to set up and the machine table should be at a comfortable working height.

The machine frame of a press brake consists of two C-shaped side elements made of solid steel.

The side elements are connected at the top by a cross beam and at the bottom by the work table.

Despite its enormous weight, the machine frame is still affected by the forces arising during operation. As the ram presses down against the workpiece, the same force is applied in the other direction to the machine frame, causing it to expand by a few mm. Because of this expansion, the position of the ram also changes. To ensure the accuracy of the bend, a sensor measures the degree of expansion and then automatically instructs the ram to move a little bit farther down.

At the lowest point of the stroke, or ‘bottom dead centre’, the

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machine frame is under immense strain. When the ram is raised again, it starts moving upward at a greatly reduced speed, so that the machine frame can slowly return to its unstressed state.

In bending, the angle of the bend gets smaller as the punch presses the workpiece farther into the die

the machine control calculates the tool path and the required tonnage. The tool path and press tonnage not only depend on the tools used, but also on the material and product characteristics such as angle and length.

Air bending is a standard technique for producing angles from 30 to 179 degrees. It is frequently

used because it is less expensive and more flexible than other techniques. The lower tonnage requirements of air bending make it possible to employ smaller, more economical machines. Also, the same tool set can be used to produce a variety of angles.

Until the mid-1990s, the limited angle accuracy of air bending was a

ENQUIRY NO 093

Air Bending In air bending, the punch presses the workpiece into the lower die without actually forcing the material up against the inside of the die. As the punch is lowered, the flanges of the workpiece are turned up, creating an angle at the point where the punch meets the material. The farther the punch presses the workpiece into the die, the smaller the angle becomes. The punch does not press the workpiece all the way to the bottom of the die.

The size of the angle is determined by the distance that the punch travels. For each angle,

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What makes bending so complex is the way the parameters are interconnected.

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significant drawback. The reason for this has to do with something called springback. Bending does more than just simply change the shape of the sheet; it creates an imbalance of stresses that causes the bend to ‘spring back’ slightly when the punch is raised again, thereby changing the angle. Today, sensors measure the springback angle. If necessary, they can automatically tell the machine to perform a second bending operation in order to compensate for springback, limiting the angle divergence to plus/minus 0.3 degrees.

Bottom bending is a method used primarily for producing 90 deg angles on thin sheet metal parts where small bend radii are required. This is especially important for small, mass-produced parts and if electronic housings in the telecommunication industry are involved. Bottom bending can be employed even if holes, openings, or diagonal edges are located close to the bend. The technique also lends itself very well to the fabrication of formed features such as louvers, beads, hinge elements, or high-precision Z-bends.

Bottom Bending Or Coining In bottom bending, the punch presses the workpiece completely into the lower die, so that the punch, workpiece, and die are sandwiched together. For bottom bending, the punch and die have to fit together exactly. This also means that a different tool set is required for each angle and shape. Once the workpiece is pressed all the way to the bottom of the die, the punch is unable to move down any farther.

The machine control, however, continues to increase the tonnage, until the specified value is attained.

This increases the amount of pressure applied to the workpiece, causing the part to assume the shape of the punch and die. The high pressure helps to stabilise the angle, so that springback is almost completely neutralised. In bottom bending, tonnage requirements play a decisive role. The tonnage needed for bottom bending is three to eight times greater than that of air bending.

Folding & Hemming Sheet edges are often folded over, or ‘hemmed’ like a pair of trousers.

This produces a bend whose flanges are parallel to each other.

Hemming increases the rigidity of the finished part and provides edge protection. Interlocking hems are also frequently employed in lock seams for joining parts.

Folding and hemming are performed in two steps. First, the operator makes an initial bend of 30 deg. Next, the workpiece is repositioned in the tool, and the machine flattens the fold. Folding produces a bend whose flanges are a certain distance apart. In hemming, the flanges are pressed together completely. Folding is defined by the tool path, while hemming depends on the amount of pressure applied to the part.

metalworking equipment news September 2011

Setting Parameters & Choosing Tools For straight bends, precise shapes, accurate angles, the bending

parameters have to be right. These parameters include the tonnage and bending speed. In addition, the operator needs to have the appropriate tools.

In order to select the tools, the programmer or operator starts with the workpiece. How long is the bend? What sort of material is being bent? How thick is the sheet? How large can the bend radius be? How long is the shortest leg of the bend? All these questions are crucial for choosing the tools. The width, angle, height, and working radius of the die; the radius, angle, and height of the punch; and the bend’s inside and outside radii all determine which tools can be used.

After the tools have been selected, it is possible to calculate the press tonnage. Important factors in this calculation are the tensile strength of the material, the bend length, the bent angle, and the tool dimensions. With knowledge of the tonnage, the programmer or operator can determine whether the press capacity of the press brake will be sufficient and which tools will be able to withstand the loads produced by the bending operation.

What makes bending so complex is the way the parameters are interconnected. Here is one example: a steel sheet with a thickness of 2 mm can be bent using a die width of 10 to 24 mm. If it were simply a question of tonnage, you could use the largest die width and just reduce the tonnage. The die width, however, affects the bend radius. Die widths of 10 to 24 mm can produce inside bend radii ranging from 1.6 to 3.8 mm. The shortest flanges are between 7.5 and 18 mm. This means that if the shortest flange is 13 mm long and you want a bend radius of less than 3 mm, you will have to use a die with a width of 16 mm.

Enquiry No. 6301 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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From Blank To 3D Part Making a box out of paper is relatively easy.

When complex sheet metal parts are involved, things can get a little more complicated

Too small a bend radius can cause hairline cracks or wrinkling

• Parts may have 25 or more bends.

• Bends may be at different angles.

• Bends may be performed in different directions — up, down, to the right, or to the left.

All of the above factors put the visualisation skills of the operator to the test. Just seeing the blank does not tell you much about how the part will look after it is bent. To help operators visualise the finished part, the bend sequence is displayed at the machine control screen. Two-dimensional or 3D views show the operator, which bending operation needs to be performed and what happens to the part as it is bent.

In what order should the bends be performed? The bending sequence should ensure that all bending processes could be completed without destroying previous bends or causing collisions between the tool, workpiece, and machine.

An optimum bending sequence is one that enables the fastest possible processing of the part. An effort should be made to minimise the amount of time that operators spend rotating or turning the part, removing it from the machine, and reinserting it. Programming software can help to determine the optimum bending sequence without the need to bend test workpieces on the machine. The system first suggests a bending sequence and then performs a simulation to test the sequence. The system detects possible collisions and optimises movement sequences, saving valuable machine time.

Bending Right During bending, the sheet is compressed along the inside of the bend and stretched on the outside. Measuring the outside edge of the part after it is bent, you can see how much longer it has become. To ensure that the finished part has the right dimensions, the design engineer has to compensate for this change in size. The

mathematical factors determining the size of the finished part are referred to as the ‘bend allowance’.

The bend allowance can be calculated using standardised formulas. The bend allowance takes into account the type of material, sheet thickness, inside bend radius, and bend angle.

Tools, processes, and the machine are additional factors affecting the bend allowance. The actual bend allowance can be calculated only by performing a bend test. For this reason, it is crucial to record these values in tables or diagrams and manage them centrally, so that the design engineer also has access to the information.

To maximise the surface area of the bent part and minimise the formed area along the bend, the design engineer, as a general rule, tries to specify an inside bend radius that is as small as possible.

Nevertheless, there is a limit to how small the inside radius can be.

A radius that is less than the ‘minimum bend radius’ can cause the sheet to tear on the outside edge or produce wrinkling on the inside of the bend.

The minimum bend radius is determined by the type of material being used, the grain of the material, and the bending speed.

Malleable materials such as copper can have smaller bend radii than more brittle materials like mild steel. If the inside radius is extremely small, the bend should be made perpendicular to the rolling direction at low speed. As a rule of thumb, the minimum bend radius should always be larger than the sheet thickness.

Enquiry No. 6302 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Trumpf: Automated Bending TruBend Cell 7000 is a system for the automated bending of small parts. With an average cycle time of four seconds per bend, the bending machine by Trumpf delivers a parts flow rate that is twice as fast as conventional bending cells.

Standard on the machine is a pallet system in which up to 24 different blanks or 4,800 parts can be supplied at a thickness of 1 mm.

The compartments can easily be retrofitted. They are 200 x 200 or 600 x 400 mm in size and can accommodate removal of sheets from a stack up to 200 mm high. This makes the machine flexible when it comes to the automated bending of the most varying materials and geometries. MEN

Enquiry No. 6303 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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industry

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Focus

Winds Of Change Lars Sundstrom, Lund, Skane, Sweden

With the right focus and enabling policies in place, global energy requirements can be largely met by the use of wind turbines.

By Amreet Singh

T

he world’s energy needs have been g row ing continually as population rises and consumption requirements increase. The current population stands at almost seven billion and is expected to grow up to 10 billion in 2050. This means that our global energy consumption will only keep increasing. Traditional energy means such as the burning of fossil fuels provides us with the bulk of our energy needs at the moment but this is doing more harm than good. Large quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere and the effects of global warming is already being felt.

Also, fossil fuels are a finite resource. Millions of years are needed in order to form coal, oil and natural gas and once they are used up, they cannot be replaced.

Estimates vary but they may not last till the following century. This is a very real problem because we may end up facing an energy requirement that we cannot fulfill or an environmental problem that we cannot reverse.

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Either way, it is important that alternatives are looked into.

A renewable and cleaner energy source that can fulfil our needs is needed. One such energ y harnessing method is through the use of wind turbines. Wind turbines are considered a green energy-deriving source because it attains energy through wind, which is a naturally occurring renewable element. With wind technology gaining popularity, they are an industry segment that should be closely watched.

Wind Turbine Trends & Developments Turbines are found in a variety of operations such as dams, nuclear plants and wind farms, and each of them has seen technological growth and development since its inception. In particular, the modern wind turbine has come a long way from its beginnings.

Wind generation technology today sees annual worldwide g row t h b y a s m u c h a s 3 0 percent. Combined sales of large

wind power plants and smaller turbines have also reached US$4 billion yearly.

Examples of such technological growth can be seen in the rotors of wind turbines. The rotor is a part of the wind turbine that has undergone the greatest development in recent years. Early turbines from the 1980s had rotor lengths of 15 m, generating about 20 to 60 kW but current lengths can surpass 100 m and generate about 2 MW. Offshore turbine rotors can reach a greater length and generate even more electricity.

The design of the rotors were initially taken and replicated from blades that were developed for aircrafts. These were not optimised for the stresses that the wind turbine blade had to take. Modern day rotors are being constructed out of aerofoils that have been specially designed for a wind turbine’s use. These aerofoils are designed with specificity in mind, where different materials are tried out to ensure they were strong and stiff enough, and have a high fatigue endurance limit.

These rotors undergo research and testing methods such as proof, load and fatigue testing. Rotors are also tested in wind tunnels, which can provide wind speeds of up to 105 m/s. The blades are built out of glass fibre reinforced plastic.

Other materials like laminated wood can also be used. Due to such vigorous testing methods and better quality materials, current rotors have an expected life span of at least 20 years.

Other than the rotors, the drive train has also undergone developments. Presently, there are several drive trains one can consider. The first of which is the direct drive or otherwise known as the gearless drive train.

Conventional wind turbines have blades that spin a shaft connected through a gearbox to the generator.

In the gearbox, the multiple wheels and bearings suffer tremendous

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stress due to wind turbulence and any small problem can manifest itself by bringing the entire turbine to a halt.

However, direct drive systems do away w it h t he ge a rb ox completely. Instead, the rotor shaft is connected directly to the generator, which operates in tandem with the blades at the same speed. In the generator, magnets spinning around the coil produce the current. Due to the lack of gearbox, the direct drive system is seen as one that requires less maintenance and has become the preferred choice for offshore turbines.

Offshore turbines face higher wind speeds and this would cause increased fatigue for conventional turbines. Also, it is harder to get to and more expensive to maintain offshore turbines, which makes the direct drive system preferable.

Downsides to this system however mean that they cost more and are also up to 20 percent heavier than their conventional counterparts.

They are heavier because the generators need to be larger in order to generate adequate power at lower speeds.

Another drive train configuration is the hybrid drive system. This drive train simplifies the gearbox by using one or two planetary stages and results in a lower top tower mass. They use mid-speed generators as opposed to conventional high speed and direct drive low speed generators.

Gear Construction Techniques Wind turbine manufacturing is undergoing developments due to the current focus on its green and renewable means of attaining energy. Manufacturing processes are under review as

many components require heavy machining. Ideas from other manufacturing areas are being brought in to optimise wind turbine production. With production needs rising, it becomes imperative to reduce production time and as such technological advances have come about to cater to the need to be more efficient, faster and to produce better grade material.

One example of these advances lies in its gearbox. The gearbox consists of parts such as the ring, planetary and sun gears, and being critical in the operation of the entire turbine, emphasis has been placed here. The production of these parts is undergoing developments and gear-cutting tools have improved, which allows for increased quality and reduced production times. There is a marked move from the use of solid cutters to indexable insert cutters.

GRINDING WHEELS FROM WINTERTHUR: PASSIONATELY PRECISE Winterthur Technology (Thailand) Co. Ltd. No. 1 M.D. Tower, 13th Floor, Block C1, Soi BangnaTrad 25, Bangna,10260 Bangkok / Thailand Phone: +66 2 744 1577 nattana@winterthurtechnology.co.th Winterthur Technology (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. C-3A-13A, Center Wing, Metropolitan Square, No. 2 Jalan PJU 8/1 Bandar Damansara Perdana, 47820 Petaling Jaya Phone: +603 7724 2611 Fax: +603 7724 2612 michael.lee@winterthurtechnology.com.my P.T. Winterthur Technology Indonesia Ruko Mega Grosir Cempaka Mas Blok I/32 Jl. Let. Jend. Suprapto No. 1, Cempaka Putih 10640 Jakarta Pusat / Indonesia Phone: +62 21 4288 8550 irwan.pramono@winterthurtechnology.co.id

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ENQUIRY NO 131

Winterthur Technology (Korea)Ltd. 06, Venture Valley, 958 Gosaek-Dong, Gwonseon-Gu, Suwon-Si 441-813 Gyeonggi-Do / South Korea Phone: +82 31 298 1777 lee@winterthurtechnology.com

13.07.11 09:33

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

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industryFocus

The gears are usually produced in a two-stage process, which involves milling and grinding.

Lotus Head, JHB, GP, South Africa

The focus put on gearbox construction is also a result of it being one of the most vulnerable components of the wind turbine.

Gearbox failure will often result in the shutting down of the wind turbine until it is repaired and as such this equipment needs to be of the best quality possible.

The gears are usually produced in a two-stage process, which involves milling during the roughing stage and grinding to finish. During the roughing stage, milling tools that can remove large amounts of material are used but these do not provide the fine finish that is needed. Such tools have become enhanced to reduce machining time and also to produce a better finish.

A n exa mple is through the introduction of indexable carbide inserts. They allow for an increase in stability and strength at higher feedrates. Benefits of having these inserts also include a shorter downtime should tool failure occur. As opposed to one-piece tools, if a carbide insert were to fail, it would require a shorter period of time needed to replace that one insert. One-piece tools would require a longer downtime as there would be a need to tune up or replace the tool in its entirety. Tools also frequently

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experience wear and tear, which makes carbide inserts a valuable time saving resource.

Five-axis machining centres are also employed for gear cutting to achieve high accuracy. They are a favourable choice for the machining of smaller gears but are unable to produce the same productivity rates as dedicated milling cutters mentioned earlier.

Despite this setback, they are still used by the industry as the wind turbine is a collection of small and large, internal and external gears, which requires the best of both worlds.

The Future Of Global Energy Supply Countries like India and China, who have been relying heavily on coal to fuel their energ y

needs, have already embarked on turbine technology and now lead in the manufacturing of wind turbines. They represent the global direction of current energy acquisition focus.

As much as 80 percent of the global energy supply could be met by renewables, such as wind or water, in 40 years if technology development and focus is placed in the right direction, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This would also mean that savings of up to 250 gigatonnes or one-third of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases could be achieved. As such, turbines play a vital role in the present and future of energy attainment.

Enquiry No. 6401 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Different Types Of Turbines We take a quick look on the turbines in use today.

Hydroelectric Turbines

Steam Turbines

A hydroelectric turbine is placed in settings such as dams like the Hoover Dam and Gordon Dam. They contain huge amount of water which act as the medium to power generation.

Conventional dams use gravity to push water through a pipeline, which increases its pressure. The water then hits and turns the blades of the turbine, which turn a series of magnets within the generator. These magnets rotate past copper coils and produce alternating currents. The transformer then converts the current to higher voltage currents, which is then supplied to power lines. Large hydroelectric plants such as the Three Gorges Dam in China can deliver close to 20 GW.

Steam turbines operate, as the name suggests, on steam.

They convert energy stored in steam into rotational mechanical energy. These turbines are used for energy generation in cycles such as the Rankine cycle. The Rankine cycle is a heat engine, which works continuously, in which a working fluid undergoes a change in state to steam, and reverts back to its original state again. This operation usually takes place in a nuclear plant where heat generated by nuclear fission is used to raise steam, which then enters the turbines and is converted to mechanical energy. MEN

Enquiry No. 6402

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metalworking equipment news September 2011

28. – 31. March 2007 · Hall

Hall 3A Stand A135 6/Booth Date 6H1-01 16 – 19 Nov 2011

NE W

BSTA 500

BSTA 200 BSTA 250

The biggest obstacle in the production of Lead Frames and other sensitive electronic parts lies in maintaining the exact punch position during the cutting and coining process. Only BRUDERER can assure a prolonged tool life due to the unique ram guiding technology and the dynamic ram BDC adjustment.

Small in size but huge in precision and performance! The compact machine design of the new BSTA series guarantees the best possible cost /benefit ratio and is the perfect choice for small but precise stamped parts like connectors, contacts, watch parts or razor blades.

Different parts used in the communication industry require an extremely high level of accuracy arising from complex bending and coining stages. The BSTA series offer not only accuracy but also unsurpassed repeatability and high performance for increased output and reduced manufacturing costs.

Welcome to the world of high performance stamping.

Welcome to BRUDERER. from the unequalled durability of the stamping machines. The proof of this is a large number of satisfied customers – who have been using our products for decades – from diversified fields, including the connector industry, watchmaking,

BRUDERER PRESSES (Far East) Pte Ltd. 65 Loyang Way · Singapore 508 755 Tel.+65 65 46 81 21 · Fax:+65 65 46 81 31 info@sg.bruderer-presses.com

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automotive and lamination industries. No matter how complex your application is, the worldwide BRUDERER team will find a solution that serves your needs efficiently and effectively.

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“Made by BRUDERER” is a guarantee that has, over the past six decades, become a worldwide synonym for outstanding precision, performance, reliability and highly efficient stamping technology. BRUDERER customers also profit

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Powering The

Engineering Sector Machining specialists are turning their attentions to technology partnerships to counter challenges posed by sophisticated materials. Contributed by Yvonne Ng, Walter AG Singapore

M

any sectors are currently cutting back on production.

However, this does not apply to power engineering.

The reason is that efficient energy production is ever more in demand.

The generation of efficient energy is primarily achieved through the use of sophisticated materials.

The machining of such material demands corresponding highperformance tools.

Machining companies in the energy sector are facing similar technological developments. The materials used are becoming more sophisticated and the demands on machinery and tools are continually increasing. Numerous special solutions are therefore required.

Under such circumstances, intensive process support and the co-operation of everyone involved is essential.

Holistic Concepts In Demand Like other sectors, the energy sector is increasingly focussing on suppliers with a holistic approach.

Andreas Elenz who is responsible for power engineering at Walter, states: “Manufacturers commission us to develop overall concepts for the production of individual parts or components, consisting of premachining and finishing processes.”

Gas and steam turbines dominate the order books of the

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toolmaker. The components to be machined consist of runners, blades, housings and generator shafts. These are supplemented by gear components (housings, bearings, gear wheels), shafts and housings for wind energy plants.

The components consist of precious, difficult to machine materials, and are therefore extremely costly. This factor results in a further peculiarity: “There are practically no test workpieces,” says Mr Elenz, “and the possibilities for experimentation are extremely limited.” Testing is predominantly conducted on ‘living objects’, ie: somewhere between roughing cuts, or dimensionally within a tolerance range in which no damage can occur.

Material Challenges The technical development of power-generating plants has primarily one objective: To improve the level of efficiency. The most important factors for fossil plants include live steam temperatures and pressure levels. In order to be able to operate turbines with higher temperatures, an increasing amount of highly heat resistant nickel-based alloys are being used as standard in today’s gas turbines.

Many of these super materials are already being processed for high-pressure blades. Rotors and housings are now being discussed as further applications — to date, cast

iron has been the material of choice for housings, with steel or a steel casting also being used for plants that are subject to higher stresses.

Parts In High Quantities: The Blades Blade production deviates a little from the other processes. Unlike housings and shafts, blades exhibit a series character. Gas or steam turbines possess several thousand parts.

Opportunities for more extensive machining tests and optimisation process are possible here, which are particularly important.

The machining process, which is usually performed on five-axis machines that have been specially designed for these components, is demanding. In developing optimum tools and machining technologies, Walter has been working with the Institut für Produktionstechnik (IfP) (Institute for Production Engineering).

This tool system consists of interchangeable solid carbide milling heads, which are screw fitted to a variety of different shanks via tapered precision threads.

The main advantages are the high degree of flexibility and low tooling costs. As tests on the turbine blade finish prove, no reductions in performance are caused by the thread interface — on the contrary, the performance of the tools in unstable machining conditions that are prone to oscillation suggests certain absorption characteristics in the design.

In terms of the partnership, Mr Elenz states: “The level of cooperation with the IfP in Zwickau is a very important component for Walter in the testing and rapid introduction of new solutions for turbine blade machining. The operating method adopted by the IfP is characterised by a high degree of flexibility and practical relevance, as is required by our range of applications.” MEN Enquiry No. 6403 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

ENQUIRY NO 119

FeatureS

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Hurco:

Destination Indonesia Hurco Southeast Asia along with its partner in Indonesia, Gerfa Manunggal Teknindo recently opened a show room and training facility to reaffirm their commitment to their customers in the archipelago. By Joson Ng

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lose to t he a re a of Cikarang, some 30 km east of Jakarta, lies a vibrant industrial estate of Jababeka that supports the burgeoning automotive industry of the country. Also located in this area is Gerfa’s 1,700 sq m show room and training centre. The facility was officially opened on July 19, 2011.

Some 300 invited guests visited the facility over three days to view Hurco’s range of machine tools.

The machines in the facility include the five-axis models like the VM10U and VMX30U, and the machining centres VM20 and VMX24. The event also included live demonstrations and seminars to give the participants a better understanding of the company’s five-axis technology.

Maintaining Relations Though the two companies have been working closely for a number of years now, both felt it is the right time to strengthen their partnership. Said Lee Wai Yip, GM of Hurco Southeast Asia: “This 56

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open house basically represents an enhanced relationship between Hurco and Gerfa. We want to show our commitment to our customer base and prospective customers in Indonesia that we are serious in this market. With focus now on developing the Southeast Asia region, we have a series of plans to enhance our cooperation with our partners.”

Mr Lee & Mr Rammon (r) believe five-axis technology is the way forward for Indonesia

For Ir R Rammon, director of Gerfa, it is important to show the strength of the partnership in order to win over more customers.

“We would like to use this open house to show our customers we have a good cooperation framework with Hurco. With the manufacturers giving us good technical support, we can use this as a springboard for a more

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Brisk Business Indonesia’s automotive industry is arguably one of the main driving forces of the country’s economy.

This has largely translated to good numbers in machine tool sales for Gerfa as 80 percent of their customers support the automobile manufacturers. The rest of their clientele comes from the medical and food industries.

This positive sentiment looks set to continue as Mr Rammon is predicting further growth. “Come 2012, the market will become even better. The devastation in Japan caused by the tsunami has forced many Japanese companies to ship their orders to Indonesia. As a result, many of our customers are looking for big machines now,” he said. He also expects the Indonesian economy to remain stable from now till 2014.

Technology & Future Trends Mr Rammon feels the future in machine tools in his country lies firmly in five-axis machining. He revealed some of his customers have already purchased five-axis machines and it is possible for another 50 to be imported. He attributed the trend to “a gradual shift to higher technology.”

The manufacturer will provide technical support to Gerfa as the country adopts better technology.

Mr Lee said: “We want to work with our distributor to understand the specific requirements of our customers in Indonesia by studying

the operation and the application requirements. By doing so, we are able to recommend the best solution to suit their production needs. At the same time we aim to provide strong after sales service in Indonesia through our partner.

We want to help Gerfa present Hurco in an effective way to the customers.”

“From the technical point

of view, we are consistently upgrading our control technology and machine offerings. With each upgrade, new features are introduced. We are trying to introduce these features into the market more effectively by training our distributors first,” he added. MEN Enquiry No. 6501 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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powerful push into the market.

This cooperation also shows we are very serious to come into this market,” he said.

According to the organiser, the open house will not be a one-off event. Mr Rammon told Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News that the open house would be held in June annually. The theme however, according to Mr Lee, will differ depending on the product launch of a given year.

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Features

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Metalworking From Your Cell Phone The machining apps in smartphones allow it to make the transition from a communication device to a tool in the machine shop, adding mobility to machining.

By Michael E Neumann Ian Lamont

T

he influx of smartphones today has altered the way people think and work.

For better or worse, this disruptive technology has penetrated many aspects of our lives and even in metalworking too. Picture this: an engineer on the shop floor can determine cutting parameters for a required operation without having to head back to his office. He can now also work out the complex calculations while on the go, saving valuable time.

With connectivity and mobility an increasingly prized asset in production, it is hardly surprising that the cutting tools makers like Iscar, Seco Tools, Sandvik Coromant and Walter among others have apps available to help machinists in their work wherever they are.

What Can They Do? In the Walter version, users can, with their iPhone, determine cutting parameters for tools for the required operation and also place their orders online. It can compare the cost efficiency of two tool solutions, order tools and access online content from the company. The app can be used to calculate the parameters for face, shoulder and slot milling processes; hole making, including 58

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both drilling and boring; and turning (ISO turning and grooving).

For these operations, the user can calculate the torque, driving power and machining volume, main cutting time, cutting force and also chip thickness. The calculator also takes the material group, rake angle, machine efficiency and wear factor into consideration.

The Machining Calculator App

by Sandvik Coromant features a help button that provides additional information on the calculation being executed and the input needed to generate results. The app also contains a process cost comparison that determines how tool optimisation can provide cost and time savings.

Like their counterparts, Seco Tools and Iscar have come out with the Seco Tools Assistant and Iscar Tool Advisor respectively.

The Seco Tools Assistant is an application that covers the basic calculations that is needed on a daily basis in a machine shop. It is able to calculate operations in milling, turning and drilling.

The company has stated more functions will be added over time. Iscar Tool Advisor provides cutting tool recommendations and cutting data on iPhone or iPod Touch. By entering a few

machining parameters, it will calculate the preferred cutting tools for a job.

Other Apps & New Media In a world where QR codes are slowly becoming more prominent, where the number of ‘likes’ on a facebook page is the unofficial marketing KPI, new media cannot be ignored even in engineering fields which in the past, the relation between the two can be classified as distant at best.

This gap however has come down considerably in the past few years, prompting more companies to embrace new media. Like many of its counterparts, Kennametal has ventured into the world of social media. With its Interactive Catalog App, the company recognises the role social media plays when it comes to accessing industrial resources.

Available on the iPad platform, users can download the company’s product catalogs, review products and specifications among other functions. The company has also reached out to its users on facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter in order to engage them on a brand new level. MEN Enquiry No. 6502 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Features

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The Ultrasonic

Shake-Up In Additive Manufacturing

Harnessing ultrasonic for solid-state additive manufacturing of high temperature alloys is proving to be a quick and cheap way to produce high temperature metallic components. By Matt Short, engineering team leader, EWI

A

solid-state additive manufacturing process that allows for building unique par ts from aluminiums, coppers, titanium, and stainless steels has come to the market. The Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM) process involves building up solid metal objects through ultrasonically welding a succession of metal tapes into a 3D shape, with periodic machining operations to create the detailed features of the resultant object.

As a result, the figure below shows a rolling ultrasonic welding system, consisting of an ultrasonic transducer, a booster, (welding) horn, and a ‘dummy’ booster. The vibrations of the transducer are transmitted through the booster section to the disk-shaped welding horn, which in turn creates an ultrasonic solid-state weld between the thin metal tape and base plate.

The continuous rolling of the horn over the plate welds the entire tape to the plate. This is the essential building block of UAM. UAM, by nature of its solid-state bonding, can build parts at low temperature with little to no effects on the material properties. To date, Ultrasonic welding af aluminium tape

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the technology has been used to build parts from aluminium, copper, titanium, and stainless steel. The solid-state bonding could be even more useful in high temperature alloys that are typically not weldable by fusion processes without severe property degradation.

It is believed that by incorporating high-power lasers, this technology can be extended to high-temperature super alloys. The laser could provide two benefits.

Why UAM? First, the laser can be used to clean off the tenacious oxide typically present on the surface of super alloys. By interrupting the oxide just prior to welding, joint integrity will be improved. Secondly, the laser can be used to provide some level of preheat. Although the process does not melt the material, some levels of preheat help soften the material and promote bonding.

Ef for ts will be made to incorporate high power laser cleaning with UAM to create an additive manufacturing process capable of quickly and cheaply producing high temperature metallic components.

For any additive manufacturing

process, the major advantage over standard industry practice of subtractive manufacturing include reduced cost, reduced waste, and much shorter cycle times. UAM brings all of these advantages to the manufacturer of energy components made from super alloys.

Although other metal additive manufacturing processes exist, they are based on creating a melted region that degrades material performance. The fundamental distinguishing characteristic of UAM, in comparison to other metallic additive manufacturing technologies, is that it is a solid-state welding process — meaning that melting of metals does not occur — with all of the attendant impact of melting on material properties.

Benefits & Potential Of Technology Additive manufacturing, as a technology, is relatively new on the market with very little industry awareness. UAM in particular, is a new comer to a new field and is working to gain market acceptance.

However, the promise of using additive manufacturing of hightemperature super alloys could quickly reduce the energy markets need for large forgings and parts machined from large billets. This could greatly reduce cost and cycle time across the industry.

The hybrid laser/UAM process has application in producing hardware for high temperature applications such as nuclear energy, clean coal, concentrated solar, fuel cells and heat recovery. MEN Enquiry No. 6503 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Periodic machining operations

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Features

S

oftware tools can make vibration analysis training more interesting, fun and effective. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is an animated, realistic 3D model of a machine worth to teach something as difficult as vibration analysis for machinery condition monitoring?

Interest In Learning iLearnVibration, a computer-based training program, uses Computer Aided Design (CAD) machinery drawing software programs to create realistic models of actual rotating machinery – that are typically found and monitored in most plants. To make them more visually interesting, they have been created in 3D, using transparency tools.

To make them more educational, they have been animated and exaggerated to show the relative movement created by machine faults. The animations are linked to vibration spectra that are used by analysts to monitor and diagnose machine problems. Some even allow the learner to fly around the machine and explore various views. Others let the learner select faults and adjust the severity while watching the vibration spectra change in an adjacent screen.

This has led to development of a library of machine models and simulators, much like the traditional test rig, where machine faults could be created in software, a nimated a nd the resulting signals created. These could then be fed into a data collector for analysis by the person taking the training, creating a realistic training scenario.

Figure 1 is a screenshot from a simulator called iTeachBearings.

It shows a rolling element bearing with defects: at the bottom of the outer race, at eight o’clock an inner race defect, and a ball defect at two o’clock.

The screen to the right shows each component of vibration as

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Vibration Analysis Training:

E-Learning vs The Classroom

Imparting skills for vibration analysis and certification. Is one approach better than the other?

By Bill Slonaker, Mobius Institute separate time waveforms: the outer race and the ball defects are active, so the shaft speed is the low frequency sine wave, and demodulation occurs as the ball defect moves in and out of the load zone of the bearing.

The instructor or learner can choose among several defects to activate, adjust the speed of the shaft, increase the severity of the defects and observe how the time waveform signals on the right change in response.

The screen on the right also turns on its vertical axis to go from showing a time waveform, to an FFT spectrum. Each vibration component is seen separately, visually displaying how a complex time waveform signal contains each of the vibration components.

The FFT displays them in a more understandable format.

Imparting Skills Classes are taught globally in many different languages and comply

with ISO and ASNT requirements for certification for Cat I, II and III, and Levels I, II and III respectively.

The advantages of e-learning prog ra ms a re ma ny. T here are multiple types: software applications that are installed on a computer, online systems that require an Internet connection, and video-based systems that can run on a computer or TV disc player.

Learners are able to work at their own pace. Many people can absorb a certain amount of information at a sitting, but then need to let it sink in, before putting it to use.

They may need to focus on it for a bit, try new settings in a data collector, for example, and see how it affects what they see in their condition monitoring software and compare it to historical data. This integrates the new information with what they already know, and they do not need to go back and review or learn it again for an examination.

This usually is the way that people typically work and learn naturally.

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E-learning lets learners work at times and places that fit within their busy schedule. They may not have time at work to study vibration analysis, but may feel that it is important to their career development. Or they may want to become certified as a vibration analyst. E-learning allows them to work at home, or both, being completely portable between computers.

Time Flexibility Many do both, having short periods at work in which to study and being able to log on to the same system from home during off-hours. Many companies also have corporate learning management systems that allow managers to schedule training for their personnel and monitor their progress.

The biggest advantage to e-learning is probably the cost.

The old axiom holds true: you get what you pay for. There are many inexpensive training programs available, but the good ones cost more. Some e-learning programs are only a few hours of information and do not go into enough depth to really cover the topic.

If a course that takes four days to teach in a classroom is reduced to only a few hours of instruction as e-learning, the two are not that comparable.

However, even the most expensive e-learning training program is less costly than the total cost of sending someone off to a week of instructor-led training and paying for airfare, hotel, meals and perhaps a rental car.

Based on these considerations, why would anyone attend a traditional course that is led by an instructor? As a start, it is a combination of factors. An

experienced instructor can make even the most boring topics interesting and fun to learn. If the instructor has good stories and examples to share about specific ‘learning’ moments, it makes for a memorable course and trainees learn a lot. There is also the give and take between the trainees in the room and the instructor.

So there is much value in the traditional class environment and some of it is unpredictable.

The instructor needs to be experienced, engaging and be willing to diverge from his or her planned discussion to deal with specific questions. They also need a library of tools to turn the question and answer into a learning moment for everyone in the room. Whiteboards are fine if the instructor is skilled as an illustrator and quick on his feet.

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Figure 1: The iTeachBearings simulator

Tools For Use Based on the development of iLearnVibration, a software toolkit is available for the instructor that allows him or her to jump into this new topic completely, illustrate the issue with animations and simulators from the software library and make it a part of the course. If handled well, this type of give and take between the class and the instructor facilitates teaching and learning events.

It is also important for everyone in a class to feel comfortable and be willing to ask the questions that lead to these teaching moments.

In some situations, adults are hesitant to ask questions because they do not want to distract the trainer, or do not want to expose their perception that they do not know as much about the topic as others in the room. But trainers and educators want these questions as it makes the class more interesting for everyone.

However, even with the most advanced presentation tools and animations, it is still difficult for many people to absorb and retain the amount of information that is presented in four eight-hour days, even in the best classroom environment.

It has been found that by giving learners the opportunity to review the course materials online before the course date, the deficiencies of classroom training vanish.

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the entire course before they even attend the class.

This may seem redundant, but for people who have had less exposure to vibration analysis, it allows them to do some self-study to get a level of familiarity with the terminology and concepts. It also allows everyone to know what will be covered and each learner can work to fill in recognised gaps in their knowledge before they attend the course.

It has been observed that learners in classroom courses who have used this access ask more questions, ask better questions, and it makes for better instruction a nd more ‘ah-ha!’ moments for everyone.

Taking the course online in advance also spreads out the learning process over time, giving the learner more time to incorporate the information.

As they go through the course, they have an opportunity to focus on a rea s that they found difficult.

T hey a re prepa re d w it h questions that have come up as they have started to use this knowledge in their work and it makes the course more effective for them personally. Sometimes it is even possible for students to bring case history information with them, to use as a training aid for the class and to demonstrate interesting situations.

Qualification Requirement Certification for vibration analysts is important and it is recommended that personnel who work in facilities with critical rotating machinery should be certified to perform vibration analysis.

Most vendors of machinery condition monitoring instrumentation and software provide training for their products.

This is usually good training in the proper use of these products, but just touches on the information that is produced by these systems.

It is assumed by the vendors that the personnel using the former’s products are experienced engineers and technicians who completely understand vibration analysis.

Machinery condition monitoring is still a relatively young field that is taught in just a handful of universities, so most people in the field have learned through direct experience or via additional training outside of academia.

The ISO, ASNT, BINDT and others have created standards for the allowable vibration levels for various types of machines.

They also have standards for the training, testing and certification of personnel who will be working in this field. Not only is there valuable equipment at risk, but there is often a significant safety risk if monitored machiner y is not prop erly diagnosed and maintained.

The transition from classroom or e-learning courses to sitting for a certification examination is also important. Having the opportunity to prepare online for a course and then take a classroom course with an experienced instructor is a good way to prepare.

There is a place for both e - le a r n i n g a n d t ra d it io n a l classroom training. For vibration analysis and certification, it has been found that one of the best approaches combines both. MEN Enquiry No. 6504 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Take A Bite Into The

Dental Industry Complex, small and difficult to make — these are arguably the common consensus for many when the manufacturing of dental implants come into mind.

Though these beliefs may be true, there are technologies to help make things easier. By Michael E Neumann

A

typical dental implant is used in dentistry as a ‘root’ to support a tooth or to replace a missing one.

In addition, they can be used for crowns, implant-supported bridges or dentures. With growing affluence and improvement in dental care, more has been done in this industry and in particular, in Asia.

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), in 2009, approximately 1.6 million dental implants were placed in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries, and this number is expected to expand at a doubledigit rate over the next five years.

Despite unfavourable economic conditions, procedure volumes grew over 10 percent across the BRIC countries in 2009.

The emerging nature of the BRIC countries’ economies has allowed them to largely resist the negative effects on dental

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implant placement volumes that many of the developed markets experienced; what little effects have been felt will be quickly resolved, with growth rates returning to pre-recession figures over the next five years.

The ‘Sound’ Of Cutting The size, complexity and demand in high surface quality have made manufacturing dental implants a challenging process with many companies turning to Swiss turning lathes to do the job. Away from that, there is another interesting way to produce dental parts.

Ultrasonic – a cyclic sound pre ssu re w it h a fre quenc y greater than the upper limit of human hearing, is harnessed to aid machining. In the Ultrasonic 10/20 linear by DMG/Sauer, the manufacturer states that the machine is able to produce good surface quality and enhance the

Mark Webb, United States

flushing of particles in the cutting zone with ultrasonic. In addition, it brings self-sharpening effect and higher material removal (compared to conventional machining).

Elsewhere, MRG states many top competitors in the global dental implant market are leading the growing movement towards the use of digital dentistry. Also garnering attention are product developments in guided surgery planning software, custom-milled abutments, and prosthetics using CAD/CAM technology, which prov ide additiona l revenue streams, particularly because they work to improve the turnaround time for dentists.

Using The Soft Approach The unique contours in a human tooth have set the bar high for the machining process. In order to match that, CAD/CAM software programs have been extensively used to aid the machining and designing processes.

For example, restorations using CAD/CAM solutions are usually milled from composite materials which matches the shape of one’s restored tooth. The program processes the 3D data

Features

and transfers it to the machine where it can be manufactured.

In DentCAD and DentMill, there are two software programs for the design and manufacture of such dental restorations. They can minimise, eliminate, and make manual adjustment of the restoration as it is being fitted.

As well as improving accuracy, Delcam has increased the range of restorations that can be designed in DentCAD. It offers automated tools for the design of inlays and onlays, and for the creation of dental bars, customised abutments, collars and pressed crowns, in addition to the previous options for copings, crowns and bridge frameworks.

The issue for accuracy is important for dental application.

For instance, accuracy is essential for inlays and onlays to give a good fit with the remaining portion of the natural tooth. When accuracy is

compromised, ie: if the restoration is oversize, it either has to be ground down manually, which is difficult and time-consuming, or it needs to be re-made. Alternatively, any undersized items are likely to become loose prematurely.

Similarly with dental bars, high precision is important along the full length of the bar, which may need to match as many as six implants. Any inaccuracies will push the teeth out away from the desired position, so affecting the appearance of the treatment and putting unwanted pressure on the jaw. CAD/CAM technologies are increasing popular in the dental industry as they allow accurate fabrication of dental prostheses such as dental implants.

It Starts With Scanning Medical CAD/CAM 3D scanners are widely used today to capture the

3D shape of a patient in dentistry.

As a possible replacement for the plaster cast, the scanning process is capable of capturing 3D surfaces.

Using those data, a CAM data can be produced to instruct a CNC milling machine to produce the part.

The intraoral scanner enables dentists to capture the complete intraoral situation directly and save it as an accurate 3D digital model.

Dentists can omit the taking of impressions and bypass related disadvantages such as inaccuracies, material costs, impression retakes and manual handling.

Scanners today therefore offer a digital solution starting from the patient’s visit in the clinic, providing input for design at the lab and ending with the patient’s completed treatment. MEN Enquiry No. 6505 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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EVENTs&

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exhibitions

T

he 2011 edition of Metalex Vietnam will be held from October 6 – 8, 2011 at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC). The fast growing number of foreign investors leads to an expansion of Vietnam industrial manufacturing, especially the local production.

Vietnam’s June 2011 Index of Industrial Production (IIP) hit a record high this year, surging 12.7 percent against the same period last year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported. June was the first month the IIP was officially used to replace industrial production value that was calculated on the basis of the base year of 1994. With a record high in June, IIP in the first six months of the year increased 9.7 percent against the same period last year.

This increasing rate was higher than that in the same period of the past few years. The rise in the first half of last year was eight percent and the figure in 2009 was 4.5 percent.

Based on the old method, the country’s industrial production value in H1 also surged 14.3 percent against the same period last year to VND 418.5 trillion (US$19.9 billion), higher than the government’s annual 14 percent target.

The show will help drive this growth further through the platform of trade exposition where thousand of sellers and buyers get to conduct face-to-face meeting to secure mutually lucrative deals.

The organiser is aiming towards an even bigger and more exciting show this year. The prospect is also bright — as it will be co-located with NEPCON Vietnam which would expand the range of products and services available in the show.

Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam October 6 – 8, 2011 Enquiry No. 6601 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Event Preview:

Metalex Vietnam 2011

Other Activities At The Show • Hi-Tech Zone & Robot Demonstrations A special showcase of high-tech machinery, technologies and live robot demonstrations from worlds’ brands for visitors’ first-hand experiences.

• Conferences & Technology Presentations The knowledge- and technical-based sessions to unveil business insights and introductions of technologies to all industry professionals.

• Business Matchmaking Program A designated meeting place to match businesses with the right traders and suppliers in metalworking, automotive and electronics industries.

• Agent Wanted The right centre point for global providers of industrial machinery and technologies to look for agents to represent products in Vietnam.

• ‘Metalex Vietnam’ Forum A series of special conferences with keynote speeches from gurus in leading organisations for metalworking and manufacturing industrialists in Vietnam, to create the needs for business developments and technology upgrades.

Enquiry No. 6602 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Event Preview:

EMO Hannover 2011

A

fter a four-year gap, the trade fair for the world’s metalworking sector is being held once again in Hanover, from September 19 – 24, 2011. At the beginning of the year, 1,500 exhibitors from 36 different countries had already registered, occupying a new exhibition area of around 140,000 sq m.

The fair for the metalworking sector will be showcasing the entire bandwidth of modern-day metalworking technology. It will be showcasing the latest machines, efficient technical solutions, productsupportive services and sustainability in the production process.

The EMO’s principal focus is on cutting and forming machine tools, production systems and high-

precision tools. The trade visitors to the EMO come from all major industrial sectors, like machinery and plant construction, the automotive industry and its component suppliers, aerospace technologies, shipbuilding, medical technology, tool and mould building, steel and lightweight engineering.

Production Technologies For The Aerospace Sector For the 11th time, the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools will be hosting its conference entitled ‘New Production Technologies in the Aerospace Industry’.

Besides the metallic materials (particularly titanium and aluminium), fibre-reinforced plastics and material

combinations will be a major focus this year. The agenda includes new machinery and production technologies, plus automation concepts in the aerospace sector, and the planning and repair of CFRP components.

The focus on lightweight construction materials and their combinations is no accident: in aircraft construction, the trend towards new, lightweight, high-strength materials and material combination continues unbroken.

To supplement the conference, the Machining Innovations Network at the fair will be presenting a show entitled ‘Milestones in cost-effective titanium component production’.

Exhibition Grounds Hannover, Germany September 19 - 24, 2011 Enquiry No. 6603 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Event Review:

Manufacturing Expo 2011

G

iven the bright prospect of Thailand automotive and supporting industries, coupled with the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) which will take effect in 2015, the demand for new technology and investment within this region has become more tangible. In consequence, the industrial sector which has become the magnet for global investment has also received much more attention as well as capital for development.

Riding on this growth and the rebound of business and investment sentiments in Thailand, Reed Tradex company, has organised ‘Manufacturing Expo’ which is Thailand’s largest manufacturing and supporting industries trade event at BITEC. The latest edition of the show was concluded on June 26, 2011. It 72

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introduced several new initiatives which resulted in the event’s 30 percent size expansion, 44,770 visitors (25 percent more than last year) including trade missions from regional countries, 80 percent rebooking rate, and more.

Show Content Composed of seven shows in one including INDEE Bangkok (India Engineering Exhibition) by EEPC India, Manufacturing Expo covered a wide range of sectors and presented a comprehensive range of machinery, technologies and industrial parts. The event was a launch pad of new technologies featuring over 1,500 brands from 30 countries.

Several new technologies were introduced and highlighted during the show especially on plastics and mould manufacturing which received the most attention.

This was also evident in the featured show for electronics parts machineries. Business delegations from many countries who visited the show expressed satisfaction at the content and value of the show, as well as the sourcing opportunities which was their objective for participation.

The grand official opening ceremony was presided by Dr Nattapon Nattacomboon, deputy permanent secretary of Ministry of Industry, and was co-chaired by many prestigious authority figures, including ambassador of India to Thailand HE Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, president of TCEB, Akapol Sorasuchart, director of Hanoi Trade Promotion Centre and delegation leader and former chairman of EEPC India, as well as international business delegations.

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“The content of this year’s event is rich and different from any other shows. The exhibitors brought exciting technologies, which created buzz in the i n d u s t r y. M a n y l o c a l a n d international buyers were present to source the most effective machineries and solutions, and the contents of the conference such as ‘Automotive Summit’ and 200 seminar sessions were in trend and highly beneficial to the delegates,” said Chainarong Limpkittisin, MD of Reed Tradex.

Other Activities There were several activities at the show alongside the demonstration of machineries, which covered the area from Hall 101 to Hall 106 of BITEC. For instance, special talks by famous business figures on their business strategies that earned them success.

Manufacturing Gallery displayed a cut body and full body of Toyota Prius to show the trends in auto parts making, and the full body of Nissan March to showcase the composite materials, as well as design softwares for car manufacturing.

BUILD Market Place & ASEAN Business Matchmaking Program also yielded the record-breaking result of over 1,669 business matches, which were created during the show, with BOI Unit for Industrial Linkage Development (BUILD) as the co-host.

Results Of The Show “The record of machines sold at the show was high. More than US$120 million worth of trade value is estimated to be generated from the event and US$22 million for the MICE industry. Manufacturing Expo has become more than a

machiner y and technology s h o w w h e re b u y e r s m e e t sellers, it is now also a regional industrial parts sourcing hub and networking event where buyers and other participants who are parts makers and subcontractors from different countries meet and form partnerships,” said Mr Chainarong.

“We received more involvement from overseas visitors, power groups, and business delegations than ever. Next year, we will increase more profiles into the event, and we aim for the show to become the first event the industrialists think about when they want to see new machinery and technologies, gain new knowledge, see new trends, and meet new partners,” concluded Mr Chainarong.

Enquiry No. 6604 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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Event Review:

MTA Vietnam 2011

H

o C h i M i n h C i t y ’s machine tools and metalworking trade e x h i b i t i o n , M TA Vietnam 2011, closed on a high note on July 8, 2011 after seeing a total of 9,974 attendees, which included trade visitors, exhibiting staff, conference delegates and speakers, and members of the press. The total number of trade visitors totalled 8,243 — a 19 percent increase from its previous edition in 2010.

The exhibition buzzed with activity as thousands of interested buyers scoured the halls over the four-day event to forge business relations with key industry players.

Many were impressed with the array of machines and technologies available from all over the globe, and were glad that the show met their needs as they found what they were looking for during the event.

First time visitor to the event, Nguyen Thanh Vinh, deputy general director of Thong Nhat Elector-Mechanics, was pleased to have visited the show. “I’m able to find lots of new products and technologies here. We’re here to search for CNC milling 74

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machines. I’ve seen MST’s tool holder products at the show and I’m interested in them as we are looking for new technologies for the planning and building of a second factory,” said Mr Nguyen.

Business Deals Clinched At The Event The event saw numerous business deals sealed at the show. Mazak, a machine tool builder, sold their latest model on the first day of the event.

Besides selling their ecofriendly Vertical Centre Smart 530, they have also gotten other enquiries on the machine as well, according to K S Chong, director of Sales and Marketing at Mazak.

Other exhibitors such as Amada and DMG/Mori Seiki also proudly displayed ‘Sold’ signs on their machines during the exhibition and stated that they will be back next year as they felt that the event was a platform for them to meet new customers.

“This year’s show is very exciting and we’ve had many enquiries from many potential customers. They were ver y eager and interested to get more

information about the machines as they want to know how products are processed. There is a big market in Vietnam and we are dedicated to the manufacturing industry here as we would like to share our Japanese technologies with the Vietnamese industry,” said Yukihiro Kikuchi, group leader of the Asia & ASEAN Department at Amada.

“This is the first time we are participating as DMG/Mori Seiki and we’re amazed by the high number of new contacts we got at this event. We’ve also sold entry level machines and five axis machines at the show,” said Bjoern Stender, GM of DMG/Mori Seiki Vietnam.

MTA Vietnam 2012 aims to meet exhibitors and visitors’ expectations and will return from July 3 – 6, 2012 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.

Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) Ho Chi Minh City July 5 - 8, 2011 Enquiry No. 6605 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

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ProductFinder

Adcole: Crankshaft Gauge

Baumer: Laser Sensor For Demanding Applications

A low- cost L ED micrometer for the model 1200 cranshank gauge that validates parts that have been rolled to the proper depth and stressrelieved is available from Adcole Corp. The LED sensor provides +/- 3 um accuracy, +/- 1 um repeatability, and 0.25 um resolution.

Capable of measuring fillet undercut depth at a 35 deg roll angle, journal straightness, and radial distance or journal shoulder to journal, this gauge creates chart reports depicting problem areas.

The gauge features a menu-driven sequence builder utility for developing measurements sequences for new crankshafts and camshafts.

Enquiry No. 6701 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

With three sensors Baumer expands its OADM 13 family of distance measuring laser sensors. So far highly glossy surfaces, such as plastic parts or varnished sheet metal, were a major challenge. Now the sensors can be used for applications with these conditions. They are able to process object reflectivities down to 0.5 percent.

The sensors can be used in handling applications during semiconductor production where the fine laser beam is an advantage. In the graphics industry or in metal and sheet metal working the improved measuring accuracy at colour transitions as well as the sensitive receiver provide the basis for more reliable measurements.

Enquiry No. 6702 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

heimatec速 GmbH GERMANY Phone +49 7843 94660 Mail: info@heimatec.de Web: www.heimatec.com heimatec速 GmbH ASIA

World leader in live tools, angle heads and multi-spindle heads

ENQUIRY NO 147

ENQUIRY NO 145

Phone +65 8112 6550 Mail: kmoessmer@heimatec.com Web: www.heimatec.com

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

75

productfinder

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Jet Edge: Portable Water Jet Cutting System

Spyder Abrasivejet Radius and Circle Cutting System is a portable abrasive water jet cutt ing system designed for use in potentially hazardous environments. The system by Jet Edge can be set up on the side of tanks, small vessels and large diameter piping.

It is held in place by vacuum cups and features a self-aligning centring pin for fast and reliable setup.

Motion components are made from non-ferrous materials, and cutting head manipulators are powered by pneumatic motors, making the Spyder suitable for use in all environments. A master control panel allows operators to control the cutting head manipulators, direction, speed of travel, abrasive delivery and vacuum components from one location.

Enquiry No. 6703 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Kasto: Gantry-Type Bandsaw

Enquiry No. 6704 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

metalworking equipment news September 2011

Komet Group has developed the KUB Centron Powerline to offer performance even at maximum drilling depths. The twin cutting edges on the drill body doubles the feedrates with the company’s high performance Quatron — four real usable cutting edge inserts.

Available from diameter 20 to 81 mm, the tool enables drilling up to 9×D on flat surfaces even without a pilot hole. The cutting division per side (from x 39 mm) allows short chips to be produced even on extremely poor for machining materials.

The drill is a milestone of the group; focused on improving productivity of deep hole drilling operations across all energy sector components.

Enquiry No. 6705 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Laserdyne: Combining Laser Drilling With Testing

A gantry-type bandsaw has been developed by Kasto.

It is designed for cutting slabs, ingots, forgings, forged parts, ships’ crankshafts, turbine shafts and large parts in tool and mould making, as well as blanks and workpieces in the heavy machine building industry.

In Kastomaxcut, the saw uses bimetal or carbidetipped blades and is available in four versions - A 16, A 16x20, A 20 and A 25 - for cutting 1,600 x 1,600 mm up to 2,500 x 2,500 mm maximum material dimensions.

Table length and longitudinal travels are four metres in the standard version, but can be extended in onemetre increments.

76

Komet Group: Deep Hole Drilling Operations

FlowComp by Laserdyne Systems is a closed loop hardware and software feature that combines laser drilling with air flow measurement on Laserdyne 795 and 450 multi-axis laser systems.

Designed initially at a specific customer’s request to meet increasingly difficult aerospace turbine engine requirements, this feature has application in both aero and landbased turbine engine components.

FlowComp software adjusts the size of laser-drilled holes without operator input to ensure that cooling holes are drilled within tolerance and that the result is verified by flow-testing. The end result is consistent processing at high speed within specification and with data logging in real-time to verify compliance.

Enquiry No. 6706 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

productfinder

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Objet: Multi-Material 3D Printer

Objet has developed the Objet260 Connex, a compact addition to the company’s family of multimaterial 3D printers. The printer is based on the company’s inkjet 3D printing technology — the rapid prototyping system that is able to jet two materials at the same time.

The technology allows users to select from a range of composite materials when building 3D models, such as the company’s recently released ABS-like material. The system can also print a model replica made of up to 14 individual materials in a single print run.

Open Mind: Faster Calculations With A 64-Bit Processor

Open Mind Technologies is offering a 64-bit version of its CAM solution hyperMill for integration into the Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks CAD platforms. This enables the latest workstations to be used with 64-bit processor architecture from the design phase right through to CNC manufacturing.

In the past, large detailed components proved a challenge for CAD and CAM systems, with calculations pushing the capacities of the computer hardware to its limits. The introduction of 64-bit architecture allows more than 4 GB of RAM to be targeted directly.

This CAM solution takes full advantage of the option to use extended memory and more efficient multi-core processors resulting in models to be calculated at a significantly faster rate.

Enquiry No. 6707

Enquiry No. 6708

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

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

10 to 6,000 Ton Capacity DEES' Taiwan and China Factories are all ISO-9000 Certified

DEES HYDRAULIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. TAIWAN HEADQUARTERS / FACTORY: Tel.: +886-2-2601-8661

Fax: +886-2-2601-8936

E-mail: sales@spc.com.tw

www.deesgroup.com.tw

ENQUIRY NO 057

ENQUIRY NO 040

1600 tons Front Runner with 2 x 1000 tons and 2 x 800 tons

September 2011 metalworking equipment news

77

productfinder

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Sunnen: Automated CNC Honing System

Sunnen’s SV410 automated CNC honing system gives performance builders and production rebuilders a level of control for achieving precise cylinder geometry, surface finish and crosshatch parameters for ring seal, uniform lubrication, minimal leak down and highest horsepower.

Suitable for high-nickel and CGI blocks, the automated honing system allows engine builders to deliver customised results with automated efficiency.

The system combines automated operation with a 7.5 kW (10 hp) spindle to drive high-accuracy CBN and diamond tooling for short cycle times and high-quality results with minimal labour.

Tungaloy: Grades For Better Productivity

Tungaloy has developed the PremiumTec Grades.

These grade increases insert life and are subjected to advanced coating technology, which made it suitable for the machining of all materials. The product features improved toughness and chip resistance, leading to reduced friction and built-up edge. Produced from tough substrates, these inserts increase productivity and provide optimal results.

The inserts derived from the grades can be divided further into four different series. They are the CVD coated T5100 and T9100 series and the PVD coated AH725 and AH905 series.

Enquiry No. 6709 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Sutton Tools: Clean Thread Tapping

Vero: Multi-Axis CAM Solution

To i n c r e a s e productivity and lower operating costs is the goal in today’s high competitive manufacturing environment. The roll tapping process is no exception. The tap hole diameter has a decisive influence on the minor diameter of the internal thread, which is of strict control on IT parts.

Sutton Tools have a total solution in roll taps and NC drills specifically designed for small threads in IT and watch making industries, for materials such as SUS303, 304, 316, SPCC, aluminium alloy and copper alloy. The benefits of these roll taps and NC drills include lower friction, lower torque and superior thread finish. One example is the T631 roll tap with a TiCN coating.

Vero Software has released the Machining Strategist V12, a multi-axis CAM solution that generates roughing and finishing CNC toolpaths for both the office and shop-floor environment. The software program is a CAD independent solution and can work with data from all major 3D modelling systems.

Significant product enhancements include reduced memory usage during combined waterline passes, improvements to the quality of waterline profile ramp moves which no longer deviate from the surface, tool holder collision checking and support for tapered shank cutters for adaptive clearance and new geometry tools for the selection of horizontal model faces.

Enquiry No. 6710 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

78

Enquiry No. 6711 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

metalworking equipment news September 2011

Enquiry No. 6712 Turn to page 80a or log on to www.equipment-news.com to enquire

Exhibition Programmes 2011-2012

September

15 - 17 Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2011 ICE Hanoi Hanoi, Vietnam Reed Tradex Sirirat.Sung@reedtradex.co.th www.vietnammanufacturingexpo.com

19 – 24 EMO Hannover Exhibition Grounds Hannover, Germany VDW www.vdw.de www.emo-hannover.de

21 – 23 Asiamold

Poly World Trade Centre Expo Guangzhou, China Messe Frankfurt asiamold@demat.com www.asiamold.de

Sep 28 – Oct 1 KOMAF 2011

16 – 19 Metalex

October

Nov 29 – Dec 2 Euromold

KINTEX Seoul, South Korea KOAMI exhibit@koami.or.kr 2011.komaf.org

6–8 Metalex Vietnam

SECC Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Reed Tradex contactcenter@reedtradex.co.th www.metalexvietnam.com

November 1–5 MWCS

Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China Hannover Milano Fairs mwcs@hmf-china.com www.metalworkingchina.com

21 – 24 Linkage Vietnam Machine 1 – 5 CIIF 2011 Tool & Automation SNIEC SECC Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Chan Chao International machine@chanchao.com.tw www.linkagemtai.com

Shanghai, China Shanghai World Expo www.ciif-expo.com

APMEN goes on the road...

Visit our booth at: • Metalex Vietnam • Vietnam Manufacturing Expo • Metalex • Manufacturing Indonesia 2011

BITEC Bangkok, Thailand Reed Tradex metalex@reedtradex.co.th www.metalex.co.th

Frankfurt, Germany DEMAT Info@demat.com www.euromold.com

Nov 30 – Dec 3 Manufacturing Indonesia 2011

Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran Jakarta, Indonesia PT Pamerindo www.pamerindo.com

2012 February 21 – 22 SAMPE Asia 2012 KL Convention Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia SAMPE SAMPEAsia@sampe.org www.sampe.org

April

17 – 22 SIMTOS 2012 KINTEX Seoul, South Korea KOMMA intl@simtos.org www.simtos.org

www.equipment-news.com September 2011 metalworking equipment news

79

advertising index

Advertiser

Page No.

Manufacturers and advertisers that are featured in this issue will send you free information about their products and services. Fill up the Product Enquiry Form on-line at www.equipment-news.com.

Enquiry No.

4T TECHNOLOGIES PTE LTD

27

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BENZ GMBH WERKZEUGSYSTEME

31

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BRUDERER PRESSES (FAR EAST) PTE LTD

53

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BYSTRONIC PTE LTD

03

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DEES HYDRAULIC INDUSTRIAL CO LTD

77

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DELCAM PLC (INTERNATIONAL DIVISION)

05

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154

FLOW ASIA CORPORATION

47

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HAAS AUTOMATION INC

11

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HEIMATEC GMBH

75

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HEXAGON METROLOGY ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD

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HOFFMANN GMBH

09

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HONG CHEK CO (PTE) LIMITED

63

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IDEMITSU LUBE (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD

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FC / IFC

140 / 141

KENNAMETAL INC

BC

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LVD COMPANY NV

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MACK BROOKS LTD

45

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MAWEA INDUSTRIES SDN BHD

77

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MMC HARDMETAL (THAILAND) CO LTD

39

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OBJET GEOMETRIES AP LIMITED

19

067

PT PAMERINDO INDONESIA (MANUFACTURING INDONESIA 2011)

65

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REED TRADEX COMPANY (METALEX THAILAND 2011)

61

091

REED TRADEX COMPANY (METALEX VIETNAM 2011)

59

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REED TRADEX COMPANY (VIETNAM MANUFACTURING EXPO 2011)

55

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SECO TOOLS (S.E.A) PTE LTD

01

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SIEMENS PLM SOFTWARE (SG) PTE LTD

29

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SOLIDCAM LTD

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SPHINX

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SUTTON TOOLS PTY LTD

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TAIWAN TAKISAWA TECHNOLOGY CO LTD

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TUNGALOY SINGAPORE (PTE) lTD

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WALTER AG SINGAPORE PTE LTD

07

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WIKUS-SAGENFABRIK WILHELM H. KULLMANN GMBH & CO KG

21

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WINTERTHUR SCHELEIFTECHNIK AG

51

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YAMAZAKI MAZAK SINGAPORE PTE LTD

IBC

151

YIH CHUAN MACHINERY INDUSTRY CO LTD

67

149

ZWCAD SOFTWARE CO LTD

75

147

DOW CHEMICAL PACIFIC LIMITED

ASIA PACIFIC METALWORKING

The Engineering Journal For Manufacturing,Automation & Quality Control

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metalworking equipment news September 2011

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High-Speed, High-Accuracy 2D / 3D Laser Processing Machine Flexible laser cutting of any workpiece - from flat plates, cubic workpieces, pipe and structural materials as well as bevel cutting

Mazak laser machine uses the *Constant Beam Technology to obtain the optimum cutting efficiency

2D laser cutting of painted Galvanized to Steel Plate

YAMAZAKI MAZAK SINGAPORE PTE LTD

21, Joo Koon Circle, Jurong Singapore 629053 Tel: +65 6862 1131 (12 Lines) Fax: +65 6861 9284

3D laser cutting of complex or angled configurations of long pipe and structural material

ENQUIRY NO 151

*To know more about Constant Beam Technology. Please contact your nearest Mazak office / dealer

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