MWP by sophiebeverton

July 2014

July 2014 www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk

MWP advanced manufacturing

Picking up speed VOL:158 NO:5

GOVERNMENT 14 INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Paul O’Donnell uncovers the Government’s real plans for the UK’s manufacturing strategy.

1 Cover.indd 1

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CONTENTS

July 2014

July 2014 www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk

MWP advanced manufacturing

Picking up speed VOL:158 NO:5

GOVERNMENT 14 INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY Paul O’Donnell uncovers the Government’s real plans for the UK’s manufacturing strategy.

AUTOMOTIVE 44 DRIVE ON UK car manufacturers produced

more than 1.5 million cars last year, and are on course to break all-time records by 2017

SAWING 64 AND THE BAND PLAYED ON Kasto is celebrating 170 years

60 Cover Picture: The Automotive sector in the UK continues to grow (Page 44)

with the launch of a range of production bandsaws and the growth of automated systems.

www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk

July 2014 EDITOR’S COMMENT 07 Keep the continuity 07 EVENT DIARY NEWS 08 Leeds robotic centre; Manufac turing thrives but skills short age a concern; New MTA CEO. OPINION 14 Industrial strategy Paul O’Donnell uncovers the Government’s plans for industry PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT 16 Get in touch with carbide recycling Benefit from recycling carbide high speed steels scrap TOOLING 20 Importance of hyper-speciali sation; Fast pay back on workholding; Undercut solu tions; Turning productivity

AUTOMOTIVE 44 UK on course to break all-time records by 2017. MACHINING 54 Italian motorcycle parts machined in Taiwan; XYZ of prototype to batch

CADCAM 60 Delcam’s Vortex speeds Bloodhound: AlphaCAM at the movies KASTO 64 And the band played on A new range of bandsaws plus more automation from Kasto. DEBURRING 66 Smooth operator A new abrasive technology for deburring and finishing. ENERGY 68 Switching off Keep your bills in check

QUALITY 34 Laser scanners for BIW; Aberlink celebrates 21 years

FOCUS - WATERJET & PLASMA 70 More effective and cheaper waterjet technologies

SPECIAL PURPOSES 42 Robocop, remote control cars and jitter free cameras by additive manufacturing

LAST ORDERS 78 The appliance of science Mike Excell remembers the value of a wise investment

Visit the new MWP website MWP advanced manufacturing has a new website – if you haven’t visited yet make sure you take a look now at www.advancedmanufacturing. co.uk. There you can find more news stories, case-studies, features and product news. Don’t forget to join our communities on Facebook and Twitter to ensure you are always up to speed with the latest in machining technologies, news and the issues that affect your industry. mwp july2014 05

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COMMENT

MARIA HADLOW EDITOR

KEEP IT CONSISTENT

DIARY

8-13 September 2014 IMTS 2014 The International Manufacturing Technology Show is one of the largest industrial trade shows in the world, featuring 1900 exhibitors McCormick Place, Chicago www.imts.com

hile this is not a forum for the editor of the magazine to parade their politics, I’m sure personal prejudices do insinuate their way onto the page. I am reviled by many of my friends as anything from a wetliberal to a raving Communist, I practice political correctness to terrifying extremes and it is not uncommon to hear the whispered advice, “Don’t show that to Maria,” when a joke of dubious taste is being shared on Facebook – no one wants to hear that lecture again! Honestly, I see myself as left of centre, and I offer this information solely because it does have a bearing on what I’m about to say. I have been pleasantly surprised, even impressed, by the commitment this Government is showing to our industry. No, of course it’s not perfect, and obviously we’d all like more measures in place to help in financing long term planning and growth, but I do believe that finally they appreciate that it’s important to make things – real things – rather than just money. I seem to run into Vince Cable so often these days that I may have to put him on my Christmas card list. Never in my experience has a minister with the portfolio for Business, Innovation and Skills (or similar) attended so many events organised by our industry. And, as he did a few weeks ago after speaking at the Global Manufacturing Festival dinner in Sheffield, opened themselves up to unrehearsed questions from the floor and answered them from a position of knowledge and understanding. Mr Cable has also been in the role since 2010, which has provided a consistency and continuity that has not often been in evidence in that department. But here lies the problem – we have a general election next year – and although it could go any way – the odds on another Conservative, Liberal coalition have got to be pretty long. Vince Cable - a Liberal man may find himself out of power. But whichever side gets in it is absolutely vital that the momentum behind developing and supporting industry should not diminish. Increasing the amount of GDP that comes from manufacturing – currently 11% - is paramount, and too important to be stymied by party politics. We need to let politicians from all parties know that this issue is as important as healthcare, housing and education and probably more important than immigration and Scottish Independence. (I say let them go - knew I’d parade my politics eventually!)

MWP TEAM Editor Maria Hadlow maria.hadlow@centaur.co.uk Consulting Editor Mike Excell mexcell88@gmail.com Art Editor Charlotte Dearn charlotte.dearn@centaur.co.uk Sales Director Karl Creamer t: 01584 811563 m: 07714 660885 karl.creamer@centaur.co.uk Sales Executive Helen Fox t: 07951 286986 helen.fox@centaur.co.uk Senior Digital Sales Executive Lucinda Clarke t: 01527 834404 lucinda.clarke@centaur.co.uk Sales Switzerland Robert Dormann Media Consultant Marketing, Postfach 574, CH-8803, Ruschlikon, Switzerland t: ++41 1 720 85 50 f: ++41 1 721 14 74 dormann@rdormann.ch Taiwan Ms Felicia Wan t: 886 2 2755 7901 f: 886 2 2755 7900 Taiwan Bright International 4F-1, 200, Hsin Yi Road, Sec 3, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Production Bill Griffiths bill.griffiths@centaur.co.uk Customer Service Dept t: 020 7292 3720 engcirc@centaur.co.uk Publisher Peter Harris peter.harris@centaur.co.uk Printer Headley Brothers Limited The Invicta Press, Queens Road Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the Publisher. ISSN 0026-1033. MWP Magazine is published by Centaur Media PLC, the UK’s premier independent business publisher. For information about the range of products produced by Centaur Media PLC, visit www.centaur.co.uk. The site also contains details of vacancies at Centaur. You can also subscribe online to MWP Magazine at http://sales.centaur.co.uk. MWP Magazine technical articles of full page length or over are indexed in the Library Association’s Current Technology Index. The contents of MWP Magazine are reproduced in information storage and retrieval systems. Subscription and Reader Service departments address: Centaur Media PLC, as quoted above. It is available in the UK on subscription of UK £58.00 Sterling per annum (six issues pa), Overseas £90.00 per annum (six issues pa). For change of address notify the circulation manager. Refunds on cancelled subscriptions will only be provided at the Publisher’s discretion, unless specifically guaranteed within the terms of a subscription offer.

mwp july2014 07

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NEWS

Leeds robotic centre goes to plan The University of Leeds is set to become a centre of excellence for robotics thanks to major funding from the Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC) to form a £4.3m National Facility for Innovative Robotics Systems directed Dr Robert Richardson. The aim of the facility is to become a national resource for robotics and to make it possible to manufacture components for these devices which were previously very difficult or impossible to produce. Many of the applications demand miniaturisation. Already, a robot has been built to penetrate small 20 x 20cm shafts in the pyramids at Giza and has revealed hieroglyphics in a secret chamber that have not been seen for thousands of years. Other applications include inspection of inaccessible or hazardous areas in aerospace or nuclear power station projects, quick identification of victims trapped in buildings, improved surgical outcomes through the internal monitoring of a patient’s condition during an operation, and advanced prosthetic devices. The funding provided the opportunity to install 16 pieces of high technology equipment. facilities manager, Graham Brown said, “We wanted to select world class machinery which would make us a centre for robotics and facilitate col-

laboration with industrial partners, which would in itself generate additional funding for further advanced projects. Up to now, many of the robotic projects have had to be theoretical, but with the new facility we will be able to turn them into reality.” The University of Leeds selected a DMU 40 eVo linear from DMG Mori; an Object

1000 3D printer - one of the largest available and capable of printing in medically compatible materials; a Synova laser cutter which is one of only three worldwide - for cutting piezoelectric ceramics; a Citizen sliding head lathe and a LPKF laser structuring machine - to help incorporate electronics into the shell of a robot.

First phase of Bloodhound rocket plume imaging tests conducted The first phase of rocket plume imaging tests for the Bloodhound-SSC project has been conducted by Dr. Adam Baker at Kingston University in conjunction with Stemmer Imaging in order to determine the optimum wavelength range for imaging. Tests were carried out using cameras sensitive to the infrared, visible and UV regions of the spectrum, and the results can be seen on the Stemmer Imaging YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/ watch?v=_G5YTx4Fpnk#t=23. Monitoring the output of the rocket plume is expected to play an important role in the optimisation of the rocket and jet engine-powered Bloodhound vehicle as it is developed for its world land speed record attempt. Initial expectations that UV imaging would prove more useful than IR imaging were confirmed during the tests.

The plume from a small hybrid rocket burning PMMA (acrylic) in a stream of oxygen was imaged using a Teledyne DALSA Genie M640 colour camera for the normal visible wavelength range; a JAI CM140GE UV camera for UV wavelengths and an AVT Goldeye P032 IR camera for infrared wavelengths. The cameras were linked to an Adlink EOS embedded vision system equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor. Video was recorded using a custom version of the Vision Experts’ Gecko recording software, which also performs real-time video compression. Further tests are likely to involve the

construction of a small rocket set to allow the testing of multiple rocket nozzles from simulated angles. This will help to determine the best position for integrating the camera into the car.

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NEWS

New £3million engineering department opens in Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has officially opened a new £3 million engineering and manufacturing department in Cambridge - with the help of a robot. A £30,000 robotic arm, part of the new state-of-the-art engineering facilities at Cambridge Regional College, was controlled by the city MP as it unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion. The new department is furnished with industry-standard equipment, including 3D printers, robotics, manufacturing workshops, specialist welding and fabrication areas, CADCAM, PLC technology, pneumatics and hydraulics, a materials testing laboratory. and process instrumentation and control systems. Employers in the engineering sector played a key part in setting up the new department - they were consulted by the college to find out what equipment and tooling would best help train their future workforces. Dr Huppert, who was presented with a spanner made on one of the new 3D printers, performed the opening ceremony in front of employers, staff and students. He said the new facilities were a superb addition to the college. “This new facility is a brilliant initiative and it is great to see engineering coming on in this way. I hope it will be used to generate more skills and train apprentices,” he said. Dr Paul Woollin, research director at The Welding Institute said there was an increasing need for young people to train as engineering apprentices. “There are not enough young people going into the profession. We need the PhDs and the boffins, but we also need the people to run the equipment and turn the boffins’ ideas into reality,” he said.

UK manufacturing thriving but skills shortage is a worry Forget the traditional image of a struggling manufacturing sector, says a new report. UK manufacturers are today upbeat about their sector, which has become increasingly innovative and diverse, despite the economic slump in recent years. Manufacturers are positive about their businesses now, but they do have concerns about the skills shortages and are calling for increased dialogue with government to ensure the sector can fulfil its great potential for growth in the future. An insight into modern manufacturing, a report published on 7 May by Engineering the Future, an alliance of professional institutions including the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), paints a positive picture of the state of today’s manufacturing industry, while revealing some challenges and constraints ahead. The report tells the story through the words of manufacturers themselves.

Through a series of interviews, the report finds that UK manufacturing is a vibrant and resourceful part of the economy that is well-placed to deliver growth in globalised markets, to the benefit of the UK economy as a whole. However, the report highlights that manufacturers are very concerned that, as their workforce retires, they will not be able to get the engineers they need . After the recession, most manufacturers have learnt to redesign their business strategies to account for similar events in the future. Most manufacturers now keep their edge by focussing on slimming down their procedures, cutting down waste and increasing production efficiency. Manufacturers believe that Government support for their sector is effective, but improvement could be made particularly withan increased and more consistent dialogue. The report is available at https:// dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8820358/ report_v4.pdf.

Record month for Bystronic sales Sheet metal processing machinery supplier, Bystronic, said that May 2014 was its best ever month for order intake in the UK, at just short of £7 million. Orders were received from all areas of industry and all of Bystronic’s CNC product portfolio was said to be in demand, including laser profiling machines, water jet cutters and press brakes. David Larcombe, managing director of Bystronic UK said, “Our recent sales success is yet another sign that the UK is pulling strongly out of recession and that

manufacturing continues to lead the way. “Particularly pleasing was the range of sectors represented and of machine types ordered, indicating that the recovery is broadly based.”

Eight out of 10 Bystronic laser profilers ordered in the record month of May were fibre laser machines.

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NEWS

New management team at Mills Mills CNC, the distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has announced its succession plans to ensure long-term sustainability and continued growth, and that these will be implemented by a new operational board of directors led by new managing director, Paul Hooper-Keeley. Mills’ Nick Frampton - previous managing director and Andrew Jack - previous technical director, both retain a shareholding in the company and remain as consultants to ensure continuity of service and support to customers and partners during the transition. Frampton said “With 2014 halfyear sales turnover figures expected to exceed £35M for the first time in the company’s history - some 25% up on the same period last year - and through a range of recent customer focused investments made over the last 12 months at our Campus facility in Leamington - Mills CNC is in a strong position, primed and ready for the next phase in its history.” The new operational board of directors comprises existing directors and senior managers at Mills. Managing director, Paul HooperKeeley - previously finance director - is joined by senior managers - Nick White, Kevin Gilbert and Tony Dale - who have been appointed sales director, operations director and technical director, respectively. Continuity at board level is completed with Adam Attwood continuing as chairman.

Mills new managing director, Paul Hooper-Keeley

MAS helps company increase turnover by 30% A Gloucestershire company, which manufactures a range of high precision components for the aerospace, oil & gas, marine and defence industries has increased its turnover by 30% and created 20 new jobs after re-shaping its business model following support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS). Future Advanced Manufacture, which is based in Cheltenham, has benefited from a strategic review of its business model as well as detailed analysis of its production processes led by MAS. Within a year, the company achieved its goal of achieving a 50/50 split between R&D and high complexity, repeat manufacture. This has enabled them to consolidate operations by bringing all business units together under one roof at a new 38,000sqft factory, which in turn has led to a 15% increase in efficiency. Craig Peterson, managing director of Future Advanced Manufacture, said, “As a result of the work done with MAS we John-

L to R Craig Peterson (Future Advanced Manufacture) and John Phillipart (MAS)

have been able to increase our appeal to a wider customer base. This has enabled us win a landmark £1.5m contract to manufacture and supply a key component for a local business, reshoring production from China in order to reduce lead times and costs, and increase quality control. “The best thing about working with MAS is that they spend time getting to know your business and what you are looking to achieve. .”

New Chief Executive for MTA The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has appointed a new chief executive officer to lead the organisation. James Selka joins the MTA following more than 25 years of manufacturing experience, including 13 years as managing director of a specialist high precision, internationally trading, supplier of turnkey instrument sub-systems. Mark Ridgway OBE, MTA President said, “James offers a skill-set that is complementary to the operational strategy of the MTA, particularly with respect to developing both the profile and membership of the Association. “I would also like, on behalf of both myself and the MTA Board, to extend thanks to Graham Dewhurst for his stewardship of the MTA over the past seven years. During this period Graham has overseen a growth in membership of over 30% and the development of an Association that is not only well regarded by Government and the sector alike, but one that offers a strong commercial platform to further expand its operations in a man-

MTA’s new chief executive James Selka

ner that is relevant and supportive of its membership base.” Selka said, “I’m delighted to be taking up the challenge of leading the MTA into the future. I’m looking forward to finding out more about the dynamic companies that make up the MTA and delivering a future in which we are even more focussed on delivering value for our members and standing up for our sector.”

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25/06/2014 14:14 25.10.11 17:14

OPINION

Paul O’Donnell head of external affairs at the MTA (Manufacturing Technologies Association) uncovers the Government’s real manufacturing strategy.

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

I PAUL O’DONNELL

“

The theory was that we might not make things here, but we would discover and develop them, and that was where the real money was right?

t’s often said that Government in the UK is incapable of taking a long term strategic view of anything. That it, whatever party is currently in vogue, lurches from one ill thought through initiative to another in a ceaseless chase for favourable headlines and votes. And it’s true that much of what governments do, especially the stuff that makes the headlines is reacting to trying to deal with today’s crisis or deal with the fallout of whatever has tickled a tabloid editor’s fancy. But there is another level of activity at which Government can be quite strategic. Consider for a moment the case of the City of London over the last half century or so. This is a story of how a medium sized economy in long term relative decline managed to turn its erstwhile place of exchange – where banks existed to serve real companies in a real economy - into a global phenomenon. Think about it, the world’s largest financial centre isn’t in its biggest economy (the US), or its most populous country (China) it doesn’t even use its main regional currency (the Euro). This hasn’t happened by accident. We didn’t just wake up one morning and discover to our surprise that we’d acquired an international trading hub of unprecedented proportions. It came about because an industry was ambitious and Governments supported its designs for decades. Whether it was the deregulation of the 80s, pushed through with the enthusiastic backing of Nigel Lawson or New Labour being ‘intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich’ the City was the goose that kept laying golden eggs in the form of taxes (set at a reasonable level and enforced in ‘sophisticated’ way of course…) and wealth, which, trickles down through London, the South East and eventually the rest of the country. So if Government could support that industry and help it through its tough times, what about manufacturing? ‘We have no strategy’ is the cry. Actually there has been a direction of sorts over the last 25 years albeit less a clearly articulated strategy and more a sort of ‘received wisdom’. It’s been to embrace globalisation like nowhere else to attract investment and to spend, quite generously at times, on the Science base. The theory was that we might not make things here, but we would discover and develop them, and that was where the real money was right? You could call it the Dyson principle. And it worked well for some companies for some time. But, even before the financial crash focussed minds, it was becoming clear that it might not be enough. There were these annoying and successful companies like Rolls Royce and Renishaw that insisted on manufacturing in the UK.

Interest piqued, the last Government began to dip its toes back into the manufacturing pool. What really got their attention was the realisation that jobs in advanced manufacturing were lucrative, stable and located around the country. A Strategy “New Industry, New Job” was accordingly published in 2008. Much of it still stands up and you can trace quite a few innovations of the last few years back to it. Unfortunately it was launched just as Lehman Brothers went under and ushered in a new age of austerity, so most of what was in it that came with a price tag was dumped. The Coalition, after a decent interval of doing nothing as a point of principle, gently picked up some of the old ideas and brought some new ones of their own. The revitalisation of UKTI and the very visible increase in the priority the Government places on trade have been key drivers. Trade is now about much more than boxes of things shipped around the world but the key role that manufactured goods still have (over half of our exports) has boosted the sector’s attractiveness to a Government that sometimes likes to see itself as a global corporation (or at least contains more than a few Ministers who would secretly like to be Global CEOs – the private jets are better). So what has the new desirability of manufacturing actually meant? Well we now have an Industrial Strategy, or to be exact we have eleven of them each covering different sectors. The aerospace and automotive strategies are quite well known with big headline public and private investment. The less publicised ones range from agri-tech to international education. Interestingly Government has officially recognised, even embraced, strategy documents that originated outside its walls: in chemical, composites and rail sectors. The strategies all include boosts for innovation, skills, access to finance and many include work with UKTI too. This has to be a step forward with two big provisos. They must not become to prescriptive – no diktats to site a company here not there, or collaborate with this favoured institution not that one; and they must not create two tiers in the way Government sees companies, those within a favoured sector and who fit in with its strategy and those doing something less flavour-of-the-month. Businesses have to make their own decisions in their own interests. So far Government seems to understand that, let’s hope the history of the City demonstrates that they can keep their minds focussed. This article represents Paul O’Donnell’s personal opinions only. Follow Paul on Twitter @paodonnell

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PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Cromwell Tools Group and Carbide Recycling is offering a service to help customers benefit from recycling their carbide high speed steels scrap.

GET IN TOUCH WITH CARBIDE RECYCLING

ith the arrival of the new Scrap Metal Dealers Act in December 2013, UK manufacturers have been getting to grips with effective management of their metals waste. The recycling of carbide, high speed steels, tool steels, sludges, slurries and powders scrap is a key area that is often overlooked; A new partnership has been launched between Cromwell Tools Group and Carbide Recycling, a division of Alchemy Metals Ltd, offering Cromwell customers a convenient and advantageous way to recycle their carbide and high speed steels scrap metal. Cromwell Tools Group is the largest British owned industrial distributor of tooling and high speed steels. Carbide Recycling is one of the UK’s largest buyers of waste tooling and materials direct from manufacturing companies and tooling suppliers. In an effort to offer their customers complete control of their carbide scrap and other select metal and powder waste streams, Cromwell, in partnership with Carbide Recycling now offers a number of recycling options to, including return to vendor and dedicated lockable containment. The scheme gives customers a secure system with full traceability and ensures compliance with the legal requirements for disposing of various scrap metal waste streams, at the same time it enhances their environmental profile; of particular importance if ISO14001 approved and seeking closed loop efficiencies. To facilitate the scheme Cromwell customers will be offered a vending returns scrap bin as part of their vending solutions programme – for existing customers a simple software update will ensure that their carbide scrap is traded back to the vendor in exchange for new tooling. This new initiative further demonstrates both Cromwell’s and Alchemy’s commitment to good environmental practice. A less talked about problem in manufacturing is the common theft of

Carbide scrap can be traded back to the vendor in exchange for new tooling.

carbide scrap by employees from their employer. Companies can help themselves by effectively managing their metals waste and by only selling their scrap into companies who meet the minimum operating standards of traceability. Waste Hierarchy is designed to reduce our environmental impact and make more sustainable use of the waste that is produced – unfortunately a high percentage of UK engineering companies do not realise the true value of their redundant/scrap carbide, HSS & HSS-Co tooling. Many companies continue to throw their carbide away or put it into steel scrap bins - Alchemy and Cromwell are committed to educating their customers about the best ways to reduce their environmental impact and increase revenue by recycling their carbide and tooling through a direct to melt service. Reduce your carbide consumption by buying the most economical product for the job required and use a carbide logging sheet or vendor to control all new tooling with used carbide being exchanged in place.

Carbide stand; Cromwell vending machine

Reuse your tooling to its maximum potential and where possible send the tooling for re-grinding. Recycle your carbide into the most environmentally friendly route with a direct to melt service.

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02/07/2014 09:55

Our cutting tools are like your machine shop. No matter what they’re up against, they come through every time.

Results are the only thing that matters to you because results are the only thing that matters to your customers. Hertel knows that. That’s why every Hertel cutting tool is designed to deliver consistency, reliability, durability, and value with every cut. For over 50 years, Hertel has been a brand trusted by machine shops of every size for a variety of applications. No matter what size production run you’re working, Hertel tools are made to exceed your expectations. So you can always exceed those of your customers. Designed to deliver.

Try Hertel today and save up to 30%* Quote ‘HERT30’ to receive your discount. *Some restrictions apply.

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2/25/13 10:40 AM 25/06/2014 14:14

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TECHNOLOGY ZONE

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

BEYOND THE TOOLS Bruno Munier, EMEA market area president at Sandvik Coromant, considers the evolving demands of today’s manufacturing sector and looks at how ‘hyper-specialisation’ and process expertise can bring significant advantages to the customer/supplier relationship.

T BRUNO MUNIER, EMEA MARKET AREA PRESIDENT, SANDVIK COROMANT

oday’s industrial companies are expected to produce highly complex designs with increasingly advanced materials using ever-more sophisticated processes. At the same time they face unprecedented levels of global competition, with associated pressures to keep both price and time-to-market to an absolute minimum. Naturally all this must be achieved without ever compromising on quality. To remain successful, therefore, manufacturers must continually seek ways to maintain and grow their competitive advantage. This not only means improving productivity and performance – both of which are critical – but also identifying other areas that might contribute to that all-important competitive edge and drive up overall return on investment (ROI). For example, machine optimisation, streamlining maintenance procedures, driving down logistics costs, improving energy efficiencies or finding more cost-effective ways to comply with environmental legislation relating to greenhouse gases. A key challenge for many manufacturers, however, is that the combination of advances in technology, the retirement of the ‘baby boom’ generation and a lack of young people choosing engineering as a profession means there is a growing ‘skills gap’ between what the industry needs and the talents that are available. And as it is becoming harder and harder to find the right resource it is not always possible to have all key competencies in-house. As a result, many manufacturers now expect their suppliers to provide services and support that complements and bolsters their own in-house skills and expertise.

hyper-specialisation For tool suppliers this means going beyond simply supplying leading-edge products by offering a comprehensive sales, service and support infrastructure that can provide expert advice on the complete manufacturing process – from pre-production and machine set-up through to volume manufacturing. While tool performance remains as important as ever, a good supplier should be able to combine this with valuable guidance and consultancy that helps customers to

Hyper-specialisation includes providing focused expertise and knowledge through expert staff and facilities such as dedicated Application Centres for aerospace, automotive and other industries.

implement the best process options. This will include guidance and support on whether to use custom or standard tools, how to improve productivity and drive down payback times and should extend to related areas that contribute to overall ROI such as recycling, maintenance and repair, and power use. The ability to provide this end-to-end process capability lies in hyper-specialisation. Hyper-specialisation recognises that modern processes are becoming so well developed for industries, applications and component types that it is simply no longer possible for a single sales person, technical specialist or engineer to be a generalist. Instead, each member of the customerfacing team needs to offer a level of specialisation and focus that is specifically relevant to the industry or the machining task at hand. The requirements for aerospace manufacturers, for example, can differ greatly from those of companies that are machining components for the

20 july2014 mwp

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02/07/2014 09:56

We keep over 45,000 tools in stock - so you don’t have to. Why hold stock when WNT can do it for you? Our industry-leading logistics means we carry over 45,000 tools with 99% ex-stock availability - all available with guaranteed next day delivery.

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www.wnt.com 25/06/2014 14:15 11/7/2013 10:56:22 AM

TECHNOLOGY ZONE

“

Knowledge on how best to machine composites, heat resistant super alloys (HRSA), stainless steel, high alloy steels and titanium can only come from working with these materials and making significant investments in R&D.

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

automotive industry. In turn, automotive companies are looking for different solutions to manufacturers producing assemblies for the oil and gas sector. What’s more, even within these segments there are many different individual machining, process and tooling requirements that demand specialist knowledge. In the automotive field, for instance, we can differentiate between the methods used to produce components for vehicle engines versus those for gearboxes. In the world of aerospace it is possible to segment the requirements of airframes built around composite materials and those of landing gear where materials are more likely to be titanium and Inconel. And in the oil and gas sector there are significant differences between the machining processes needed to produce pipe and tube products and those for the components, valves and pumps used for exploration and production. One thing is common, however. The majority of the companies in these sectors are looking to rationalise their supplier base and would much prefer to deal with a supplier that can help them implement and improve a complete machining process rather than just supply a range of tools. This means that suppliers must invest in recruiting, developing and retaining sales and technical teams with in-depth knowledge of specific sectors and applications, and who are able to understand the ‘bigger picture’ of end-to-end production for a specific process.

hyper-specialisation in action An example of hyper-specialisation in action can be seen in the way Sandvik Coromant looks to build strong, knowledge- and solutions-based relationships with its own customers in Europe. This is achieved through a combination of dedicated sales teams for industries such as aerospace, automotive and oil and gas; support from technical specialists who have in-depth expertise of specific processes and applications; intensive research and development; and access to process- and industry-specific Application Centres that can be used to develop and validate machining processes and tool solutions. In the case of aerospace, for example, specialist process knowledge covers all aspects of component production for engines, airframes and landing gear. This includes in-depth understanding of the machining challenges of both the components and the various different materials that can be employed. Knowledge on how best to machine composites, heat resistant super alloys (HRSA), stainless steel, high alloy steels and titanium can only come from working with these materials and making significant investments in R&D to develop specific machining solutions that ensure maximum machining productivity for each. In the automotive sector there are specialists that cover shaft and gear manufacture for vehicle transmissions and others dedicated to helping

customers achieve high levels of productivity in the production of crankshafts, cylinder heads and other components for modern vehicle engines. As with aerospace, an understanding of how to machine different material types is critical. This is why Sandvik Coromant works with engineering competence centres, universities and institutes on projects ranging from alloy and automotive application development to advanced material modelling and simulation techniques. When it comes to oil and gas, Sandvik Coromant offers a comprehensive combination of tools, process knowledge and local support for the practical machining of valves, spool bodies, drill collars, mandrels and other components for subsea production systems. The company also invests in the premium threading and turning expertise demanded by manufacturers of drill pipe, casings and tubings for ‘Oil Country Tubular Goods’ (OCTG) applications. Oil and gas hyperspecialisation covers solutions and machining consultancy for more exotic materials such as heat-resistant inconel superalloys, titanium and the super-duplex stainless steels that are needed to withstand harsh environments. Further evidence of the Sandvik Coromant hyper-specialisation strategy comes in the form of Engineering Competence Centres that are specifically designed to address the growing demand for outsourced expertise and research. At these centres customers work closely with experts to test new materials and develop and enhance processes that will maximise productivity and minimize cost for a given application. Each centre is staffed by technical specialists as well as product development engineers, and is equipped with the latest machines, tooling solutions, software and instruments, allowing processes to be developed, tested and modified without any disruption to a customer’s live production. There are currently six Engineering Competence Centres in Europe, including facilities dedicated to meeting the needs of the aerospace and automotive sectors. It is clear that the nature of outsourcing is changing. Whereas previously companies may have outsourced in order to save money on certain discreet activities the future is less about direct cost savings and more about identifying competencies that can help them better address manufacturing challenges. This trend will continue as the industry advances and machining challenges become more complex, making it more likely that a company’s competence pool will need to be supplemented by external specialists. Working closely with both their customers and other third parties as necessary - for example machine builders in the case of Sandvik Coromant - suppliers that choose the route of hyperspecialization and that can consider ‘the bigger manufacturing picture’ will be well-placed to create and optimise next-generation production processes.

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AM MWP Carbide Recycling Ad 210x286mm Hi-Res.pdf

18/02/2013

16:09

State of the Art

CArbide

CMY

recycling

Carbide Recycling are an independently owned factory scrap metal service specialist. Based at our state of the art facility in Hertfordshire, we offer tailored waste management solutions to clients all over the country. Carbide Recycling Ltd is one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest buyers of tooling direct from manufacturing companies and tooling suppliers, we are interested in all solid (Hard Scraps) Carbide, Cobalt, (HSS) High Speed Steels & Tool Steels as well as all carbide/cobalt soft scraps from sludges, slurry & powders.

Working in partnership with

Cavendish Point, Cavendish Road, Stevenage, Herts SG1 2EU T: 01438 745307 F: 01438 728211 E: enquiries@alchemymetals.co.uk www.alchemymetals.co.uk

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TECHNOLOGY ZONE

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

Subcontractor’s detailed examination of workholding reveals high levels of cost savings and productivity increases

CHICK CLAMPS PAY BACK IN 46 DAYS

o matter how fast a machining centre is, the speed and efficiency with which parts can be clamped for presentation to the spindle and unclamped afterwards defines the productivity of a process. A prime example is at Gosport-based subcontractor and precision engineering firm, QCD Limited, where huge benefits are being gained using US-made Chick twin-station workholding devices supplied by UK agent, 1st Machine Tool Accessories. Established in 2000, QCD mainly serves the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, defence, nuclear, motor sport and aerospace industries. Owner and managing director, Steve Lindsell, has gone into great detail evaluating the cost savings and productivity increases resulting from the new clamping arrangement. Overall, £50,000 per year is being saved using five Chick Qwik-Lok workholding units from 1st MTA compared to traditional wind-up vices. As the new clamps cost just £6000, the investment was amortised in a month and a half - precisely 46 days after delivery. The subcontractor uses a Faro arm to reverse-engineer parts and can supply them more cheaply and quickly than OEMs in Germany and Italy. The required finish on some plastic components is high at 8 CLA and dimensional tolerance is typically ±0.05mm. Batch sizes are between 100 and 500-off and turnaround time is normally two or three days, but is sometimes within one day if a broken component has stopped a production line. Hurco VMCs (vertical machining centres) carry out all of the prismatic machining at Gosport and it is on the table of a 3-axis VM3 model that the five twin-station Qwik-Loks provide 10 clamping positions. Lindsell has worked out that by fixturing 10 parts at a time rather than one, cycle time per part is halved, typically from four minutes to two. This is achieved by consolidating the time for half a dozen tool changes across all of the parts and reducing ATC time by a factor of 10.

Steve Lindsell (right), owner and managing director of QCD Limited, watches as plastic components are being set up in Chick Qwik-Lok twin-station clamps for Op 2 machining on a Hurco VMC.

Some parts require up to six separate operations, in which case they go individually onto a 4-axis VMC and/or a Mazak CNC lathe. Five-axis prismatic machining has been considered, but cannot not get close to the cycle time per part achieved by the 10-at-a-time strategy. The aforementioned plastic components undergo a roughing operation (Op 1) held in hard jaws on five conventional twin-station vices on another VMC. The jaws are not changed to suit different sizes and shapes of component and so this first operation is cost-effective. The parts are transferred to the five Qwik-Loks on the VM3 for finish milling and drilling (Op 2) while held in soft aluminium jaws machined to match the shape of the component. The jaws snap on and off quickly using Chick’s System 5 Qwik-Change technology. They can be turned around to allow another shape of part to be held by a differently machined face on the other side of the jaw or are replaced by an entirely different set of jaws. Lindsell says, “Repeatability of positioning on the Qwik-Loks is excellent, which means that components are machined more accurately. Five complete changeovers are achieved in just 15

The enclosed design of the Qwik-Lok saves a lot of time through not having to blow swarf away using an airline and also eliminates the need to strip down the clamps three or four times a year for cleaning.

minutes. This is our biggest cost saving. With the type of twin vice we use for Op 1, it used to take a whole day to change over a set of soft jaws and clock them into position for Op 2. “Then we might only produce 100-off and have to change the jaws back again.” Saving up to eight hours setting up each new job for Op 2 translates into a big part of the £50,000 annual saving that results from using the Qwik-Loks. Additionally manual swarf removal is no longer necessary as the working parts of the Chick clamps are fully enclosed and protected from swarf and coolant ingress.

24 july2014 mwp

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25/06/2014 15:06

TECHNOLOGY ZONE

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

Horn’s undercut solution maximises tool life and eases production for Metaltech Precision Engineers, where smooth progress using reliable processes is critical to efficient manufacturing.

UNDERCUT GENERATION

t Hailsham-based Metaltech Precision Engineers Ltd, the application of Horn 314 special inserts to machine the bore face and undercut in a range of stainless steel pump rotor cases has significantly enhanced the process through reduced cycle time, greatly extended tool edge life and improved surface quality. Metaltech is a highly successful supplier of major components to leading stainless steel pump manufacturers, working with both billet and precision castings. The products are high value added precision items often required at short notice and vary considerably in size. A common feature of the rotor bodies is the need for an undercut, which ‘separates’ the wall from the flat base. Richard Page, Metaltech’s production engineering manager explains, “We have been producing this feature for some years using custom-built tooling which relied on a non-standard insert. Increases in customer demand/production volume to around 250 parts per month highlighted shortcomings in that method. Tool life was poor – at around one undercut per cutting edge - and we were losing time on tip indexing and re-setting. In addition there were issues with insert

supply. Essentially we were coping, whereas we needed a solution that could provide a reliable response to changes in demand.” Horn Cutting Tools has an established history of providing tooling solutions for Metaltech and it was Horn that the company turned to in this instance. The solution put forward by Horn uses a mix of standard and special Type 380 holders, enabling through coolant supply directly to the cutting edge. Type 314 milling inserts, which have the latest AS45 coating, finish all the faces on the component and produce the required industry standard undercut. Trials conducted at Metaltech demonstrated that the Horn tool was capable of running faster than the previous tool package. It is also capable of machining up to eight rotor bodies per edge consistently whereas the original tooling had to be indexed or exchanged after one or two components. In addition the Horn tool supplies a burr-free undercut so the part is finished as it comes off the machine. Chris Smith, Horn’s applications engineer added, “The tool not only produces an undercut but also finishes the top face and bore face; both of which

require a surface finish of less than 0.8µm Ra. During the trials we were able to make significant improvements to the insert geometry to further enhance the level of the surface finish whilst continually reducing the cycle time. We can now consistently achieve between 0.3 to 0.4µm Ra.” Page commented. ‘The aims of the exercise had nothing to do with reducing costs but in the end the Horn insert cost is around a third of the previous tooling. However the big gain for us is in the reliability of the process and the increase in the number of cases that can be machined per cutting edge, which saves us a lot of time. “The task is bread-and-butter work in that every rotor case we produce has that feature so ideally we need to have complete confidence in the process – which we now do. We’re also very confident about reliability of insert supply from Horn” He concluded. “Ultimately the project has brought us more benefits than we expected and demonstrates how much the performance of modern tooling technology has progressed compared with what was available only a few years ago.”

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Crystallizing the breakthrough... Three new grades, one breakthrough in material science; Inveio. Scientifically, Inveio is the arrangement of the grain structure of the aluminum oxide crystals in the insertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coating. Put simply, an innovative method to create a cutting edge, that is both exceptionally long-lasting and highly predictable in its wear patterns.

TURNING STEEL

MILLING CAST IRON

GC4325

GC4315

GC3330

An edgeline performance out of the ordinary.

With a wear resistance crucial for high cutting temperatures.

With up to a 40% durability increase, this is your new first choice.

www.sandvik.coromant.com/productnews

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25/06/2014 14:15 2014-06-17 16:46:26

TECHNOLOGY ZONE

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

ITC SIMPLIFIES COMPOSITE MACHINING WITH NEW ROUTERS With carbon fibre composite materials increasingly commonplace in the aerospace and motorsport industries, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has now launched its new 9001 Cyber Series of Multi-Flute routers for the highly productive and efficient machining of composites. As a leading supplier to these sectors, ITC has added to its range of carbon fibre and synthetic composite cutting tools with this new line. The 9001 Cyber Series is a multi-flute square ended router that is manufactured from a special wear resistant

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micro-grain carbide that is offered as an uncoated or diamond coated option. This new multi-fluted router has been developed in conjunction with a number of specialist manufacturers, which have experience of continually machining innovative new composite materials. Working with them, ITC aims to provide a series of tools that deliver excellent results on all types of carbon fibre composite materials. Manufactured at ITCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tamworth headquarters, the multiple flute design and its new geometry with precision ground chipbreakers gives improved tool life and reduces de-lamination, which is a major issue for manufacturers machining composites. Not only does the geometry design improve tool life, it also dissipates heat that rapidly generates with such an

abrasive material. This tool life can be further extended by selecting the diamond coated range of the 9001 Series. Already generating remarkable results since its recent introduction to market, the 9001 Series is offered in 6, 8, 10 and 12mm diameters. To enhance rigidity, tool life and minimise vibration when cutting this extremely unforgiving material, ITC has optimised the line by developing a straight shank design with an overall length of 75 or 100mm depending upon diameter selected. With the length of cut limited to either 28 or 40mm, the robust 9001 Series has demonstrated extended tool life, good surface finishes and high productivity levels under test conditions and when trialed by ITCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principle customers working with composites.

02/07/2014 09:59

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

TECHNOLOGY ZONE

ENTRY-LEVEL TOOL GRINDING MADE EASY Walter Ewag UK, part of the United Grinding Group, has made it even easier for entry-level tool grinding with the launch of the Walter Helitronic Essential, a cost-effective solution for the highprecision five-axis grinding of carbide, HSS, ceramic and cermet tools from 1mm to 16mm diameter. The Helitronic Essential complements the Walter Helitronic Basic tool grinder – for the five-axis processing of tools up to 320mm diameter by 350mm long - and the cost-competitive Walter Heliset Uno, a stand-alone toolpresetter. Both entry-level Helitronics are based on similar high-quality construction principles to Walter’s existing Helitronic models. With a twin-spindle grinding head accommodating up to six grinding wheels, the Helitronic Essential’s Fanuc CNC uses Walter’s Tool Studio ‘what you see is what you grind’ software and Feedrate Optimiser that together minimise non-productive and overall processing times.

28 29 Tooling.indd 29

With 47-operation functionality, Tool Studio sees the Feedrate Optimiser capitalise on its intricate knowledge of grinding moves and wheel model as well as tool simulation to calculate instantaneous grinding wheel and machine spindle loads, to precisely set optimum feed rates and to manage wheel and machining loads. At every point, feed rates are set using user-specified wheel load and actual wheel load – low wheel load actions can, therefore, be made faster and, importantly, any moves that exceed the desired wheel loads are slowed down. The advantages include increased productivity and, in some cases, especially with

complicated tools, time savings of 40% or more are possible, grinding costs are therefore reduced – and wheel life is extended. For larger tooling, the Helitronic Basic is supplied with Walter Window Mode P1 and P3 grinding programs (for end mills and drills) as standard, and options include coolant tank, Eco tool loading system, automatic clamping and worktable. The Walter Heliset Uno - for presetting tools and grinding wheels up to 230mm diameter and 370mm long – uses Laser-Edge Finder technology for fast positioning/viewing, powerful image processing software and comprehensive measuring functionality (33x magnification with its CMOS camera) to a repeatability of four microns.

02/07/2014 09:59

6/9/14 10:47 AM

TECHNOLOGY ZONE

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

TURNED TO PRODUCTIVITY Sandvik examines new ways of raising security and productivity in automotive turning

ost turning operations are relatively straightforward, with easily programmed tool paths and cuts that represent one of the less complicated machining processes. But turning is also a process that needs to be highly optimised, especially when volumes are large, as is the case with automotive transmission components. A very important part of optimisation is maximising process security - a lack of security can lead to production stoppages, scrapped components, breakdowns, low efficiency, unnecessary tool costs and poor machine utilisation. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why steel turning and parting off operations are undergoing fundamental developments that not only improve productivity but also ensure higher process security.

steel turning

Transmission component turning in the soft state benefits from development of steel turning insert grades.

Significant developments for higher turning process security and productivity come from tool materials and, specifically, indexable insert grades. There has been particular focus on steel turning - the dominant process in transmission machining where machinability, machining conditions, components, operations and tool paths vary. Here, turning is dominated by the ISO P25 mid-area where machinability and conditions range from good to bad, challenging process security. Complementary to this area, the upper, adjoining P15 application area is as important for transmission turning in terms of productivity and security. Steel turning insert grades have become a game changer for manufacturing. Huge steps forward in cutting tool material science address modern demands and challenges in automotive production, where there is a continuous quest for higher output, improved tool life predictability, higher part quality consistency, better machine tool utilisation and, above all, process security.

a new secure edge line The indexable insert edge line is at the forefront of the battle for high process security. The latest

The edge line of the indexable insert is at the forefront of the challenge for achieving high process-security.

versatile tool material for ISO P25 steel turning offers much better edge line security because of a new coated, cemented carbide grade innovation based on Inveio technology. This grade has a stronger, more balanced insert substrate. It is based on new edge treatment processes and benefits from further developments in posttreatment processes. The material also represents a groundbreaking innovation in insert coating. Inveio is based on R&D in chemical vapour deposition (CVD) for alumina coating of inserts that has produced a completely new insert surface. A uni-directional crystal orientation has been achieved through the controlled growth of crystals in a uniform way throughout the CVD process. With all the aluminium carbide crystals lined up facing the same way to present a stronger, uniform coating structure, new properties emerge that are more advantageous for withstanding flow zone forces and temperatures. In effect, a completely new type of rake face/edge line contact surface has been created. And this new coating technology can be applied to a range of insert grades for different applications. The new coating technology also delivers a steel turning grade for the ISO P15 application area where machining conditions are more stable but component materials can be harder, cutting edge engagement can be longer and speeds higher. The broad P25 insert grade has an upper, limiting application zone, while the choice of the P15 grade - which can withstand higher machining temperatures - should be considered to achieve optimum process security. More heat is generated here and, with a grade that is not dedicated for the area, there is a risk of shorter tool life, more rapid wear development and even a real threat over time

30 july2014 mwp

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99 % DELIVERY AVAILABILITY. 99.9 % DELIVERY ACCURACY. NOBODY’S PERFECT. A stock availability of more than 99 %, a 0.1 % error rate and 95 % of our customers naming us as their preferred supplier. You only achieve statistics like this by committing 100 % of your time, 100 % of the time. For you, that‘s exactly what we promise to do. www.hoffmann-group.com ab.ukhoffmann-group.com / +44 (0) 87 04 - 17 61 11

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TECHNOLOGY ZONE

GC4325 and GC4315 inserts for P25 and P15 turning .

TOOLING & WORKHOLDING

to the edge – especially as metal removal rate is a production criterion for the P15 area. In practice, the new technologies mean improved process security throughout longer tool life, broader application possibilities and a potential for higher cutting speed. The edge line of the insert determines both part quality and the rate of edge breakdown and this line is now much more resilient, giving improved insert capability predictability and part results throughout: critical issues for high-volume steel turning.

• Tool life that ensures a satisfactory number of cuts per edge • User-friendly tooling and an easy-to-select comprehensive range of tools covering as many applications, machines and materials as possible • Minimum wastage of bar material through the cut • Good and reliable chip control and evacuation • A satisfactory surface ﬁnish when high levels are demanded • Optimised productivity, low machining cost-per-cut and high operational efﬁciency in line with other machining operations • Process security (the absolute highest priority according to users)

parting off in turning

Insert development is a substantial factor in the evolution of new concepts that improve process security. Dedicated deep parting off inserts with new geometries for all materials, chip breaking where needed and wiper cutting edges for surface ﬁnish are essential. Inserts have been designed to make best use of precision coolant jets for chip control and efﬁcient evacuation. New insert grades prioritise coating adhesion and edge line security have been to better cope with the different nature of the stages in a parting off, plunge cut. A new balance between blade width and performance is necessary for modern applications. This has been achieved mainly through a new tool blade material that has considerably higher fatigue and bending resistance and better insert-seat properties. The stability of the insert location plays an important role in performance, handling, precision and reliability. A new seat interface between blade and insert ensures security for very small blade widths for deep parting off operations.

Parting off steel bars is another area of turning that has experienced a capability boost, not least for components with larger diameters (38mm upwards) or applications where the parting or grooving tool has to reach past a sub-spindle or similar. Demanding deeper plunging cuts, this turning area involves a higher potential of risk to machining process security. Tool overhang should be minimied in any machining operation but in parting off largediameter bars and when having to extend tool reach long overhang is unavoidable. Tooling needs to compensate for potential instability and ensure safe, satisfactory operation. A parting off tool system dedicated for depth and overhang is a necessity. Parting off requirements in transmission turning applications can be summarised as:

additional considerations

Parting off with CoroCut QD

The CoroCut QD deep parting-off concept makes extensive use of high-precision coolant delivered at pressure.

More qualiﬁed coolant application plays an increasingly important role in several machining applications. Delivering coolant through nozzles as precision jets makes a signiﬁcant difference to performance - even when the coolant is supplied at considerably lower pressure than the recommended optimum of 70 bar. The new deep parting off concept makes extensive use of high-precision coolant whereby jets are directed from both below and above to assist the cutting process, chip control and limit tool wear. Internally supplied through the inside of the tool blade, coolant is applied where it has the best effect, supporting improved performance with tougher insert grades and higher cutting data. User-friendly tools are becoming more sought after because of the difference they make to machine stoppages as well as security of tool changes and setup. The latest developments in parting off tooling offer foolproof insert changing without torque control and easy blade adjustment in the holder, along with plug-and-play, highprecision coolant connection.

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02/07/2014 10:05

MP6100 MP7100 MP9100 NEW PVD COATED MILLING GRADES Futuristic performance, available today - Powered by MIRACLE SIGMA. Available in many geometries for face, shoulder and contour milling cutters.

TOUGH-ÎŁ TECHNOLOGY Excellent welding resistance due to a low coefficient of friction PVD accumulated coating Special cemented carbide substrate

New MIRACLE SIGMA coating technology optimised for each grade for maximum performance MP6120 & MP6130 - For Steels MP7130 & MP7140 - For Stainless MP9120 & MP9130 - For HRSA MMC Hardmetal U.K. Ltd.

Group Company of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

T: + 44 (0) 1827 312312 E: sales@mitsubishicarbide.co.uk www.mitsubishicarbide.com Pages_4-49.indd 33 06_MWP_July_Mill_grades_A4.indd 1

25/06/2014 14:15 6/10/2014 2:24:57 PM

TECHNOLOGY ZONE

QUALITY & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

SCANNING FOR SUCCESS Laser scanners replace tactile probing for body-in-white inspection at Fiat-TOFAS

A Nikon Metrology XC65Dx-LS laser scanner deployed on a Hexagon DEA Bravo CMM inspecting body-in-white at the TOFAS factory in Bursa, Turkey.

urkish automotive manufacturer Fiat-TOFAS is implementing new inspection methodologies for diagnostic measurement of sheet metal components and body-in-white (BIW) assemblies. A key element involves the installation of Nikon Metrology XC65Dx-LS cross scanners and CAMIO multi-sensor metrology software, which are retrofitted on an existing Hexagon double-arm coordinate measuring machine (CMM) at Bursa. Inspection is now twice as fast compared to touch probes and provides better insight, reducing the time needed to diagnose problems and raising efficiency. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Istanbul, TOFAS (Türk Otomobil Fabrikası A.S.) manufactures cars, taxis and vans in Turkey and sells them internationally. Employing more than 6000 people, the company is one of the top two automotive manufacturers in the region, with a production capacity of 400,000 units per year at its factory in Bursa. Products are offered under several brands including Fiat - which jointly owns the company, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel. The TOFASbuilt Fiat Linea is Turkey’s best-selling passenger car, while its Fiat Doblò, also produced as Opel Combo, claims first place in the light commercial vehicle category. Since 2013, the cross scanners have been installed on two Hexagon DEA Bravo horizontal arm CMMs that are equipped with a continuous wrist CW43 interface. Incorporating three lasers in a cross pattern, the XC65Dx-LS captures full 3D details of features and surfaces in a single scan. By digitising complex features from three sides, the cross scanner acquires the complete 3D geometry of the

features, driving the accurate extraction of positions and dimensions. Smart laser intensity adaptation allows any surface, such as those with varying colour or high reflectivity, to be scanned without the use of a matt spray or other user interaction. This is managed by automatic, real-time adjustment of sensor settings between successive laser stripes and for each individual point along the laser stripe. The XC65Dx-LS installed at TOFAS has a longer stand-off distance that offers distinct advantages. By capturing geometry from up to 170mm away, the scanner optimises access to BIW structures and can scan over the clamps that hold components in position. The scanners can be used in combination with tactile probes for alignment of a part or for a mixed measuring routine. DMIS-based CAMIO8 software from Nikon Metrology provides a rich programming environment, with intuitive software tools for both tactile and laser scanning applications. A wide variety of inspection tools is available including full part-to-CAD comparison, and intelligent feature extraction with GD&T tolerancing and profile analysis. CAMIO is optimised for processing large point clouds, making it suitable for measuring sheet metal panels and assembled car bodies. During vehicle development, the scanners are used instead of touch probes for inspecting individual car panels as well as for complete diagnosis of the BIW, after the car’s sheet metal panels have been welded together but before the bonnet, doors and boot lid have been added. In this way, the vehicle’s entire sheet metal structure is inspected to very close tolerances, showing the interaction between the panels and allowing parts issues to be separated from process issues. Completed vehicles are also inspected, mainly for gap and flush spacing between different car panels. Özgür Ogur in the quality department at Bursa says, “The savings are significant when using scanners instead of tactile probes for feature and surface inspection of BIW on our CMM. “Laser scanning fulfills our accuracy requirements and there are no significant differences in accuracy between tactile and scanning. We require 0.2mm uncertainty on a 5.5m diagonal and as the inspection device has to resolve to one-tenth of the tolerance band, the scanners need to measure down to 20microns. Measurements have proven that the scanners

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FAST ACCURATE VERSATILE The new laser scanner by Hexagon Metrology

Designed for ROMER Absolute Arms, the HP-L-20.8 produces first class performance on complex workpieces made from the most challenging materials. With adjustable line lengths up to 220mm and a speed up to 150,000 points per second, this flexible laser scanner delivers accurate 3D point clouds at high speed. Learn more at www.hexagonmetrology.co.uk

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TECHNOLOGY ZONE

Laser scanning of car body panels yields a wealth a data, enabling virtual assembly of body-in-white and geometry evaluation in software.

QUALITY & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

achieve this requirement in line with their listed specifications. “Nikon Metrology’s laser scanners are much better than other types we have used. Their repeatability of down to 1micron is really excellent and beyond our expectations. “Inspection is now twice as fast as when we used touch probes, reducing lead-time between design iterations and raising efficiency.” Diagnostic measurement of anything from individual components to finished vehicles is carried out on the Hexagon horizontal arm CMM using the Nikon Metrology laser scanning heads, which check for gap and flush as well as inspecting features and surfaces. The equipment is used continuously over two shifts every day and it is rare to find touch probes at the end of the two arms. The data generated by the scanners gives full geometrical detail by fully digitising the parts. The large amount of part-to-CAD comparison information provides greater insight when analysing the inspection results, ultimately leading to faster decision making. Scanning on the CMM has eliminated the need for dedicated, stand-alone measurement systems and supersedes the use of laser scanners on portable measuring arms. Compared with the latter procedure, which requires two operators to measure both sides of a car, the CMM measures automatically and is inherently more accurate and repeatable. With portable scanning, an operator needs to be told which features to inspect, whereas on a CMM it is simply necessary to call up a program from a library and start the cycle. Further advantages of scanning are that it greatly broadens the application scope of horizontal-arm CMMs, allowing better use to be made of the capital investment. Moreover, the controlled, process-oriented measurements are ideal for SPC. The technology leads to faster detection of problems and more prompt corrective actions, as well as greater flexibility and economy in the

quality control laboratory due to the ability to run inspection cycles unattended for long periods. In such a dynamic production facility, the company needs a modern quality control function to support the development phase of new vehicle models. All body parts constantly undergo comprehensive checks, but the individual pieces of data collected do not show how well adjacent parts fit together. It is, therefore, necessary to assemble mating panels on high precision fixtures, called meisterbocks, that replicate the body shop’s assembly tooling and process. In this way, design, fit, function, gaps and flushness of sheet metal elements can be visually assessed and measured dimensions can be compared with the CAD model of the car. The ultimate goal of TOFAS is moving towards a situation where it will scan completely all prototype sheet metal panels and parts and create a virtual assembly using the 3D digital copies for geometry evaluation in software. This new, geometric verification approach is already revealing potential part fitting issues and aims to reduce the duration of individual prototype cycles as well as the number of prototype iterations needed to produce different car panels, saving time and cost. The 3D measurement data of initial prototype parts will also serve as a reference to analyse dimensional changes during serial production. Fiat is leading the study project and deployment is expected in one to two years. None of the above would be possible if the Nikon Metrology laser scanners were not able to capture the BIW data sufficiently accurately and repeatably. So TOFAS engineers tested the performance of the XC65Dx-LS against the traditional touch probe. Comparative benchmarks were performed in accordance with ISO 10360 acceptance and re-verification tests for CMMs and three criteria were investigated – probing error (MPEP), length measurement error (MPEE) and tactile scanning error (MPETHP). All three error values were at least equivalent to those from tactile probing. The TOFAS team took the trials a step further to reality by laser scanning actual car parts. A Doblò side panel was selected and its contours and geometrical features were inspected first by touch probing and then by laser scanning. The former measurements were taken as the nominal and the latter values used to calculate the difference. Again this showed that laser scanning is an acceptable procedure for quality control of BIW vehicles where as an example a tolerance bands of < ±0.2 mm is required for surface measurement. Nikon Metrology laser scanners on CMMs offer many benefits for sheet metal, body-in-white or full vehicle inspection. Complete parts can be digitised quickly and the data compared to the original CAD model or to a reference part. Features are scanned much faster than by tactile probing and with high accuracy, while gap and flush between components can also be analysed. seamlessly.

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- one gauge, many applications

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The unique new Equator™ is a versatile alternative to traditional gauging, offering inspection of an unprecedented variety of manufactured parts. It has been developed and proven on the shop-floor with industry-leading gauging users in multiple industries and applications.

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TECHNOLOGY ZONE

QUALITY & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

SETTING TOOLS TO KEEP SPINDLE TURNING The complete Tschorn range of precision measuring probes, tool length and zero point setters are now available from YMT. These German manufactured setting and set-up aids are designed to help operators keep the spindle running, by minimising the time required to change from one machining operation to the next. Avaialable in three models: SAVEplus; Standard and the large dial face model - the company’s 3D-Tester probe is said to be the smallest 3D measuring probe in the world. It allows access to more of the raw material, casting or machined part that needs to be checked, and its precision and versatility allows quick and easy determination of workpiece zero points and lengths. The dial has a 0.01mm graduated full scale dial, it can be used to measure radial runout and for profile probing. With the 3D-Tester loaded exactly perpendicularly in the machine tool’s

spindle, and the coolant supply turned off, the 3D-Tester is carefully moved to the edge of the workpiece until the large indicator starts to deflect. With both scales showing zero the centreline of the spindle is exactly above the edge of the workpiece. Component probing can be performed in all axes - X,Y and Z - with identical resolution. As protection of the measuring unit is a priority large travel paths, limited by mechanical stops, have been integrated into the probing unit. The probing unit tip has an undercut breaking (shear) point that is mounted near its top. If any 3D probes are damaged by the effect of excessive external force, a simple repair is easily and economically achieved. The standard probe tip features a 3mm diameter carbide ball, while the longer tip has a 6mm diameter touch ball. Probes are non-magnetic to avoid any deflection errors.

YMT Technologies’ tooling and equipment manager, Jason Short, says, “We have to consider all the challenges our customers face in the pursuit of efficiency. “The Tschorn range extends our established reputation for supplying high quality tooling and workholding solutions at competitive prices. The range of setting and set-up equipment will provide additional support for UK manufacturers aiming to remain competitive in a global marketplace.”

INTELLIGENT TOOL FOR OPTICAL INSPECTION The Microscopy business group of Zeiss presented its first automated digital microscope at the Control show – Stuttgart May 6–9. Notable is the operating concept, which makes operation as easy as possible. In an industrial environment, optical inspection is an important part of production-related quality testing. Parts such as screws, printed circuit boards, and metal elements need to be examined for defects. Often companies have neither much time to inspect these parts, nor do they always have experts in using microscopes available, however. “In this context, the microscope is one of many tools, just like pliers or a wrench. And it must work just as intuitively and reliably,” said Wolf Jockusch, product manager for Zeiss Smartzoom 5. The device is the first integrated complete system from Zeiss comprised of an optical engine, which itself consists of a

zoom, camera, and illumination, a stand with sample stage, objective lenses, the operating unit, and software. Zeiss Smartzoom 5 is equally suited to

conducting failure analyses: the close examination of a defective part, as well as to routine inspections, during which the same material sample needs to be repeatedly inspected using the same workflow. Once the quality inspector has placed the sample under the microscope, they no longer have to switch back and forth between the device and the software, but instead can carry out all the necessary steps right on the screen. They can also save this workflow so that it is always available at a later time: “This makes the analysis reproducible and independent of the user,” said Jockusch. Furthermore, the Best Image feature allows users without any prior knowledge to achieve optimal results – the system shows a preview of different illumination options, and the user only needs to select the best one. In addition, the device is calibrated at the factory and can be used immediately without requiring any further adjustment.

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TECHNOLOGY ZONE

QUALITY & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

COMING OF AGE Aberlink celebrates 21 years in business and proves that it really is a measuring business with a future.

Gavin Bailey thanks his staff and welcomes his guests to Aberlink’s 21st anniversary.

around 20% of the UK market with over 1000 berlink has been producing CMMs, machines installed. Outside the UK Aberlink has measuring equipment and software distributors in 32 countries with particular success for the last 21 years – at its twentybeing had in the Far East and China gaining first anniversary celebration the ground. demonstration of its latest models , Two of Aberlink’s newer offerings are the high prototypes and updated software showed speed Axiom CMM and the larger Azimuth CMM. that it is a forced to be reckoned with. The Axiom HS is available only in a CNC There was clearly a lump the throat version and has comparable statistics to of Aberlink’s co-founder and the standard Axiom in terms of measuring managing director Gavin Bailey as he volume: X-axis 640mm, thanked the workforce for its hard Y-axis 600 to1500mm and work and commitment over the Z-axis 500mm, and weight preceding years. He was capacity – 200kg (HG) or welcoming distributors, 500kg (SG). It does, customers and guests to the however, offer a higher purpose-built Global accuracy of 2.1microns Headquarters in Eastcombe, +L/250mm, a 0.1micron near Stroud, which is currently resolution , a maximum undergoing expansion. velocity of 866mm/sec and max One of the guests was Sir David The Azimuth is McMurtry co-founder of Renishaw. Aberlink’s largest acceleration of 1200mm/sec/sec. The Azimuth was launched in April 2014, There was an elegant symmetry in CMM so far. and is the largest CMM ever produced by McMurtry’s attendance as Bailey and Aberlink Aberlink’s co-founder Marcus Eales were both With a 1200mm X-axis, 1000-3000mm Y-axis former employees of Renishaw before they and 1000mm Z-axis, the new CMM is targeted at decided to start up on their own and make “better manufacturers of large components within CMMs”. – McMurtry and his partner John Deer industries such as the oil & gas, aerospace and the were former Rolls Royce employees before automotive sector. Aberlink claims that the jumping-ship to perfect the first innovative Azimuth will deliver extended touch-trigger-probe. measuring capacity, high accuracy, excellent Aberlink currently manufactures 300 CMMs per ease-of-use and exceptional speed, at a very cost year with 100 vision systems contributing to its effective price. output. Around 60 CMMs are sold annually into the Aberlink’s software is an important contributing UK and Bailey estimates that the company has factor in the company’s success. The 3D Windows based, intuitive software, was designed purposefully around a graphical interface. Aberlink 3D is claimed to be the easiest to use CMM software currently available, it is now used my several other metrology companies. A new iteration of the software was being shown at the Aberlink anniversary event and it will be launched later in the year – you can read more about it in MWP’s September issue. Aberlink was also showing a very early version of a new shop-floor CMM, which addresses the growing global demand for a versatile means of accurate measurement that can be used within flexible manufacturing systems. MWP is unfortunately sworn to secrecy but the new machine is expected to be launched at the Control exhibition 2015.

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MWP_AQA_dis.pdf

28/05/2014

09:18

CMY

available via the web – “auditor friendly” & practical

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SPECIAL PROCESSES & MATERIALS

ROBOCOP BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Special effects company uses Objet Connex additive manufacturing to create the RoboCop suit. Stratasys Ltd’s Objet Connex 3D printing technology has played a leading role in the production of the iconic RoboCop suit created by Legacy Effects for the main character in this year’s movie. Tasked with realising the 3D designs from the Robocop production designer for the ultra-sleek RoboCop suit was Hollywood special effects company, Legacy Effects. Their use of Stratasys 3D printing technology has helped bring to life a number of recognisable movie characters on the big-screen. Using Stratasys’ high resolution Objet Connex multi-material 3D printing technology, Legacy Effects produced all the RoboCop suit – from helmet, to boots – as master mould patterns. These pieces were then moulded and cast into other materials to create variants of the suit depending on the requirements of each scene. In addition, some versions of the suit used in the film were composed of as much as 90% actual Stratasys 3D printed parts. For example, the visor, which forms part of the helmet on the black version of the RoboCop suit, features a gleaming red strip; the entire visor used in the movie is 3D printed with Stratasys transparent (VeroClear) material. According to Jason Lopes, Lead Design Engineer, Legacy Effects, RoboCop’s chest-armour piece perhaps best exemplifies how the use of 3D printing technology overcomes certain challenges that can affect production methods. “First, in terms of the size of RoboCop’s chest piece specifically, only Stratasys’ 3D printing technology would allow us to print something at the actual size; the part virtually fills the entire build-tray,” Lopes explains. “Second, the same part comprises a blend of smooth areas, as well as other areas that feature an extremely high level of detail, such as the police badge and other logos, which we needed to retain for the moulding process. There isn’t a technology currently available beyond

that provided by Stratasys that affords us this level of intricate detail, together with the hard surface modeling of the shells all together in one print.” In addition to creating the Robocop suit, Legacy Effects was also involved in 3D printing both master moulds and prototype parts for the ‘Exo-suit’ featured in the movie. These prototype pieces included fully-functional spring-operated fingers that were printed in a single build using multi-materials on the company’s Stratasys Objet Connex 3D Printers. Using Stratasys’ 3D printing technology the team at Legacy Effects is able to work much faster and more efficiently than it could in the days when it produced parts by hand. “Doing everything by hand meant that we couldn’t run tests as it would have taken forever,” recalls Lopes. “Also, 3D printing allows us to work in symmetry, which enables us to build an entire left side of a suit, then mirror it and output the right side as well, all from one file with the click of a button. You can’t do that by hand.” Despite the recent economic downturn still having an impact on studio budgets, high expectation from customers requires shorter production times, regardless of the all-to-commonplace eleventh-hour changes. For Lopes, 3D printing’s ability to speed up processes, as well as the capability to make late changes has revolutionised the way Legacy Effects operates. “This is where 3D printing comes to the fore by meeting such pressures head on,” says Lopes. “If we see something’s not working, or we’re asked to make a design change, we can make another iteration, go to an open 3D printer and be printing two simultaneous tests within an hour. We go to lunch, come back and it’s done. It

RoboCop suit and helmet designed and produced by Legacy Effects using Stratasys Objet Connex multi-material 3D printing

doesn’t get better than that!” “Legacy Effects’ use of multi-material 3D printing as its solution of choice is indicative of how the technology is becoming increasingly integral to filmmaking,” says Bruce Bradshaw, director of marketing, Stratasys North America. “The ability to rapidly 3D print all materials together in one single print run meets the film industry prerequisite to save time and money. But the real show-stealer is Stratasys’ ultra-fine 16 micron-layer 3D printing. In the special effects world, fine detail and true-to-life models and parts are the industry standard and our Connex multi-material 3D printing technology continues to be a top performer among designers and engineers.”

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SPECIAL PROCESSES & MATERIALS

STEADY HAND

Innovative camera mount produced by additive manufacturing means that professional hand-held filming becomes a reality When snowboarding in Austria, sports enthusiast Felix Kochbeck was unable to video his activities smoothly and without jitter. Seeking a solution to the problem, he designed a self-stabilising, hand-held camera mount, founded a company in Berlin called LUUV and produced his first prototypes with the help of EOS additive manufacturing technology. A video camera, action cam or smartphone is attached to the top of the stabiliser mount and a handle is attached to the neck to function as the grip. A lower section incorporates precision mechanics that give the camera its stability by compensating for the cameraman’s movements or motion caused by, for example, a gust of wind. The principle is loosely related to that of a self-balancing two-wheel scooter, which can maintain a rider’s equilibrium on a single axis. Mr Kochbeck says, “What we wanted from the beginning was to work quickly and keep our sights set on our goal, to ensure that we would be able to get our product to market as quickly as possible. “Moreover, as a start-up, it was very important for us to maintain strict control over costs.Traditionally, the construction of prototypes is costly and time-consuming, so we needed a viable alternative production technique.”

The housing had to satisfy all functional requirements, such as ergonomic design and mechanical resilience; and to be accepted for trendy outdoor use, it also had to be attractive. A fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer was used at the outset to produce the first functional models, but Kochbeck quickly reached the point where he needed a small series of parts produced to industrial standard. As FDM printers are unable to produce that level of quality, LUUV turned instead to an EOS FORMIGA P 110 additive manufacturing machine to achieve aesthetics and mechanical properties of a professional quality. The EOS solution also offered the advantage of being able to incorporate customer feedback into redesigns and produce subsequent iterations quickly. The additive manufacturing technique employs a laser to fuse successive layers of plastic powder based on 3D digital design data. A key feature of the technology is its suitability for the production of prototypes with particularly stringent requirements in terms of

Jitter-free filming using a LUUV camera mount.

functionality, speed and cost. Kochbeck confirmed, “This production method offers a start-up great advantages. We have no set-up costs for injection moulds, for instance. “We can employ component geometries that would not be possible using other manufacturing techniques and we can easily make changes to parts during the ongoing prototyping or production process.” For instance, the team was able to reduce the size of the mount considerably, because it could perform intensive testing of the various prototypes. The tenth generation is currently in test, something, which would be difficult using traditional methods.

3D PRINTED REMOTE CONTROL CAR Graphite Additive Manufacturing recently worked closely in association with Schumacher Racing Cars, a leading manufacturer of remote control vehicles and accessories, on a project to build a radio controlled car created almost entirely by 3D printing. Schumacher is a British manufacturer known for its original and innovative radio control model car designs. Using the manufacturer’s original design drawings, Graphite re-created replacement parts with their specialist Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process. Metal components such as shock absorbers, floor pan and nuts and bolts, along with the rubber tyres, were

carried over from the standard car. But 90% of the originally injection-moulded plastic parts were replaced by Graphite’s Carbon-SLS material, a carbon fibre reinforced plastic. Once built, the replacement parts, including bodywork, gearbox casing, suspension and steering components, aerodynamic aids and wheels, all bolted straight on in their appropriate positions, with no additional work required other than the tapping of threads in some parts. The carbon fibre reinforced material that Graphite uses has the highest stiffness-to-weight and strength-to-weight ratios of any other 3D printed plastic, and its use on this project gave a weight

saving on the finished ‘carbon’ car of 10% when compared to the car in standard trim. This weight saving benefit, through the use of 3D printed carbon fibre reinforced plastic parts, can be applied to a wide range of applications in manufacturing.

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AUTOMOTIVE

DRIVE ON

UK car manufacturers produced more than 1.5 million cars last year, and are on course to break all-time records by passing the 2 million barrier by 2017.

atest figures from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that new models are boosting UK car manufacturing, and are having a marked effect on exports, which were up 8.7% in the January to April period. In fact the value of car exports has doubled over a decade, from £12bn in 2004 to £24.8bn in 2013. “The renaissance of the UK automotive industry has continued at pace in the first half of 2014,” says Rachel Eade, Auto Specialist for the Manufacturing Advisory Service. “Recent data by SMMT showed that car production on these shores rose by 21.3% in April to 133,437 units, the biggest monthly rise since July 2012.” With the average value of each exported car rising from £10,200 in 2004 to £20,640 in 2013, the surge in exports has been driven by the diversification of UK car manufacture and increased global demand. Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive expands on the figures: “The thriving nature of the UK car manufacturing industry was evident in April as output grew at its highest rate for almost two years. New model introductions are fuelling growth, while Europe – which currently accounts for around half of exports – is now seeing an upturn in demand. As investments continue to be realised, we expect further rises in the coming months.” Hawes, speaking at the SMMT’s International Automotive Summit in June explained that the UK has been quick to react to global car buying trends, and that the booming demand for premium vehicles worldwide has led to a shift in the manufacturing landscape. 30% of UK exports were made up of premium and specialist brands in 2004; by 2013, this had increased to 42%. This pattern is also evident in the number of models built for each category, with premium models moving from the minority in 2004 to account for almost 60% of the UK model count last year. “Countries around the world are spending twice what they were 10 years ago on UK-built cars’ he said; “this reflects the thriving nature of our

The UK automotive industry is growing at the highest rate for almost two years.

“

The renaissance of the UK automotive industry has continued at pace in the first half of 2014. RACHEL EADE domestic industry and our global reputation for engineering expertise. growth benefits supply chain His observations are confirmed by Rachel Eade. “The good news is that the growth at the top end seems to be making its way down the domestic supply chain” she says. “Our own MAS Barometer sees record highs in the level of SME manufacturers investing in plant and machinery (59%), investing in new technologies (52%) and, importantly investing in people. The latter means that more than half of companies (54%) are planning to hire staff in the next twelve months and there are a good many of the 800 firms who answered our survey supplying into tier 1s and the car makers.” Eade works with MAS’ core team of advisers to deliver dedicated support to

the sector, and acknowledges that there are growing pains to overcome. “There are a number of current key pinch points in the automotive supply chain” she explains: “Confirmation of orders to enable finance from OEMs and Tier 1s can be a time issue, with many often not arriving until after work is expected to start. This is critical as when component suppliers win a new contract they have to invest a lot of money up front to cope with increases in capacity – equipment, people, jigs and fittings, raw materials and new tooling and employees. “This requires the customer to meet set production schedules and ensure they meet the stated payment terms. Improvement in communication is key. We can help companies develop the right strategies to accommodate this growth and are continually looking at ways we can help fund their expansion plans. This may be through core MAS grants, but for the bigger projects we are looking to tap into initiatives, such as the Regional Growth Fund (RGF). Notwithstanding the challenges, there are plenty of examples of SMEs

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AUTOMOTIVE

The Proving Factory: from concept to reality

Hurco machining centres on the shop floor at Philip James, Coventry

succeeding in establishing key supply chain positions, usually on the back of strategic investment in technology and people - along with smart marketing. For example, one of Wrexham’s leading automotive suppliers has changed its name in order to tap into demand for lightweight ‘eco’ parts across a range of global markets. Cobra Automotive Engineering will now be known as Applied Component Technology (ACT), as part of its desire to secure up to £3m of new contracts in automotive, aerospace and new generation low carbon vehicles. The new corporate identity marks the company’s first anniversary following its purchase by specialist industrial investors Pemberton Capital and the appointment of Bob Woods as the new managing director. In that time, it has re-established its presence as key supplier of interior trim technologies and products to tier 1s and car markets across the globe. Following wins to supply a plastic bumper part for a luxury vehicle manufacturer and new low weight load floor, the company is confident it can create new jobs in 2014. “We’ve got the quality of people, the new identity and the necessary technology and automation, such as the 900 tonne injection moulding machine, high frequency welding and a high-pressure polyurethane robotic line” explains Woods. “The latter gives us 7500 hours of high quality production and the capacity to process 300,000 load floor boards every year.”

Coventry subcontract machinist Philip James machines prototype suspension, chassis and steering components for practically every current and future make of Jaguar, Range Rover and Land Rover. A particularly interesting contract was to produce the front steering knuckles for the new, limited edition Jaguar XKR-S GT - a £135,000, five-litre, V8 coupe, which hit the streets late last year - on a line of six Hurco 3-axis machining centres. Knuckles require intensive milling, and the company decided to invest in a Hurco VMX42SR 5-axis machining centre to tackle the job in one automatic, 20-minute cycle, compared to two and a half hours on existing equipment. improving productivity Specialist commercial vehicle seat manufacturer Isringhausen has manufacturing plants around the world. This means that group companies, such as Isringhausen (GB) in Wrexham, has to examine all options to improve productivity and performance. Following a strategic review at Wrexham it was decided to reduce reliance on subcontract supply of the manipulated tube used in manufacturing of seat frames. By bringing this work back in-house, work flow could be better organised resulting in dramatic reductions in stock levels to meet customers’ JIT requirements. The starting point of this project was the installation of a new all-electric multi-stack

CNC tube bender. “Buying this machine was a strategic decision and one that would form part of the company’s longer term plan, so we had to make the right choice” says operations director Geraint Thomas. “We needed a process that would be productive, accurate, reliable and deliver the quality of product that our customers demand of us. We also had on eye on the environmental impact of bringing production back in-house. The fact that the BLM ELECT 42 is an environmentally-friendly, all-electric, multi-stack CNC tube bending machine was a major benefit, for our own production environment. It also opened up the possibility of grant support from the Welsh Government, through its Funding For Innovation scheme.” Meanwhile a contract to supply window regulators for the new Nissan Qashqai is creating more jobs at Coventry firm Brose UK. The German family-owned specialist in mechatronic systems and electric motors – which employs 22,000 people at 58 locations in 23 countries - has set up an additional facility to meet demand from the Japanese car manufacturer and existing customers including Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota. The firm’s UK workforce has more than quadrupled since 2012, and this expansion includes the continued employment of 13 new apprentices that are working in administration, IT, logistics, maintenance and production. Brose UK is enjoying similar growth in its other manufacturing operation, with more than mwp july2014 45

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AUTOMOTIVE

£15m spent at its main manufacturing plant in Exhall to meet record volume levels for front and rear seating systems. This growth has been largely due to increases in volumes at Jaguar Land Rover’s plants in Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull.

The Proving Factory apprentices

Isringhausen supplies seats for commercial and construction equipment

The Jaguar XKR-S GT coupe

exploiting high-tech potential A key theme to emerge from the SMMT summit was the vast potential of UK advanced technologies, in many cases still unrealised. Richard Bruges, CEO of Productiv, claimed that there are 150 new technologies in the UK currently waiting to be put into high-volume production, but that none are yet being developed for high-volume production with a tier one supplier. Dr Tim Woolmer, chief technical officer of YASA Motors attributed this to the level of risk that a tier one supplier would have to undertake to make a new technology production-ready. Nevertheless, it’s arguable that the UK’s indigenous expertise is being supported more vigorously than ever before, with a strong emphasis on sustainability both in terms of manufacturing technology and the products it creates. Rachel Eade points to a £100m boost from BIS for the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI), and there are a number of major projects dedicated to developing technology to match the demands of global markets. For example, the government and automotive industry are investing £500 million each over the next ten years in an Advanced Propulsion Centre. The APC aims to speed up the development of greener technologies for engines. Backed by 27 companies in the sector, including supply chain companies, this commitment is expected to secure at least 30,000 jobs currently linked to producing engines and create many more in the supply chain. The APC is confident that it can support the ‘innovation ecosystem’ and help bring new UK-developed technologies into mass production. Chair of the Automotive Council Professor Richard Parry-Jones has described the APC as ‘a game changing addition to the innovation system to position the UK at the forefront of global vehicle developments.’ The first competition for APC projects opened on the 2 December 2013 with £75 million available for businesses to make and test new low carbon technologies. Winning projects came from Ford, GKN, Cummins and JCB. Ford and its partners will receive a

£13.1 million grant for its £100 million programme to upgrade the award winning EcoBoost engine. This will accelerate the introduction of advanced low carbon technologies to deliver improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. GKN Land Systems and its partners will receive a £7.5 million grant as part of a £16 million project to apply Formula 1 technology from Williams for use in buses. The Gyrodrive system is designed to save the braking energy of a bus as it slows for a stop and use it to accelerate the bus back up to speed. By avoiding wasting the energy every time a bus stops the system delivers fuel savings of 25%. Cummins and its partners will receive a £4.9 million grant for a £9.9 million project to deliver reductions in carbon emissions from bus engines through the development of new stop-start diesel engine technology. This will improve fuel consumption by 15%-20%. JCB and its partner Flybrid will receive a £3.3 million grant as part of a £7.3 million project to apply Formula 1 technology for use in diggers. This will reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions resulting in a substantially reduced carbon footprint for construction projects using this machinery. APC’s competitions and technical specialist, Jon Beasley, explains that winners of the first round have the ability to save 250,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. APC launched a second round of funding in May, with £75 million to be awarded to eligible candidates in September. proving out low carbon technologies Another interesting development is The Proving Factory), dedicated to advanced manufacturing for the automotive sector. It was launched in February 2013, with the goal of addressing the need to industrialise and manufacture low volumes of innovative low-carbon vehicle technologies – de-risking the process for both technology developers and manufacturers - and incidentally addressing the problem referred to by Tim Woolmer above - to prove their viability in automotive applications. The major challenge for many technology developers is making their designs suitable and cost-effective enough for mass production. The Proving Factory aims to enable low-carbon vehicle technologies to be produced cost effectively in low volumes – up to a 90% price reduction compared with ‘proof of

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AUTOMOTIVE

“

In the last 18 months The Proving Factory has moved from a concept towards reality, and we are now focusing heavily on developing the team and facilities we need. RICHARD BRUGES

Brose UK’s manufacturing plant in Exhall

Nick English and Bob Woods of ACT

concept’ design – reducing the initial vehicle manufacturer investment required to adopt new solutions in future model programmes. It’s a collaborative venture led by Productiv and Tata Steel, with partners MIRA and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult). Other supporting partners include Jaguar Land Rover, Schaeffler, and the Midlands Assembly Network. Initially the plan was to industrialise and validate innovative technologies from six developers - Bladon Jets, Flybrid, Torotrak, Drive Systems Design, Libralato and Magnomatics. From the time of its launch it was clear that The Proving Factory was supported by a strong business plan and industry need. Now, just over a year on, it has evolved from a project into a business, with major steps towards the production of the technologies evident across the group. Work so far has focussed on phases one and two, establishing and validating the blueprint. Phase one has generated a detailed understanding of the six technology developers’ (TDs) innovations and developed concepts for

product development, component manufacturing and systems assembly. Phase two is now in the process of validating and refining The Proving Factory concepts with component manufacturing and assembly trials and, finalising the preparations to launch production of the initial technologies. Establishing the blueprint was achieved through a set of design reviews of the technologies, involving a team of up to 30 engineers – including materials, component-manufacturing and assembly experts – to establish a baseline understanding of the design. To date, The Proving Factory has completed design reviews for all six of the original products with over 900 ideas generated, of which 250 have been costed and accepted by the technology developers. In parallel, the team has been working hard to find the factories needed to house the assembly and component manufacturing facilities. The business has invested £3 million in a factory in Coventry where the assembly operation will take place. The Proving Factory’s assembly team has already moved into

the refurbished offices in the Coventry factory, while the assembly area itself is being renovated and equipment installed. The Proving Factory in Coventry will also serve as a showcase for technologies and products that it is industrialising and making, with exhibition space, meeting rooms and conference facilities. The Proving Factory has also secured space within an existing purpose-built facility in Rotherham for its component manufacturing operation. Production of the first commercial orders is due to start in the facilities from January 2015, with pre-production trials from August 2014. An important milestone for the business is the news that the first components have now been manufactured. These parts, while still part of the development activities, signal a huge step change for The Proving Factory in its move towards the industrialisation of its partner technologies. The component itself reflects The Proving Factory vision. Its combination of high-temperature stainless steels, complex geometry and production volumes of 10,000 units per annum, has required the joint efforts of the lead partners and the machine tool makers, tooling suppliers and measurement system providers. Although it is only now entering into the commercial phase, The Proving Factory has already created 26 highly-skilled new jobs, with this figure set to increase further over the next 12 months, and active recruitment is underway for a number of positions. The Proving Factory’s Richard Bruges says: “In the last 18 months The Proving Factory has moved from a concept towards reality, and we are now focusing heavily on developing the team and facilities we need. We encourage anybody with an interest in The Proving Factory and the industry to get in touch to find out about the roles we have on offer. We strongly believe that with the right people involved, we will succeed, and follow our vision to become an integral part of the UK automotive industry.”

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AUTOMOTIVE

CAM BENEFITS BRAZILIAN MOTOR SPORT MANUFACTURER CEO and founder of SolidCAM, Dr. Emil Somekh, paid a special visit to Brazilian racing Stock Car manufacturer JL Racing. Since SolidCAM’s Brazilian distributor IST Sistemas installed the software at JL Racing in November 2013, the company has reduced cycle times by 50% in the manufacturing of metal parts. JL Racing was founded in Brazil in 1990, and its initial involvement in motor sport was in the production of racing karts, where it won major championships five years in a row. Since then, it has expanded its portfolio and in 2000 began manufacturing parts for racing Stock Cars, developing new tubular chassis for several categories of Stock Car and expanding its engine maintenance operations. In 2004 its prototype endurance vehicle, JL-P1 was in pole position on its debut run in the sports car endurance race - Mil Milhas Brasil. Gustavo Lehto Gomes, engineering coordinator of JL Racing Products says,

“Last year, we developed a new sleeve component. Initially, it seemed that for us to deliver the part in time, we would need to outsource its manufacturing, which would result in a cost increase. “Before making a decision, we consulted with IST Sistemas. Its engineers explained the advantages and benefits of SolidCAM and how its revolutionary iMachining technology could save 70% in CNC machining time and more, and give dramatically extended tool life. “We tested the software and were impressed with the results – we were able to reduce the manufacturing time by approximately 50%, and still keep the quality we wanted. SolidCAM iMachining made it possible for us to finalise the

project on time without having to outsource it.” Dr Somekh says, “SolidCAM is seamlessly integrated in SolidWorks, enabling full associativity between the CAD developed projects and the machining itself. For JL Racing this integration makes it possible for the company to execute rapid design and manufacturing developments, a common feature in motor sport.”

THERMAL DEBURRING FOR FUEL INJECTORS Delphi- TVS is using Kennametal’s thermal energy method to remove burrs on cross sectional holes on fuel injection components. Delphi-TVS is a joint venture between Delphi Corp. (Troy, Michigan USA) and T.V. Sundaram Iyengar & Sons (Kancheepuram, India). Delphi is the largest automotive supplier in the world and Delphi-TVS is the largest automotive systems manufacturer in India. TN Umasankar, head of the Delphi-TVS manufacturing engineering department says,“Being a global company, we have a great responsibility to maintain world-class quality standards. We manufacture diesel fuel injection parts – highvolume components. The main issue is burr removal on cross-sectional holes from previous machining operations.”

This is a common problem among manufacturers and quality professionals in industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy and medical, which know that removing particles left at intersected holes and ensuring there is no micro contamination is a challenge that cannot be overlooked. Customised complex valves, gears, pinions, and thousands of components can be machined in seconds but can take minutes to finish completely. Production bottlenecks, increased costs, and longer time to market are among the results. Delphi-TVS faced a number of problems: high component volumes: nearly a million a year made hand-deburring unaffordable and the high-precision nature of diesel fuel injectors made the TEM solution a necessity. The company chose Kennametal Extrude Hone’s

TEM (thermal energy method) solution. A pressurised mixture of a combustible gas and oxygen is injected at 5 to 10atmospheres of pressure into a containment chamber sized both by the amount of material to be removed and the volume of parts in the chamber. An ignition system ignites the gas mixture, releasing heat energy from the oxidation of fuel in a 20millisecond, high-speed energy wave. With their raised surface areas and thin cross-section features, even internal burrs and flashings burn away instantly. Because the gas mixture engulfs the entire workpiece, all internal and external surfaces are exposed to the rapid oxidation. Internal cross-drilled holes and intersecting edges that are difficult to reach are instantly processed. Bruno Boutantin, global marketing manager at Kennametal Extrude Hone says,“TEM is a rapid, low-cost, highproduction process that can process a million or more parts per year by a single machine.”

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AUTOMOTIVE

BOOSTING EFFICIENCY Mark Jennings, engineering director at Dawson Shanahan explains the potential to use production process to promote sustainability and waste reduction, increasing efficiency and profitability for automotive manufacturers.

ith plenty of good news to buoy confidence in the automotive industry it is tempting for manufacturers to hope profitability will take care of itself but to truly maximise the effect of this positive progress it is important to apply sustainability, waste reduction and cost saving programmes. As well as reducing costs, manufacturers need to achieve more efficient output to deliver the significant reductions in our CO2 emissions that are required. If businesses aim high and make significant reductions, rather than simply meeting environmental legislation at a minimum level, they will reap benefits that are not only ecological but financial. An increasing number of options are now available for metal reduction in component manufacture that can cut costs and establish a more efficient and sustainable manufacturing programme. Most notably cold forming, uses a smaller initial metal blank, which results in minimal or, in certain cases, zero waste because the blank is plastically formed close to or to the final component dimensions. Cold forming, essentially the extrusion of a part from a blank, is an established and proven process for producing

components in a wide range of materials. In the current climate, cold forming can be used to reduce scrap material by around 70%, while offering faster lead times, better surface finish and improved mechanical characteristics. It also enables component designers to incorporate features, which would be extremely difficult and costly to manufacture using conventional machining techniques. a During the machining process, a cutting tool chips away at a blank, and this can produce a staggering amount of waste. In some applications, the removal of 95% of the volume present in the original blank. This is in stark contrast to the cold forming process, where the blank is placed into a press before die and punch tooling is used to extrude the metal under extreme pressure. A small degree of machining may be required to finish the cold-formed part but this pile of scrap is dwarfed by that created during the machining process. Additionally, parts undergo work hardening during the cold forming process, improving their machinability and durability still further. Work hardening dislocates the structure of the metal in a way that prevents further dislocations,

resulting in a stronger component. As this increase in strength is comparable to that of heat treating, it can be more economic to cold work a less costly and weaker metal than to hot work a more expensive metal, particularly where a precision finish is required. Cold forming process also makes it possible to produce parts with a superior finish, both internally and on the surface. Accurate internal profiles and complex external profiles are possible so simple cold-headed parts or highly complex cold formed and finished machined components can be produced for a diverse range of applications. There are also major efficiency savings that can be made in the machining of aluminium die castings for the automotive industry. Although aluminium die casting results in a near to net part shape, the accuracy of the process means machining is required. Automotive die castings for engines require additional processes to ensure the components can be reliably installed into a car engine. Dawson Shanahan has offered aluminium milling for 25 years, regularly investing in new milling machines that have increased capacity and which give them the right blend of precision and accuracy. Dawson Shanahanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Triflex Modular multi-station CNC machining centre offers high-speed milling at short cycle times. The machine offers high precision, volume and flexibility at a rate of 70 parts per hour compared to an output of 24 per hour for an existing configuration, machining the same aluminium die casting. The Triflex has multiple fixtures mounted on a central trunnion, served by machining stations consisting of CNC spindle units that hold multiple tools and have independent X, Y and Z axis movements. With such machines, a complex finished engine part can be machined, giving a significantly increased output compared to other standalone machining configurations.

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MACHINING

THE ITALIAN JOB IN TAIPEI Two entrepreneurs in Taiwan use Hass machine tools to help fuel a passion for Italian motorcycles.

Jeffrey Chen of Artitek

Maru Shen of Marus Performance

otor scooters are unquestionably the most popular mode of transport in Taipei. Marus Performance and Artitek are two companies working together to make custom bike parts for bike owners, particularly those with a passion for Italian motorcycles. In the narrow backstreets of Taipei, the country’s capital city, you can find the new generation of makers. For example, friends Maru Shen and Jeffrey Chen originally lost touch with one another only to discover later they’d both chosen to make a living using Haas CNC machine tools. Now, when they’re not organising ride-outs on gleaming Ducatis, MV Agustas and Vespas, they’re designing and making aftermarket parts for a growing band of fellow appassionati. Taipei is mad about motorcycles. According to the most recent figures available (2010) there were 13.4 million registered motorcycles in the city and its environs – officially the highest motorcycle density per head of population in the world. A trend fuelled by the city’s narrow streets being clogged with cars, free parking for motorcycles and soaring gasoline prices. Marus Performance, based in the SanChong district of Taipei, a centre for subcontract manufacturing companies, was originally a typical motorcycle shop, repairing, maintaining and selling scooters. “I’ve been interested in motorcycles since I was at high school and I have been making modifications to my own motorcycles for years,” says Shen. “Of course, when you make a part for your own bike, you want it to be special – unlike all the mass produced parts available.” Shen soon discovered he wasn’t alone in his passion for custom motorcycle parts. Before he knew it, Marus Performance was diversifying into an area that would provide him and his wife Gomi Ho with a raison d’etre and a very good living. “In no time we had a long list of customdesigned parts that needed machining. At first, we would outsource, which was very time and energy consuming. Then we realised we could probably make the parts ourselves, but better, so we started approaching companies selling CNC machine tools.” Although Shen says the first thing that attracted him to the Haas Super Mini Mill was the price, he also makes clear how relatively easy it was to operate for someone who had no experience, which was an important consideration for someone

Artitek uses several Haas machines including vertical machining centres and a drill/tap machine.

about to take his first steps into the world of CNC machining. “When I decided to buy a Haas machine, I found lots of links on the internet posted by other Haas users, showing operators how to use the machines,” explains Shen. “We watched those tutorials and discovered it wasn’t as hard as we thought.” Since the installation of the company’s Haas Super Mini Mill, annual sales at Marus Performance have increased to 1.5 million New Taiwan Dollars (US$50,000). “At the beginning of 2014 we also wanted to start exporting, and we’ve managed to make a little progress,” says Mr. Shen. “The main thing is, the Haas machine is very reliable, so we don’t have to worry that it will break down. This gives us the confidence to take orders without the fear of disappointing any new customers.” He provides the example of a fuel cap for an Italian motorcycle called an MV Agusta, which has just been introduced in Taiwan. The cap is made from high density 7075 aerospace grade aluminum.

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MACHINING

A passion for customised parts is the basis of Marus Performance’s business

Easy to operate Haas machine tools helped Shen take the first steps into CNC machining

Marus Performance can make the replacement cap for the MV Augusta very competitively.

“Because we use a highly reliable Haas machine tool and good quality CAM software, our price is very competitive. We’ve just started exporting this part – a replacement filler cap for an MV Augusta, and so far we’ve made 50. It takes about one hour and 15 minutes to make each one and requires some delicate cutting.” Founder of Artitek Jeffery Chen says, “Maru and I have a very interesting history as our relationship was originally shop owner and customer. We lost contact with each other for years, until I started my company, and he found me through Facebook. He discovered I was using Haas machines too.” Today, Marus Performance designs the custom motorcycle parts and makes prototypes and first-offs on the Haas Super Mini Mill. The two companies then discuss how to produce the parts in higher volumes, analysing how to make the manufacturing process better and more efficient, and how much they should charge customers for the finished components. Artitek uses several Haas machines that include two VF-2SS Super-Speed vertical machining

centres and a DT1 drill/tap centre. The most recent introduction – in July 2013, is a larger, VF-3SS Super-Speed vertical machining centre. The company also has a Haas HRT210SP rotary table to serve as a fourth axis on one of the VF-2SS machines. “The main reasons I chose Haas are first of all, they’re made in the USA, and secondly, the control is very easy to use,” says Chen. “I knew nothing about CNC machining when I bought my first Haas machine, but within 12 weeks I was fully proficient. I had lots of support from the Haas distributor, who was able to answer any questions and solve any problems we had.” “While we spend time discussing how to machine parts for motorbikes, we also talk about how to improve the riding experience and how we can make the parts, which customers would love to have,” concludes Chen. “If those parts sell well here in Taiwan, I see no reason why they won’t do well overseas, too. The important thing is they are beautifully made and our CNC machines are reliable and cost-effective.” mwp july2014 55

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MACHINING

TAKING OFF FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS CS Products investment in XYZ machine tools has moved it from specialising in prototypes and small batches to producing batch quantities for aerospace

CS Products new XYZ 1060 HS VMC equipped with five â&#x20AC;&#x201C;axis capability

he latest investment by CS Products in a high speed, five-axis, machining centre from XYZ Machine Tools is part of a steady, but consistent, investment programme by the Telfordbased subcontractor. This latest machine, an XYZ 1060HS five-axis, is helping the business expand into new markets. CS Products was formed as a result of the redundancy of Robin Chisnall in 2000, who grabbed the opportunity to create a specialist business for the design and manufacture of prototypes, mould tooling and small batch production. Initially he had a pair of manual mills at his disposal, but after a couple of years he took the plunge and bought his first CNC machine, an XYZ Mini Mill 560. This machine was used for small batch manufacture, but also opened up other opportunities, with Chisnall using the machine to

reverse engineer parts for customers by linking it to a Renishaw digitiser. The confidence gained by the arrival of this Mini Mill resulted in the addition of a second XYZ machining centre, this time a larger XYZ 710 VMC, that allowed the production of larger components. After a period of consolidation a second XYZ Mini Mill 560 was ordered, quickly followed by the much larger XYZ 1020 VMC, with the addition of a fourth axis unit. This larger machine gave much greater scope in the development work that Robin was undertaking for major companies such as Perkins Engines, Valco Melton, Maxell, and GKN. Under the watchful eye of Chisnallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife Mandy, who is the company administrator, these machines were put to work, and thoughts of further investment were put on the back burner as the company set about filling this existing capacity.

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MACHINING

Ingenious use of its machining centres allows CS Products to carry out operations such as broaching

As well as its four XYZ machining centres, CS Products also has a ProtoTRAK controlled XYZ ProTurn lathe

“We manage quite a tight ship here and whenever we can we buy new equipment from company funds, rather than borrowing, so after investing in four machines in a relatively short space of time we were looking to consolidate again,” says Mandy Chisnall. As always, though, the best laid plans need adjusting at times and, when an opportunity arose to take on more batch orientated work in the aerospace sector, the CS Products began the search for a suitable machine to fill their needs. This particular customer had been let down by a previous subcontractor and CS Products was aware that they would have to be on top of their game to maintain and build a relationship with them. So, while its existing XYZ machines could handle the initial work, they also recognised that the addition of a fifth axis capability would be a major advantage and the larger XYZ 1060 HS was a prime candidate. The machine that was delivered in April is an XYZ 1060 HS with the optional fourth and fifth axis fitted. This high speed VMC features a 20hp, 12,000rpm spindle as standard, which is partnered with axis feedrates of up to 43m/min. A big advantage for CS Products is the versatility of the machine, due to the fact that the 5-axis unit can be quickly removed to create a much larger machining envelope when needed. “We looked at dedicated five axis machines, but they were very restrictive and we would have been limiting how we can use the machine capacity. With the XYZ 1060 HS we can load multiple jobs, making maximum use of the 1200 by 600 mm table, with the control taking care of all the offsets and also having the ability to merge programs so that optimum use of tools and cycle time is achieved,” says Chisnall.

Growing demand for batch work, particularly from the aerospace sector is driving investment at CS Products

Having had the machine for relatively short period of time CS Products is still discovering its potential, particularly when it comes to the powerful Siemens 840D high speed Shopmill control. The initial training provided by XYZ Machine Tools got the machine producing parts very quickly, but the step change between this control and the previous model is proving to be a revelation. The graphic interface and editing capabilities while the machine is running are popular and, the ease of which the control can be used to maximise the performance of the machine is something of which CS Products is keen to make use. “As a relatively small subcontractor we have to be tenacious and grab every advantage that comes our way. Over the years we have developed the business from prototype and one-offs to include more production work and the help and support that XYZ has given us along the way has been superb. We know that if we have a question there will be someone available to answer it for us. Now as we move into this world of five-axis machining we will be developing our business further, entering new markets and facing new challenges which, with our existing XYZ machines, we feel we are well equipped to meet,” says Chisnall.

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CADCAM & CONTROLS

DELCAM’S VORTEX SPEEDS BLOODHOUND Delcam’s PowerMILL CAM software is being used by the AMRC (University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing) to produce a series of components for the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car project.

Problems machining deep pockets with small internal corners were overcome using Vortex

loodhound SSC aims to set a new world land speed record of 1000mph in South Africa in 2016. Delcam is both an SME Sponsor, supporting the project with its manufacturing software and expertise, and a Product Sponsor, producing components for the record-breaking vehicle in its Advanced Manufacturing Facility. The AMRC is one of several Delcam customers and technical partners that are using the company’s CADCAM software to manufacture parts for the ultimate jet- and rocket-powered racing car. One particularly challenging part machined at the AMRC was for the front suspension subassembly of the Bloodhound SSC. On first looking at the model, it appeared that the part would be extremely difficult and complex to machine because it included deep pockets with small internal corners. However, these problems were overcome easily by using the Vortex highefficiency area-clearance strategy in PowerMILL to rough out the pockets. As a result, the AMRC was

able to produce the finished part within the tight time constraints demanded by the project. The work for the Bloodhound SSC continued a long relationship between Delcam and the AMRC. “We’ve dealt with Delcam for seven or eight years now,” commented Matt Farnsworth, the aero structures platform group leader. “Delcam offers us a lot of functionality in terms of the programming capability within the software. In addition, we like its ability to give us rapid programming so reducing the time it takes to give us the cutter paths we require. Delcam allows us to be on the machine cutting a lot quicker that the alternative software solutions because we’re able to reduce our programming times.” “We also use On-Machine Verification with PowerINSPECT so, when we are getting near to finishing a part, we can probe the surfaces and machine adaptively, if required, to ensure that we get good geometrical tolerance.” “We’re focused constantly on reducing costs mainly through looking at cycle time reductions,” continued Farnsworth. “We need to understand the limitations of any process in order to challenge traditional production methods and then apply new technical developments in machining strategies, as well as in tooling and machine tools.” The machining for the Bloodhound SSC is a change from the usual work at the AMRC, where 95% of the projects are involved with the aerospace industry. “AMRC has always been a strong advocate of the Bloodhound project, not only because it is an exciting engineering challenge to go at 1000 miles an hour but also because it is an opportunity to bring young engineers through by getting children interested in engineering,” said Farnsworth. “We’ve recently opened our training centre with 250 apprentices coming thorough that each year. The Bloodhound project has a lovely synergy with that initiative.”

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CADCAM & CONTROLS

ALPHACAM ENSURES ANARCHY RULES With help of Alphacam props are created for period, contemporary and futuristic television programmes and film

The new style of eye for the Big Brother reality TV series.

hen Anarchy director Jason Szukalski settles down for an evening in front of the television the chances are he will see something in a programme, advert or film that he has drawn up and machined in Alphacam. Two Watford companies, Anarchy and Bob’s Bits, supply props to film studios such as Pinewood, Shepperton, Warner Brothers and Elstree, along with a number of West London advertising studios. Bob’s Bits, run by Bob Thorne, buys surplus items from Formula One, Ministry Of Defence and the medical industry, and Anarchy turns them into props by incorporating them into bespoke items. .Bob Thorne explains: “Art directors, prop buyers, set decorators and production designers come to us to see what they can use in their film, TV show or advert. Basically, we provide hi-tech and futuristic set dressing and prop dressing components, along with antique and vintage technology.” Around 40 futuristic control panels with buttons and flashing lights which adorn the entrance corridor of Anarchy were part of a space station set for the 2013 film The Last Days Of Mars and are currently being used in a new science fiction film. “My original client found some lights and panels that he liked amongst my stocks, and Jason Szukalski drew up a number of different panels in Alphacam, each incorporating switches and lights.” Alphacam was then used to machine the panels on Anarchy’s 3-axis Pratix 48 NST 8 x 4 router. The

panels have also been used in Doctor Who and several more science fiction settings. Other props they have produced include flashing panels behind Holly Willoughby in the Very.co.uk commercials, the iconic shed that Hollywood star Kevin Bacon hauled up a beach in the EE “shedload of data” advert, and a new style of eye for the Big Brother reality TV series. Anarchy machine a wide range of materials at their 5000sqft premises, including wood, plastic, metal and chemiwood, often working to within 0.05mm. “But don’t let the three axes fool you,” says Jason Szukalski. “Alphacam gives us the ability to produce parts on the Pratix that you would normally only associate with 5-axis machining. It just needs an additional set-up.” He is considering investing in a 5-axis machine, as he says it would be “liberating” to fully cut components from every angle in one set-up without having to change orientation. And he knows that Alphacam can readily program head-mounted rotary axes on CNC routers at any orientation, as the software supports aggregates with a programmable rotary axis and manual tilt, as well as routers with fully interpolating 5-axis heads. Safe, rapid moves between planes are automatically controlled and verified using advanced solid simulation. “Alphacam is already the backbone of our company. Without it we couldn’t respond as quickly as we do. There’s not a working day goes by that I don’t use it.” He says Alphacam was instrumental in Anarchy reaching a turnover of £1m in 14 months and ensuring it is on its way to the second million. “It’s the fastest and most versatile way that I can achieve what I need to. As soon as I look at a part I’m breaking it down into machineable components. I was a model-maker by trade, before moving to a company where I started using computers and CNC machines, and I’ve not thought in the same way since that first day of working with Alphacam around 20 years ago. It completely changed my logic.” “Alphacam ensures we are particularly versatile, enhancing all my model-making skills. If something can be drawn, Alphacam can produce a program to machine it – no matter how complex the component is.”

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KASTO

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON Kasto is celebrating its 170th anniversary with the launch of a range of production bandsaws and anticipating the growth in the UK of its automated storage systems.

ow in its 170th year and still family run – by the seventh generation – Kasto has been operating in the UK for 12 years - turning over over £3M last year with 80% of its business coming from bandsaws. The company is best known for supplying bandsaws for cutting the more difficult high tech materials, and equipment is commonly supplied to manufacturers in the aerospace and oil & gas industries. Kasto did have a production range of saws but, admitted Ernst Wagner, managing director of Kasto Ltd, it was not price competitive for the market into which it needed to be sold. The new KastoWin range has addressed that shortfall bringing the advantages of the top end saws

– primarily vibration control – at a very competitive price. (see box) The KastoWin is a range of five machines with cutting capacities between 330 and 1060mm and suitable for processing a range of materials especially steels in stockholding and manufacturing. Application areas include machine and tooling products, automotive, aerospace and general engineering. The machines have been designed to have commonality of parts and are made in the company’s German factory using streamlined production methods and 25% fewer parts than the machines they supersede. This way the cost and price of the machines have been substantially reduced without compromising quality. The previous range of “production” models have been discontinued and but will continue to be supported. Wagner says, “ We support all machines for as long as it is commercially viable – this can be as long as 30 years. “We have 1350 Kasto saws in the UK, a great many of which are over 10 years old.”

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The other strand to Kasto’s business is automation – primarily automated storage systems. This business has played second fiddle to the saw business in the UK but, says Wagner, the curve for automation is increasing and the storage business is growing year-on-year. With 1700 Kasto automated storage systems installed worldwide and 600 in Germany alone. The UK is lagging behind somewhat, “In Germany it’s unusual to sell a saw without pallet changers, robots, automatic deburring etc,” says Wagner. “We have a long way to go in the UK.” However Wagner believes that the recession has acted as a wake-up-call in the UK and from 2009 industry has responded and started to invest. He cites reshoring and the Government’s increased interest in manufacturing as being instrumental, “The support for engineering is apparently getting stronger.

These last three years have been the best ever for three years running, which reflects the success of UK industry.” He believes that the UK is capable of being very competitive worldwide and, with suitable investment in automation, a lower cost provider than even Germany. Kasto’s automated storage units have a minimum capacity of 500kg per location. They can release floor space for more production equipment when companies are expanding. Sealed units can be built on the outside of a building feeding stored items to the interior – taking no internal floor space and with no height restrictions up to 24/25m bar those imposed by planning regulations. Automatic material handling is said to be three times faster than manual and has additional health and safety benefits.

THE NEW KASTOWIN RANGE The new KastoWin range of production bandsaws features vibration management for blades; similar to the tec KPC, better blade life and lower costs. The Ballscrew feed is linked and managed by the control, which measures actual forces and allows interactive adaptation during the sawing process. It is very precise and used in most performance machine tools nowadays; it was used only on Kasto circular saws until now. KastoRespond changes the feed according to the material dimension, hardness, blade condition and it works on a “constant chip load”, not constant feed, giving better blade life and output. The twin bearing design on the drive wheels offers the lowest possible vibration during the cutting process (short guide arms, perpendicular forces through the blade and the cut). Both vices open to allow for bowed material to feed automatically rather than catching on the fixed vice for more unattended automation, more lights out and more production possibilities. The machine has lower power requirements and lower running costs, blades are now fully guarded on both sides of the guides and the KastoWin machines have exchangeable carbide blade guide inserts.

Ernst Wagner managing director of Kasto Ltd says that vibration is the weakest link in bandsawing “It is the single biggest killer of performance and blade life maintenance and running costs.” “Kasto have focused for many years on managing vibrations: by in house design (trum guides, twin bearings, polymer concrete bow..) as well as by applying machine tool design principles (linear bearings on all movements, ballscrew for indexing, polymer concrete = modern version of cast iron)” “Once you control vibrations you can: increase output, improve blade life lowering cost per piece and increasing profitability.” Wagner gives these examples: If using current average market output conditions it takes 1000 hours at £35/ hour overhead which is £ 35,000 to do this sawing job. Bi-Metal blade costs at 60,000cm² blade life means you presently need 16 blades at an avg. of £60/blade. Tooling costs of £1000 - for these 3000 pieces in 1000 hours. Total cost/cut for 3000 pieces = £ 36,000/3000 pcs = £ 12.00/piece With the KastoWin Output at 30cm²/min, 10min/cut = 6pcs/hour It now only takes you 550 hours at £35/hour overhead which equates to

appx. £20,000 to do this sawing job of 3000 pieces. Bi Metal blade costs at 45,000 cm² blade life means you need 21 blades at avg. of £ 60/blade Tooling costs of £ 1250 for these 3000 pieces in 1000 hours Total cost/cut for 3000 pieces = £ 21,250 / 3000 pcs = £ 7.00/piece With KastoTec Compare this now to the fastest carbide designed the KastoTec machine, where volume is high and critical , number of machines to be reduced and/or shift reductions considered Example with carbide blades at £250 - and 80,000 cm² life, 8pcs/hr. By using a more technologically advanced machine like the “carbide designed” KastoTec with carbide tooling, you can increase the output 2-3 fold and lower your costs. In this example, the costs for a traditional1000/550 hour sawing job time can now be done in 375 hours or at £ 13,000 – a saving of £ 22,000 on this job alone. Carbide blade costs at 80,000 cm² blade life means you need 12 blades at average of £ 250/blade Tooling costs of £ 3000 - for these 3000 pieces in 375 hours Total cost/cut with carbide blades: £13,000 overhead + £ 3,000 tooling = £ 16,000 / 3000 pcs = £ 5.35/piece mwp july2014 65

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DEBURRING

SMOOTH OPERATOR

Parts manufacturers automate deburring/finishing to speed throughput. A new abrasive technology delivers automated deburring and surface finishing in a single operation.

y automating deburring operations instead of handling it as part of a secondary process offline, CNC part and component manufacturers are reducing labour costs and speeding high-volume parts finishing. Now, with a new advance in abrasive technology, machining centre operators are now able to add surface finishing simultaneously in the same operation to speed things even further. For Eric Sun, founder of Orange Vise Company, the unique combination of automated deburring and surfacing finishing allowed his company to eliminate several time consuming and laborious processes that had been slowing them down. Orange Vise manufactures CNC machine vices and quick change fixturing components in Orange County, California, using a Mori Seiki NHX4000 high speed horizontal machining centre. As with most CNC machining centres, however, the process of deburring typically involved taking the part offline and having it addressed by hand using a variety of abrasive tools. Sun not only wanted to automate the process, but also eliminate a messy grinding process the company was using to achieve a specific surface finish. According to Sun, the company’s CNC machine

vices are constructed of different materials and surface treatments. The body of the vice is made of cast iron with selectively hardened surfaces. The vice also comes with a variety of different sized with different heat treatments. The hardened surfaces, which could measure as high as 50-60 on the Rockwell C Scale, required grinding because milling cutters would wear out too quickly. Out of necessity, Orange Vise would also grind the non-critical, unhardened surfaces to create a uniform appearance over the entire workpiece. “This process involved removing, cleaning, and then repositioning parts several times to be able to grind each face. It was time intensive, particularly for the work that was purely cosmetic,” explains Sun. It was at this time that Sun discovered a new abrasive tool from Brush Research Manufacturing, the abrasive technology company known for inventing the Flex-Hone Tool and turning it into a global brand. The company’s new line of NamPower abrasive disc brushes are designed to allow CNC operators to automate the deburring process while delivering an ideal surface finish in the same operation.

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“We started using the NamPower brushes for deburring, but quickly discovered they provided a really nice surface finish,” says Sun. Composed of flexible abrasive nylon filaments bonded to a fibre reinforced thermoplastic base, the NamPower abrasive disc brushes contain a unique combination of both ceramic and silicon carbide abrasive. These abrasive filaments work like flexible files, conforming to part contours, wiping and filing across part edges and surfaces to deliver maximum burr removal rates along with an ideal surface finish. Other common uses are edge blending, part cleaning, and rust removal. Although there are other abrasive nylon filament products that use silicon carbide or ceramic, it is the combination of both in one tool that makes it unique. The ceramic abrasive is responsible for material removal, but tends to cut a bit coarse. The silicon carbide acts as a buffer to the cutting action. The result is deburring and finishing in a single operation. The NamPower brushes work well with nonferrous, cast iron, mild steel and ductile iron, stainless and alloy steels, titanium and high nickel alloys. Sun’s first decision was between the product’s two available fill configurations: the Dot Style, for general purpose deburring and surface finishing and the Turbine Style, which has a higher density fill for more aggressively deburring. To achieve the smoothest finish possible and approximate the ground surfaces of the CNC vice, Sun says he selected the Dot style brush and intentionally reduced the spindle speed. He was immediately pleased with the resulting surface finish. “The surface finish was good enough that we were actually blending it with our ground finishes,” says Sun. “With large surfaces that required multiple passes, there were no visible blends. The whole thing looked like it was done in one pass.” “Needless to say, the brushes sped up the process quite a bit,” adds Sun. Orange Vise has found the Dot style NamPower brush to be flexible enough to conform to features of varying heights and could be used on other parts as well. “We weren’t expecting to use brushes so much, but we’re finding more and more uses for them,” says Sun. “We use the same brushes for aluminum, steel, cast iron and several other materials without having to swap them out very often.” One such application, and one of its primary purposes, is for edge blending. According to Sun, Orange Vise utilizes a variety of deburring tools, including a 45 degree chamfer. Although the tool doesn’t typically leave a burr, when it begins to wear – even slightly – it can. Based on this potential, Orange Vise required an employee to inspect each part and handle any burrs by hand.

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Now the company automatically deburrs chamfered holes and edges using the NamPower brush. In addition, Sun says Orange Vise does some engraving on the vice jaws, using a ball end mill. Although the engraving on the underside of the vice doesn’t require deburring, Orange Vise wanted finer engraving on the top. For this, they used a 45 degree V-bit that created burrs. The options for removing the burrs were either to grind them out or to use the NamPower brush. Sun opted for the latter. “Grinding would be so much more work. With the brushes it really doesn’t take any extra effort at all. It adds maybe 30 seconds to the process,” says Sun. The NamPower brushes were developed with tool longevity in mind. Ceramic is an extremely durable material and there are reports of the brush lasting over 100,000 parts. The brushes are essentially “self-sharpening” over their life, as well. Because of its linear construction, sharp new grains constantly come in contact with the work surface and wear off exposing fresh cutting particles. This provides consistent deburring action throughout the length of bristles. “We use them just about every day and there’s definitely no difference in performance from day one until now,” says Sun. To eliminate filament smearing, improve surface finish and promote longer tool life, the disc brushes are also designed with a new tool holder that allows coolant to flow through its center for better lubricant dispersion. This permits the brush to run at greater cut depths while reducing heat generation Manufacturers can visit the Brush Research web site for an instructional video, How to Automate Deburring and Surface Finishing with NamPower Abrasive Brushes, or to review other literature about the product.

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ENERGY

SWITCHING OFF Adam Bernstein reports on the ways companies can keep their energy bills in check

ith the sheer number of energy related stories in the media towards the end of 2013, including the dire warnings that the UK is close to having minimal spare capacity to generate electricity, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that firms need to be proactive in lowering their energy consumption. According to the Carbon Trust in a December 2013 document, Better business guide to energy saving, most firms could use a lot less energy and indeed, from the Trust’s experience, even low or no-cost changes could bring bills down by 10%. This is a claim that is backed up by Chris Caffery, an advisor at utilityoptions.co.uk, an independent energy consultancy, who says that 95% of firms that contact him can save either on their upcoming contract renewal or their current pricing. It irritates him that there are still too many businesses on uncompetitive contracts or paying high noncontract prices.

no “get out of jail” card There are a number of easy steps that firms can take to keep their bills in check and these start with understanding that being “out of contract” is not like possessing a get out of jail card. Having no energy supply contract may give flexibility, but it also means that customers will be charged out of contract prices that can carry a 30-40% premium over standard tariffs. However, while many energy suppliers have stopped automatic rollover of customers onto new 12-month contracts (where notice to terminate was not given on the appropriate renewal date), some still operate this policy. Their customers need to diarise the contract renewal date and give notice accordingly if they want to be able to move. They also need to ensure that the correct termination notice is served to the right location in the required way. Firms wanting to exit their contracts should, says Caffery, either use the services of a broker to aid this transition, and there are plenty of them according to Google, or make sure that they know the notice period for their contract. Different

suppliers have different termination windows. For example, firms wanting to leave SSE need to serve a termination notice 30 days before the renewal date while British Gas demands notification 90 days beforehand. Either way, firms should have their next contract agreed at least one month before the old contract ends. Interestingly, Ofgem, brought in new rules at the end of August 2013 that treat small businesses that spend upto £10000 on each fuel - gas or electricity – per year more fairly. And from 31 March 2014, these small businesses will be entitled to clearer information about the key facts of their energy contract, will benefit from no-automatic rollover and will be able to give notice at any time for the given due date (instead of within the standard 90 day window before the contract ends).

consultancies can help Unlike the domestic market, because of the way the business energy supply works, making a quick online comparison is not possible. While the domestic market is largely based on location, the business market has a number of elements that determine the tariff cost. The majority of the rate is based on the wholesale energy cost which, says Caffery, is influenced by many factors and changes daily (or hourly). Then there is the transportation cost, a charge by the generator of the electricity to an area to deliver the energy to the customer on behalf of the supplier. Another contributor to a bill is government taxes and levies (of which there are multiple). And of course, there is the profit margin for the supplier that is surprisingly small in most cases. However, there are other factors that need to be considered when looking at prices including credit rating (because firms are effectively borrowing from the supplier), and the length of contract (a deal may be poorer at first but over time this improves as market prices rise). It’s hard to set down in print the target price that firms should be aiming for because as we’ve seen, it very much depends on the area of the country in which the user is based. However, Caffery notes that Scotland and Yorkshire command the highest rates due to the transportation costs associated with the energy distribution while central England has some of the lowest rates. He says “there can be as much as 25% difference in price just because of where you are in the country.” For example, electricity in the East Midlands for a single rate

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tariff costs around 10.05p/kWh while the same tariff in Northern Scotland is charged at 11.56p/kWh. Just as with using intermediaries to find the best deal for, say, insurance, so firms can use an energy consultancy to trawl the market for the best tariffs. Says Caffery, “apart from the fact that a broker has access to some preferential rates from suppliers, it’s the fact that the contract is managed that could potentially save a customer a great deal of money.” Consultancies offer a range of services include full bill analysis, bill correction where required and reminders in multiple formats of when the contract renewal is becoming due. “It removes the stress from the already busy business owner, and prevents them from receiving bills at high noncontract rates,” Caffery adds. Of course there are different types of energy consultant. There are firms like Caffery’s utilityoptions.co.uk, and then are consultancies such as expert-energy.co.uk who offer a more internal and investigatory approach with energy surveys, lighting surveys, sustainable build and renewables consultancy.

choosing a new energy supplier No supplier is perfect says Caffery adding that businesses and brokers – like most of us - often base their first choice on price – “it’s the bottom line that matters to 99% of firms.” However, some suppliers are more customer service focused than others, but that only really matters if a problem arises. But of course, this is where the energy consultancy can help with their experience. The ‘gotcha’s’ that firms should watch out for when changing supplier have diminished slightly, at least for the smaller business, because Ofgem has become much more involved with supplier practices over the last two years. As we’ve seen earlier, Ofgem has put pressure on suppliers to stop rollover contracts and forced them to state the contract renewal date on all bills. Most suppliers stick to a contract price for the period of that contract, but they still have clauses that allow them to change prices or include new levies as they are introduced. Firms should bear this in mind.

alternative energies For many the concept of going green and selfgeneration is a utopian ideal. But are the likes of roof-mounted solar panels and ground source heat pumps (pumps that circulate liquid through an underground loop, bringing warmer or cooler temperatures to a building depending on the season) worth the investment? According to Caffery, the deals that were available a couple of years ago were very good as the government needed to hit EU targets; self generated power (from renewables) was being sold back to the network at 43p/kWh, a rate guaranteed for 25 years. The “feed-in tariff”, as it’s termed, made the payback time short with an

Clearly energy intensive firms in manufacturing are going to benefit from anything they can do to save on their energy bills. As might be imagined, this is a core area for consultancies such as Caffery’s. “An example of one of our metalworking clients is a company based in Chelmsford, Essex, who we have worked with since 1999,” says Caffery. He claims to have saved them tens of thousands of pounds over the 15 year period. They currently spend approximately £32,000 on electricity and £5000 on gas a year. “For their last electricity renewal we saved around 15% over the current suppliers renewal rates which equated to £4500. The rate we arranged was 9.044p/ kWh day and 5.992p/kWh night which we secured for two years.” In terms of the firm’s gas bill, Caffery says that he saved them 10% on their gas renewal, a sum which works out around £500. The rates arranged worked out as 3.62p/kWh. average of three to five years. That rate is no longer available and is now around 25p/kWh, making payback more like 10 years. While groundsource heat pumps are a technology worth attention they aren’t cheap to install and require a fair amount of land in which to lay the underground loop. However, biomass – woodchip – heating systems are another matter entirely and can bring in reasonable savings if there’s space to store the fuel. But one problem for firms wanting to go green is their ability to raise the initial cost of installation. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that grants and financial help for installation are complex and patchy throughout the UK.

getting redress In the majority of instances the energy supply relationship works out well, but where there’s a suspicion of unfair treatment, and things go wrong, there is a natural inclination ask about rights of redress. Caffery says there are three avenues of complaint open to firms who think they have been unfairly sold a contract or rolled over on to a new contract having abided by the terms of the old one. “All suppliers have an in house complaints process, and they are doing more now than ever to get complaints dealt with first time, although it is still a far cry from being perfect.” But having exhausted that route, Caffery suggests trying Ofgem and the Energy Ombudsman to have a complaint taken further. mwp july2014 69

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FOCUS WATERJET & PLASMA CUTTING

Hypertherm introduces HyPrecision Waterjet, a complete line of waterjet products with Advanced Intensifier Technology

ACCURATE JET STREAM Hypertherm, a manufacturer of advanced plasma, laser, and waterjet cutting systems, has introduced HyPrecision Waterjet, a complete line of waterjet products. These products include pumps ranging from 15 to 150 horsepower, precision cutting heads, and abrasive delivery equipment. This is the result of Hypertherm’s acquisition of AccuStream, whose background and expertise in waterjet cutting started in the mid 1980’s. The systems feature Advanced Intensifier Technology to extend maintenance intervals, reduce maintenance time and maximize performance. Hypertherm estimates the total cost of ownership for a HyPrecision system is up to 20% less than competitive systems. “The inventor of HyPrecision waterjet ran his own job shop for many years seeing first hand what could and did go wrong with the systems he was using,” explains Sara Mancell, Hypertherm’s waterjet marketing manager. “That, combined with more than a decade of experience designing waterjet equipment, drove him to develop

replacement parts for a variety of systems. The knowledge gained selling those parts provided an opportunity to learn where and why failures occurred. These experiences led him to create his own waterjet system and continually refine and improve it through the years.” Examples of the practical engineering found in HyPrecision waterjet pumps include optimised plunger length and diameter, combined with long bearing engagement for better alignment, resulting in maximum component life with minimum pressure fluctuation and placement of hydraulic rod seals and plunger bearings outside the hydraulic end cap for easier access and servicing. The addition of an advanced piston design minimizes seal wear and greatly extends part life. Hypertherm HyPrecision Waterjet systems are part of Hypertherm’s Built for Business Integrated Cutting Solutions in which Hypertherm’s ProNest nesting software, computer numeric controller (CNC), THC, and HyPrecision Waterjet

work together to automatically apply the right cutting parameters and adjust things like the feed rate, abrasive flow rate, pump pressure and more. Learn more about HyPrecision Waterjet by visiting www.hypertherm.com/ waterjet.

AFFORDABLE WATER JET CUTTING WITH GLOBALJET Water jet cutting is arguably the fastest growing sector in the machine tool industry and yet the perceived high capital cost still deters many potential users from entering this market. The GLOBALJET range of water jet cutting systems addresses this final hurdle – a surprisingly modest investment cost allied to a high specification, brings water jet cutting within reach of more companies than ever before. Careful market study and thoughtful design has enabled key features normally associated with much more expensive systems to be incorporated in GCT’s GLOBALJET water jet cutting machines. Although the low price is certainly headline grabbing, the machines are

comprehensively and highly specified - The machines are extremely robust in design with a gantry configuration on all models and a 50HP pump. All are fitted with axis drives by servo motors and ball screw giving extremely accurate cutting and positioning of the cutting head. This range of equipment incorporates virtually everything the end user requires for pure water or abrasive cutting in a compact, comprehensive, user friendly package. As GCT’s managing director, Edward Cosford, pointed out: “We believe the GLOBALJET range of water jet cutting machines is the lowest priced, quality system available in the market today, professionally backed up by our own team of service engineers and an investment of £100,000.00 worth of spare

parts. On the back of this GCT have moved to a new, larger factory with demonstration centre equipped with a full range of equipment for customer inspection, tests and open days”. “Customers like our approach to quote an all-in price for the machine complete with high capacity [50HP, 60,000 psi] pump, air blast cooling system, abrasive feed [if needed], photocell surround safety guarding, remote diagnostic system – only installation is extra. “We have also introduced a new finance package to make it even easier for customers to get into this industry. In fact, one customer commented last month that the finance deal was less than his mortgage. Which says it all really.”

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CLASSIFIED SECTION

PRODUCTS & SERVICES To advertise in the classified section/discuss online advertising W: www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk T: 07951 286 986 E: helen.fox@centaur.co.uk

DEEP HOLE DRILLING

DEBURRING/FINISHING Deep Hole Boring CNC Turning Deep Hole Drilling CNC Honing CNC Gundrilling

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DEBURRING & FINISHING MACHINES for FLAT & SHAPED Components both INSIDE & OUT www.ellesco.co.uk 01202 499400

Telephone 0845 5555 111 www.hone-all.co.uk

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RETROFIT & REBUILD

HONING

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SPINDLE TYPES

Looking for

Honing Used Machines Consumables

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CLASSIFIED SECTION

PRODUCTS & SERVICES To advertise in the classified section/discuss online advertising W: www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk T: 07951 286 986 E: helen.fox@centaur.co.uk

RETROFIT & REBUILD

ABRASIVE MACHINES

DEEP HOLE DRILLING

LASER CUTTING

experts in laser cutting services Laser Process help manufacturers to improve performance Telephone: p 01543 495000 Fax: 01543 495001 Email: sales@laserprocess.co.uk

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CNC TURNING

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BORE SOLUTIONS

Deep Hole Boring from 25mm dia up to 500mm x 6000mm long Gundrilling from 3mm dia up to 50mm x 6000mm long CNC Turning up to 1600mm Dia x 5000mm Long

Bore Solutions

Milling 3000mm x 3000mm x 3000mm

W: www.pbm-ltd.com T: +44(0) 1264 360800 E: steve.amey@pbm-ltd.com

Sawing up to 25” dia

Tel: 01246 458090 Fax: 01246 458091 Email: info@mollartcox.co.uk www.mollartcox.co.uk

Unit 1, Broombank Road, Chesterfield Trading Estate, Chesterfield S41 9QJ

SPRINGS

SPIN WINDOWS

SPIN WINDOWS Coolant creates a visibility problem. Visiport® lets you see into your machine. o High rotational speed o Simple installation directly on glass or polycarbonate o Lightweight construction o Quick, easy maintenance o 24 volts DC or air driven models o No temptation to bypass interlock

Quality in product and service

Spring & Wireform Manufacturing Specialists, Tension, Torsion, Compression, Strip work & Light Pressings any quantity supplied

Manufactured to your requirements

Design

•

Development •

Manufacture

DQR Precision Ltd

Unit 30, Moorside Business Park, Colchester, Essex CO1 2ZF Tel: 01206 797186 Email: sales@dqr.co.uk Web: www.dqr.co.uk

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CLASSIFIED SECTION

PRODUCTS & SERVICES To advertise in the classified section/discuss online advertising W: www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk T: 07951 286 986 E: helen.fox@centaur.co.uk

DEEP HOLE DRILLING

EDM

British made precision turned milled components for all industry sectors established since 1974

ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL CARBONS ELECTRODE MANUFACTURING FILTERS CONTINUOUS EDM WIRE ELECTRODE MATERIALS ALL EDM CONSUMABLES t 01384 892011 f 01384 897162 e sales@erodex.com

www.erodex.com

ISO Approval BS 9001:2008 (NQA) Environmental policy (working towards BS 14001) Full batch identification (GRN) Approved suppliers monitoring Procedures for works non-conformance (wnc) C

SUBCONTRACT MACHINING

CMY

Suppliers of custom honing equipment, honing tools & abrasives Does your company use honing machines? Are you tired of poor service, and consumable prices? Do you want or need to reduce honing consumable costs? If your answer is “YES” to either of these, please give us a call.

Procedures for supplier non-conformance (snc) Data/order history archive Gauge/equipment calibration system First-off, In-process & last off inspection as standard Certificate of conformity provided (c of c) Material C of C from supplier Bonded stores/quarantine area Manufacturing process control Customer audits welcomed Committed to future investment Staff training & Apprenticeship schemes

Tel: +44 (0)1246 458090 Fax: +44 (0)1246 458091 www.mollartcoxproducts.co.uk Mollart Cox Products together with Ohio Toll Works, have over 110 years experience within the honing industry, and guarantee you will save money.

WITHOUT COMPROMISING PERFORMANCE

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MWP_batchflow_ad.pdf

13/01/2014

09:51

CLASSIFIED SECTION

PRODUCTS, SERVICES & RECRUITMENT

MWP_batchflow_dis 10/1/12 09:57 Page 1 To advertise in the classified section/discuss online advertising W: www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk T: 07951 286 986 E: helen.fox@centaur.co.uk

CMY

METAL MARKER

Machine Tool Repairs - Sales - Service - Spares Tel: 07885 543199 Email: jhp.bewo@aol.co.uk

www.jhpengineeringservices.co.uk THE INDISPENSIBLE TOOL • EASY TO USE • 5 BRIGHT COLOURS AND 2 NIB SIZES Identify customer and location • Ideal when using with the galvanising process Colour code - use the colours to identify assembly areas, different clients • Touch dry in 5 mins Waterproof in one hour • Simply remove with a damp cloth • No staining Soft nib will not scratch delicate surfaces • Available in 5 or 15mm nib

BEWO CPO 315PK Manual saw

Tel: 01279 424491 Email: info@rainbowchalk.com www.rainbowchalk.com

MACHINE GUARDS

SCF 90 SIGMA Up to 11,500 products /hour 8mm - 90mm tube dia

JHP Engineering Services are proud to announce that we have been appointed ‘BEWO Qualified Sales and Service Partner’-Official sole UK agent. Your Partner In Production For all Aluminium Profile Assemblies

• Machine Guarding • Machine Fencing • Clean Rooms • Gantry's • Workstations Tel: 0121 439 7152 Email: sales@part-ontools.co.uk

www.part-on.co.uk/fabrications

JHP and Bewo have been collaborating for decades. This collaboration has been expanded and UK based companies with Bewo machinery can contact us for spares, service and repairs. Customers who are interested in new Bewo cutting lines can also contact us for a specialised service. The partnership between JHP and Bewo will allow us to better respond to the needs of our customers in the UK. Marcel Veenstra, Sales and Service Manager at Bewo in the Netherlands, said in a recent press release “We are confident that the combination of the high quality service of JHP and the powerful brand of Bewo, together with our large installed base will be distinctive and will be able to give the UK market what it deserves.”

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CLASSIFIED SECTION

SHOWCASE To advertise in the classified section/discuss online advertising W: www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk T: 07951 286 986 E: helen.fox@centaur.co.uk

MASTER PRECISION GRINDING QUILLS Master Abrasives have put together a general overview of the importance of grinding quills for precision internal grinding. Most engineers involved in grinding understand what a grinding quill is, but few actually consider the important contribution the quill can make when optimising the abrasive machining processes. A full version of this article is available on www.master-abrasives.co.uk.

QUAKER CHEMICAL INTRODUCES THE FIRST APP TO MONITOR METALWORKING FLUIDS CoolanTool™ is the first mobile app in the industry that facilitates the monitoring processes of metalworking fluids and organization of the data results. With CoolanTool™, users can capture and track the performance of the soluble metalworking cutting fluids in the CNC machines. The app can also be utilized as a troubleshooting guide source. CoolanTool™ is available on the Apple App Store and Android Market. For more information, visit quakerchem.com.

MASTER ABRASIVES W: www.master-abrasives.co.uk

QUAKER CHEMICAL W: www.quakerchem.com

SCOTT SAFETY LAUNCHES THE NEW PROFLOW 3EX WITH AX GAS FILTRATION Scott Safety, a world leader in respiratory protection, brings the next generation of respiratory protection to workers in heavy industry with the launch of the Proflow 3EX. Scott Safety combines AX gas filtration with the benefits of continuous flow powered air, opening up the use of powered air for workers requiring protection from AX gases, who were previously limited to negative pressure facemask solutions.

DATATRACK PROVIDES DOUBLE THE CONTROL AT FIRST COMPONENTS First Components of Brierley Hill in the West Midlands invested in PSL Datatrack production management and business administration software to ensure effective management of two businesses within its group. They supply both components and assemblies to a wide range of industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, electrical, white goods and general engineering. Under single management, the specialist engineering services and capabilities of First Components Limited and Savigny Oddie include CNC turning, CNC milling, presswork, wire cutting & forming, wire erosion, tool making and design.

For more information, please visit www.scottsafety.com

SCOTT SAFTY E: scott.sales.uk@tycoint.com T: 01695 727171 W: www.scottsafety.com

PSL DATATRACK E: sales@psldatatrack.com T: 08456 345931 W: www.psldatatrack.plus.com

ESAB ANNOUNCES 2014 SCHEDULE FOR GAS INSPECTORS’ COURSES Waltham Cross, UK – ESAB announces a full schedule of 2014 Gas Inspectors’ Courses to obtain internationally recognised certification for the annual inspection of oxy-fuel gas welding equipment and non-welding gas systems. Course registration is now underway at info@esab.co.uk.

NEW ANGLE GRINDER RANGE FROM METABO

The ESAB / City & Guilds Accredited Gas Inspectors courses focus on the safety aspects of using oxy-fuel welding gases. In addition, various aspects of industrial gas safety for non-welding gas systems are covered. These two-day courses provide safety training leading to the internationally recognised City & Guilds qualification.

The new angle grinder range from Metabo sets new standards with up to 50% more torque, 20% more output power and slimmer grip circumference than competitive models: The world’s first 1700W compact angle grinder sets new standards in productivity and ergonomics while providing the most compact machine in its class.

ESAB E: info@esab.co.uk T: 01992 659567 W: www.esab.co.uk

METABO (UK) LTD T: 02380 732 000 W: www.metabo.co.uk

NEW LOCTITE® ADDITION REPELS WELDING SPATTER AND CUTS COSTS Henkel’s Aerodag Ceramishield has been rebranded and is now under the company’s high profile Loctite® brand. Now known as Loctite® SF 7900 Ceramic Shield, this protective coating is formulated to actively repel welding spatter and the product is now widely available through Loctite® surface treatment distribution channels so many more manufacturers can take advantage of its clear benefits.

BEFORE

AFTER

HENKEL LTD W: www.loctite.co.uk

DRIVING STEEL TECHNOLOGY From racing cars to construction vehicles, highly specialized steels from leading European producer, Ovako, are helping automotive manufacturers and component suppliers to drive up performance and drive down costs. As a key supplier to the automotive industry, Ovako has exceptional knowledge and provides steel and pre-components for con rods, fly wheels, cams, injection systems, valve springs, flywheels and crankshafts in engines to gearbox components, bearings, drive shafts, gears, hub assembles in transmissions and rear axles and stabilizers, steering racks, arms, springs for steering and suspension systems.

OVAKO E: info@ovako.com T: 01384 213940 W: www.ovako.co.uk

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more than a magazine...

www.advancedmanufacturing.co.uk Keeping you up to date with the latest technical production engineering news and technology advances from UK manufacturing.

- manufacturing news - relevant features - product updates - latest videos

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LAST ORDERS

APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE

I MIKE EXCELL

’m on the beach in Pembrokeshire with the family – wife, older son, daughter-in-law, grand-daughter. It’s sunny but we’re still in May; the waters around these islands reach maximum temperature around the end of September. This is a beach we visited many times when my sons were small, and as I gaze out to sea, while pausing from the sweaty exertions of constructing a facsimile of ‘mad’ King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein folly in response to my granddaughter’s request for help with a sandcastle, I vividly recall cavorting in the waves, and how bracing it was. They say it’s the short term memory that deteriorates with age, but the long term memory is, perhaps, inclined to be a little selective; and its accuracy can be compromised by the embellishments of a vivid imagination. And so, as the hopefulness of eternal youth triumphs over years of experience, bolstered by misplaced pensioner machismo, I swagger down to the shore and accelerate into the surf – at which point the bluebottle of expectation meets the flyswatter of destiny. I needed to cool down, but maybe not this much. Never mind, if I splash about a bit, and try to swim, I’ll warm up again. Thirty seconds later my arms and legs are seizing up and the extremities are getting numb. Meanwhile my son, who has decided to join me, is smirking from the comfort of what up until this moment I have regarded as a an unnecessary impediment to enjoying the pleasures of the surf – his wet suit. He’s suggested many times that I invest in one of these, patiently explaining how and why they work, and so far I have ignored his advice. I’m older and wiser. For decades I’ve survived without one. And anyway, who does he think he is? The editor of a technical journal? After a minute, I’ve had enough. The next day I buy a good quality wet suit. I ignore my wife’s uncontained mirth at what to the unscientific eye may well appear to be a belated bid to acquire some kind of surf-dude beach cred; because it works. Here’s how. It’s a snug-fitting garment which, when you enter the water, allows a very thin layer of cold water to squeeze between it and your skin. This layer is warmed up by your body, and because there isn’t really much water this process doesn’t take very long, and doesn’t require much body heat. The snug fit prevents fresh water from getting into the suit. As you move around,

you naturally warm up a little and much of the heat is retained. Without the suit, in cold water the body simply loses heat very quickly and continues to do so. Many years ago – about the time I was on that beach building sandcastles for my sons – the company I worked for was deliberating over purchasing a major item of production equipment. My department produced semi-fabricated non-ferrous metal products; precision strip for technologically sophisticated markets, for example electronics, presented great growth opportunities.

“

But when it comes to investment in technology to supply high-tech markets - and there’s unanswerable logic, and proof in the experience - eventually common sense prevails.

But these new markets required levels of precision, metallurgical consistency and repeatability beyond the reach of much of our existing plant and methods. As works metallurgist, along with the technical manager, I was among a group of people strongly advocating investment in a strand annealer - equipment which enabled continuous, highly controllable heat-treatment. It would be much more consistent than the batch coilbased methods we had been using for decades. We knew this to be so because the German, French, Swiss and Japanese competitors who were outperforming us had already invested in such equipment; and it was easy to acquire samples of their products for analysis, from customers who would often have preferred to carry on dealing with a UK supplier. What’s more, international specifications were being written around what was now possible. Unfortunately some senior - and therefore older and wiser – managers were reluctant to accept the evidence, their position fortified by intransigent shopfloor elements. Both sides refused to accept that ‘foreigners’ could do it better, and preferred to ignore the cold waters of business failure already lapping about our ankles. But when it comes to investment in technology to supply high-tech markets - and there’s unanswerable logic, and proof in the experience eventually common sense prevails. So, the investment was belatedly approved, although some directors were still grumbling during commissioning trials. The equipment was up and running two years on from when we’d identified the need…..after many major customers for its products had established strong links with overseas sources, never to return. Around a year later, the department closed; I think there’s a message in there somewhere.

78 july2014 mwp

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Precision feeding IEMCA’s KID 80 is the ideal short length bar feeder for single spindle lathes.

• Fast, automatic operation • Versatile – handles bars from 5 to 80 mm diameter and up to 1615 mm long • Precise mechanical location – no compressed air connections • Rapid, simple changeovers • Ideal for short to medium batch runs

KID 80. When precision and productivity are vital. Available from IEMCA’s UK agent

Email: enquiries@1mta.com Freephone: 0800 783 0510 Fax: 0800 783 0517

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www.1mta.com

MTA

MACHINE TOOL ACCESSORIES

• Integrates with fixed or sliding head, CNC or cam operated lathes.

25/06/2014 14:12

c o o peratio n sustains i nnov at i on

The successful NLX series

NLX – The universal turning machine with outstanding milling capacity

from DMG MORI

Valve block // Mechanical Engineering

e mad e op r in eu

Cam follower // Automotive industry

+44 (0) 20 30 24 15 14 Support around the clock

Integrated coolant circulation in the machine bed for improved thermal stability

With BMT® technology, milling performance is comparable to machining centres

Slideways on all axes for better damping characteristics

The right solution for every application – 9 machine models with 29 variants

For technical information and brochures, visit: www.dmgmori.com or contact DMG MORI UK

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