EXHIBITION PREVIEW MACH 2020 – BIRMINGHAM NEC – 20-24 APRIL
streamlines work ow and delivers
consistent, high quality results. Quality is
maintained through use of sensors that
detect and compensate for any geometrical
deviations in the workpiece caused by the
welding process. The key advantages of the
Autopulit system are its ability to ef ciently
manage short or repetitive batches, while
signi cantly reducing cycle times compared
to a manual process. Furthermore, the
system allows for a variety of parts to be
processed in-line, without need for set-up
changes as different tools can be selected
by the system, according to the process
requirement.
#toolholding #tooling #workholding –
Ceratizit Group, Stand: 18-210 The
four competence brands of the Ceratizit,
Komet, Klenk and WNT will all be present
under the ‘Team Cutting Tools’ banner. The
focus will be on improved productivity, with
major announcements such as the
completely new range of Silverline solid
carbide milling cutters being unveiled, as
well as new turning grades and toolholding
systems. In addition, visitors will also see
rst-hand the revolution that is High Dynamic
Turning, using Ceratizit’s FreeTurn tooling
that combine to maximise the capabilities of
modern turning centre technology High
Dynamic Turning and FreeTurn allows
traditional turning operations, such as
roughing, nishing, contour turning, face
Additive manufacturing trends
New materials, new applications, improved processes and a growing role for additive
manufacturing (AM) in traditional production lines will be key themes at the show.
Stuart Offer, additive manufacturing sales manager at exhibiting company Renishaw,
says: “We have seen a big shift in the last two years and are getting a lot of serious
enquiries from companies who want to use metal additive manufacturing as a production
process. The majority of the machines we sell now are for production applications.”
He says that there will be a lot of new technical advances at MACH 2020. “Because
the technology is relatively new, it doesn’t stand still for long, so we are adding a lot of
features and bene ts, like improved gas ow, laser control and user interfaces.”
Renishaw’s latest four-laser machines are designed with productivity in mind. “The
faster we can make the parts, then the cheaper they become,” says Offer. These
machines can also be used in innovative ways to process dif cult metals that might be
prone to cracking -- opening up a host of new applications.
He adds that a lot of work Renishaw carries out with its customers is in the
quali cation of the process for new applications. “The key though, is to make sure that
the parts have been designed with additive manufacturing in mind. If a part is easy to cast
or machine, then generally that will still be the best process. But if the part has been
designed with additive in mind, that is where additive manufacturing shows its
capabilities.”
Sabina Gonzalez-George of CREAT3D reiterates Offer’s message that AM it is not just
about prototyping anymore. She says that low-volume, one-off parts are being used in all
sorts of industries, and not just for high-end parts.
“For example, a company making cooling equipment uses a small additive component
as a xing to hold a tray. We also have people making torque instrumentation who are now
3D-printing batches of 100 small components, rather than outsourcing them -– they are
just small parts that are used internally in the equipment.
“So, there is a shift to production pieces, but the area where people are really going to
see value is in making their current processes more effective.”
Gonzalez-George cites items such as assembly xtures, grippers, bespoke tools,
spacers, guides, measurement tools and protective covers. A visit to MACH 2020 will
reveal much more.
turning and longitudinal turning, to be
completed with just one tool. For over 100
years, turning techniques have changed
little, if at all. Yes, there are always new
chipbreakers and carbide grades, but
methodology remained the same. Now, by
fully exploiting modern turning centres,
Ceratizit has created a process that allows
the approach of the tool to the workpiece to
be varied by making use of a machine’s
B-axis spindle. Having 360° of rotation, the
ideal approach angle can be set, without
interrupting the cutting process. Bene ts are
exible machining of almost every workpiece
contour, as well as generating optimum chip
breaking, higher feed rates and increased
tool life. Live demonstrations will take place
on the stand and around the halls in
conjunction with machine tool suppliers
WNT’s SilverLine range of solid carbide
milling cutters has been completely updated
with signi cant changes to the substrate,
geometry and Dragonskin coating, but most
signi cant is the development of the cutter
core, which see increased cutter rigidity,
improved chip ow and process security.
The change in cutter core results in
increased cutting data, which in turn means
greater requirement for swarf evacuation,
particularly when roughing. Therefore, the
updated range now includes ripper cutters
for the rst time. Another bene t of the
change in core design is that a wider range
of ute options is possible, with cutters now
available with either three, four, ve, six and
eight utes, plus there’s an increased
choice of corner radii and HA shank-style is
now available. Improved Dragonskin coating
offers better tool life by up to 50%, superior
chip ow and is now silver MultiLock is a
Ceratizit group
companies
have multiple
novelties to
reveal
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