Customers include electronics, medical, steam management and bearing manufacturers.

Managing Director Mick Finney describes how accuracy and repeatability of tolerances can be quite tight especially given the properties of the materials being machined.

‘Bore tolerances of +/-0.025mm often apply while the general machining tolerance is +/-0.050mm.

Likewise, surface finish is usually very important while the degree of complexity of some parts can be considerable,’ he says.

He describes how medical applications especially demand high finish and total freedom from burrs which demand good machine and setting techniques.

‘We also make a lot of plain rings and seals and there is a large demand for threads, knurling and some cross-drilling and slotting on plastic turned parts,’ he says.

Tefloturn was formed in the mid-1990s on the back of a pair of cam actuated sliding head machines.

By 1998, however, the company had reached the limits capable from these machines and started to look for a more flexible solution.

‘We couldn’t afford a new sliding head machine at that time,’ Mick Finney admits, ’so we approached a couple of suppliers to try and source a good secondhand machine.

‘NC Engineering came back to us quite swiftly with our L16, which was already five years old and since it was installed it has proved to be a very good buy.

Reliability has been very good and NC’s back-up in terms of both training and service/maintenance has also been above reproach.’ ‘One of the first components we ever machined on the L16 required multiple operations, and we could never produce more than 30 an hour.

When the L16 was set up, the part was turned complete in a single operation in under 28 seconds.

Now that was a massive increase in productivity for us,’ Mick Finney maintains.

The combined performance of the machine and support by NC Engineering paved the way for Tefloturn to select a larger capacity five-axis Citizen B20 which was justified against one particular contract.

However, the additional capabilities with 10,000 revs/min spindle, 12 tools and extended unmanned running with an improved accuracy has been the catalyst to draw in even more work.

‘Accuracy and consistency are much easier to maintain on the Citizen B20, and it’s also much faster than the L16,’ Mick Finney admits.

‘Availability of an additional powered tool station means that its second operation capabilities are extended.

Together with a conventional CNC lathe, which we bought in between, the citizen machines provide us with the ability to supply exactly what any customer wants up to 300mm diameter.’ Although virtually all of the plastic materials processed by Tefloturn are free machining, the company always uses coolant to help maintain stable temperatures and overcome the influence of thermal growth which is significantly greater than with metals.

And although most materials can be machined using high speed steel, some of the more abrasive ‘filled’ materials have to be cut using carbide.

‘Machining plastics is quite a specialised business,’ says Mick Finney, ‘but the Citizen machines have allowed us to apply our knowledge across a wider range of work.

With the B20 we have the option of lights-out running, something that we’ve never had before.

Although some plastics cause a problem due to swarf and have to be overseen, those jobs where we can use the unmanned capability, make a huge difference to our manufacturing efficiency.

We have also found on short batch work we can program, set the machines and produce the parts in less time than it would take us to perform a cam change on one of the old machines.’ Mick Finney describes how the Citizens have made a very big difference to the way Tefloturn works.

‘When we had the cam machines, if we hadn’t got a suitable cam set, then we couldn’t make a part unless the volume was either very small, or large enough to justify commissioning a new set of cams.

That meant that we had to turn away quite a lot of small to medium volume business.

We also had a substantial amount of work that required secondary operations and it was rare to be able to complete a job in one set-up.’ ‘Investing in the Citizen machines has certainly allowed us to move the company forward quickly.

Our minimum batch quantity is now much smaller while the level of component complexity that we can competitively handle is so much higher.

This has allowed us to diversify the business along lines that we would never have thought possible before,’ he says.

http://www.cnccncmachines.com

Harwoods For Steel is a subcontract manufacturer of stainless steel, aluminum, and mild steel components used in cookers, electrical control panels, and commercial vehicles. The new tooling, supplied by Mate Precision Tooling, allows Harwoods to operate its Euromac press continuously and at speeds up to 200 strokes per minute minimal offline tool setup time.

“We punch thousands of round, square and rectangular holes in many sizes in our standard parts,” reports Harwoods’ managing director Harry Braunton. “Both the Ultra TEC and Multi-Tool systems handle this wide range of holes in mild and stainless steel, and thicknesses ranging from 0.9mm to 6.0mm with ease. The MultiTool uses interchangeable tools to create a truly hands-off automated production environment that lowers the cost base of the products we manufacture.”

Tool arsenal

Harwoods utilizes two Multi-Tool versions. The first is an MTE6 station that holds six tools having a maximum diameter of 24mm. The second is an MTE10 station which holds three tools, each with a maximum diameter of 24mm, and holds seven tools having a maximum diameter of 8mm. The Multi-Tool system increases the number of tools available in the punch press. While one Multi-tool is running in the machine, the second is set up and ready to go for the next job.

Mr Braunton reports: “By employing the Multi-Tool concept, it allows the operator to concentrate on planning tool usage and scheduling part runs, a definite improvement over the manually operated 60-ton power presses we previously used.”

Multi-Tool punches are produced from specially formulated premium high speed tool steel for exceptional wear-resistance, which is essential to Harwoods for the wide range of stainless steel parts that it fabricates. Punches have near polished punch flanks and minute back taper, which reduces friction, eliminates punch build-up (galling), improves stripping, and increases tool life.

For Harwoods’ applications requiring tools larger than 24mm, operators use a full range of Mate’s Ultra TEC thick turret tooling. These include 1 1/4″ B station, 2″ C station, and 3 1/2″ D station tools.

This Ultra TEC tooling is equally effective in fabricating Harwoods’ dif ficult stainless steel components.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5347/is_200010/ai_n21461542

Quad-Spindle CNC Turret Unit optimizes productivity.

4 Spindle CNC Increases Productivity Exponentially!

Sugino Corp. (Itasca, Il), is proud to introduce the latest advancement in their widely successful Selfeeder line, the 4TH5 CNC four-spindle turret unit. This is a CNC mechanical feed and inverter speed controlled unit. It allows the manufacturer flexible programmable control of the spindle rotation rpm and cutting feed. The 4TH5 was designed to be easily integrated into high volume production applications and transfer lines to perform a variety of operations including: drilling, rigid tapping, facing, and chamfering. The four-spindle turret design provides exceptional versatility thanks to its CNC variable speed spindles that allow the 4TH5 to create finished holes at a single station, including class 3 thread production. With 4 tool indexes to counter-bore, drill, chamfer and tap, the 4TH5 allows consolidation of processes at a single station. Also, it can perform high-speed rigid tapping by using convenient G-code programming. The 4TH5 is particularly effective at producing high volume work for a lower cost per hole vs. expensive machine tools, maximizing productivity while cutting your net cost per hole.

The 4TH5 features a servo feed motor with infinite control capability allows it to perform a wide range of variable feed applications including: drilling, tapping, slower enter feeds, pecking in deep holes, and reduced exit speeds to reduce burrs. It comes complete with the servo motor CNC controller which allows programming from a programming console, touch panel or a personal PC. The remarkably small 4′ x 1.5′ footprint conveniently fits into tight spaces on your production line, allowing you to generate more money per square foot in your facility.

For more information visit www.suginocorp.com or call 1-888-SUGINO-1

Mastercam’s new FBM makes it significantly easier to machine prismatic solids by automating machining process.

Here are some of the most significant highlights and new functionality in Mastercam X3 Mill:

Feature Based Machining (FBM) – Almost every shop deals with solid models, and Mastercam delivers a powerful way to automatically mill and drill these parts. Valuable for experienced power users and easy enough for new users, FBM evaluates a part’s features and automatically designs an effective machining strategy. FBM can detect solid machining features for pocketing, contouring, and drilling routines. FBM will machine pockets using new 2D HST roughing, rest mill, and finish operations; automatically create drilled, tapped, counterbore, and countersink holes; automatically perform spot drilling and pre-drilling based on user controlled settings; and much more. And all toolpaths are fully associative and editable after creation.

2D High Speed Toolpaths – The success of Mastercam’s 3D high speed toolpaths leads to new high speed machining expressly for 2D machining. Although optimized for high speed cutting and hard milling, these new 2D toolpaths offer many additional benefits including superior finish and longer tool life. These new toolpaths can make your processes more efficient and automated, while minimizing programming and cycle times.

Enhanced Multiaxis Functions – Mastercam X3 improves multiaxis toolpath speed and introduces new High Speed Toolpath controls that make programming more efficient. Both the Port5ax and Flow5ax toolpaths include a new feature that allows an overlap/blend to be added at the beginning and end of a toolpath.

Mastercam in SolidWorks – This powerful new X3 package brings the most popular Mastercam toolpaths directly into SolidWorks. Designers who work with the world’s leading CAD system can now program those parts with the world’s leading CAM toolpaths in the same interface. Mastercam in SolidWorks includes a suite of cutting strategies, including Feature Based Machining, high speed machining, and a set of automated cleanup toolpaths. This package will be released shortly after Mastercam X3.

Other new enhancements include:

• Import full SolidWorks history trees
• Expanded support for cutting STL files
• CAD enhancements
• 3D high speed toolpath enhancements
• …and many more

About Mastercam

Developed by CNC Software, Inc., Mastercam is Windows-based CAD/CAM software for 2- through 5-axis milling and turning; 2- and 4-axis wire EDM; 2D and 3D design, surface, and solid modeling; artistic relief cutting, and 2D and 3D routing. CNC Software is a privately owned corporation founded in 1984. The U.S.-based company provides Mastercam CAD/CAM solutions to more than 124,000 installations in 75 countries in industries including mold-making, prototyping, automotive, medical, aerospace, and consumer products. Mastercam runs under Windows 2000 and Windows XP and is compatible with all other CAD/CAM systems. For more information about CNC Software, Inc. and its Mastercam family of products, contact CNC Software, Inc., M - F, 8 AM - 6 PM EST at (800) 228-2877 or (860) 875-5006, 671 Old Post Road, Tolland, CT 06084.

For more information, visit www.mastercam.com.

2L Inc’s Spring Loaded Engraving Tool for Engraving Curved, Flat and Uneven Surfaces Is Now Available In a New Mini Size 3/8″ Diameter to Accommodate Smaller CNC Machines.
Spring Loaded Engraving Tools For CNC Machine Engraving Are Now Available In Four Sizes To Fit Virtually Any CNC Machine.

News Release: Tuesday, November 5, 2008 12:00pm EST

Source 2L inc., Hudson, Massachusetts - 2L inc. announced today it has expanded its’ Spring Loaded Engraving Tool line and is now offering, for immediate delivery, a new size 3/8″ diameter “Mini” Spring Loaded Engraving Tool.

2L Spring Loaded Engraving Tools are patented engraving toolholders used for cnc machine engraving of curved, flat and uneven surfaces. With the addition of the 3/8″ diameter Spring Loaded Engraving Tool, 4 sizes of Spring Loaded Tools are now available to fit virtually any cnc machine to perform engraving.

“Mini” Spring Loaded Toolholders are available in shaft sizes of 1/2″, 3/8″ and 1/4″ and fit in a cnc collet or endmill holder. The Mini Spring Loaded Engraving Tools hold 3/16″ diameter engraving tools and are designed for engraving applications using smaller tabletop cnc mills.

The 3/4″ diameter “Standard” Spring Loaded Engraving Tool can be used in a 3/4″ collet or endmill holder and is designed for high-volume, high-speed production. It has an integrated collet holder that can be alternated to accommodate engraving tools from 1/8″-1/4″ in diameters.

Spring Loaded Engraving Tools simplify engraving and marking on flat, curved and uneven surfaces using a cnc milling machine. Its patented design provides constant pressure to the engraving toolbit as it moves over the surface being engraved, allowing the toolbit to float within the toolholder and compensate for uneven surfaces in the engraved material. In addition, the use of the 2L Spring Loaded Engraving Tool has shown to significantly reduce engraving cycle times up to 84% in high production. Significant savings can also be realized in setup times because the precise location of the workpiece surface is not critical as it is when using a rigid toolholder.

The Spring Loaded Engraving Tool is sold in a kit with the all the necessary items to begin engraving immediately using a cnc machine. Each Spring Loaded Engraving Tool Kit includes a Spring Loaded Toolholder, one 2L Solid Carbide Engraving Toolbit, Free Engraving 2L Software and a light tension spring for general purpose engraving.

2L continues to expand it product lines with unique, superior quality product solutions for engraving, workholding and manufacturing environments.

Orders can be placed by contacting 2L at (978)567-8867 or by visiting www.2Linc.com.

Please refer all inquiries to:
2L inc.
4 Kane Industrial Drive
P.O. Box 105
Hudson, MA 01749
(978)567-8867
www.2Linc.com

About 2L inc.: Since 1998, 2L inc. has been designing, developing and manufacturing innovative Engraving, Workholding and Industrial Products. All of our products are proudly made in Massachusetts, USA.

Contacts:

Marketing:
Lori Nichols
USA
Phone: 978-567-8867
E-mail this person

CNC machines are used in manufacturing to produce components with exacting tolerances and to increase production capacity while reducing waste.

Crestwood owner Deane Hinrichs explained, “The CNC machine gives us the ability to do even more detailed and intricate custom work as well as high-volume commercial cabinetry.

“It also helps us be more environment-friendly by reducing the amount of waste generated from cabinet production.”

The CNC machine was delivered to Crestwood’s factory, located on 760th St. in Hager City, last month and became fully operational Nov. 7. Factory representatives spent five days earlier this month performing setup, programming and training Crestwood personnel.

Crestwood Cabinets has been locally owned for over 30 years. Deane Hinrichs is a second-generation owner and a local resident. Crestwood currently employs nine local residents.

http://www.piercecountyherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=18377

Besides the comprehensive range of products manufactured and developed by market leaders fulfilling even the most demanding requirements, Exportech offers a professional advise in the definition of the most suitable style and configuration, a full training on installation and start-up, and a competent after-sale service.

Exportech is the official distributor of Faro srl for their all-around milling machines and powerful CAD-CAM, and dealer of the 3D scanner from Laserdenta, tools and diamonds from Fuma Tools, consumables from Andrea Artuso and SUM3D, the 4-5 axis CAM from Cimsystem.

http://www.a-zeta.it/salastampa/commostra.php?cod=2432

It’s common for some workpieces, primarily jet engine high-temperature-alloy parts, to require about 3000 smalldiam cooling-airflow holes-each at a different angle-to be drilled in a noncontact manner. Laser drilling is often the best option for speed, and to minimize material stress. Inconel, Waspalloy, Hastalloy, and nickel-based titanium alloys are the typical materials.

After three years in R&D, the VLD-300 offers positioning accuracy and repeatability in X, Y, Z axes of 0.00004” (0.001 mm). The A axis positioning accuracy is ±6 arc-sec; repeatability is ±3 arc-sec. On the C axis, accuracy is ±4 arc-sec, and repeatability is ±2 arc-sec. Cutting feed rate in X, Y, and Z is 0.004-787” (0.1-20,000 mm), and acceleration rate on the X, Y, and Z-axes is 1.5 g.

The company says the machine’s design uses Mitsui Seiki’s traditional machine tool building methodology, applying a laser rather than mechanical drilling tools. It reportedly incorporates a fairly simple, effective beam delivery system. The optic system has just one axis of motion, Z, and one bending mirror for easier maintenance and simple beam alignment.

Mitsui Seiki partnered with a European laser company to produce the Nd:YAG version of this new machine. The VLD-300 is designed to also work with CO2, diode-pump, and fiber lasers for different aerospace and other industry applications, such as certain electronics, medical, and automotive parts.

The VLD-300 has a cast-iron bed and linear motor drives. Combined with an interior work area of smooth, highly sloped surfaces, a dust collection system prevents cutting debris from contaminating the work zone and equipment. The Nd:YAG system offers a focal length of 200 or 300 mm with a height sensor for scanning and work-offset probing. The machine is described as “automation ready” for devices such as pallets and robotic loading/ unloading equipment. Circle 200.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3618/is_200806/ai_n27900803?tag=content;col1

Available canned cycles include: facing cycles; internal linear cycles; internal multi-plunge cycles; internal passing cycles; internal swing cycles; multi-plunge and passing cycles; passing cycles; plunge with swing cycles; straight plunge cycles; and dressing cycles. In addition, part-zero offset, diamond offset and taper-rate correction screens are made conversational using graphic examples. The controls also include Solid Graphics, which allows operators to define existing part stock dimensions. Conventional toolpath graphics are also included.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_7_80/ai_n27474545?tag=content;col1

The company moved to its 3.5 million Euro regional headquarters in 2004. Since then, its business in Europe has grown by more than 40 per cent annually and Haas employee numbers working from the facility have increased to 65, including 25 service and support engineers.

The extension to the Haas Automation Europe (HAE) building will bring total covered floor space to more than 8,300 square meters and will include a new warehouse, spare parts storage and training area (an increase of 1,100 square meters), and additional office space (an increase of 475 square meters).

A glass atrium (245 square meters) will join the existing building to the new, architect designed extension. Total investment in the project is expected to reach 2.5million Euros and building work will be completed in late August 2008, with an official grand opening planned for late October 2008.

“The building extension will give us the extra space and facilities we need to continue our rapid growth in Europe,” HAE managing director Peter Hall said. “It will provide an excellent, comfortable environment for our staff and will help to ensure Haas customer service is always exemplary.

“Belgium has certainly proved to be the best place for the Haas Europe head office,” he added. “In a few short years we have built a pan-European HFO network selling and supporting Haas machines in 25 countries around the continent. In Zaventem, we have access to talented, multi-lingual personnel and we are close to Brussels airport and the country’s highways.”

In early 2008, Haas Automation, Inc., of Oxnard, California, announced that 2007 was the most productive year in the company’s history, with CNC machine tool production exceeding 13,755 units – up 10 percent over 2006 – and a 19-percent increase in revenues to more than $880 million. The 2007 numbers – which exceeded previous records set in 2006 – reinforce Haas Automation’s position as the world’s leading CNC machine tool builder by unit volume.

2007 also saw the official launch of the Haas Technical Education Centre (HTEC) program, at EMO in Hanover, Germany. Since then, the Haas Automation Europe HTEC team has been busy setting up a number of exciting new collaborative CNC teaching facilities at universities, colleges and technical schools across Europe.

“We are experiencing strong growth in Europe in 2008,” added Hall. “We have a well established distribution and support infrastructure, a fantastic range of CNC machine tools and rotary tables and, with the rapidly expanding HTEC program, one of the most creative and exciting initiatives in the European manufacturing sector in recent decades.”  \

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/News/Article/False/81399/