This year, the spotlight will be on the huge range of machine tools available, capable of attracting users from all the sectors that use metalworking systems. Aerospace Manufacturing looks at EMO exhibitors’ latest products.
Handtmann (hall 12, booth C74) will present a revised version of its 5-axis horizontal machining centre HBZ CompactCell 200/100 with pallet automation, equipped with the new Handtmann Milling Head (HMH) fork head. Available with an extended tool magazine, a larger work zone as well as improved dampening features, improved ergonomics and temperature compensation together with increased accuracy, the HBZ CompactCell will be machining an aluminium structural aerospace part at the show.
Meanwhile, key partners of Engineering Technology Group (ETG) will be in evidence at EMO. An early snapshot of machines and workholding products that will be featured for the first time will reveal new innovations from Chiron, Nakamura-Tome and Hardinge Bridgeport. ETG personnel from the UK will be present at the exhibition supporting their partners on the stands and available to discuss the latest trends and machines that in many cases can become the cornerstone of turnkey and high productivity installations.
Nakamura-Tome (hall 17, stand B40) has two brand new introductions with its SC300II multi-tasking machining centre and the heavy duty NTY3-150 GR203 High Speed machine with gantry.
Featuring a totally re-configured bed casting and offering much higher cutting capabilities, the SC300II offers a big bore, powerful cuts and a 10” capacity chuck. The NTY3-150 GR203 High Speed is the new, bigger size NTY3-150 multi-tasking machining centre, equipped with a completely upgraded design gantry system.
Chiron Werke (hall 12, stand CO4) also has an emphasis on speed with its new ‘DZ08FX Precision’ 5-axis machine. Its high-dynamic package is based on a new drive concept which, among other features, offers a change from ballscrews to non-contact electromagnetic linear guides in the X/Y/Z axes, increasing the maximum speed gain factor and ensuring a noticeable increase in dynamics.
Hardinge Bridgeport (hall 17, stand 55) is also using EMO to highlight new and recent additions to its portfolio. Prominently featured will be the Talent P high performance turning centres – a new range due for imminent launch in the UK – and the Bridgeport XT travelling beam 5-axis and five-face vertical machining centres.
Elsewhere, Sodick (hall 13, stand A86) will unveil the latest EDM technology at EMO. Machines on the stand will include four wire EDM machines; with two brand-new models, the ALC800G and VL600QH, as well as a Premium ALC600L, while Sodick’s extensive die-sinker EDM range will be represented by an automation-ready AG60L equipped with a robot, as well as one of its entry-level AD55L machines. In addition, the company will demonstrate the OPM250L - its 3D metal additive manufacturing machine with integral milling capability.
Fermat Machine Tool (hall 11, stand D07) will launch the WFT 13R CNC horizontal boring mill at the show. Marketed and supported in the UK by 2D CNC Machinery, Fermat describes the new machine as representing the latest technology in table-type horizontal borers. It maintains the machine combines power, the ability to absorb high axial forces and has the most precise table configuration in its category. The WFT 13R has five linear axes and a rotary B-axis. Travels in X, Y and Z are 4,000mm, 3,000mm and 2,000mm respectively with its W- and ram travel V-axis having travels of 730mm and 700mm respectively.
NCMT Fixture Solutions (hall 5, stand G11) will use EMO to demonstrate the advantages of its Blue Photon photoactivated adhesive system. It’s intended for the manufacture of workholding systems for use on machine tools and is ideal for securing awkwardly shaped parts for tight-tolerance machining and inspection.
The process involves applying an adhesive that is cured by ultraviolet light via an LED spot curing system. The adhesive can subsequently be melted and the machined workpiece removed by immersion in hot water or by application of another heat source
, which optimally should be at 80°C. Alternatively, the adhesive contact points can be sheared to free the workpiece by rotating the gripper pins in the fixture plate with a spanner.
Use of the technique is predicted to grow rapidly due to its ability to hold components securely with an average shear resistance of 136kg per gripper point, yet allow cutters excellent all-round access for machining on five sides. Unlike magnetic clamping systems, it can be used to secure not only ferrous metals but also non-ferrous metallic parts as well as ceramics and composites, including delicate materials.
With Industry 4.0 and the Smart Factory at the core of the display, visitors to the Walter (hall 3, stand B34) stand will be able to test a range of Apps and digital tools all designed to save time and money on every production application and all material types via intuitive touchscreens and tool displays, as well as a large central screen. For example, with Walter’s Tool·ID, it is possible to clearly identify and continuously monitor all the tools used in a production process. Tool life is also checked and tools are always replaced at exactly the right time. Tool data can be transferred directly from the presetting device to the machine and the machine parameters can be evaluated. Walter’s display will highlight the company’s close collaboration with Comara, a company specialising in data and networking, and which is now part of the Walter family.
For the first time at EMO, CB Ferrari (hall 13, stand B35) will show its new GT1600/2000 machining centres. The GT Series is a high-speed, 5-axis machining centre featuring a moving column design with a tilting vertical spindle. This design creates a rigid and compact structure which enables efficient roughing and finishing operations to be undertaken. A feature of the machine is the 2,000mm x 1,500 mm table that incorporates the 750mm diameter rotary table. The two-machine series has axis travels of 1,600 or 2,000mm in X, 820mm in Y and 850mm in Z.
GF Machining Solutions’ EMO booth (hall 27, stand B24) is the place to experience live demonstrations of eTracking in-process monitoring for DS EDM as well as the GF Division’s new Seal Slot Technology Dedicated Solution providing one-click setup for aerospace seal slot manufacturing with DS EDM.
GF Machining Solutions’ pioneering EDM process monitoring with the eTracking process monitoring capabilities of its AgieCharmilles CUT 200 Dedicated solution for turbine disk fir-tree root, is extended to its FORM series of DS EDM solutions. EMO visitors will see in live demonstrations how eTracking advances the capabilities of the AgieCharmilles FORM P 350.
Linked with the DS EDM machine’s numerical control, the eTracking software is a live, in-process tracking tool. By following key process parameters, eTracking ensures the machine’s performance and, when the machining process is complete, generates a data record for certification of quality production.
Productivity gains of up to 30% are said to be made possible using the new Seal Slot Technology which allows one-click setup for seal slot manufacturing. As a smart, onboard machining strategy, Seal Slot Technology can preset any AgieCharmilles FORM E/P series DS EDM machine to deliver maximum performance in seal slot production. It optimises the machining process for best speed with minimal electrode wear while maximising efficiency and quality. Manufacturers can further increase their DS EDM performance by incorporating GF Machining Solutions’ own AC-K700 graphite for their electrodes into their processes.
Okuma Europe (hall 27, booth D20) will display its latest machining solutions to provide connectivity and productivity at this year’s EMO. Okuma’s smart machines as well as the LASER EX series of multitasking machines capable of turning, milling, laser hardening and additive manufacturing will make their European debuts. In addition, Okuma will introduce its latest Smart Factory Solutions and present new ways to integrate robotics to take productivity in an IoT-environment to the next level.
Okuma’s latest 5-axis vertical machining centre MU-S600V enables five-face machining with unparalleled floor space productivity. With a width of 1,400mm the machine handles workpieces 600mm in diameter.
Okuma’s LASER EX line includes the world’s first ‘done-on-one’-machines. The 5-axis vertical machining centre MU-6300V LASER EX is capable of milling, turning, grinding, laser metal deposition (LMD) and heat treatment for a wide range of workpiece sizes and shapes.
The MULTUS U5000 is designed for stable heavy-duty cutting with low spindle speeds and handles medium and large parts as well as difficult-to-cut materials. Finish grinding is also among the new arrival’s many features. The MULTUS U5000 LASER EX enables laser processing from coating to laser metal deposition (LMD). Okuma will demonstrate the machine’s laser hardening capabilities in a stage presentation.
Further EMO-premieres include Okuma’s compact MULTUS B250II, the compact precision cylindrical grinder GA26W, featuring an NC tailstock for increased efficiency and the new lathes V920EX, GENOS L2000 and GENOS L3000.
Finally, Open Mind Technologies (hall 25, stand A08) will exhibit its NC code-based hyperMILL VIRTUAL Machining Centre machine simulation for the first time at this year’s EMO.
Live machining demonstrations using the innovative strategies provided by the hyperMILL MAXX Machining performance package will be performed. The developer of CAM/CAD software and post-processors will also offer a first glimpse of its upcoming hyperMILL version 2018.1 at EMO.
Milling tasks that use powerful 5-axis machining centres are becoming more diverse, making reliable machine simulation more important than ever before. With its hyperMILL VIRTUAL Machining Centre, Open Mind says it has developed a solution that uses the NC code after the postprocessor run, as the basis for the simulation. This ensures that the virtual machine movements correspond exactly to the real machine movements.
