MagazineMagazineMagazineMagazine

Issue 5 Autumn 2010

BIG MILL

In This Issue The winning Edge An in depth review of the engineering technology group

Entertaining Production DZ from Chiron

“On Yer Bike” Precision mountain bike parts

“Suits You” UK Feeler Launch

£5m wing spar cell cuts machining times by 30%

Handtmann Beam Production at Wrexham

Chiron Magnum showers Mira FZ12W one hit manufacturing

50% Faster “After Market” Performance parts MPE high value Components NTY3

“Where has all the Swarf Gone?” New Handtmann HBZ Compact Cell “Hold it” Work Holding solutions

Date for your Diary

Technology Open House Southam 30th November/1st December You should receive an invitation by email

However For full details ring 01926 818418 or email sales@engtechgroup.com

Editors Comment Welcome to the Autumn 2010 edition of engineering

technology magazine The UK engineering sector after a torrid 18 months seems

to be re capturing it’s spark and moving forward at a pace The drive is coming

from the sub contractor area who to a man seem to have decided to get on with

it embracing technology as they move forward . We hope you find the informa-

tion interesting and useful

Magazine Issue 5 Autumn 2010

Since it was created in 2005, the Engineering Technology Group has brought a new way of thinking to the UK manufacturing sector. And it is a way of thinking that has struck a chord with companies that want to gain a competitive edge in global markets

The winning edge

The group starts from the position of offering highly productive technologies that allow components to be finished in the mini-mum number of setups and the fastest possible machining cycles. It combines this with a unique structure that offers the best aspects of a small specialised supplier – speed of reac-tion, in-depth knowledge, a comprehensive understanding of the machines’ capabilities – with the strength in depth of a large company. The Group has now grown to encompass four machine tool suppliers – Chiron UK, Turning Technologies, Handtmann CNC UK and Feeler, as well as Hyfore, a precision engineer-ing company specialising in bespoke automation and workholding systems, and Engineering Solutions, the Group’s after-care and preventative maintenance provider. Unique approach The unique structure of the Engineering Technology Group means that each of these companies has its own dedicated specialists – experts in applications, technical engineering, service, training and project engineering. So they can work closely with the customer to identify its manufacturing require-ments and develop a bespoke solution. Traditionally, this type of specialist expertise was generally associated with small suppliers – as larger suppliers are gen-erally more interested in selling larger volumes of standard machines. But the problem with these small specialists was that they didn’t have the resources to provide a comprehen-sive service or deliver complex projects. Without the economies of scale and infrastructure of a volume supplier, aspects such as project management, systems inte-gration and process development often let them down – not to mention important aspects such as support, spares and fi-nance. The advantage of the Engineering Technology Group is that it has the scale to provide all these core services from a shared central facility. This includes applications and process engi-neering, CAD/CAM programming in Delcam and CATIA sys-

tems, project management and strategic management of manufacturing needs. And by drawing together expertise across the Group it can bring together complex turnkey solu-tions. Also working across the Group is Engineering Solutions, its after-care division. This provides all the support activities re-quired to keep high-productivity production systems operating at maximum efficiency, including 24-hour service support from factory-trained specialists, preventative maintenance and war-ranty engineering. As Group Chairman Paul Rhodes explains: “The result of our unique structure is that the customer gets the same level of in-depth product knowledge and experience that they would ex-pect from a small niche supplier. At the same time they can draw on the in-depth strengths of a large organization.” Maximum productivity The emphasis across the Engineering Technology Group’s machine tool range is on manufacturing concepts that allow even the most complex components to be finished in the mini-mum number of operations. Chiron UK, one of the original Group members, offers a wide range of moving column vertical machining centres that offer exceptional productivity and a wide range of 5-axis options – including swivel head, two-axis table and even twin-spindle configurations. The emphasis is on high speed axis travels and fast chip-to-chip times, combined with accuracy, stability and reliability. Turning Technologies UK, another of the original Group mem-bers, is the sole UK and Ireland representative for the highly respected Nakamura Tome range of multi-tasking machining centres. Nakamura’s twin opposed spindle machines, with multiple tool turrets or tool changers and high power driven tooling, are recognised as leading the field in one-hit machin-ing. The machines are also known for their stability and rigid-ity, which allows consistent repeatable accuracy in 24/7 pro-duction. A specialist in high capacity machining for the aerospace mar-ket, Handtmann offers three-, four- and five-axis machining in a range of configurations including gantry machines, portal machines and the revolutionary AeroCell horizontal machining centre. With capacities up to 47m by 10m and metal removal rates of up to 12 litres per minute, Handtmann machines have delivered massive productivity gains in applications such as wing spar machining. The latest addition to the group is the Feeler range, produced by Fair Friend, the largest machine tool manufacturer in Greater China (China and Taiwan). Built to a high specifica-

tion at a competitive price, the Feeler range encompasses a wide range of three-, four- and five-axis horizontal and vertical machining centres and turning machines that are at the high quality, high technology end of the volume machine tool mar-ket. A powerful proposition Combine the Group’s portfolio of high capability machining technologies with its strategic strengths, core capabilities and ongoing support services and it adds up to a powerful proposi-tion, says Paul Rhodes. “To survive and grow in today’s global markets, companies have to have a clear competitive edge. That means using the most productive machine tools and applying them intelligently; machining components complete in one setup, maximising spindle utilisation and eliminating unproductive time. “To do this, we talk to our customers, get to grips with the manufacturing challenges they face and work out with them how they should meet them. It’s not just about selling them a machine, it is about developing a solution that fits what they want and the way they work. Whether it is applications exper-tise, tooling and programming advice, specialised workholding or a full turnkey project – we will give them the production-ready solution they need to ensure maximum productivity.” Partnership approach A good example of how the Engineering Technology Group works with its customers is its partnership with the Magellan Aerospace Corporation. The driver for Magellan is to develop more productive manu-

facturing methods than its competitors. Working initially on a project for wing ribs, the two companies together developed a twin 5-axis spindle, twin-table Chiron Duo Mill, with two four-sided work-holding fixtures developed by Hyfore Engineering. This produced the parts faster than the best competitive tech-nology at 58% of the cost. They key was that as well as developing the machine to the required specification the Engineering Technology Group also committed to achieving the cycle times that were part of Ma-gellan’s bid to its customer. It provided engineering support through the start-up phase of the project as well as ongoing engineering support and 24/7 maintenance on a four-hour call-out. Following on from that project, Magellan ordered a two-machine FMS for a new wing spar machining facility at its Wrexham site. The £5 million manufacturing cell is expected to cut machining times by around 30% compared to previous methods. At the heart of the cell are two Handtmann PBZ-HD high-speed, five-axis portal machining centres linked by a fully integrated overhead flexible manufacturing system (FMS). These can produce parts up to 10m long by 1.5m wide and are fitted with the latest 100kW Fischer spindles, which can achieve metal removal rates of up to 12 litres a minute. The cell will be producing around 2,200 wing spars a year, up to 10m long and 1m wide, including inner and mid spars for the single-aisle Airbus A320 as well as inner rear spars for the A330 and A340 family of aircraft. The wing spar production was secured as part of a multimillion dollar contract, agreed as part of the Airbus Power 8 initiative, that won increased volumes and new packets of work for Ma-gellan in exchange for cost reductions. The solution supplied by the Engineering Technology Group represents a step change in the way this type of component is manufactured, allowing Magellan to manufacture wing components at un-precedented production rates. In fact, Magellan estimates that it has achieved a 30% reduction in cycle time compared to previous methods. Summing up, Paul Rhodes commented: “It is very gratifying to be able to see the kind of successes we have had with cus-tomers such as Magellan. Five years on from the creation of the Group, it is clear that we have a philosophy that is in tune with the needs of the market. As we move out of recession and into what everyone hopes will be more positive times for manufacturing we look forward to helping more and more companies gain the winning edge.”

Chiron's DZ range of twin-spindle vertical machining centres represent the ultimate in fast and flexible machining through the pro-vision of comprehensive tooling and workta-ble configurations.

With up to twin 86-tool magazines available (Via Background Magazine) through the four-machine series, DZ models can be supplied with a fixed-table or Swivel table machining capability with spindle centres upto 400mm to suit your specification.

Spindle Power upto 2 x 28Kw, Speeds of upto 24,000 revs/min Rapid traverses reach

75 m/min while the super-fast tool change time of 0.9 sec is complimented by a chip to chip time of 2.4 secs These are exceptional figures for a machine in this class.

Machining capacities for both spindles are: drilling - 42 mm; tapping - M30; milling 350 cm3/min (in ST 60). Through-the-tool coolant, supplied at 70 bar, and integrated tool measurement and management are sup-plied as standard.

Entertaining production rewards with the twin-spindle

Chiron variety show

“ON YER BIKE” HOPE TECHNOLOGY CHOOSES NAKAMURA FOR PRODUCTIVE ONE-HIT MACHINING

A combination of enthusiasm and innovation has

helped Hope Technology transform itself from a

general subcontractor into a world-leading brand

in the mountain bike aftermarket. As part of its

long-term manufacturing focus Hope has recently

invested in a Nakamura-Tome WT-150 twin-

spindle twin-turret lathe supplied by Turning Tech-

nologies. The new machine, which is fitted with a

robot part-loading system, is part of Hope’s drive

for continuous improvement of its processes –

with the emphasis on high-quality, repeatable and

productive one-hit machining.

Simon Sharp and Ian Weatherill, the co-founders

of Hope, started their careers as apprentice toolmakers at Rolls-Royce and went on to set up their own sub-

contracting company. They had always been interested in motorcycle trials riding and mountain bikes, so

after a few years in business it is not surprising that they turned to making what interested them.

“We could see that the technology on a trials bike was eventually going to be applied on a mountain bike

and saw an opportunity,” says Simon. “We made a front hub first, went to a few mountain bike races and it

took off from there.” Hope now makes and markets a range of hydraulic disk brake systems for mountain

bikes, as well as stand-alone hubs and other ancillary equipment. “ all our hubs are machined from billet,”

says Simon. As well as quality, Hope is also focused on process improvement by reducing production times,

handling, and the number of operations.

“That’s why we bought the Nakamura WT-150,” says Simon. ” We are making 30,000 to 40,000 hubs a year

and we will now be able to do them in one go rather than two operations as we were doing it before. We

needed both turrets because there is a lot of machining on both ends of the part. With twin turrets we can

balance the operations to get the best cycle time.”He explains that as well as turning, drilling, tapping and de

-burring, each hub calls for a significant amount of milling, making the Y-axis a necessity. “We start with a

billet and ending up with a finished part that can go straight into anodising. It has cut out a lot of dead time,”

he says. Simon says it was Nakamura’s good reputation for quality and process stability that led him to de-

cide on the WT-150.

“It is a machine designed for production, and what we really like about it is that it is very accurate. We don’t

have to adjust the offsets very often and the repeatability is very good. That’s important to us. We talked

about putting probing on the machine, but realised that we didn’t really need it. If you are going to adopt un-

manned running you need to be sure that the process is very stable.”

“With the WT-150 you don’t have to worry about locating the part as you are loading a plain billet and the

machine knows the orientation it is in when you transfer it between spindles,” he says.

For the hubs the robot is loading cut billets. 65mm diameter and, as Simon points out, if you wanted a bar-

feed machine to cope with this diameter it would have to be a big machine.

Stop Press As part of their continued focus on high quality, repeatability and productive one-hit

machining Hope Technology have added afurther Nakamura to their capability

This time a WT100

The widest range of High performance machine tools now available from the engineering technology group

Productive solutions at the right price

A new venture from the Engineering Technology Group brings to the UK a broad range of high-quality competitively priced machine tools from one of the world’s largest manufacturers. Manufactured by the Fair Friend Group, the Feeler range in-cludes drill-tap centres, light-, medium- and heavy-duty verti-cal machining centres, horizontal machining centres, five-axis vertical machining centres and long bed milling machines. These highly capable machines fill the gap between low-specification, low-duty budget machines and the highest-specification Chiron and Handtmann machine tools already offered by the Engineering Technology Group. And complementing the Engineering Technology Group’s Na-kamura-Tome twin-spindle, multi-turret turning centres, new additions from the Feeler range include large slant-bed, two-axis lathes with turning lengths up to 4m and vertical lathes with capacities up to 3m diameter. The Feeler machines are available as standalone units or as part of a fully engineered, production-ready turnkey system with comprehensive performance and aftercare support. As Engineering Technology Group Chairman Paul Rhodes com-ments: “Whereas in the past the benefits of turnkey systems have been the preserve of larger OEMs and specialist manu-facturers, they are now available to small and medium-sized manufacturers and subcontractors.” Aiming for the top Although the Fair Friend Group and the Feeler brand are, so far, fairly unknown in the UK, it can only be a matter of time before they make the same impact here as they have in the rest of the world. The Taiwan-headquartered Group is already the largest machine tool manufacturer in Greater China and has an annual production of 8,000 machines. 5,000 of these are vertical machining centres, making it the second biggest VMC manufacturer in the world. With 2,000 graduates – 30% of its workforce – devoted to research and product develop-ment, it is likely to become the world’s biggest machine tool manufacturer within the next ten years. .Combined with low assembly costs, the sheer volume of its production gives Feeler the economies of scale and buying power to offer high-quality machines at extremely competitive prices. This allows

it to design and manufacture its machines using tried and tested proprietary components, such as linear guides, ball screws, CNC, motor packages and linear scales, from leading German and Japanese suppliers. Companies worldwide that have recognised this combination of high specification and competitive prices include blue chip organisations such as Airbus, Boeing, NASA, Toyota, BMW, Ferrari, GM, VW, Sie-mens and Caterpillar. Says Paul Rhodes: “Compared to other leading brands of mid-range Japanese and German manufac-turers, a five-axis machining centre from Feeler will give equivalent performance and quality for around 60% of the cost. We are sure that Feeler machines will appeal to custom-ers all the way from small subcontract engineering companies up to Tier One automotive and aerospace suppliers.” Introducing the Feeler range The Engineering Technology Group is offering a broad range of machines from Feeler, covering all types of material, vol-ume requirement, component size and market sector. The FVP series, the most popular vertical machining centre in the world, with 3,500 units sold a year, is an ideal low-cost, entry-level machine for small subcontractors. These BT 40 ma-chines are available in three-, four- or three + two-axis con-figurations and offer a step up in capability, build quality and specification from the general run of commodity low-cost offer-ings. For light machining of aluminium castings and extrusions, the TV-510 series is a range of BT30 mill/drill/tap centres with spindle speeds of up to 15,000 rpm and 60m/sec rapid trav-erse speeds. This high-speed capability is complemented by a 1.2 second tool change and in three- and four-axis configura-tions. Typical applications would be the machining of automo-tive die-castings. A step up in size from the TV-510 is the QM series of vertical machining centres. ideal for a vast range of materials, this series offers 48 m/sec rapid traverses, 2.2 sec-ond tool change, BT40 tooling and an X-axis up to 800mm.

Single- and twin-pallet versions are available and the machine can also be supplied with a fourth axis or in a 3+2 five-axis configuration – often more than sufficient for one-setup ma-chining when there is no need for simultaneous 5-axis machin-ing of complex surfaces. This machine competes very effec-tively with Korean and Japanese alternatives due to its supe-rior working range and pallet size. Where shaving seconds of cycle times is crucial, the HV variant offers 60m/min rapids on X and Y axes. Until now the Engineering Technology Group hasn’t had a horizontal machining centre – Feeler’s FMH-500 range changes that with a very capable and competitively priced machine. The Engineering Technology Group will have an FMH-500 with 12,000 rpm spindle, 60m/min rapids and twin 500kg ca-pacity pallets at its Southam headquarters for the Feeler launch. For heavy machining applications, the FBM series of horizon-tal machining and boring machines, or the VB series of box-way design BT50 verticals are the answer. The VB series, for example, is ideal for oil industry, energy, machine building, marine and transport applications, offering payloads up to 2.7 tonnes, X-axis travel up to 2.2m and Y-axis up to 1m. The FBM range of rugged horizontal boring and milling ma-chines is aimed at heavy industry machining applications, for components such as valve blocks and manifolds for, for exam-ple, the offshore sector, where multiple sides have to be faced, milled and bored. Machines are available in three- or four-axis configurations with working areas up to 1800mm (X) by 1600mm (Y) and payloads up to 2 tonnes. For full simultaneous five-axis machining, Feeler offers the high-specification B-800 range – again at a price advantage of around 40% compared to established Japanese and German mid-range machines. A trunion-type machine, with direct drive A and C axes, solid box-way construction and proven Heiden-hain control, the B-800 range is expected to be particularly attractive to aerospace and motor sport customers that are machining parts from solid billet. For large turning applications, the FT series of 2-axis ma-chines offers a complete range of slant-bed, box-way turning centres with turning lengths from 500mm to 4m – ideal for large shaft work in the oil industry, printing and paper machin-ery and the energy sector. A C-axis option allows driven tool machining. As with the rest of the Feeler range, these are very competitively priced. These are complemented by a range of large capacity vertical turning machines, ideal for components such as turbine rings,

with turning diameters from 450 to 3m. These are also avail-able with driven tools. For very big and heavy components, Feeler offers the FV range of double-column, long bed milling machines. Extremely rugged, with a hand-scraped box-way construction, these are available with X-axis travel of up to 8m, making them suitable for aerospace components, machine building and composite machining for motorsport. What the market wants As Feeler project leader Dave Broomfield explains: “With Feeler we can offer the market a full range from an entry-level machine all the way up to twin-pallet vertical machines, twin-pallet horizontal machines and five-axis machines for billet work. All built using high quality components and, with the exception of the 5-axis B-800 where we prefer the proven Heidenhain control, all using the latest Fanuc 0iMD control. “Across the complete range, Feeler offers a very good specifi-cation that can achieve the quality, cycle times and reliability that are fit for purpose to achieve aerospace and automotive standards.” It is not just a case of selling machine tools though; it is also about drawing on the strengths of the Engineering Technology Group to provide a complete application-based turnkey solu-tion. “We can supply a ‘machine in a box’ if that is what the cus-tomer wants and they can then do their own fixturing and ap-plications engineering,” says Stuart. “But as a result of the recession many companies can no longer afford to sustain these resources and capabilities in-house. We can help you bridge that gap and offer you the machine complete with the applications you want – so that’s work-holding, fixtures, auto-mation, cutting tool selection, CAD/CAM programming in Del-cam and CATIA systems, prove-out, production guarantees, preventative maintenance agreements, service contracts, training – it’s a one-stop shop.” The Engineering Technology Group has already supplied five machines on this basis to an automotive industry supplier, where they are producing parts such as cam caps, bearing ladders and mounting brackets. They have proved their reli-ability and stable quality in full three-shift working, and the customer has now ordered two more machines. As Paul Rhodes concludes: “We listened to the market and realised that it’s not just the top end of the market that wants turnkey solutions, and so we are now offering these benefits to companies such as subcontractors and small- to-medium manufacturers. “If you tell us what you want to do, we can help you grow your business by providing a turnkey solution that answers all your current needs and equips you for the future.” The Feeler range at a glance TV-510 – Drilling and tapping machines for aluminium machin-ing FVP – High-quality entry-level vertical machining centre QMP – Linear guide vertical machining centre for aluminium machining HV – Similar to QM with faster rapids FMH-500 – Single- and twin-pallet horizontal machining cen-tres VB – Box-way vertical machining centre for heavy duty appli-cations FBM – Heavy-duty horizontal drilling and boring machines B-800 – Box-way true five-axis machining centre with Heiden-hain control FV – Double-column long bed mills up to 8.2m and 24 tonnes

FT – Two-axis slant-bed lathes up to 4m length

FVT—Vertical Lathes

A £5 million flexible manufacturing cell for the machining of aircraft wing spars is expected to cut machining

times by around 30% compared to previous methods. At the heart of the investment, which was supported

by a grant from the Welsh Development Agency, are two Handtmann PBZ-HD high-speed five-axis portal

machining centre's linked by a fully integrated overhead flexible manufacturing system (FMS).

Supplied by Handtmann CNC UK, part of the Engineering Technology Group, the cell can produce parts up

to 10m long by 1.5m wide. The machines are fitted with the latest 100kW Fischer spindles, which can

achieve metal removal rates of up to 12 litres a minute. The cell will be producing around 2,200 wing spars a

year, up to 10m long and 1m wide, including inner and mid spars for the single-aisle Airbus A320 as well

inner rear spars for the A330 and A340 family of aircraft. The wing spar production was secured as part of a

multi million Dollar contract, agreed as part of the Airbus Power 8 initiative, that won increased volumes and

new packets of work for Magellan in exchange for cost reductions.

Magellan’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, Haydn Martin commented: “The Handtmann

machines we are installing represent state-of-the- art production technology and will provide a step change

in the way this type of component is manufactured. This gives us a world-class manufacturing competence

and the ability to be extremely competitive in the global aerospace market.” The combination of five-axis ma-

chining, high-power spindles and integrated FMS will allow Magellan to manufacture wing components at

unprecedented production rates. Full five-axis machining with 100kW spindles gives extremely high metal

removal rates combined with quality of finish. It also allows Magellan to machine the 3D skin surfaces and

complex pockets with closed angles called for on the spars. The portal

structure of the Handtmann PBZ-HD machine gives more rigidity and allows

higher feed rates than a gantry machine – ensuring the 100kW spindles are

used to their full capability. The fully-integrated FMS minimizes non-

productive time spent in loading and unloading – often a major factor when

machining components of this size. It holds five pallets that can be set up

offline while the machines are running and then loaded into either of the

PBZ-HD machines. There is no downtime other than for lifting the pallet

onto the machine.

Magellan’s Adrian Young, Operations Manager for the Wrexham facility

concludes: “This was the fastest way we could find to machine these components - we think that we have

achieved maybe a 30% reduction in cycle time compared to previous methods.”

£5m wing spar cell cuts machining times by 30%

• Two Handtmann PBZ-HD high-

speed five-axis portal machining

centre's linked by a fully inte-

grated overhead flexible manu-

facturing system (FMS).

• 100kW Fischer spindles

• Metal removal rates of up to 12

litres a minute.

Midland Precision Engineering has earned a

strong reputation throughout the precision engi-

neering industry for manufacturing specialist com-

ponents, at a very high specification for very com-

petitive rates, offering delivery times of 2-3 weeks

on most orders

With over 16 years experience in the CNC milling

trade their precision engineering team employs a

selection of highly skilled CNC turning and CNC milling techniques using a wide range of materials to pro-

duce a superior range of precision parts, for many of the leading component dependant companies within the

UK.

Following substantial investment in sliding head machines they have now purchased a Nakamura Tome

NTY3 Turning Centre – a twin-spindle three-turret machine with Y-axis on each turret to further boost their

production and precision capabilities

The Super NTY3 is unique in that it has independent Y axis capability on each of the three turrets. Each spin-

dle has a dedicated upper turret, and the machine has a lower turret that can service either spindle, opera-

tions can be balanced to remove bottlenecks and deliver the shortest possible cycle times. Each turret has 24

tool positions, offering up to 7.1kW of milling power.

Says Owner Will Bradley “It look like we will be able too make some components upto 50% quicker and

with the NT nurse system we run through the night with much more confidence NT nurse automatically man-

ages Tool Life Up to 50% more components made before tip replacement is required Take the human error

out of tool life decisions “Most of the parts made last night will have to be scrapped they’re oversized” NT

nurse allows you to use “predictive wear offset update” to ensure component conformity on lights out opera-

tion

CHIRON MAGNUM SHOWERS MIRA WITH ONE-HIT

MANUFACTURING SAVINGS

The introduction of one-hit valve body machining on a Chi-ron FZ12W Magnum vertical machining centre at Caradon Mira, the UK market-leading shower manufacturing division of Caradon Plumbing Solutions, has not only generated the desired levels of throughput and accuracy, but also cleared a production bottleneck at the Cheltenham company.

Supplied by Chiron Werke UK Ltd, the Magnum comple-ments Caradon's existing Chiron FZ12W VMC which, as production engineer Richard Higgs explains, has served the company well over the past 10 years or so.

"On its own, however, the existing 12-tool Chiron VMC couldn't cope with the increasing volumes of work," he says. "The family of valve bodies, which are brass castings, are processed in batches of 60 to 100 and require a num-ber of operations - including a mixture of internal and exter-nal milling, drilling and tapping tasks.

We needed a machine that could prevent the bottleneck and was flexible enough to meet our demands for one-hit machining. We consider that the more machining operations we can complete at a single set-up then the better it is in terms of both volume and accuracy."

While speed of operation also came into machine selection, so did the desire for common tooling and pro-gramming, and guaranteed service back-up.

Meeting those demands, the FZ12W Magnum is capable of milling at 150 cm3/min, drilling 25 mm diameter and M24 tapping. This is achieved through a 20-tool magazine which boasts fast tool change time - 0.9 sec with chip-to-chip achieved within 2.4 sec - coupled with spindle speeds of up to 24,000 revs/min from the 40 kW motor.

Additionally, the machine was fitted with rotary chucks and clamped counter bearings with trunion fixtures for five-axis work-ing, complementing the X, Y and Z axes travels of 550 mm by 400 mm by 425 mm, with 190 mm to 615 mm between spindle taper and table. And the workpiece changer provides quick and simultaneous load/unload during machining.

“HOLD IT” WORKHOLDING SOLUTIONS

Manufacturing companies who no longer have an internal re-source to design and manufacture their own jigs and fixtures in-house should not hesitate to contact Hyfore, their capabilities and experience will ensure you will get the best possible workholding solution, on- time and within budget . Hyfore Engineering specialise in the design and manufacture of high quality bespoke work-holding solutions for metal cutting, welding, and assembly applications.

Hyfore’s aim is to assist companies to make significant savings in medium / high volume CNC production by using our skills to develop cost effective workholding systems that help increase machine utilisation Additional capabilities include design and manufacture of bespoke Special Purpose Machines for mechanical components assembly such as bearings/bushes/pins and mechanical seals

Please Contact Stuart Mc Cullagh Sales Manager / Direct Tel: 0785 5495 421 Email: smccullagh@hyfore.com

Hyfore Engineering Limited

Unit 2 67 Blackhorse Road Longford Coventry CV6 6DP

Multi Part Hydraulic Fixture

Hydraulic Automotive fixture

• Consultancy / 3D Modelling CAD design / Manu-facture

• Bespoke workholding Jigs / Fixtures • Clamping options: Hydraulic / Pneumatic / Man-

ual / Vacuum • Cubes / Tombstones cast and fabricated options

(bespoke sizes to suit application) • Baseplates / Subplates / Risers • Indexer basics (bespoke drive plates/bridge

plates/tailstocks to suit application) • Zero point fixtures for small batch sizes enabling

rapid changeovers

• Production welding fixtures / CMM Fixtures / Gauges

• Assembly jigs / Fixture / Pallets • Special-purpose machines (Bearing/Bush/Pin/

Seal presses) • Rotary couplings / Retrofit hydraulic and NC

rotary fourth axis indexers • Toolroom services (Milling / Turning / Jig bor-

ing / Surface grinding / Deep hole drilling) • Quality testing and proving to agreed stan-

dards / Project management • Full after sales service support

“Where has all the swarf gone” New Compact Horizontal Machining Centre

fast and price optimised: The HBZ ® CompactCell from Handtmann

Up to now, machine manufacturer Handtmann A-Punkt Automation is mainly known for the construction of ma-

chining centres for large work pieces. With its new and innovative development – the HBZ CompactCell –

Handtmann now expands its product portfolio for work pieces in smaller segment up to 2 x 1 meters. And this

with amazing cost-effectiveness to get first class price-performance ratio.

To be successful in the global market, parts with high precision and lower per unit costs are very important. Thereby a

horizontal machining centre is an optimal solution, when high material removal rates and high outputs are required. Ad-

vantage: The chips and the coolant fall down immediately and are removed efficiently out of the machining area by pow-

erful chip conveyors. Handtmann has already implemented this idea since years in its Horizontal Machining Centre HBZ

AeroCell for work piece sizes starting from 4 x 2 meters.

To be able to serve the market for smaller parts in the future, Handtmann now offers the innovative 5-axis Horizontal

Machining Centre HBZ CompactCell. The machine is optimally adapted for work pieces up to

2 x 1 meters (option 3 x 1 and 4 x 1 meter), that justifies a horizontal machining centre due to the high material removal

rates. The use of powerful high-frequency spindles with powers up to 75 kW and speeds up to 30.000 rpm as well as

high travel speeds and high accelerations ensure the required high metal removal rates. Regarding power and dynam-

ics, the HBZ CompactCell is comparable to the HBZ AeroCell in its class.

Key factor of the HBZ CompactCell is the compact machine design and hence less floor space requirement. The ma-

chine offers optimal access to the operator, from all sides, and is designed ergonomically. Easy loading and unloading of

pallets/workpiece when the pallet carrier is in horizontal position directly in front of the machine is an additional main

feature. Despite of the compact design, the operator needn’t sacrifice on of a big and well-arranged working zone in the

machine. A big glass door next to the control panel, allows a safe view to the machining process a and gives a trouble-

free entrance directly into the machining room.

Possible automated solutions

Minimizing expensive down times is a very important aspect for an economic machining. To meet this requirement, the

HBZ CompactCell offers optimal and numerous possibilities to do the set-up parallel to the machining process by auto-

mating the loading and unloading process. Handtmann for example equips the machine with a pallet changing system

according to the customer’s needs. Options are loading via crane, via rail system or via pallet storage system, operating

with a handling portal. The whole system can be adopted to a stand-alone machine, or to a number of machines, to

form an interlinked solution.

As a standard version, the HBZ CompactCell is equipped with one pallett being positioned directly in front of the ma-

chine, for easy loading and unloading in horizontal position by crane. Beyond this, the system can be extended anytime

flexibly. It is customer’s decision, to buy the extended solution initially, or later as an upgrade.

Applications

The HBZ CompactCell is very versatile, thus a real all-rounder. Due to its outstanding features, the compact design

combined with an optimal price performance ratio, Handtmann covers a wide range of applications with this new ma-

chine. Work pieces up to 2 x 1 meter (3 x 1, 4 x 1), that require high chip removal rates and high power, are perfectly

suited for the HBZ CompactCell. Materials from plastics to aluminium up to steel are machinable, regardless whether it

is a 3-axis or a 5-axis application. With the new Horizontal Machining Centre, Handtmann targets the general metal ma-

chining market, the automotive industry, the aerospace industry, the mould and die making and the solar industry as

well.