Eurotec's Blog and Website

CERN relies on microtechnology machining

pykohler — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:15:10 +0000

With its 10’000 users – staff, researchers, colleagues from other institutes etc., the European Organisation for Nuclear Research CERN, which is headquartered in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, is the largest research centre for particle physics in the world. At CERN, wide-ranging fundamental physics research activities are carried out with the help of a series of accelerators, including the LHC (Large Hadron Collider).

One of CERN’s very interesting research projects is the study of a new accelerator concept, the CLIC (Compact Linear Collider), an electron-positron machine 48.3 km long and with a centre-of-mass energy of up to 3 TeV. The new concept comprises a linear two-beam accelerator in which the counter-rotating beams interact at a designated collision point in the centre of the machine.

High precision machining
And this is where Kern Micro- und Feinwerktechnik comes into the picture. One of the key components for this project is a part manufactured by Kern: the PETS (Power Extraction and Transfer Structure), an 800 mm long copper rod made of highly conductive, oxygen-free copper with a high-precision, toothed comb profile. Eight of these copper rods (PETS) running parallel to one another are installed in an octagonal arrangement. An electron beam is then passed through this arrangement at the speed of light and some of the beam energy is extracted in the form of high-frequency microwaves. This power is then used for the acceleration process as such in a second parallel accelerator, with the copper surfaces being exposed to huge electromagnetic fields in the process.

Fully hydrostatic
To reach the very high precision needed, Kern offered its star performer – the Kern Pyramid Nano! Faced with this very demanding challenge, the machine’s key innovations come to the fore, i.e. its completely hydrostatic guides and drives. These run on a constantly controlled 15 µm thick hydraulic oil cushion. The Kern Pyramid Nano is one of the very few milling machines in the world on which the workpiece is not moved by mechanical components. Positioning accuracy is only possible if the friction is equivalent to zero – as is the case with the Kern Pyramid Nano.

KERN Micro- und Feinwerktechnik GmbH & Co.KG
Olympiastr. 2
DE-82438 Eschenlohe
Tel +49 (0)8824 9101 281
Fax +49 (0)8824 9101 124
susanna.diekmann@kern-microtechnic.com
www.kern-microtechnic.com

We will detail this success story in one of our next issues.

Tornos improves its production equipment for the watchmaking sector

pykohler — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:49:21 +0000

The Swiss manufacturer of machines designed for high-precision production, has reaffirmed its commitment to the watchmaking sector by introducing new equipment which promises to improve manufacturing possibilities.

During a press conference held in Moutier yesterday the company reaffirmed its position in the watch making sector.

A supplier to the watchmaking industry since 1880, the machine manufacturer is set to present its new products at the Tornos watchmaking open days to be held from 6 to 10 February 2012 in the company’s historic buildings.
The Chamber of Public Economy of the Bernese Jura will take this opportunity, once again, to join the many stakeholders in the watchmaking industry for this second micro technology working breakfast which will focus its attention on the challenges of verticalisation.

To help companies build exceptional time pieces
Following the revival of the mechanical movement which characterised the beginning of the 21st century, many watchmaking brands looked to develop their production equipment and to extend their manufacturing capacities, particularly those required for the production of watch movements. Tornos’ expertise meets these extremely stringent needs, while currently offering a very high machining rate.

A link between past and future
At the show, the Moutier-based manufacturer will present its EvoDECO 10, EvoDECO 16, Micro 8 and MultiSwiss turning machines as well as the flexible CU1007 machining centre. Alongside these latest generation machines, an engraver will give a demonstration of classic decorative techniques. This traditional art will put the latest innovations in terms of machines into perspective, whilst exploring the links between tradition and modernity in the field of watchmaking. Professionals from the watchmaking industry who are interested in discovering the new developments on offer from the Moutier-based group can still sign up for the event by contacting Tornos.

A visit there is a must for those involved with watch industry.

Tornos SA
Brice Renggli, Marketing Manager
Tel: +41 79 528 29 78
Fax: +41 32 494 49 03
renggli.b@tornos.com
www.tornos.com

Honing for Dummies

pykohler — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:31:11 +0000

In Europe the series of publications “…for Dummies” sell like hot cakes. Not that buyers are considered as stupid, far from that …but it is a way to say that these books are addressing consumers who do not know the subject. They aim to make people informed and efficient very simply. The new modular MVRL 160 vertical honing machine by Pemamo follow this trend and allows everyone to be able to master the micron scale simply and without prior knowledge.

The MVRL 160 machine was presented at the EMO in 1-spindle configuration and equipped with a 2-position rotary table. Depending on needs, this version may be underequipped. For this reason, the company continued its developments and will present a 2-spindle configuration with a 6-position rotary table at GrindTec.

More possibilities
Mr. Grimm says: “Our customers wished to have more possibilities, for example, roughing-finishing or brushing in the same machine. The two-spindle version answers perfectly to this desire.” The spindles are totally independent and allow many combinations of operations. The machine is modular and a three-spindle version is also available. Mr. Decker adds: “In addition we offer many possibilities at the level of support for parts, from simple cross table to 2, 4 or 6-position rotary tables and even a linear transfer system”.

For everyone
To be able to work with such a modular machine, adaptable on request, offering the accuracy of the tenth of a micron is a dream comes true for many companies. What about its manipulation and programming? Mr. Decker says: “Loading and unloading of the machine are performed in hidden time, and changes of set-ups require a few minutes only. The machine is ideal for the realization of batch sizes between 1’000 and 300’000 parts”. This for a reduced investment compared to some “big solutions” available on the market.
“There is no CNC programming to perform; we have developed an expert system that allows anyone to guarantee perfect work within the accuracy of the tenth of a micron. According to machining and production conditions, the operator is guided across a very visual and intuitive interface” adds Mr. Grimm. The system includes all the know-how of Pemamo and makes it available to all operators.

Pemamo SA
Chemin de Prapion 3
2520 La Neuveville
Tél. 0041 32 751 44 55
Fax 0041 32 751 54 68
pemamo@pemamo.ch
www.pemamo.ch

We will come back on this modular honing machine soon.

Delcam adds new strategies for roughing and turn-mill to FeatureCAM

pykohler — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:47:18 +0000

Delcam has launched the 2012 R2 release of its FeatureCAM feature-based CAM system, which includes important new strategies for roughing and turn-mill operations, alongside a range of more general enhancements to allow faster toolpath generation.

Delcam’s new FeatureCAM release supports turning with live tooling.

The main addition to FeatureCAM 2012 R2 is a series of new strategies for 2.5D roughing. These include a continuous spiral option to minimise wear on the cutter and machine tool, high-speed roughing options, including trochoidal machining and Delcam’s patented Race Line Machining, and “tear-drop” moves to clear corners more smoothly. In addition, more styles of leads and links can now be used to give greater overall efficiency for the toolpaths.

Stepovers for 2.5D mill roughing can now be set as large as the tool diameter itself. Previously, stepovers were limited to 50% of the tool diameter and, if this limit was exceeded, the toolpath would leave stands. The new algorithm supports larger stepovers by providing extra moves automatically to clean up those stands.

Other milling improvements include an option to add an extra profile pass exactly at the base of flat pockets, the ability to use face-milling tools with chamfered edges to machine chamfers as well as faces and so minimise the number of tools needed, a choice of right- or left-handed thread-milling tools resulting in either climb or conventional machining of the thread, and the ability to reduce calculation times by saving boundaries as curves if they will be needed for subsequent calculations.

And many more
The new release of FeatureCAM also includes improvement in:

Roughing on turning equipment with live tools
Turn-mill programming
Support for cylindrical interpolation
Simulation module
Direct cutting and pasting of models between FeatureCAM and Delcam’s PowerSHAPE
Ability to create machining configurations on a network as well as on an individual computer

For further information
Peter Dickin, Marketing Manager
Direct phone: 0121 683 1081
marketing@delcam.com

Delcam plc
Small Heath Business Park,
Birmingham, B10 0HJ, UK
www.delcam.com

Why not consider exhibiting in Spain in 2012?

pykohler — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:03:00 +0000

Yes there are many exhibitions in Europe and all around the world, and choosing one or another to exhibit may be tricky. Biemh targets not only Spain he offers opportunity to be connected to the world. Surface area booked for 2012 is 11% up on equivalent figure at this time 2 years ago.

Machine-tool and associated industry companies from 14 countries have already booked space for the next Biemh Machine-Tool Biennial, scheduled to take place on May 28 – June 2, 2012 in Bilbao (Spain).

Spain moves…
February will see the activation of an on-line meeting arrangement program that has proved to be a great success at other events. Via this section of the website, accredited visitors to Biemh 2012 will be able to file direct requests for meetings with those exhibitors that interest them.

…to become an international platform
The saturation of nearby markets due to the crisis is driving more and more companies to consider internationalising their business or raising their profile abroad as a key part of their commercial strategies. With this in mind the organisers of Biemh 2012 are focusing their efforts on a campaign to attract foreign specialists with purchasing capabilities in those countries earmarked as strategically important by exhibiting companies.

Top priority is currently being given to Brazil, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, India, Mexico and Russia, though Turkey, Chile, Colombia and Argentina are also considered attractive in view of their good economic situation and Peru, Morocco, Algeria and Angola are seen as reference points for specific sectors such as energy, mining and hydrocarbons. All these countries are included in the programme of promotional trips, which started with three visits in October, to reinforce the event’s brand image and establish co-operation agreements with importers, distributors and sectoral associations of machinery users.

Going to Spain is less expensive than to Brazil
Brazil is the world’s fourth biggest vehicle manufacturer, and is currently experiencing growth, as a result of which it currently offers highly interesting opportunities. Demand for machine-tools in Brazil is strong and getting stronger, particularly for special turnkey machines, so the Biemh commercial team has developed a customised promotion plan with the most representative organisations in the sector there.

Want to know more?
www.biemh.com
Phone (+34) 94 40 40 031/00
Fax (+34) 94 40 40 001
foreign@bec.eu

Proto Labs Expands Cool Idea! Award to the European Union

pykohler — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:18:22 +0000

After seeing the success of the first Cool Idea! Award program, Proto Labs, the world’s fastest manufacturer of CNC machined and injection-molded parts, has announced the expansion of its program to include the European Union in 2012.

The Cool Idea! Award, which launched in the United States last year, gives product designers the opportunity to bring innovative product ideas to life. In addition to the expansion, Proto Labs has also increased the award amount from $100,000 to $250,000 worth of prototyping and short-run production services.

To help create new products
“The response to Cool Idea! has been incredible, so we knew we wanted to expand the program’s reach,” said Proto Labs founder and CTO Larry Lukis. “We’re committed to supporting designers and the development of new ideas, and we can’t wait to find out what kinds of ideas we’ll see from a new crop of innovators!”
The Cool Idea! Award was created with the belief that there are many great product ideas that don’t get off the ground due to lack of resources and funds. Unlike other awards that recognize products or innovative design after the product has already launched, the Cool Idea! Award program helps designers take their product idea or part from a 3D CAD model to its first-run production stage with Proto Labs proprietary Firstcut CNC machining and/or Protomold injection-molding services.

Who can enter the Cool Idea Award?
In order to be eligible for consideration, Cool Idea! Award applicants must demonstrate the benefits of their product to the end-user and explain what makes it a cool idea.
Cool Idea! Award recipients make up a wide range of industries and product offerings.

Past winners include:

Don Ladanyi, TruFlavorWare: flatware to help alleviate metal sensitivity for chemotherapy patients
Rice University, R-one Robots: swarm robots to improve engineering literacy
Whirlwind Wheelchair International, RoughRider: highly durable wheelchair to handle rough terrain
Matt Nestor, QuicKaddy: magnetic hex key case to easily store and remove a tool
Andy Miller and Tess Bakke, SkyLight: adapter device that connects smartphones to microscopes to digitally capture and share scientific images

For more information about the Cool Idea! Award, visit www.protolabs.com/coolidea

SIAMS and World Medtech Forum Lucerne partner for medical technologies

pykohler — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:20:19 +0000

New episode in the recent evolutions on the Swiss (micro)technical exhibition’s landscape: the unexpected move of mediSiams to Lucerne. This year is a very special one for Siams SA as there will be both Siams and Medisiams the same year!

The organisers announced yesterday that mediSiams will be encapsulated into the World Medtech Forum in Lucerne (WMTF) from 25 to 27 September 2012. A strategic partnership has been concluded to offer a good potential of grow and international visibility to mediSiams, the trade show of the Arc jurassien dedicated to the production means in microtechnology.

The organisers. i.e. Medical Cluster, Medtech Switzerland, Messe Luzern AG and Siams SA create a superb platform to promote medical technologies and strengthen the Swiss pole of excellence for research, development and manufacture of medical products. The four partners work to make the World Medtech Forum Lucerne a compelling global event for the field of medical technology.

Open to the world
For companies active in manufacturing in medical sectors, going to Lucerne and benefitting from a very large programme of added value will allow them to maximize their participation. For French speaking companies, the move also opens a little bit more their presence to German speaking area of Switzerland (and to the world indeed).

A programme like no other
I discussed with Peter Biedermann, CEO of Medical Cluster yesterday and the organisers aim high: they work to create an event like the Davos Forum dedicated to medical. In fact, it is even more than that as the WMTF is complemented by a very professional and targeted trade show. Mr. Biedermann is convinced that the WMTF will become a “must attend” for any company active in high precision medical design and manufacturing from all around the world.

For more information:
Patrick Linder, Head of communication Siams SA
Patrick.Linder@Siams.ch
+41 (0) 32 492 70 10
+41 (0) 78 819 85 87

We will come back on the programme of the WMTF and the move of mediSiams soon.

Cyklos: the surface treatment for everyone

pykohler — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:25:52 +0000

At EMO 2011, Tornos presented Cyklos – a new, totally autonomous kind of surface treatment technology that can achieve exceptional levels of quality thanks to its innovative rotary process. At the Simodec show, Tornos not only exhibits the technology but, for the first time, the Cyklos A300 equipment from the Cyklos manufacturer. Better still, this machine will carry out treatments on the stand.

“With the machine on the stand, visitors can see for themselves that integrating a Cyklos machine in a bar turning workshop really is possible without any prior knowledge of surface treatment,” states Brice Renggli, Head of Marketing at Tornos.

Long production runs of aluminium parts…
This equipment can handle the production of some ten million parts per year. It is primarily aimed at long production runs of those aluminium parts mainly produced in the automotive sector. Brake pistons are one such example of a typical application perfectly suited to the Cyklos A300 which offers great flexibility in anodisation treatment (thickness, parts, etc.). The chemical treatment processes required for each part number is stored in the automatic control system and then chosen according to requirements with less than a 30 minute delay between each part number treated. The buckets must be adapted to the part not only so that they can be correctly held in place during the rotation process, but also to guarantee the uniformity and reproducibility of the treatment.

…and excellent quality results
The quality of the treatment is also one of the distinguishing characteristics of the A300 machine. The process implemented by the Cyklos company guarantees a uniformity of treatment of +/-2 microns with no fault in treatment either on the inside or the outside of the part. In classic processes the parts are often immersed vertically and almost statically, so the uniformity of treatment obtained thus often exceeds +/- 5 microns and some internal areas may have faults in (absence of) treatment caused by trapped bubbles of air or gas released during the treatment. The rotary process and the A300 equipment offer many advantages which the specialists at Cyklos invite you to discover at the Tornos stand at Simodec.

Cyklos SA
Emmanuel Turlot
Rue Galilée 15
CH-1400 Yverdon
Mobile: +41 (0) 79 443 78 76
turlot.e@tornos.com

Micro welding small parts using fiber lasers

pykohler — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:02:24 +0000

The increasing complexity of micro-electronics, medical and engineering devices has placed stringent demands on assembly techniques. A particular challenge facing manufacturers is how to achieve the power levels necessary to micro weld accurately without distortion.

.
An effective way to weld very small parts is by using fiber lasers. Research carried out by JK Lasers demonstrates how excellent beam quality, low power (100-200W) continuous wave (CW) fiber lasers with modulation consistently achieve high quality spot welds on thin stainless steel foils (20 μm – 150 μm).

Used in the manufacture of hard disk drive flexure arms, these foils help to hold ferrite readers above spinning magnetic media. The high positioning speed and ultra-close proximity of the ferrite reader mean flexure arms must be accurately assembled. Their design must accommodate resonances, stiffness and overall component accuracy in three planes.

Spatter-free welds are critical to ensuring the reliable operation of hard disk drives. Any brittle oxide or melt spatter on the surface may flake-off and contaminate the drive, rendering it useless.

During JK Lasers’ trials, a single mode fiber laser with Gaussian beam profile produced spatter-free spot welds between 76μm and 175μm in diameter. A flat top beam profile, available as an optional feature in JK Lasers’ fiber laser range, achieved spatter-free welds between 150μm and 270μm in diameter.

The high levels of accuracy achievable using JK Lasers’ modulated CW lasers enable high quality, shallow conduction mode spot welding with excellent top bead profile that are tailored to the target.

For more information
www.jklasers.com
sales@jklasers.com
Phone +44 1788 517800

Delcam flexibility sparks rapid growth for A&M EDM

pykohler — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:58:35 +0000

The flexibility of its Delcam software has been a key factor in the rapid growth of A&M EDM. Unlike many subcontractors that choose to specialise in supplying a particular industry, A&M EDM has always sought a diverse range of customers.

Delcam software helps A&M EDM to deliver complex parts in rapid delivery times. Programming with PowerMILL allows A&M EDM to offer high quality and rapid turnaround.

Investment in the latest technology has been a key component in the success of the business. The company owns nowadays over thirty CNC machines; the majority are less than five years old and feature the latest in EDM, wire EDM and conventional machining technologies. Even during the recent recession, A&M carried on recruiting extra people and investing in more equipment to continue to strengthen the company.

Milling machines to the help of the company
One of its earliest successes came through providing an overnight repair service for press tools by manufacturing replacement inserts for delivery the next morning. This success convinced Mr. Wingfield that he needed to add machining capabilities to his EDM business and lead to the initial purchase of two Hurco machines in 2006. “We wanted to be able to complete everything in-house, rather than risking any quality or delivery issues by using sub-contractors,” he remembered.

Programming with ease
“We have used Delcam software for about five years, soon after we bought the first Hurcos,” says Mr. Wingfield. “We started with PowerSHAPE for our data translation and design work, and then added PowerMILL for programming. I knew Delcam from a previous company and had always thought it was good software. I’ve never regretted that decision; it has always done everything that we needed across all the different types of work we have to tackle.” He adds: “The Delcam software is easy to use for systems that are so powerful. We have taken people that were expert machinists but had no computer experience, and soon had them programming our five-axis machines”.

For further information on Delcam’s CADCAM software, please contact:
Peter Dickin, Marketing Manager
Direct phone: 44 (0)121 683 1081
e-mail: marketing@delcam.com

Delcam plc
Small Heath Business Park,
Birmingham, B10 0HJ, UK
www.delcam.com