In 2009 the global machine tool industry suffered heavy losses, and the gross industrial output value and sales revenue fell by 32% and 33% respectively from a year earlier. Stimulated by a series of policies for expanding domestic demand, the China machine tool industry thrived and the industrial output value grew by 7.6% year-on-year, surpassing Germany and Japan to rank No.1 in the world for the first time. The sales revenue of China machine tool industry rose by 0.5% year-on-year, becoming the largest consumer of machine tools all over the world for successive nine years.

As a kind of high-precision and automation machine tool, Computerised numerical control (CNC) machine tool saw rapid growth in China in recent years. As of 2009, the output of CNC metal cutting machine tools had reached 143,900 sets, 10.2 times that in 2000; the CNC rate rose from 8% in 2000 to 24.8% in 2009.

At the same time, the demand structure of China machine industry has changed soundlessly. The demand for ordinary and economical type of CNC machine tool has shrunk, while the demand for popular and high-end type of CNC machine tool continues to grow. It is expected that the demand for CNC machine tool will reach over 100,000 sets in China in 2010, of which 40% will come from medium and high-end models, the market size will be between RMB6 billion -7 billion.

http://www.prlog.org/11097117-china-cnc-machine-tool-market-to-reach-over-rmb6-billion-says-new-report.html

AMO Corporation has released the new IP67-rated LMB-410 spar linear encoder at the recently held IMTS 2010 in Chicago, US. The LMB-410 measuring scale comes with a stainless steel carrier, offering robust measuring/position feedback with IP-67 rating and performance similar to a linear optical encoder.

Available through Melbourne-based automation and control specialist CNC Design, the LMB-410, operating on an inductive scanning principle, is best suited for general purpose machines, such as machine tools, medical equipment, printing equipment, and military/aerospace applications. Its IP67 rating makes the scale ideal for dirty or contaminated conditions including being fluid submersible.

Its adhesive-free mounting spar with a snap cover eliminates concerns related to adhesive-backed spars becoming loose in oily environments. A slim stainless steel carrier is attached to the machine with screws, with an interlocking “snap cover” securing the scale tape in position. Its encoder head can be optionally equipped with wipers to automatically clean the scale during operation. The encoder head’s gain compensation and auto offset eliminate the need to use a test box during setup.

The LMB-410 is rated for operation that ranges from -10 to +100°C for up to 30-m measuring length and ± 3 ?m/m accuracy. The new encoder also meets high-shock, high-speed and vibration specifications.

AMOSIN inductive measuring systems
Any non-guided AMOSIN encoder head can be used with any of the LMB-400 or LMB-100 scale mounting version. The AMOSIN inductive measuring systems are supplied in two principal versions: an open, non-contacting system, or as a guided, encapsulated system.

Operating entirely on an inductive basis, all AMOSIN systems achieve high precisions of up to +/- 3 ?m/m, but are nevertheless very well able to resist environmental influences and extremely high resistance to shock and vibration.

The high precision is mainly due to the procedure used to manufacture the rigid steel measuring tape, and to the exceptionally high quality sensor signal, with deviations in the ideal sine wave down to < 0.1 % harmonic content, as a measure of the achievable interpolation precision within the grating pitch.

Inductive scanning – high protection class IP67
Reference marks can be integrated on the measuring tape, and are supplied with a single, multiple, or distance coded patterns. The purely inductive scanning allows for the high protection class IP67 where the operation of the systems is not affected by contamination and pollutants in the form of dust, smoke, or liquids. Optical encoders require a complicated mechanical encapsulating enclosure, are more susceptible to damage and hence commonly incorporate air purging to protect the optical scale – neither which are necessary with the AMOSIN encoders. As a result, AMOSIN encoders require much less maintenance than optical encoders.

Particularly noteworthy is the insensitivity from magnetic interference as there are no magnetic components in the purely inductive scanning and a completely different technology than magnetic encoders. As q result, AMOSIN encoders are not at all sensitive to electromagnetic interference of any kind and have no measurement hysteresis (machine backlash error).

Contact:

CNC Design Pty Ltd
Bruce Rowley
Managing Director
Ph: 03 9411 1511
Bruce_Rowley@cncdesign.com.au
www.cncdesign.com

http://www.prwire.com.au/pr/21178/cnc-releases-new-robust-accurate-amo-measuring-scale

By adding Delcam’s FeatureCAM feature-based machining software Moores Machine Shop of Lafayette, Louisiana, has been able to simplify the programming complex parts and to provide the strategies needed to optimise machining time.

The change to FeatureCAM came after the company had purchased a Mazak VNC510C four-axis machining centre to try and grow its business by producing more intricate parts with complex 3D contours. However, it was soon realised that the CNC programming software the company had used in the past was not up to handling the complexities of the new machine. FeatureCAM seemed to offer a more capable solution.

To challenge the capabilities of the new software, Jerry Bunker, CNC Department Manager for Moores, created a program to machine a replica of Old Texas Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys played from 1971 to 2008. The replica was used to produce rubber moulds that were in turn used to make souvenirs made from Plaster of Paris mixed with concrete from the old stadium. “With FeatureCAM and the four-axis machine, we were able to reduce the time required for programming from 20 to 10 hours and the time required for machining from 100 hours to 60 hours for a total time savings of 50 hours,” Mr. Bunker claimed.

“The individual that was going to make the souvenirs approached us along with a number of other machine shops,” Mr. Bunker remembered. “We were able to offer a better price because we planned to make the complex replica on our four-axis machine.” The replica has a consider amount of detail including tiny lettering and stars on the periphery and the part of the stadium that is exposed through the roof.

On a three-axis machine, a minimum of eight different set-ups would have been required. Four-axis machining saved a considerable amount of time by making it possible to mount the workpiece in a fixture and rotate it so that the entire outside periphery could be done in a single operation. A second setup was used to machine the dome and beams of the stadium, and a third operation was used for the bottom.

“This was the first intricate part that we produced. The four-axis rotary machining centre and FeatureCAM proved to be the perfect combination to produce it efficiently to high levels of quality,” Mr. Bunker commented. “Overall, FeatureCAM has helped us increase our capabilities by taking on more complicated projects. Many of these jobs either could not have been programmed with our old software or would have taken so long that our price would not have been competitive. With FeatureCAM, we can produce these jobs quickly and efficiently, and this has helped us increase our profitability in a challenging economic environment.”

http://www.cadcamnews.in/2010/11/moores-machine-shop-of-lafayette-uses.html

Califormia-based Haas Automation Inc has reported that production will be 50 per cent higher in 2010 than it was in 2009.

General Manager Bob Murray (picture, front, left) also told delegates at a recent European distributor conference in early October that Haas sales had grown more than 33 per cent since the same time in 2009 and that revenues are expected to be up well over 30 per cent by the end of the current year, compared to last year.

“We are seeing strong growth in all markets,” said Mr Murray, “including the Western European countries.” Some of the Haas Automation’s competitors have faltered or failed during the past two years, but Haas has continued to invest in designing and building more productive, reliable and affordable CNC machine tools, it was highlighted.

“We expect our new machines to be very well received by our European customers,” the general manager added. “Our export sales continue to grow and Europe shows a great deal of potential as one of the biggest overseas markets. Production at our factory has doubled in the last eight months, thanks partly to the recovery in Europe.”

Peter Zierhut, Haas Automation Europe managing director said: “There’s a pent-up demand for CNC machine tools in Europe. Many of the East European countries are growing and other CNC machine tool manufacturers are struggling to increase output and maintain service and support. We, on the other hand, have a whole new product range, a bigger and improved European distribution network, and even better local service for our customers.”

Founder of Haas Automation, Gene Haas also attended the distributor event, and presented the best-performing HFOs with awards for exemplary service and support. The gold award was won by the Polish HFO – a Division of Abplanalp Consulting, with the Bronze and Silver Awards going to the German HFO – a Division of Dreher Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH, and the Swedish HFO, a Division of Edströms Maskin AB, respectively.

http://www.machinery.co.uk/article/29579/Haas-Automation-machine-tools-machining-centres-lathes.aspx

Tolland, CT – CNC Software announces the release of Mastercam Router X5. Mastercam Router X5 continues the trend of faster and more efficient programming with new enhancements that will keep your shop ahead of the competition. Automatic Toolpathing improvements and block drill support combine with new enhancements in a package intended to improve shop floor productivity.

Automatic Toolpathing (ATP)

Mastercam includes an Automatic Toolpathing option which can read in entire projects and have them automatically programmed using presets that you choose. Mastercam Router X5 includes several improvements to ATP, including expanded customizability and streamlined operation.

Block Drill Support

To minimize tool change, Feature Based Machining (FBM) Drill now recognizes block drill units that are configured in the active Router machine definition. FBM Drill can assign block drill tools and generate block drilling toolpaths.

Importing Solids

In Mastercam Router X5, both Rectangular and TrueShape Nesting support solid operations, including operations created by FBM toolpaths. FBM parent operations, however, are not yet supported.

Other new enhancements include:

- Feature Based Machining (FBM) improvements

- WCS support for ATP single part processing

- Smart hybrid finishing and hybrid leftover machining

- Multiaxis improvements

http://www.cadcamnews.in/2010/11/cnc-software-unveils-mastercam-router.html

The installation of a Hartford Mirage vertical machining centre has not only meant that Specialist Heat Exchangers is now able to produce components quicker than before, but the extensive 3 metres by 1.4 metres working surface available on the new machine supplied by Ward CNC (www.wardcnc.com) is also allowing the company to tackle larger workpieces in a single set-up.

Engineering Director Mike Evans explains that the investment in the new machine was prompted by the company’s need to increase its ability to process larger stainless and mild steel headers (which accommodate tubes and plugs), integral components of the range of industrial heat exchangers produced by the company for blue chip customers the world over.

While he explains that the Hartford performs a range of “fairly simple” drilling, tapping and counterboring operations, “its overall fantastic specification has cut machining times” through having higher spindle speeds (6,000 revs/min via an 18.5/22 kW motor) and feed rates (8,000 mm/min) than the machine it replaced (a unit of mid-90s vintage).

With Y and Z axes of 1,500 mm and 780 mm, respectively, the Hartford Mirage HEP-3150 can accommodate workpieces of 6,000 kgs “and, importantly,” says Mike Evans, “with an X axis of 3,250 mm, the machine has immediately allowed us to process components up to 3 metres long compared with 2 metres formerly”.

This, he confirms, is proving immensely important in servicing customers in industry sectors like automotive component, power station, process plant, compressor, off-road vehicle, military and rail transportation as well as hydraulic applications.

Specialist Heat Exchangers has since 1967 been designing and manufacturing bespoke, compact and efficient cooling equipment for industrial and petrochemical applications. The key to its success in achieving a most compact cooling solution is attributed to the use of high efficiency internal and external extended surfaces that are balanced to achieve maximum heat transfer performance.

The company’s 65,000 ft2 facility in Lincoln is very much self-sufficient in terms of in-house thermal and mechanical design and manufacture (including finned tubes) facilities, and is capable of producing a wide range of high performance internal and external surfaces as well as innovative ‘bonded’ turbulators, for example, for the low-noise products successfully used in extreme temperature applications.

http://www.machinetoolsonline.com/article.mvc/Ward-CNC-Hartford-Machining-Centre-Hots-Up-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, today announced that its suite of GibbsCAM modules supports SolidWorks® 2011 3D CAD software with new capabilities to make geometry machinable and to generate NC programs for all configurations of mills and lathes, including Multi-task machines (MTM), Swissturn machines, and 5-axis machining centers. The GibbsCAM interface also helps the SolidWorks 2011 user by providing an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use interface developed with language and icons that manufacturing engineers, NC programmers and machinists understand.

SolidWorks 2011 optimizes core design functions so that users can more quickly and intelligently achieve their goals. It also includes hundreds of new enhancements specifically requested by customers.  The new version of SolidWorks improves designers’ and engineers’ productivity with new capabilities like rapid dimensions, enhanced mirrored components, and heads-up mouse gesturing. These capabilities let designers and engineers work smarter and faster while minimizing menu navigation.

“Engineers, NC programmers and machinists don’t have time to worry about software complexity or the problem of integrating data between separate applications,” said Nick Iwaskow, SolidWorks Manager, Alliances. “Combining GibbsCAM’s CNC programming, toolpath verification, machine-tool simulation, and post processing with SolidWorks 2011 3D CAD enables engineers, NC programmers and machinists to focus on innovation, quality, and productivity instead of how to use the software.”

Manufacturing engineers and NC programmers will use GibbsCAM to generate NC programs for all types of CNC machine tools from design models created in SolidWorks software, with seamless transition. GibbsCAM opens SolidWorks models so that the NC programmer can analyze and optimize them for machinability, and generate toolpaths for the chosen or available CNC machine tool. GibbsCAM verifies the toolpaths with gouge detection and interference checking, then dynamically and visually simulates them on virtual machine tools, and accurately postprocesses them to generate optimal NC programs. The manufacturing engineer and NC programmer can use various GibbsCAM features to eliminate scrap, reduce cycle times, and maximize efficiency, safety and profits.

“A high percentage of our customers use SolidWorks for 3D CAD,” said Bill Gibbs, president and founder of Gibbs and Associates. “They will be as pleased as we are to have an easy-to-use CAM solution that supports accurate and efficient use of SolidWorks 2011 models to easily and productively generate programs for their CNC machines, from the simplest to the most complex.”

A SolidWorks Certified CAM Partner Product, GibbsCAM allows users to open SolidWorks models, and use the model geometry to generate efficient programs to drive CNC machine tools of all types, including multi-axis machining centers and multi-spindle, multi-turret Swiss machines. The combination of GibbsCAM and SolidWorks 2011 covers the design through manufacturing cycle in the production machining environment of multiple industries. Whether parts have simple geometry needing only simple milling or turning, or complex geometry requiring use of 5-axis machining, MTM or Swiss-style turning centers, the SolidWorks-GibbsCAM combination accommodates the manufacturing process.

http://www.onlinetmd.com/medical-device-design-manufacturing-gibbscam-111810-tmd.aspx

Stark Industrial LLC, the EDM small hole drilling specialist headquartered here, credits its success in efficiently producing precision parts for customers in many industries to experienced machinists who maximize the performance of the company’s state-of-the-art equipment.

Headlining Stark Industrial’s EDM small hole drilling equipment is a CNC 5-axis Current EDM CT500-5AS. It is capable of EDM small hole drilling in diameters ranging from .010-inch (and, in certain cases, smaller) to .250-inch, and up to 16 inches deep in any conductive material. Featuring an electrode and guide changer, the machine is regularly used to service customers in aerospace, oil and gas, electronics, medical, environmental control, and other industries. The machine’s ability to move on multiple axes permits operators to execute multiple angular features in one efficient set-up, delivering precision that far exceeds other hole drilling methods.

Stark Industrial, a leader in developing innovative approaches to EDM small hole drilling, employs highly trained machinists who can drill virtually any angle or hole pattern. The company has been called on to participate in a vast array of unique EDM small hole drilling projects.

“When we receive projects that are too complex for traditional machining, that’s where our expert technicians and state-of-the-art equipment really come into play,” said Sam Wilkof, vice president of Stark Industrial. “We continue to grow our EDM small hole drilling capabilities as customers continue to bring us their toughest challenges. We can hit tolerances in many cases smaller than .001 inch and execute virtually any pattern or hole angle our customers require.”

Wilkof explained that because it involves no drill-on-surface contact and no force, EDM small hole drilling has minimal effect on the metal’s shape and properties. In addition, in EDM small hole drilling, burring is minimized and that which remains on the part is easily removed.

About Stark Industrial
Stark Industrial LLC is a leader in the manufacture of tooling, precision parts and solid centers, with special capabilities in the area of micro hole drilling for applications such as aerospace, medical, automotive, and power generation. The company also distributes internationally respected brands of standard tooling and measuring equipment. Family owned since 1959, Stark Industrial delivers precision machining work with each and every customer order. Stark Industrial is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

http://www.sys-con.com/node/1614924