Taiwan’s machine-tool industry will continue to prosper in 2012 as ever more locally-made machine-tools will be shipped to China duty-free under the cross-Taiwan Strait ECFA (economic cooperation framework agreement), whose further negotiations will take place soon.

The duty reductions allowed under the ECFA enabled domestic, listed machine-tool firms to achieve robust sales growth in 2011, including Awea Mechantronic Co., Roundtop Machinery Co., Goodway Machine Corp., Hiwin Technologies Corp., Kao Fong Machinery Co., Falcon Machine Tools Co., and Shieh Yih Machinery Industry Co.

According to statistics from the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI), there are between 700 and 800 different types of machines produced in Taiwan, 107 of which are allowed duty-free shipment to China under the ECFA.

Some 17 machine-tool items and 37 machine-tool parts are eligible for zero customs tariffs under the ECFA, including CNC horizontal lathes, CNC surface grinding machines, grinding machines, stamping tools, tool fixtures, and roller bearings.

TAMI chairman Hsu Hsiu-tsang says domestically-made machinery items to be allowed duty-free shipment to China will increase by 100 to 200 in 2012, and over 400 in 2013, with over 80% of machinery items to enjoy zero tariffs in 2014 and over 98% in 2015.

Kao Fong, one of Taiwan’s major manufacturers of CNC machine tools, saw orders received in December 2011 grow by NT$60 million year-on-year, NT$40 million of which came from China. The company posted NT$1.62 billion in 2011 sales, up 2% year-on-year, which institutional investors believe will be maintained in 2012.

http://news.cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_39152.html

BANGALORE: The fledgling Indian machine tools industry remains upbeat on demand growth as economic slowdown during this fiscal had no bearing on orders from the manufacturing sector, an industry representative said Tuesday.

“We have not seen any impact of the slowdown on our industry as demand for our products remains buoyant and we have firm orders for the next six months from the manufacturing sector, which caters to the large domestic and export markets,” Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) president Vikram Sirur told reporters here.

Even in the face of growing demand, India’s manufacturing sector continues to be over dependent on import of machine tools, including CNC (computer numerical control) and non-CNC machines, lathes, forgings and dyes, as the Indian machine tools industry is able to meet around 33 percent of the total consumption due to capacity constraints and lack of investments.

“We have been an import-dependent country for machine tools for historical and other reasons, including late and limited entry of domestic players in the segment. The scenario is changing for better as our market share has increased to 33 percent in 2010-11 from 25 percent in 2009-10 and hope to reach 50 percent in 2016-17 by end of the 12th Five-Year Plan,” Sirur said.

According to the association’s data, of the Rs.11,818 crore sales revenue generated last fiscal (2010-11) from consumption, imports accounted for Rs.7,722 crore while domestic production contributed Rs.4,096 crore.

In contrast, sales revenue in fiscal 2009-10 was Rs.8,845 crore, with imports accounting for Rs.5,647 crore and domestic production for Rs.3,198 crore.

In terms of orders booked, demand for CNC machines in fiscal 2010-11 was in value of Rs.3,775 crore and for non-CNC machines Rs.1,203 crore as against Rs.3,039 crore and Rs.1,151 crore, respectively, in fiscal 2009-10.

“Recovering from the fallout of the global meltdown in fiscal 2008-09, we have been able to maintain double-digit growth during the last two years with a compounded 30 percent growth rate and hope to grow by 15 percent this fiscal as evident from the orders we have for this and ensuing (2012-13) fiscal,” Sirur said at a roadshow on the upcoming six-day expo-cum-conference of the industry (Imtex Forming & Tooltech) here from Jan 19.

Though India ranks seventh in machine tools consumption globally in value terms ($1.74 billion) as against China at $27 billon, Germany $5 billion and Japan $4.5 billion, the country ranks 13th in terms of production in value terms at $500 million and 27th in exports, with China, Germany and Japan dominating the top three positions.

“With demand growth projected to remain at 15 percent CAGR (cumulative average growth rate) over the next five years, we need to increase production capacity at an average CAGR of 25 percent, which entails an upward investment of Rs.10,000 crore in the next five years,” IMTMA chairman Shailesh Sheth said.

In the second edition of Imtex/Tooltech, about 500 exhibitors from 24 countries are expected to participate to showcase the latest forming manufacturing technologies and products at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on the city’s outskirts.

“As the biggest b2b expo in South Asia and South East Asian, Imtex will showcase innovations ranging from the most efficient and advanced machineries, with firms from China, Taiwan and Germany participating in a big way,” Sheth pointed out.

Coinciding with the expo, a day-long international seminar will be held January 18 on ‘Forming Technology’ for user industries to meet the demand for advanced and competitive products in diverse verticals such as automotive, consumer durables, industrial goods, aerospace, general engineering and strategic sectors.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/indian-machine-tools-industry-upbeat-on-demand-growth/articleshow/11355287.cms

XYZ Machine Tools (video), Yamazaki Mazak (video), Blum-Novotest, Inca Geometric, ITC and Rodmatic are just some of the companies taking stand space at Southern Manufacturing, Farnborough, Hampshire, 15-16 February 2012.

XYZ will display CNC/manual and full-CNC machines – ranging from ProtoTRAK-equipped CNC/manual mills and lathes to Siemens CNC-equipped machining centres, turning centres and large capacity oil country lathes. All are designed to be easy to program and quick to set up.

For example, on Stand S60 it will be showing a 5 hp variable speed (40-5,000 rpm) XYZ ProtoTRAK SMX 3500 bed mill; a 7.5 hp/25-2,500 rpm XYZ ProTURN SLX 425 lathe; a 20 hp/5,000 rpm Compact Turn 52 turning centre; and a 20 hp 5-8,000 rpm XYZ 710 VMC vertical machining centre.

The two ProtoTRAK-equipped CNC/manual machine tools feature the latest generation version of this easy-to-program control, while the full-CNC CT 52 and 710 VMC are equipped with the new Siemens 828D conversational control. (See a video of the ProTRAK control here)

Yamazaki Mazak is to display its new Integrex i-200 S on stand Q60. The machine is latest generation multi-tasking machine, ideally suited to subcontract manufacturing, and has a 5,000 rpm/22kW main spindle (see main video at the head of this article).

The Integrex i-series is one of the first Ken Okuyama-designed machines available in the UK and benefits from a range of ergonomic features, including a larger viewing window following customer feedback and a 19 inch display panel on the Mazatrol Matrix control, which is also height adjustable for ease of operation.

Blum Novotest will, on stand S31, give its UK debut to the new TC76-DIGILOG, the world’s first touch probe for robust use in machine tools that combines digital and analogue technology.

ITC will be introducing a number of new product developments from stand N67, including the 5021 Cyber Series of 5 flute harmonic end mills; the new 6051 Cyber Series high performance, 6-flute end mill range, which has already made a significant impact on cycle times and tool life for many aerospace OEMs and F1 manufacturers; the 3081 Series of end mills that has been launched to improve performance and productivity for aluminium machining; the new 2161 Cyber Series and 2161 Radius Series of 2-flute end mills for aluminium; and the new 2201 Cyber Series of 2-flute long series solid carbide end mills, also for aluminium machining, but which has been developed for high performance machining with a long reach capability.
Inca Geometric will demonstrate its wide ranging capability in subcontract machining and project-based engineering skills on stand Q66.

The company’s long-term machine tool expertise spans 50 years of design, development, build and supply of special-purpose equipment, assembly and test rigs as well as made-to-order multi-heads for drilling, boring and threading for a wide array of international companies. These have spanned automotive, fuel injection, transmission, pump and valve, defence, leisure, oil and gas. Through 2011, following over £500,000 investment in new production equipment and CADCAM software, this has allowed further expansion of its subcontract precision machining, fabrication and assembly business.

http://www.machinery.co.uk/machinery-news/southern-manufacturing-farnborough-hampshire/38844/

The 10,000th model of NUM’s new-generation CNC kernel has just been produced. This milestone has been achieved within three years from launch - marking a success for a mid-level CNC provider that serves mainly specialised machine tool builders.

“Machinery OEMs tend to be very conservative in introducing new technology, and we anticipated that volume sales of our new CNC kernel would not kick-in until typically years four to five of its lifespan,” says Peter von Rueti, CEO of NUM.

“2011 proved us wrong. We’re one of the longest-established CNC companies and we have never seen such a rapid design-in. Annual sales of Flexium have even overtaken those of our previous-generation CNC kernel, Axium, which controls machine tools produced by dozens of world-leading OEMs.”

NUM started shipping the Flexium platform in 2008. NUM attributes its success to both performance and business factors.

For some OEMs it’s the power of Flexium’s soft PLC controller that attracts. For most though, it’s the scalability feature of the platform, which allows it to be applied economically to small machines with up to five axes and spindles, or much larger machines with up to 200 axes.

These attributes mean that machine tool OEMs are able to use the same control system across their complete range of machine designs - greatly reducing the workload on the engineering development team.

Another aspect of the CNC kernel’s success is related to the rise of Asian markets, and the particular way in which NUM works with clients. A partnership ethos has always been at the heart of NUM’s business philosophy.

This is proving particularly advantageous in Asia where NUM’s willingness to provide young machine tool OEMs with in-depth engineering support on aspects such as writing software and tuning machines has won significant new customers.

“Being able to use the same CNC to power a complete range of machines gives a large payback, and today over half of our leading customers have made that choice and use our CNC platform exclusively,” adds von Rueti.

“The machine tool market has an enormous middle ground of specialised OEMs who build machines in annual quantities measured in tens to hundreds. A typical engineering department at these machine builders might number just five to 10 people.

For this level of company, using one universal CNC platform can easily save the cost of employing one or two additional engineers”

Software savings are becoming even more critical as the role of software in machinery design continues to expand.

Twenty to thirty years ago software accounted for as little as just 5% of a machine’s cost. NUM thinks the value of software deployed in the average machine tool today has risen to the 10-20% range, and the machine’s electronics, engineering and software combined count for well over 50%.

Being able to maintain just one PLC, and one user interface dramatically reduces the workload on busy engineering departments, and allows both faster deployment of new features to customers, and a simpler means for an OEM to create unique ‘look and feel’ branding.

“Competition in the machine tool sector is getting more intense, and we view control and user interface software as playing a critical role in adding value and differentiating a company’s branding,” adds von Rueti.

“Making it easier for machine builders to adopt one universal CNC platform and software system was a key factor behind the development of Flexium, and we are expecting this capability to continue driving higher than average growth over the next five to 10 years.”

There are two distinct segments in today’s CNC marketplace: three ‘tier one’ suppliers that account for most of the high volume manufacturers of common machinery types such as mills, and a larger group of middle ranking vendors - including NUM - that serve mainly smaller volume and specialist machine builders.

NUM believes that this market is on the verge of a shake up: over the next decade many machine builders will gravitate towards those vendors providing much richer software tools and support.

The success of the Flexium platform is already proving this to be the case, and it has brought NUM into direct competition with the highest volume suppliers - especially in the Asian market.

http://www.pacetoday.com.au/news/cnc-kernel-shakes-up-machine-tools-market

Midlands based high precision machinists Machined Component Systems (MCS) is celebrating a significant growth in turnover and complementing it with a record investment in six new CNC machine tools.

In its 25th anniversary year the business, which employs 34 people at its 25,000ft² facility in Redditch, said it had made the investment to maintain its partnership sourcing relationships with blue chip manufacturers and to build on its role in extend those companies’ manufacturing capabilities.

MCS supplies a range of turned, milled and drilled parts and precision engineered machined components to customers in industry sectors including automotive, petrochemical, environmental, transport, marine, healthcare and white goods.

Managing director, Warren Gray (pictured) says: “Our continuous investment in equipment and our people working with a positive ‘can do’ philosophy sets us apart in our ability to work in close collaboration with customers in providing cost-effective, high quality machining solutions.

“The strong driver of continuous improvement in every facet of the business naturally embraced the introduction of one hit machining and the initial machines for such a strategy were introduced during the late 1980s. However, it was the introduction of Tornos, Doosan and Miyano machines – from Tornos Technologies, Citizen Machinery UK and Mills Manufacturing – that emphasised the benefits in captivating this technology through cost-effective machining times and finished machined quality.”

The company has recently reinstated apprenticeships as a sign of confidence in the future.

http://www.worksmanagement.co.uk/strategy-and-finance/news/machined-componet-systems-invests-in-cnc-machine-tools/38597/

The rapid technological improvements in the modern existing computing facilities have let the development of a new manufacturing technology which is better in the sense of reliable operation and accurate modelling of the finished products. Computer numerical controlled or CNC machine tools are basis tools or devices which are extensively used in CNC machining services. These industrial products are highly favoured in a lot of industries where some processes should be done fast. The main Characteristics of these gadgets include capability to repeat processes and in some cases, reprogram ability is also very essential. They performance is of nature including drilling, broaching, milling, turning, honing, etching, jig boring, laser machining and abrasive jet machining. The CNC machine tools became very popular in a lot of industries basically because they promise to provide much convenience to manufacturers of the core electrical and mechanical products. Even if some of them perform only secondary operations like finishing, anodizing, polishing, lapping and welding, they are still frequently sought after by companies all over the world. Their link to CNC machining services may be appreciated with the foregoing facts. The CNC machines also performs following additional services One is known as the Computer Aided Design or CAD where some parts of products sold in the market need quick and accurate production and the production assembly can produce the output in quick time and with precise specifications. A variation of this is the Computer Aided Manufacturing or CAM where products are fabricated from CAD results. Taking the help of CNC tools in redesigning, modernizing and improving of existing products from CAD and CAM output is perceived as very possible.

Additionally, just-in time or JIT services are also performed. The JIT is a manufacturing decision architecture which is adopted in certain companies. The machines are capable of providing prototypes that are often utilized in functional testing or in product presentations. In some cases, they also can change the volume of production according to the demand of the current economic scenario.

Let’s see the selection criteria and the characteristics when a company selects CNC machine tools, important parameters to take a closer look into are the capacity of the diameter and the capabilities of the material. Commonly, diameter capacity ranges from 1 inch to 6 inches. When speaking of capabilities of the material, this is the criterion that sets the tool’s ability to provide machining services for various materials such as carbides, ceramics, cast iron, bronze, brass and aluminium. We must be able to look into how the CNC concept proliferated and how it is integrated in computer systems. Be very glad that CNC tools are now offered at low prices so that more industries will be able to benefit from their existence.

As always the technological upraising gives the more efficient performance in the end product the introduction of CNC Machining tools also of no exception in raising the standards of manufacturing around the world with precise and accurate modelling.

http://www.findarticles.eu/13256/introduction-to-cnc-machine-tools/

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has extended its contract with the world’s largest metalcutting machine tool maker, Yamazaki Mazak.

The agreement will see Mazak continue in its role as the sole Official Supplier of CNC machine tools to the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team.

Mazak has supplied the team since 1999 and now has a total of 19 machines installed at the McLaren Technology Centre in Surrey, including multi-tasking and multi-axis machines such as the Integrex, Vortex and variaxis, as well as Quick Turn Nexus lathes and FJV machining centres.

Mazak machines are used to manufacture key parts for the racing cars’ transmission, suspension and aerodynamic assemblies.

Jonathan Neale, managing director of McLaren Racing, commented: “We are delighted to have extended our relationship with Mazak. The partnership gives us access to the entire range of machine tools, with a common point of contact and excellent support. Time is a critical element to us, so it’s vital that we have high performance machines and high availability every day of the week. Our partnership has been a key contributor to the success of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.”

Marcus Burton, Managing Director of Yamazaki Mazak UK added: “Our close relationship with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has been one of the highlights of Mazak’s continued success in the UK. We are committed to supporting them in their efforts to be at the forefront of race performance and manufacturing productivity.”

http://www.machinery.co.uk/article/37877/Yamazaki-Mazak-Vodafone-McLaren-Mercedes-CMC-machine-tools.aspx

Special Single Facility Auction held online between the dates of September 29th and October 12th, featuring Thirty-Five Machines Priced to Sell. Auction includes grinders, lathes, manual machines, and more.

Machinery Marketing International (MMI) is preparing for the company’s latest upcoming auction– the Special Single Facility Auction held online between the dates of September 29th and October 12th. Interested buyers can browse through thirty-five CNC machine tools, including grinders, lathes, manual machines, and more at http://www.mmi-auction.com. This auction features more than one million dollars worth of quality, used CNC equipment. All machines are in good condition and are priced to sell. The machine tools are all located in Michigan and potential buyers can submit bids in the online auction any time during the dates provided until 1:00 p.m. CST on October 12th. On-site, in-person inspections will be available from October 10th through the 11th to give buyers an opportunity to see the machine tools’ high quality in person.

Several high demand CNC machines listed in the auction are the Star ATG-6AC Grinder, Supertech Planotech Surface Grinder, Mori Seiki ZL-153 Lathe, Makino A-77 HMC, Fanuc S430 125 KG 6-Axis CNC Robot, and the Motch 125TS VTC. MMI’s combination of ultra-low prices with ultra-high quality ensures the satisfaction of each customer. Buyers have the option to check out the machines at the on-site location in Michigan. For more details on auction location, contact MMI at (877) 210-4978.

The single location creates a great cost savings opportunity for buyers that would like to purchase more than 1 piece of machinery as they would be shipped from the same origin thus saving money in transportation costs. This may be particularly useful for buyers that would like machines placed into a container and sent overseas or for buyers that prefer to fill a dedicated truck.

Interested buyers can register to buy or sell in the next auction at the company website: http://www.mmi-auction.com/register.asp. The site proves to be especially helpful for buyers and sellers because it offers easy navigation and a full, detailed display of all of the used CNC machine tools available in upcoming auctions.

If you are interested in utilizing the MMI Liquidation Services turn-key solution or are interested in selling a single machine, go to mmi-auction.com/register.asp to start the process. The company also does conventional deals on CNC machine tools. They will buy one machine or an entire plant. MMI Auction is located at 1101 W. Monroe #1A, Chicago, IL 60607. Further information on the company, CNC machine tools for sale / Sell CNC machines / Buy CNC machines, or the online auction site may be obtained by calling (877) 210-4978, sending an email to jenny(at)mmi-auction(dot)com or visiting the company’s online auction site at mmi-auction.com.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8852381.htm

Computerised Numerical Control (CNC) and Numerical Control (NC) innovation and machine tool automation company, NUM is celebrating 50 years of its technological advancement.

NUM’s mother company Telemecanique developed the first NC in 1961 and in 1964 the company came out with an NC under the brand name NUM, after which NUM was established as an individual company. NUM is responsible for many innovations such as the first 16-bit controller in the world, first completely digital servo drive, which included a digital current control and breakthrough support software like the rotation tool centre point package and the NUMROTO package for tool grinding.

In recent times, NUM has developed the CNC Kernel, Flexium, which has 200 interpolating axes. The CNC can be customised and programmed according to the needs of its customers and can be applied to all kinds of machinery irrespective of its size and complexity. According to Peter von Rueti, CEO of NUM, the company’s staff are also a part of its technology. This approach gives the company a better edge over its competitors. The company specialises in different segments like rotary transfer, tool grinding, gear cutting, wood working etc. NUM provides R&D Support and customised solutions to its machine building customers across the world by providing them with technical staff.

http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=30630

As suppliers of quality machine tools both CNC and conventional, Standaco is able to offer their clients the benefits of their extensive knowledge, they can provide the best machine to improve the performance of your business.

CNC Machine Equipment
The ProtoTRAK CNC/Manual control is simply the best technology solution for small batch machining available today.

The economics of the ProtoTRAK Controls allows increase profitability on the mill by up to 6 fold and on the lathe by up to 15 fold

The ease with which the ProtoTRAK / King Rich combination can be used enables the operator to greatly improve productivity.

The economics are undeniable: the cost of the equipment you use is trivial compared to the cost of labour. When making parts in small quantities, set-up accounts for the majority of your labour cost. ProtoTRAK drastically reduces the amount of time spent in set-up.

It combines the simplicity and flexibility of manual machining with the capability of making arcs, angles and circles just like CNCs, saving you time and liberating you from drudgery.

King Rich Mill
The King Rich Mill is available in a wide range of sizes
From 750 x 380mm~1524 x 596mm: Travel

King Rich Lathe
King Rich Lathe is available in sizes:
300mm swing x 700mm B.C. Spindle bore 42mm ~ 555mm swing x 3000mm. Spindle bore 105mm

Tooling and Accessories
Standaco carry a wide range of accessories and tooling to compliment these machines.

http://www.ferret.com.au/c/Standaco-Machinery-Sales/CNC-Machine-Tools-p23612