Company News

As always a number of the machine tool manufacturers represented in the UK and in Eire by Advanced Grinding Solutions Ltd of Coventry will be present at the forthcoming Milan EMO show in October.

Rollomatic, who may be found on stand D26 in hall 2, are using the EMO to launch a new machine model that will receive its world-wide debut, are one of the best known, most successful, and highly respected manufacturers of multi- axis CNC tool grinding machines. Rollomatic’s are the machine of choice for the production grinding of rotary cutting tools of all kinds and for non-round tools such as punches. Rollomatic GrindSmart® machines excel at producing cutting tools of up to 20mm in diameter, and the superior Swiss manufactured quality of every Rollomatic machine is demonstrated with their industry leading 3-year unlimited hours parts and labour warranty that comes as standard on all new Rollomatic machines. GrindSmart® machines are available with a 6th CNC axis to ensure perfect cutting tool geometry because the contact point of the grinding wheel remains constant over the entire grinding path during production. The latest linear motor technology provides more benefits such as enhanced surface finishes and reduced maintenance costs.

Rollomatic’s ShapeSmart® machines are ideally suited for the high performance cylindrical infeed grinding of cutting tool blanks such as drills, form tools, reamers, end mills, and punches. The ShapeSmart NP30 variant offers tool concentricity after grinding of within 0.002mm. These machines use a unique grinding process developed by Rollomatic known as "Pinch and Peel Grinding" for the production of cutting tool blanks or punches with diameters from 0.025mm up to 25mm and lengths of up to 330mm.

More rotary cutting tools are produced in the UK and in Eire on Rollomatic machines than on any other and engineers are invited to see the very latest in production grinding on their stand that will feature software, clamping, and robotic loading solutions as well.

On stand E30 in hall 3, Tschudin AG are featuring their range of centerless grinding machines with the highlight being the latest TSCHUDIN CUBE 350 Centerless Grinder complete with a newly developed integrated collaborative robot. The compact CUBE 350 grinding machine, which won the Red Dot Design Award in 2020, impresses with its elegant appearance with the concept putting the operator at the center and offers improved ergonomics, efficiency and wide range of process options. The three-axis CNC grinding machine has a small footprint and was specially developed for processing small workpieces with a diameter of up to 20 mm.

With its broad product portfolio of machines, TSCHUDIN covers a wide range of machined workpieces in centerless grinding: from the smallest wires for medical technology, whose shape can only be seen under a magnifying glass, to truck axles. The use of robotics ensures autonomous operation around the clock and flexible loading and unloading solutions with faster setup times ensure optimized efficiency is achieved.

The Tschudin machines benefit from several patented features that give them major advantages over any other machines in their class and today the Tschudin Cube machine is stated as being the world’s easiest, simplest and fastest CNC centerless grinder to set-up. A unique feature on all Tschudin machines is the patented movable workrest axis (W-Axis) which allows for additional grinding processes such as the highly efficient multi part grinding of several parts at a time or to split up grinding processes in the same grinding cycle to have both a rough and also a finish grind operation in one automatic set-up. Thanks to the W-axis, the loading and unloading of the workpieces is always outside of the grinding zone, allowing simplified and safe automation or safe manual loading.

Comat, the Italian manufacturer of high quality filtration systems will be exhibiting its latest C-120 EVO filter unit on its stand E31 in hall 2. This advanced filtration system offers the absolute finest quality of filtration and is also very much designed to save energy.

The systems are ideal for the filtration of any type of contaminant (carbide, HSS, medical steels, ceramics, and brass etc) and are now widely fitted to Rollomatic tool grinding machines as well as many others. Today, more than 20,000 machine tools use Comat’s Filtration technology worldwide with more than 120,000,000 liters of metalworking oil being Super-filtered.

Through an in-depth analysis of each individual client's needs, Comat designs and manufacture super-filtration systems that deliver ≤ 2-3 μm filtration quality throughout the entire working cycle thus maximising the quality of parts produced on machine tools whilst minimising lifetime running costs and maintaining maximum coolant consistency. Comat systems can be customised to meet a specific client's needs allowing for maximum efficiency of the filtration process and oil is filtered to a better quality than new unused oil on Comat systems. Cost studies have shown that Comat systems are considerably cheaper to run that other systems that use candles or a series of cartridge type filters whose running costs are up to 4 times greater.

Process optimization (remote monitoring) to Industry 4.0 standards is included on the EVO models with these being equipped with Comats “Intelligent Performance Technology.” The Filters performance is self-adjusted based on the effective working-rate of the connected machine tool(s).Comat EVO filters can be monitored, controlled and optimized in real time from the onboard operator control or remotely via laptops, PCs, tablets and smart phones from anywhere in the world.

Platit are in hall 4 on stand E02 and are a leading manufacturer of highly advanced coating machines that are based on plasma generating PVD technology (Physical Vapour Deposition). From their Headquarters near Solothurn in Switzerland, Platit operates on a global basis and has supplied more than 550 coating installations world-wide into no less than 38 different countries. Platit offers complete turn-key solutions including all necessary peripheral equipment and technologies for surface pre-treatment: Platit coating machines work on the basis of the Conventional Cathodic ARC principle and the revolutionary LARC® (LAteral Rotating Cathodes) and CERC® (Central Rotating Cathodes) technologies. These technologies are patented and are unique and are widely used by major cutting tool manufacturers.

Having your own coating plant assures independence from external service providers. The coating knowledge remains in-house and importantly the production, grinding and coating can take place on the same day.

Logistics are simplified and faster delivery times made possible. In-house production guarantees the fastest throughput, and damage caused by transport or packaging is prevented. The in-house process is also more environmentally friendly.

The coating quality is guaranteed and even the best external coating center cannot deposit an optimal coating for all tools because amongst other reasons, it is not possible, for example, to produce an optimal coating thickness for all tools, because mixed batches in the usually large chambers contain different tools that would require different coating thicknesses. With your own turnkey system, different tools do not have to be coated together with a universal coating, but their specific applications are still considered. Integrated coating centers usually pay off in less than two years. Platit’s wide and flexible range of coatings, with the possibility of developing your own coatings, guarantees a unique selling point for Platit end users.

Also exhibiting at Emo are GPA Innova who manufacture the Dlyte polishing machines. These revolutionary polishing machines benefit from utilising the world’s first dry electro polishing process. The DLyte range of machines use a totally unique, single step automated process, for polishing metals; this is a revolutionary dry non-abrasive electro polishing process that does not use any liquid as the electrolyte. These new patented machines polish and deburr Steel and Stainless-Steel, Cobalt Chrome, Titanium, Aluminium, Nickel and precious metal alloys components for the Dental, Medical, Aerospace, Automotive and other industries. Typical applications include bone screws, artificial hip and knee joints, turbine blades, cutting tools, and any similar component whereby fine surfaces finishes to under 0.09um Ra are required without altering key part geometry after the previous grinding or milling process.

The highlight at EMO will be the new DLyte Desktop machine. This is an ultra-compact system that gathers all the advantages of any other DLyte system currently on the market, and allows any company to access the dry electropolishing technology. It is accessible to small laboratories, workshops, workrooms and SMEs needing a cost-effective solution for metal surface finishing processes. From grinding to mirror finishing, this new set-up offers a new easy way to process any casting, sintering or milled metal part.

Advanced Grinding Solutions will have staff present at the EMO to welcome customers from the UK and Eire and to pre-arrange a meeting on any of the booths they can be contacted on +44 (0) 2476 22 66 110 or via their website; www.advancedgrindingsolutions.co.uk