Creating A New Cutting Tool Concept To Spindle
New cutting tools are continuously being added into the market, but what is the process to get a product from concept through to the spindle? Global manufacturer Dormer Pramet tasks its product management and development department with creating new tools every year. A member of the team is product and development engineer Jan Bittner, joined Dormer Pramet and became part of the company’s project to develop an assortment of high feed milling tools. Almost three years later, a new range of SBN10 cutters and BNGX inserts were launched into the global market. The time taken to introduce a product is an indication of the investment a manufacturer makes to create a new product which will add value to customers for many years. This is Jan’s story.
At Dormer Pramet, the process of creating a new tool begins with its product management department which identify the market needs and gaps in the company’s current assortment. Karel Tiefenbach is the company’s product manager for indexable milling and he created a concept brief and clear objective for the development team.
Dormer Pramet’s aim was to create an assortment of tools for its double-negative cutters, which allowed high feed rates for increased productivity. The design needed to be for double-sided inserts to maximize the economic value (four-edges) and provide good chip-control, allowing for a higher ramping angle.
At the same time, the tool needed to offer process security and a versatile range for mold and die operations, covering roughing to finishing.
DESIGN CONCEPTS
Jan began the process with Jan Vlček from the company’s product design & information department, responsible for all aspects of tool development. This includes creating high quality data on every tool produced, the design of products and supporting manufacture.
The department’s first task in designing a new high feed milling tool – later known as SBN10 – was to research what products were already available in the market from competitors and how Dormer Pramet could be different, while still meeting the needs of customers.
Jan Bittner says: “We started with a series of preliminary studies and initial prototype designs, putting a number of ideas forward before we could start to produce samples. There are always difficulties and challenges to overcome, but some small changes at this stage can have a big impact.
“For example, with one of the first samples created, we realised there was a conflict with an existing patent from a competitor. With many companies creating new inserts all the time, it is a very crowded market.
“However, we worked with the designer to modify our concept to make it unique, whilst still fulfilling the original brief. This led us to liaise closely with colleagues in Sweden and North America to make sure our designs did not conflict with any patents.
“We discussed with colleagues in intellectual property (IP) how we can make our design unique and this was a new experience to me.
“At each stage, we were in discussions with IP over the design and any slight changes being made. We needed to confirm we were within patent pending at every point and not conflicting with others already submitted. Eventually we were given the ok to proceed.
PRODUCT TESTING
“At the start of the process in 2015, we had a schedule to follow and aimed to launch the BNGX inserts by November 2017. We had pressure from our sales teams who wanted it earlier. Our aim was to keep the process going as fast as possible and we kept to schedule.
“By the second quarter of 2016, we were able to start the testing stage. This included several on-site tests with customers as this is the best way to check how good a product really is.
“We were confident it was a good product, but no amount of in-house testing can match trying it out in the real world. We learned so much from these tests which allowed us to identify areas of further improvement.
“A test we did with a customer in France involved machining a titanium-bearing, austenitic, chromium-nickel, stainless steel. It is an extremely tough and ductile material. It requires a powerful machine, capable of heavy feeds and slow spindle speeds.
Jan says they put it up against a competitor’s high feed milling tool with similar features to the SBN10.
“After machining three-parts the cutting edge of the competitor’s insert was worn, forcing the operator to index the cutting edge to proceed production. After machining eight parts with the SBN10 cutter and BNGX inserts, the cutting edge showed minor flank wear and was still in a good condition to continue cutting.
“In addition to significant longer tool life, the metal removal rate was 20% higher. The customer was so impressed, he immediately bought one cutter and pre-ordered seven more by early 2018.
“We did more than 20 tests with customers in France, Brazil, Poland, China, Italy, Czech Republic and Germany. Altogether, five of these tests did not match our expectations, so it allowed us to go back and look at what needed improving. This is an important process and can only help improve product performance and reduce limitations,” she says.
“The crucial part is to react quickly during the testing process, speed is crucial. Any issues need to be eliminated and the design of the tool improved as soon as possible, before putting it back in for more tests.
“In July 2017, we returned to Germany to a customer where one of the tests did not go as well as the others. Going back to the same location meant we could perform the exact same trial in the same conditions as before. This was important to verify if the improvements we made had worked. The application ran very successfully and it was great to show the customer the new and improved version!
“We realised at this stage, we were ready to launch the product into the market. We had further discussions with IP to make sure our patent was in place and everything was prepared.
“This led to meetings with production to ensure enough inserts were manufactured for the time of launch and liaising with marketing and communications department on creation of all the support material, such as brochures, images, videos, press releases and online content.”
LAUNCHING PRODUCT TO MARKET
Dormer Pramet launched its range of BNGX inserts and SBN10 cutters in November 2017, almost three years after the initial design brief was prepared.
During 2018, the company will manufacture more than 30,000 BNGX inserts, comprising of different sizes and chip breakers, alongside 450 cutters, in three different variants; end mills with threaded shank, end mills with parallel shank and shell mills.
Jan adds: “Product development is very much a team effort. There are many people from around the world involved in the creation of new cutting tools. From product management to design, to the technology team, production, testing, through to sales and marketing.
“Each department is not independent from the rest. We are all connected and one area cannot be successful without the support of the rest. They all must work together to get a product to market.
“Also, any new product created will become the future work for our production department. Sometimes we can be focused on today and what is new now, but it is our job to look at the future and what will be important in five to ten years’ time.”
For more information regarding the high feed milling SBN10 and BNGX range, visit: https://tinyurl.com/dormer-millingcutters
The post Creating A New Cutting Tool Concept To Spindle appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Macaulay Metals: Recycling At Its Best
Celebrating 60 years in the metal business next year, Macaulay Metals is the largest privately-owned metal recycling firm in New Zealand.
Managing director, Jeff Harris, has owned the company since 1995 with the main operation based in the Hutt Valley and yards in the North Island at Palmerston North, Rotorua and Whakatane.
Some 90 full-time employees buy, process and sell metal within New Zealand and throughout the world, working in conjunction with many suppliers as well as the public – who bring in old car batteries and household scrap – right through to major engineering and demolition companies.
A dedicated trucking fleet and mobile projects team working on a number of successful demolition and decommissioning contracts means that you see Macaulay
Metals operating anywhere in the country and it is this variety of work that the company says makes the industry so interesting and rewarding.
Macaulay Metals has been involved with major projects in a variety of industry sectors and has developed specialised methodologies for safely and efficiently demolishing and processing a range of infrastructure assets from oil storage tanks, to transformers, to railway carriages and everything in between.
Of course, loading the metal on the truck is only part of the job. The majority of processing happens at the yard with a range of equipment used depending on the product. Getting the metal export ready can involve the use of the cable granulator, a 1000 tonne compression shear (the biggest of its kind in New Zealand) or a high-density baler. These machines enable a better quality of product to be loaded more efficiently into shipping containers and are looked after in-house by a team of engineering staff.
The team at Macaulay Metals is passionate about metal recycling – the oldest form of recycling in the world. Many businesses are unaware that their metal by-products are not only a valuable income stream but something that can be diverted from landfill.
Almost all metal products can be recycled, and the environmental benefits of recycling are obvious: significantly less energy is used to recycle metal than to source it from mining activities.
It is clear that metal recycling is here to stay, and Macaulay Metals will continue to operate with the values of honesty, fairness and integrity that they are known for.
The post Macaulay Metals: Recycling At Its Best appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
GLOBAL STAINLESS: KNUCKLING DOWN THANKS TO DOME BOOM
Dome manufacturing specialist Global Stainless Limited located near Mt Taranaki in Hawera, is now forming and knuckling cones for the same customers that have been buying the company’s domes.
Manager of the family engineering business, Lincoln Raikes, says, “When we receive an enquiry for a dome from a tank or vessel fabricator, we also offer a cone as they are a practical alternative, and often work out cheaper especially if they require only one or two of them.”
Global Stainless specialises in manufacturing domes and cones for tank and vessel fabricators. This provides a service for fabricators who are not set up for making the domes and cones themselves, and do not have the special machines or the know-how in knuckling.
The company takes pride in flanging the knuckle radius to the exact circumference required. Because the dome and cone ends are so accurate and beautifully formed, the fabricator can actually start building their tank or vessel before they take delivery. When they do arrive the fit-up is perfect.
“My boys can read the metal so well when they roll the knuckle in and out, they land it on the right size every time, absolutely precise. We get the weld seam looking really sweet on the stainless steel sheet metal cones that we make, and our customers often ask how we get the shape looking so good which is great to hear.”
Global Stainless makes shallow and deep cones in stainless steel, carbon steel, duplex, and aluminium, up to 4.5 metres diameter.
It also manufactures domes up to 3m diameter, in the same materials, up to 12mm thick, and use a range of knuckle rollers from 15mm to 150mm radius.
The post GLOBAL STAINLESS: KNUCKLING DOWN THANKS TO DOME BOOM appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
New Rig Dog Gloves Feature Added Safety
New and improved impact-resistant gloves from Honeywell Safety Products now feature an added level of cut protection.
Introducing the new Honeywell Rig Dog CR with impact and cut-resistance palm they have moulded TPR (thermoplastic rubber) impact pads that are ergonomically placed to provide optimal protection in impact situations along with meeting ANSI A7 cut-resistant palm to enhance protection against cuts and slashes.
KEY BENEFITS:
- Impact-resistant TPR impact pads provide enhanced metacarpal protection from incidental impact
- TPR (thermoplastic rubber) material on knuckles and fingers help to protect against impact; TPR is also placed on key scrape-hazard areas for added protection
- ANSI A7 cut-resistant palm helps to protect wearer from cut and slash hazards
- Polyurethane (PU) slip-resistant palm features EVA foam pads for added comfort and some vibration relief
- Reinforced thumb-crotch protects the highest wear area for increased glove longevity
- Hi-Viz Spandex fabric stretches easily for flexing to help reduce hand fatigue; bright orange color allows for visual awareness in low-light environments
- Silver, reflective piping enhances low-light visual awareness
- Hook and loop tab closure allows wearer to tighten or loosen cuff for a more comfortable and secure fit
- Fully washable, adds longevity and helps to limit bacterial growth
The post New Rig Dog Gloves Feature Added Safety appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Food Process Weighing At Its Finest
Food process weighing is made significantly easier with PT Limited’s Accupoint Weigh Module in conjunction with the PT630 digital indicator. Pair together for an easy way to add a weigh system to your current installation.
Popular installations include vessel weighing in food processing plants and hygienic installations such as dairies as well as chemical and bottling plants. Also ideal for use on tanks, hoppers and silos in the agricultural industry as well as bagging, filling, check-weighing and general harsh conditions.
The Accupoint epitomises quality in weighing measurement devices. Incorporating top level protection while maintaining performance specifications, the Accupoint improves safety whilst reducing load cell damage and plant down time.
Manufactured of stainless steel with special long life hardened contact points, the Accupoint weigh module includes a high precision stainless steel mini disk load cell sealed to IP68. Well suited for outdoor and harsh environment operations, these units provide years of high precision weighing with minimal maintenance.
PT630 is a world-class advanced digital indicator boasting OIML approval and housed in durable IP67 stainless steel housing. It’s easy and practical to operate with fast continuous data output, volume calculation and offers up to 800 conversions per second. Ideal for control automation it links to an internal PLC. Featuring a wide-angle LCD display with multi-coloured backlight, 22mm main digits, 8mm alphanumeric characters/digits and optional alibi memory.
A stand out feature is the two touch free IR keys; ideal for food handling and dirty areas as they save messy hands touching the indicator.
PT630 FEATURES:
- 6 language options — English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish
- Setpoint storage up to 500 sets
- Electronic calibration — no test weights needed
- Wall or desk mount options
- 2x RS232C, 1x RS485 data port
- 1x USB for streaming continuous data, can be connected to a laptop or similar for indicator setup, bidirectional communication and data logging
- Pre-tare value storage up to 500 values
- Piece counting and totaling
- Docket printing and barcoding
- Touch-free IR keys (two keys)
- Two platform weighing available
PT630 integration options include Profibus, Profinet, CANopen, Ethernet TCP/IP, EtherNet IP, EtherCAT, CC-Link, Powerlink Modbus RTU/TCP, analogue outputs.
The Accupoint’s available in nine capacities, from 100kg — 50t offering typical weigh system options of up to 200t in a standard four support vessel.
The post Food Process Weighing At Its Finest appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Steel Fabricator NDA Back In Black
Steel fabrication firm NDA Group returned to profit in 2017 as a recovery in its key markets and an expanding footprint at home and abroad underpinned a 52% increase in sales.
The Hamilton-based company reported a profit of $951,000 in calendar 2017, turning around a loss of $15.4 million a year earlier, financial statements lodged with the Companies Office show. Revenue climbed to $162.8 million from $107 million, outpacing a 40% increase in costs to $156.8 million.
NDA’s steel fabrication products and services span Australia, New Zealand and the US. They focus on dairy, wine, food processing and beer, oil and gas, and water treatment.
Chief executive Mark Eglinton says last year’s sales growth came from “a broad-based recovery in our key markets” of dairy, wine, food processing and beer where activity returned to “more normal” levels.
That was supported by local expansion in Taranaki, Invercargill and Christchurch, and the acquisition of a business in Oklahoma, US that designs and manufactures heat exchangers and air cooling systems. NDA’s North American SHECO business makes specialist equipment for chemical, gas processing and water processing industries.
The accounts show the company projects more rapid revenue growth in the US during the next three years than in New Zealand and Australia. Eglinton said the US oil and gas processing market was “fast growing”.
“We continue to grow both in terms of revenue and profitability, albeit at slightly more modest rates than 2017,” he said in an email. “We have just commissioned a new manufacturing plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have materially increased our presence in the processed water segment in NZ and continue to invest significant resources into automating our design and manufacturing processes.”
NDA employs more than 700 people across its operations. Its wage bill rose 13 percent to $45.8 million last year.
In July last year, NDA bought Taylors Engineering for $6.4 million. The Blenheim-based company provided wine silos and equipment to the Marlborough wine industry. The deal was for $3.4 million upfront and $3 million deferred. It will expand NDA’s existing fabrication business for the wine sector.
The post Steel Fabricator NDA Back In Black appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Hydraulink Hamilton Triples Its Size As Trans-Tasman Brand Grows
Hydraulink team members Chris Cox, national sales and service manager, left, Hamilton branch manager Darin Pillay and CEO Robin Simpson.
A new hydraulic service facility three times larger than the one it replaces has been introduced to Hamilton by Hydraulink to provide a one-stop shop for hydraulic services vital to the rapidly growing new industrial heartland.
The 500 sq m facility with 12 full-time staff at Burbush industrial area was opened recently (third quarter 2018) to provide outstanding 24/7 service, parts availability and experienced and expert support to complement the company’s mobile service teams and Hydraulink distributors focussed on the expanding range of Hydraulink customer groups in the area.
The new facility replaces a 12-year-old HQ that was a victim of its own success, as more and more local businesses were attracted to Hydraulink’s quality, expert service and can-do approach, says Hamilton Hydraulink manager, Darin Pillay.
Hydraulink Hamilton is one of the newest facilities of the rapidly expanding New Zealand and Australian Hydraulink network, which now exceeds 400 service points over both countries, including branches, distributors and mobile units. The network’s national service reach extends from growth regions such as Hamilton, with its diverse and expanding economic base, through to some of Australasia’s most remote energy and forestry sites, and some of its most diverse and largest mining sites.
Key industries locally now drawing on Hydraulink Hamilton services include agriculture and food production, construction and infrastructure, civil engineering, forestry, manufacturing, mining, machinery OEM and rental and other industries that depend on prompt, expert service coupled with strong supply of quality branded hoses, fittings, adaptors and accessories vital to optimising machinery reliability and safety while avoiding costly downtime
“Whether the customer is in a thriving industrial region, such as that around Hamilton, or out in the backblocks in primary and tertiary industry, they all require top standards of routine maintenance, prompt emergency assistance. And they want experienced technical support available 24/7 from the one trusted brand,” says Mr Pillay.
Advantages
“One of our big advantages at Hydraulink is that we have all this experience and capability built up under the one brand, so customers know that the excellence they receive from one branch will be the same excellence delivered to the same standards at other places. This consistency and quality is very important to customers with diverse and multiple sites who want traceability and uniformly high standards of service and safety delivered across their organisations.”
Hydraulink is building up strong inventory of hoses, fitting, adaptors and accessories at Hamilton to ensure customers are not held up by the current global shortage of hydraulic manufacturing capacity. The Hamilton branch also supports major innovations such as:
- Hydraulink automated lubrication systems for labour-saving enhancement of reliability
- Hydratag hose management systems to improve productivity and operational reliability
- Hydraulink fire suppression systems to protect machinery and productivity
- Full range of Motultech Oils and Lubricants
Hydraulink ceo Robin Simpson says the ongoing growth of the brand throughout Australia and New Zealand comes from strengths such as quality product and prompt expert service from the wide range of dedicated and highly skilled people who drive the company as an innovator and market leader.
“Our valued customers in Hamilton – and all areas of both Australia and New Zealand – can rely on experienced Hydraulink people to solve a wide range of problems and assist with business growth. This ‘can do” attitude of our people has seen Hydraulink develop over the past 20 years to become a recognised industry leader in regional areas and across national and state borders.”
The post Hydraulink Hamilton Triples Its Size As Trans-Tasman Brand Grows appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Mobile Learning Keeps Safety On The Move
The New Zealand Red Cross has a variety of courses available to help with company and staff first aid training and with its first aid and emergency app users can complete their first aid course through an m-learning (mobile-learning) approach.
FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY APP
The New Zealand Red Cross First Aid and Emergency App now provides you with pre-course learning, which goes towards successful completion of an NZQA accredited first aid certificate.
With guided interactive learning, including videos and animations, use the app to learn and understand the basics of first aid.
Complete the app learning by fully reading the ‘Learn’ section and successfully completing the app tests. Unlock badges along the way to record your achievements. Learn at a time and location that is convenient for you and reduce time spent away from the workplace.
Once you have completed your pre-course learning, book your skills workshop to complete your training.
PRACTICAL SKILLS FACE-TO-FACE WORKSHOPS
Attend the practical skills workshop with a New Zealand Red Cross instructor to gain your accredited certification.
- Learn how to apply DRSABCD
- Practice CPR on adult, child and infant manikins
- Hands on scenarios
- Learn how to use an AED
- Practical Assessments
- M-learning course options
All the app badges must be unlocked to show achievement prior to attending the skills workshop. You will need to bring your phone or tablet so the instructor can verify your achievement.
COURSES INCLUDE:
- UNIT STANDARDS 6402, 6401 AND 6400 (EQUIVALENT TO COMPREHENSIVE FIRST AID) – Workplace First Aid app pre course learning + 8 hours – Skills workshop
- UNIT STANDARDS 6402 AND 6401 (EQUIVALENT TO ESSENTIAL FIRST AID) – Practical First Aid app pre course learning + 4 hours – Skills workshop
- FIRST AID REVALIDATION – Workplace Revalidation app pre course learning + 4 hours – Skills workshop
WHAT IS M-LEARNING?
M-learning or mobile learning enables learners to gain knowledge across several learning platforms. Some of the content and interactions are accessed on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. M-learners can then use this technology in their own time and place and at their own speed – anywhere and anytime.
IS M-LEARNING A RECOGNISED LEARNING PATHWAY?
Yes it is. Research shows that people use mobile devices more frequently today than personal computers, using their devices to access the internet for information as and when required. Mobile devices using apps often do not require access to the internet as the learning content is stored within the device.
There are numerous published papers that support the view that learning within this mobile environment is well controlled, ensuring the learner has access to accurate information.
There is also evidence that the learner feels more confident in their own environment working at their own pace.
https://www.redcross.org.nz/
The post Mobile Learning Keeps Safety On The Move appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Small-Price Service Robotics Thanks to Low-Cost Robot Joint
Serving orange juice, loading the dishwasher or sorting purchases. The new low-cost igus robotics concept from Treotham is intended to make these tasks possible.
Under the name ReBeL, igus presented a new kind of joint, driven by a strain wave gear, at Hannover Messe 2018 as a single component for the first time and also showed a study of a 6-axis service robot. The new joint is fundamentally different to the previous robolink models: instead of stepper motors, brushless direct-current motors are used in the joints for the first time.
Thanks to maintenance-free injection-moulded parts, the new ReBeL series is set to become a real bargain for robot manufacturers.
A practice household assistant for the home or in the office. Easy to program at a reasonable price. Who does not want this? The topic of collaborative robotics – interaction between people and machines – has now been taken up by igus with its low-cost robotics in the form of robolink. The requirements for the components were that they must be light and cost-effective. The result is the ReBeL joint.
“Alexa, bring me a glass of orange juice,” could thus become reality when the product is used in combination with a voice control system. The new low-cost robotics concept is fundamentally different to that of the previous robolink joints and makes it possible for robot manufacturers to generate new solutions. Instead of stepper motors, brushless direct-current motors (BLDC motors), are used.
Due to their small size, the BLDC motors can now be installed in the maintenance-free strain wave gear of a ReBeL joint. The control equipment is also built into the axes and thus renders an external control cabinet superfluous. “The cables can now be routed directly inside a robot arm as a BUS system”, says Martin Raak, robolink product manager at igus GmbH.
“A further idea is to equip new joints with absolute encoders, that remember the position of an arm even when a power failure occurs,” adds Raak.
The ReBeL now makes it possible to have the 6th rotation axis in the modular robolink system and thus allows all positions to be reached. For bearing purposes, lubrication-free and smoothly operating xiros plastic ball bearings are used. As the gearboxes are also mostly made of polymers, the ReBeL system is very light. The BLDC motors also contribute to weight reduction as they are lighter than the previously used stepper motors.
Injection-moulded parts ensure the small price of a ReBeL joint and therefore of the robot arms.
“We want to make cost-effective robot arms and applications possible for mechanical engineering companies and even private persons.” says Raak.
The new system is suitable not only for tasks in the private area but also for other functions such as collection and delivery services or pick-and-place applications in factories, especially in the case of mobile applications where the robot arm is mounted on a moving platform.
The post Small-Price Service Robotics Thanks to Low-Cost Robot Joint appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Canterbury Student Designs 3D-Printed Water Filter to Save Lives
A University of Canterbury student is developing 3D-printed water filters with potential to improve water quality in developing countries.
UC Master of Engineering student Benjamin Houlton is researching how filters can be 3D-printed to remove trace metals from wastewater streams and other polluted waterways.
“Further down the track the filters could be used in developing countries like Cambodia where there are high levels of arsenic in river water,” he says.
His main focus is using computer simulations of water flowing through filters to determine the most effective structure.
The conventional view is that randomly packed filter structures have the best performance, however Benjamin’s supervisors at UC discovered that with new technologies this is no longer true.
He says modern 3D-printing technologies enable the creation of finer structures, which challenge the performance of randomly ordered models of filter.
With his Master’s degree due for completion next year, the race is on to understand and identify the most beneficial filter structure using flow modelling simulations, and validate the models against experimental data supplied by collaboration research partners.
“The benefits of 3D-printing mean we can simulate and predict the different flow characteristics before the filters are made. It also means we can recreate the same filter over and over.”
Removing metal traces from waste-water is just one application, Benjamin says. If it is successful it might change a whole range of packed-bed technologies.
Scion in Rotorua, which initiated the project in collaboration with an industrial partner, will experimentally test the effectiveness of the new solid filter designs.
Benjamin won the Biomolecular Interaction Centre scholarship to pursue his Master’s degree at UC and also received a prestigious William Georgetti scholarship which he will use to complete a doctorate overseas once his Master’s is complete, enabling him to pursue his research passions.
The post Canterbury Student Designs 3D-Printed Water Filter to Save Lives appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Creating A New Cutting Tool Concept To Spindle
New cutting tools are continuously being added into the market, but what is the process to get a product from concept through to the spindle? Global manufacturer Dormer Pramet tasks its product management and development department with creating new tools every year. A member of the team is product and development engineer Jan Bittner, joined Dormer Pramet and became part of the company’s project to develop an assortment of high feed milling tools. Almost three years later, a new range of SBN10 cutters and BNGX inserts were launched into the global market. The time taken to introduce a product is an indication of the investment a manufacturer makes to create a new product which will add value to customers for many years. This is Jan’s story.
At Dormer Pramet, the process of creating a new tool begins with its product management department which identify the market needs and gaps in the company’s current assortment. Karel Tiefenbach is the company’s product manager for indexable milling and he created a concept brief and clear objective for the development team.
Dormer Pramet’s aim was to create an assortment of tools for its double-negative cutters, which allowed high feed rates for increased productivity. The design needed to be for double-sided inserts to maximize the economic value (four-edges) and provide good chip-control, allowing for a higher ramping angle.
At the same time, the tool needed to offer process security and a versatile range for mold and die operations, covering roughing to finishing.
DESIGN CONCEPTS
Jan began the process with Jan Vlček from the company’s product design & information department, responsible for all aspects of tool development. This includes creating high quality data on every tool produced, the design of products and supporting manufacture.
The department’s first task in designing a new high feed milling tool – later known as SBN10 – was to research what products were already available in the market from competitors and how Dormer Pramet could be different, while still meeting the needs of customers.
Jan Bittner says: “We started with a series of preliminary studies and initial prototype designs, putting a number of ideas forward before we could start to produce samples. There are always difficulties and challenges to overcome, but some small changes at this stage can have a big impact.
“For example, with one of the first samples created, we realised there was a conflict with an existing patent from a competitor. With many companies creating new inserts all the time, it is a very crowded market.
“However, we worked with the designer to modify our concept to make it unique, whilst still fulfilling the original brief. This led us to liaise closely with colleagues in Sweden and North America to make sure our designs did not conflict with any patents.
“We discussed with colleagues in intellectual property (IP) how we can make our design unique and this was a new experience to me.
“At each stage, we were in discussions with IP over the design and any slight changes being made. We needed to confirm we were within patent pending at every point and not conflicting with others already submitted. Eventually we were given the ok to proceed.
PRODUCT TESTING
“At the start of the process in 2015, we had a schedule to follow and aimed to launch the BNGX inserts by November 2017. We had pressure from our sales teams who wanted it earlier. Our aim was to keep the process going as fast as possible and we kept to schedule.
“By the second quarter of 2016, we were able to start the testing stage. This included several on-site tests with customers as this is the best way to check how good a product really is.
“We were confident it was a good product, but no amount of in-house testing can match trying it out in the real world. We learned so much from these tests which allowed us to identify areas of further improvement.
“A test we did with a customer in France involved machining a titanium-bearing, austenitic, chromium-nickel, stainless steel. It is an extremely tough and ductile material. It requires a powerful machine, capable of heavy feeds and slow spindle speeds.
Jan says they put it up against a competitor’s high feed milling tool with similar features to the SBN10.
“After machining three-parts the cutting edge of the competitor’s insert was worn, forcing the operator to index the cutting edge to proceed production. After machining eight parts with the SBN10 cutter and BNGX inserts, the cutting edge showed minor flank wear and was still in a good condition to continue cutting.
“In addition to significant longer tool life, the metal removal rate was 20% higher. The customer was so impressed, he immediately bought one cutter and pre-ordered seven more by early 2018.
“We did more than 20 tests with customers in France, Brazil, Poland, China, Italy, Czech Republic and Germany. Altogether, five of these tests did not match our expectations, so it allowed us to go back and look at what needed improving. This is an important process and can only help improve product performance and reduce limitations,” she says.
“The crucial part is to react quickly during the testing process, speed is crucial. Any issues need to be eliminated and the design of the tool improved as soon as possible, before putting it back in for more tests.
“In July 2017, we returned to Germany to a customer where one of the tests did not go as well as the others. Going back to the same location meant we could perform the exact same trial in the same conditions as before. This was important to verify if the improvements we made had worked. The application ran very successfully and it was great to show the customer the new and improved version!
“We realised at this stage, we were ready to launch the product into the market. We had further discussions with IP to make sure our patent was in place and everything was prepared.
“This led to meetings with production to ensure enough inserts were manufactured for the time of launch and liaising with marketing and communications department on creation of all the support material, such as brochures, images, videos, press releases and online content.”
LAUNCHING PRODUCT TO MARKET
Dormer Pramet launched its range of BNGX inserts and SBN10 cutters in November 2017, almost three years after the initial design brief was prepared.
During 2018, the company will manufacture more than 30,000 BNGX inserts, comprising of different sizes and chip breakers, alongside 450 cutters, in three different variants; end mills with threaded shank, end mills with parallel shank and shell mills.
Jan adds: “Product development is very much a team effort. There are many people from around the world involved in the creation of new cutting tools. From product management to design, to the technology team, production, testing, through to sales and marketing.
“Each department is not independent from the rest. We are all connected and one area cannot be successful without the support of the rest. They all must work together to get a product to market.
“Also, any new product created will become the future work for our production department. Sometimes we can be focused on today and what is new now, but it is our job to look at the future and what will be important in five to ten years’ time.”
For more information regarding the high feed milling SBN10 and BNGX range, visit: https://tinyurl.com/dormer-millingcutters
The post Creating A New Cutting Tool Concept To Spindle appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Macaulay Metals: Recycling At Its Best
Celebrating 60 years in the metal business next year, Macaulay Metals is the largest privately-owned metal recycling firm in New Zealand.
Managing director, Jeff Harris, has owned the company since 1995 with the main operation based in the Hutt Valley and yards in the North Island at Palmerston North, Rotorua and Whakatane.
Some 90 full-time employees buy, process and sell metal within New Zealand and throughout the world, working in conjunction with many suppliers as well as the public – who bring in old car batteries and household scrap – right through to major engineering and demolition companies.
A dedicated trucking fleet and mobile projects team working on a number of successful demolition and decommissioning contracts means that you see Macaulay
Metals operating anywhere in the country and it is this variety of work that the company says makes the industry so interesting and rewarding.
Macaulay Metals has been involved with major projects in a variety of industry sectors and has developed specialised methodologies for safely and efficiently demolishing and processing a range of infrastructure assets from oil storage tanks, to transformers, to railway carriages and everything in between.
Of course, loading the metal on the truck is only part of the job. The majority of processing happens at the yard with a range of equipment used depending on the product. Getting the metal export ready can involve the use of the cable granulator, a 1000 tonne compression shear (the biggest of its kind in New Zealand) or a high-density baler. These machines enable a better quality of product to be loaded more efficiently into shipping containers and are looked after in-house by a team of engineering staff.
The team at Macaulay Metals is passionate about metal recycling – the oldest form of recycling in the world. Many businesses are unaware that their metal by-products are not only a valuable income stream but something that can be diverted from landfill.
Almost all metal products can be recycled, and the environmental benefits of recycling are obvious: significantly less energy is used to recycle metal than to source it from mining activities.
It is clear that metal recycling is here to stay, and Macaulay Metals will continue to operate with the values of honesty, fairness and integrity that they are known for.
The post Macaulay Metals: Recycling At Its Best appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
GLOBAL STAINLESS: KNUCKLING DOWN THANKS TO DOME BOOM
Manager of the family engineering business, Lincoln Raikes, says, “When we receive an enquiry for a dome from a tank or vessel fabricator, we also offer a cone as they are a practical alternative, and often work out cheaper especially if they require only one or two of them.”
Global Stainless specialises in manufacturing domes and cones for tank and vessel fabricators. This provides a service for fabricators who are not set up for making the domes and cones themselves, and do not have the special machines or the know-how in knuckling.
The company takes pride in flanging the knuckle radius to the exact circumference required. Because the dome and cone ends are so accurate and beautifully formed, the fabricator can actually start building their tank or vessel before they take delivery. When they do arrive the fit-up is perfect.
“My boys can read the metal so well when they roll the knuckle in and out, they land it on the right size every time, absolutely precise. We get the weld seam looking really sweet on the stainless steel sheet metal cones that we make, and our customers often ask how we get the shape looking so good which is great to hear.”
Global Stainless makes shallow and deep cones in stainless steel, carbon steel, duplex, and aluminium, up to 4.5 metres diameter.
It also manufactures domes up to 3m diameter, in the same materials, up to 12mm thick, and use a range of knuckle rollers from 15mm to 150mm radius.
The post GLOBAL STAINLESS: KNUCKLING DOWN THANKS TO DOME BOOM appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
New Rig Dog Gloves Feature Added Safety
New and improved impact-resistant gloves from Honeywell Safety Products now feature an added level of cut protection.
Introducing the new Honeywell Rig Dog CR with impact and cut-resistance palm they have moulded TPR (thermoplastic rubber) impact pads that are ergonomically placed to provide optimal protection in impact situations along with meeting ANSI A7 cut-resistant palm to enhance protection against cuts and slashes.
KEY BENEFITS:
The post New Rig Dog Gloves Feature Added Safety appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Food Process Weighing At Its Finest
Food process weighing is made significantly easier with PT Limited’s Accupoint Weigh Module in conjunction with the PT630 digital indicator. Pair together for an easy way to add a weigh system to your current installation.
Popular installations include vessel weighing in food processing plants and hygienic installations such as dairies as well as chemical and bottling plants. Also ideal for use on tanks, hoppers and silos in the agricultural industry as well as bagging, filling, check-weighing and general harsh conditions.
The Accupoint epitomises quality in weighing measurement devices. Incorporating top level protection while maintaining performance specifications, the Accupoint improves safety whilst reducing load cell damage and plant down time.
Manufactured of stainless steel with special long life hardened contact points, the Accupoint weigh module includes a high precision stainless steel mini disk load cell sealed to IP68. Well suited for outdoor and harsh environment operations, these units provide years of high precision weighing with minimal maintenance.
PT630 is a world-class advanced digital indicator boasting OIML approval and housed in durable IP67 stainless steel housing. It’s easy and practical to operate with fast continuous data output, volume calculation and offers up to 800 conversions per second. Ideal for control automation it links to an internal PLC. Featuring a wide-angle LCD display with multi-coloured backlight, 22mm main digits, 8mm alphanumeric characters/digits and optional alibi memory.
A stand out feature is the two touch free IR keys; ideal for food handling and dirty areas as they save messy hands touching the indicator.
PT630 FEATURES:
PT630 integration options include Profibus, Profinet, CANopen, Ethernet TCP/IP, EtherNet IP, EtherCAT, CC-Link, Powerlink Modbus RTU/TCP, analogue outputs.
The Accupoint’s available in nine capacities, from 100kg — 50t offering typical weigh system options of up to 200t in a standard four support vessel.
The post Food Process Weighing At Its Finest appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Steel Fabricator NDA Back In Black
Steel fabrication firm NDA Group returned to profit in 2017 as a recovery in its key markets and an expanding footprint at home and abroad underpinned a 52% increase in sales.
The Hamilton-based company reported a profit of $951,000 in calendar 2017, turning around a loss of $15.4 million a year earlier, financial statements lodged with the Companies Office show. Revenue climbed to $162.8 million from $107 million, outpacing a 40% increase in costs to $156.8 million.
NDA’s steel fabrication products and services span Australia, New Zealand and the US. They focus on dairy, wine, food processing and beer, oil and gas, and water treatment.
Chief executive Mark Eglinton says last year’s sales growth came from “a broad-based recovery in our key markets” of dairy, wine, food processing and beer where activity returned to “more normal” levels.
That was supported by local expansion in Taranaki, Invercargill and Christchurch, and the acquisition of a business in Oklahoma, US that designs and manufactures heat exchangers and air cooling systems. NDA’s North American SHECO business makes specialist equipment for chemical, gas processing and water processing industries.
The accounts show the company projects more rapid revenue growth in the US during the next three years than in New Zealand and Australia. Eglinton said the US oil and gas processing market was “fast growing”.
“We continue to grow both in terms of revenue and profitability, albeit at slightly more modest rates than 2017,” he said in an email. “We have just commissioned a new manufacturing plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have materially increased our presence in the processed water segment in NZ and continue to invest significant resources into automating our design and manufacturing processes.”
NDA employs more than 700 people across its operations. Its wage bill rose 13 percent to $45.8 million last year.
In July last year, NDA bought Taylors Engineering for $6.4 million. The Blenheim-based company provided wine silos and equipment to the Marlborough wine industry. The deal was for $3.4 million upfront and $3 million deferred. It will expand NDA’s existing fabrication business for the wine sector.
The post Steel Fabricator NDA Back In Black appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Hydraulink Hamilton Triples Its Size As Trans-Tasman Brand Grows
Hydraulink team members Chris Cox, national sales and service manager, left, Hamilton branch manager Darin Pillay and CEO Robin Simpson.
A new hydraulic service facility three times larger than the one it replaces has been introduced to Hamilton by Hydraulink to provide a one-stop shop for hydraulic services vital to the rapidly growing new industrial heartland.
The 500 sq m facility with 12 full-time staff at Burbush industrial area was opened recently (third quarter 2018) to provide outstanding 24/7 service, parts availability and experienced and expert support to complement the company’s mobile service teams and Hydraulink distributors focussed on the expanding range of Hydraulink customer groups in the area.
The new facility replaces a 12-year-old HQ that was a victim of its own success, as more and more local businesses were attracted to Hydraulink’s quality, expert service and can-do approach, says Hamilton Hydraulink manager, Darin Pillay.
Hydraulink Hamilton is one of the newest facilities of the rapidly expanding New Zealand and Australian Hydraulink network, which now exceeds 400 service points over both countries, including branches, distributors and mobile units. The network’s national service reach extends from growth regions such as Hamilton, with its diverse and expanding economic base, through to some of Australasia’s most remote energy and forestry sites, and some of its most diverse and largest mining sites.
Key industries locally now drawing on Hydraulink Hamilton services include agriculture and food production, construction and infrastructure, civil engineering, forestry, manufacturing, mining, machinery OEM and rental and other industries that depend on prompt, expert service coupled with strong supply of quality branded hoses, fittings, adaptors and accessories vital to optimising machinery reliability and safety while avoiding costly downtime
“Whether the customer is in a thriving industrial region, such as that around Hamilton, or out in the backblocks in primary and tertiary industry, they all require top standards of routine maintenance, prompt emergency assistance. And they want experienced technical support available 24/7 from the one trusted brand,” says Mr Pillay.
Advantages
“One of our big advantages at Hydraulink is that we have all this experience and capability built up under the one brand, so customers know that the excellence they receive from one branch will be the same excellence delivered to the same standards at other places. This consistency and quality is very important to customers with diverse and multiple sites who want traceability and uniformly high standards of service and safety delivered across their organisations.”
Hydraulink is building up strong inventory of hoses, fitting, adaptors and accessories at Hamilton to ensure customers are not held up by the current global shortage of hydraulic manufacturing capacity. The Hamilton branch also supports major innovations such as:
Hydraulink ceo Robin Simpson says the ongoing growth of the brand throughout Australia and New Zealand comes from strengths such as quality product and prompt expert service from the wide range of dedicated and highly skilled people who drive the company as an innovator and market leader.
“Our valued customers in Hamilton – and all areas of both Australia and New Zealand – can rely on experienced Hydraulink people to solve a wide range of problems and assist with business growth. This ‘can do” attitude of our people has seen Hydraulink develop over the past 20 years to become a recognised industry leader in regional areas and across national and state borders.”
The post Hydraulink Hamilton Triples Its Size As Trans-Tasman Brand Grows appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Mobile Learning Keeps Safety On The Move
The New Zealand Red Cross has a variety of courses available to help with company and staff first aid training and with its first aid and emergency app users can complete their first aid course through an m-learning (mobile-learning) approach.
FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY APP
The New Zealand Red Cross First Aid and Emergency App now provides you with pre-course learning, which goes towards successful completion of an NZQA accredited first aid certificate.
With guided interactive learning, including videos and animations, use the app to learn and understand the basics of first aid.
Complete the app learning by fully reading the ‘Learn’ section and successfully completing the app tests. Unlock badges along the way to record your achievements. Learn at a time and location that is convenient for you and reduce time spent away from the workplace.
Once you have completed your pre-course learning, book your skills workshop to complete your training.
PRACTICAL SKILLS FACE-TO-FACE WORKSHOPS
Attend the practical skills workshop with a New Zealand Red Cross instructor to gain your accredited certification.
All the app badges must be unlocked to show achievement prior to attending the skills workshop. You will need to bring your phone or tablet so the instructor can verify your achievement.
COURSES INCLUDE:
WHAT IS M-LEARNING?
M-learning or mobile learning enables learners to gain knowledge across several learning platforms. Some of the content and interactions are accessed on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. M-learners can then use this technology in their own time and place and at their own speed – anywhere and anytime.
IS M-LEARNING A RECOGNISED LEARNING PATHWAY?
Yes it is. Research shows that people use mobile devices more frequently today than personal computers, using their devices to access the internet for information as and when required. Mobile devices using apps often do not require access to the internet as the learning content is stored within the device.
There are numerous published papers that support the view that learning within this mobile environment is well controlled, ensuring the learner has access to accurate information.
There is also evidence that the learner feels more confident in their own environment working at their own pace.
https://www.redcross.org.nz/
The post Mobile Learning Keeps Safety On The Move appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Small-Price Service Robotics Thanks to Low-Cost Robot Joint
Serving orange juice, loading the dishwasher or sorting purchases. The new low-cost igus robotics concept from Treotham is intended to make these tasks possible.
Under the name ReBeL, igus presented a new kind of joint, driven by a strain wave gear, at Hannover Messe 2018 as a single component for the first time and also showed a study of a 6-axis service robot. The new joint is fundamentally different to the previous robolink models: instead of stepper motors, brushless direct-current motors are used in the joints for the first time.
Thanks to maintenance-free injection-moulded parts, the new ReBeL series is set to become a real bargain for robot manufacturers.
A practice household assistant for the home or in the office. Easy to program at a reasonable price. Who does not want this? The topic of collaborative robotics – interaction between people and machines – has now been taken up by igus with its low-cost robotics in the form of robolink. The requirements for the components were that they must be light and cost-effective. The result is the ReBeL joint.
“Alexa, bring me a glass of orange juice,” could thus become reality when the product is used in combination with a voice control system. The new low-cost robotics concept is fundamentally different to that of the previous robolink joints and makes it possible for robot manufacturers to generate new solutions. Instead of stepper motors, brushless direct-current motors (BLDC motors), are used.
Due to their small size, the BLDC motors can now be installed in the maintenance-free strain wave gear of a ReBeL joint. The control equipment is also built into the axes and thus renders an external control cabinet superfluous. “The cables can now be routed directly inside a robot arm as a BUS system”, says Martin Raak, robolink product manager at igus GmbH.
“A further idea is to equip new joints with absolute encoders, that remember the position of an arm even when a power failure occurs,” adds Raak.
The ReBeL now makes it possible to have the 6th rotation axis in the modular robolink system and thus allows all positions to be reached. For bearing purposes, lubrication-free and smoothly operating xiros plastic ball bearings are used. As the gearboxes are also mostly made of polymers, the ReBeL system is very light. The BLDC motors also contribute to weight reduction as they are lighter than the previously used stepper motors.
Injection-moulded parts ensure the small price of a ReBeL joint and therefore of the robot arms.
“We want to make cost-effective robot arms and applications possible for mechanical engineering companies and even private persons.” says Raak.
The new system is suitable not only for tasks in the private area but also for other functions such as collection and delivery services or pick-and-place applications in factories, especially in the case of mobile applications where the robot arm is mounted on a moving platform.
The post Small-Price Service Robotics Thanks to Low-Cost Robot Joint appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Canterbury Student Designs 3D-Printed Water Filter to Save Lives
A University of Canterbury student is developing 3D-printed water filters with potential to improve water quality in developing countries.
UC Master of Engineering student Benjamin Houlton is researching how filters can be 3D-printed to remove trace metals from wastewater streams and other polluted waterways.
“Further down the track the filters could be used in developing countries like Cambodia where there are high levels of arsenic in river water,” he says.
His main focus is using computer simulations of water flowing through filters to determine the most effective structure.
The conventional view is that randomly packed filter structures have the best performance, however Benjamin’s supervisors at UC discovered that with new technologies this is no longer true.
He says modern 3D-printing technologies enable the creation of finer structures, which challenge the performance of randomly ordered models of filter.
With his Master’s degree due for completion next year, the race is on to understand and identify the most beneficial filter structure using flow modelling simulations, and validate the models against experimental data supplied by collaboration research partners.
“The benefits of 3D-printing mean we can simulate and predict the different flow characteristics before the filters are made. It also means we can recreate the same filter over and over.”
Removing metal traces from waste-water is just one application, Benjamin says. If it is successful it might change a whole range of packed-bed technologies.
Scion in Rotorua, which initiated the project in collaboration with an industrial partner, will experimentally test the effectiveness of the new solid filter designs.
Benjamin won the Biomolecular Interaction Centre scholarship to pursue his Master’s degree at UC and also received a prestigious William Georgetti scholarship which he will use to complete a doctorate overseas once his Master’s is complete, enabling him to pursue his research passions.
The post Canterbury Student Designs 3D-Printed Water Filter to Save Lives appeared first on NZ Engineering News.
Newsletter
Sign up here and keep updated with what's going on in your industry!