SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Modular drill reduces set-up times and scrap

From individual parts and small series production to the finishing and reworking of metal parts, Remscheid-based Kurt Metallverarbeitung manufactures various components for large-scale industry, such as spare parts for presses, cranes and excavators. Reliable tools that deliver the best machining results and maximum efficiency are essential. This is why the company focusses on modular drilling systems that impress with their flexibility and savings potential.

“Before we adopted the BT 800 interchangeable-head drilling system from Gühring, we were using a competitor’s modular drilling system, which allowed drill heads to be changed directly in the machine without a screw,” says director Samet Kurt

In this system, the drill head and carrier were connected using assembly keys with slotted engagement points. However, practical experience revealed shortcomings.

“The drill head often got stuck in the tapered interface,” says Kurt. “It then had to be removed with a lot of force, making it easy to slip and damage the sheath.”

The centrepiece of the BT 800 is the wear-resistant bayonet interface. Compared with Kurt Metallverarbeitung’s previous system, the mounting key now engages in the flute, enabling the drill head to be changed quickly, precisely and safely without damaging the cutting head.

Kurt tested the modular solution while drilling a cog made from C45 quenched and tempered steel (1.0503). The through-holes with a depth of 10 mm were milled on a Haas VF-1 vertical machining – ideal for use with the BT 800 interchangeable head drill. The result was convincing across the board.

“The quick-change system from Gühring is simply better,” says Kurt. “There are no problems when changing the drill heads – handling is simple and safe.”

More information www.geuhring.com

STL Targets 20% EU Growth

A UK specialist in precision stamping and bi-metal bonding for the electrical contact market – Samuel Taylor Limited (STL) – is targeting a 20% increase in European-wide sales by capitalising on its’ global trading heritage. Over the course of the next few months, STL representatives will embark on multiple visits throughout the Eurozone encompassing countries such as France and Germany. The company will have a presence at major exhibitions and visit customers new and old within sectors such as rail, automotive, defence, and mobile/ off-grid power solutions.

More information www.samueltaylor.co.uk

Vericut cuts granite machining risks at Reitz

Reitz Natursteintechnik KG is an expert in the planning, design and manufacturing of highly precise machine components made from granite. To ensure efficient and above all safe processing, the company takes advantage of Vericut simulation software to deliver process-reliable production and reduced workload for employees.

Christopher Reitz is the company’s fourth generation managing director. His mission? To place customer needs even more at the centre of the 140-employeee company, which serves sectors such as semiconductor, optics, general mechanical engineering, automation, metrology, printing and medical technology.

The granite workpieces vary in size up to 13 m, weighing up to 65 tonnes. Processing such blocks precisely means Reitz relies almost exclusively on machines developed and built in-house: four gantry-type milling machines and two five-axis gantry machines, all controlled by Siemens 840D. To ensure safe, fast and precise machining, the company uses Vericut simulation software.

“Granite is a natural product, so the surface is never perfectly flat,” says Reitz. “To prevent tool collisions during processing, we developed a process with Vericut that virtually eliminates this risk.”

Adds René Maschlanka, responsible for sales and project management at Reitz: “Vericut eliminates the need for manual set up, saves valuable operator time and protects our machines. Now our programmers and operators are far more relaxed – they know their programs will run safely, with no crashes.”

Some machining processes at Reitz can take over 40 hours. Previously, the operator had to stand by the entire time. Now, they run the simulation on a PC, press start and only check in occasionally.

More information www.vericut.com

Lantek delivers top service for DMS Laser Profiles

For laser cutting specialist DMS Laser Profiles, fast and accurate quotation preparation, easy program generation for its Trumpf lasers and responsive aftersales support were the key reasons the company chose to replace its existing system with Lantek software in May 2024.

Based in Maidenhead, the company specialises in stainless steel fabrication primarily in the petrochemical, process engineering, pharmaceutical, food and water sectors. Initially, DMS Laser Profiles subcontracted laser cutting but moved this in-house in the early 2000s to improve supply line security and reliability.

Sales manager Josh Hall says: “We generate around 230 quotations every month and have checked the costs generated by Lantek against the actual costs and it’s really quite accurate. Additionally, during installation and commissioning, where the costs did not line up, Lantek engineers quickly fixed any discrepancies.”

As well as costs for laser cutting, Lantek’s Integra Quotes software generates prices for other operations such as folding and welding, as well as outsourced operations such as powder coating. It also generates invoices for completed work and integrates with the company’s accounting software.

Typically, CAD data for a new job is either fed into Lantek Expert for flattening, or where there is an assembly of parts, processed in SolidWorks to get the individual flattened components. Around 11 dedicated estimators and programmers use the Lantek software, pre-nesting parts into 2.5 x 1.25m or 3 x 1.5m sheets as part of the quotation process, prior to final nesting and programming when the job is released for production.

Hall says: “With Lantek, we can track parts back to the individual sheet, which is important for ISO traceability requirements.”

More information www.lantek.com

Lighting up productivity gains at Smithstown

Opening its doors with just four toolmakers 50 years ago, Smithstown Light Engineering is now a business with three manufacturing sites and over 165 employees. Working with the world’s leading medical device and orthopaedic companies, Smithstown uses hyperMILL CADCAM software from Open Mind Technologies to streamline its throughput and maximise efficiency.

Working with clients such as Stryker, Boston Scientific, Zimmer Biomet and Cook Medical, the company provides a turnkey service from concept and design through prototyping, machining and validation of medical components and orthopaedic implants. With over 14 million components manufactured annually, the Irish manufacturer adopts stringent quality measures that are a necessity for precision medical device parts used in life-saving surgery.

CEO Gerard Henn alludes to why the County Clare company opted for hyperMILL: “There are so many different CADCAM options in the marketplace, but Open Mind made it much easier for us to work forward with hyperMILL, explaining the facets, features and how we could optimise our machining strategies and cutting paths.”

He adds: “Open Mind were very enthusiastic and got behind us. They understood what we were trying to achieve, and it’s been a positive relationship all the way through. We’d recommend Open Mind to any companies interested in upskilling their internal workforce – the partnership has been extremely positive.“

Smithstown Light Engineering supports orthopaedic and medical device companies in Ireland and around the world. It also provides instrumentation for surgical procedures, making it a very medical-focused enterprise

“With Open Mind’s support, we now have a great understanding of hyperMILL,” concludes Henn.

More information www.openmind-tech.com