30 PRODUCTION ENGINEERING www.ipesearch.com
PRODUCT NEWS
Adding gloss to art
Precision and
efficiency in the
machining process
STUDENTS AT MIT reproduce near-flawless
replicas of fine-art pieces
using 3D printing. They use fluid
dispensing technology, such as
Nordson EFD’s PICO P lse jet valve.
The nozzles required for achieving
high-resolution prints like those used
in 3D printers are not suitable for a
wide range of glosses, so students
proposed a system based on
Nordson EFD’s PICO P lse jetting
technology and another supplier’s
ink-jet 3D printing solution.
The PICO P lse delivers fast,
precise jetting over any surface. The
system fabricated by MIT students
includes three PICO P lse jet valve
systems, robot, gantry and
controller.
Using the modified 3D printing
system, students were able to
optimise a set of printable varnishes
capable of being consistently
dispensed at a 450 m resolution.
They can jet varnishes with a wide
range of viscosities and handle
matte varnishes with particles. This
allows them to achieve broad
coverage of reflectance – from very
glossy to matte.
www.nordson.co.uk
Tel: 01582 666334
MANUFACTURER OF components
for office furniture and equipment,
Suscom Industries, has expanded its
fleet of Kawasaki robots to eight, as
part of a reshoring programme.
Seven units are Kawasaki’s RS20N
with a single, larger, RS50N robot
making up the total..
The robots are deployed during
component moulding and post-moulding
processes across the shop
floor. One of these is removing
completed seat bases from a
moulding machine and positioning
them onto an adjacent workstation,
using vacuum grippers.
Another is removing the five-armed
star-shaped bases of office
chairs from the moulding machine
and holding them in place, almost
upside down, with a three-fingered
gripper, while a laser-cutter profiles a
section of the base to allow the
fitting of the gas strut.
https://robotics.kawasaki.com/en1/
Tel: 01925 713000
FOR THE manufacturing and
internal machining of small parts,
Kyocera’s EZ Bar Series has been
expanded with the EZBF type, which
is able to make a one-shot boring
process making a 90-degree step.
The whole EZ Bar series is said to be
ideal for high-quality products, owing
to minimal deviation, the longer tool
life and advanced machining
efficiency compared with
conventional tools. A wide variety of
ID processes is possible – boring,
back turning, grooving, facing and
even threading – by just changing
one tool. The latest addition to the
line-up even allows for hole bottom
face finishing processes.
For an even better high-quality
finish, the EZ Bar can be
combined with the new
PR1725 grade, which is a
PVD-coated carbide
grade. This tackles
several
customer
challenges at
once, producing a better surface
finish, providing a cost-effective
solution with a long tool life and
integrating tools for steel and
stainless steels.
www.kyocera.co.uk
Tel: 0118 931 0717
Hand-held laser cleaning introduced
A HAND-HELD laser-cleaning
system from 4Jet Technologies has
been introduced by UK and Ireland
distributor, TLM Laser.
Complementing JetLaser 200 W
and 500 W variants, the new M100
hand-held unit is based on a
fibre-coupled, maintenance-free
solid-state, near-infrared
laser at 1064 nm
wavelength. The
compact system, which delivers
100 W of laser power and weighs
less than 5 kg, is ergonomic and
optimised for manual use.
Potential applications are varied
and include cleaning of moulds,
tools, fixtures, paint and coating
removal operations, and pre-treatment
of surfaces prior to
welding, glueing or other coating
applications.
Connected to the portable supply
unit by a 5 m cable, the manual unit
can be easily manipulated using the
two-handle configuration. Focal
lengths range between 160 and
420 mm, depending on lenses. The
2D integral laser scanning head
delivers a 100 mm x 100 mm scan-field.
www.tlm-laser.com
Tel: 01527 959099
Welding
electrodes
CHOOSING THE right tungsten
electrode for TIG welding is as
important as getting the right
contact tip for MIG welding.
Tungsten is the main
component of TIG welding
electrodes. Apart from pure
tungsten versions, others are
enriched with further elements,
which is known as doping, or
tungsten doping.
The choice of TIG electrode
depends largely on the welding
task and factors such as
whether you want to weld DC
or AC. Not every type of
electrode is suitable for AC,
which is used for aluminium
welding. The material to be
welded will influence whether
pure tungsten electrodes are
used or whether those with
oxidic additives, such as
zirconium oxide (ZrO2),
lanthanum oxide (La2O3),
cerium oxide (CeO2) or thorium
oxide (ThO2) should be used.
Engweld’s TIG welding
electrodes are colour-coded to
identify their distinct
characteristics. In addition,
Engweld has compiled a guide
to help with electrode selection.
www.engweld.co.uk
Tel: 01482 329333
Robots for moulding and post-moulding
/www.kyocera.co.uk
/www.nordson.co.uk
/
/www.ipesearch.com
/www.tlm-laser.com
/www.engweld.co.uk
