General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

A new range of Thulium-doped fiber optic components from Coherent | Nufern enables construction of fiber lasers and oscillators operating at ~ 2 µm with higher output power than was previously possible. Specifically, advances in Thulium doping technology deliver significantly improved pumping efficiency, yielding higher power output (>1 kW) for gain fibers.

TRIBOS polygonal clamping technology has been setting standards in high-precision micromachining for many years. Numerous companies in medical and dental technology, watchmaking and jewelry, as well as moldmaking and optical engineering have put their confidence in SCHUNK's patented toolholding system. Due to the high demand, SCHUNK has further expanded the line of precision toolholders.

A growing number of manufacturers in the medical industry are seeing the light when choosing a machining option for micro parts and features. The light they're seeing emanates from laser micromachining systems.

Weiler Abrasives Group, a leading provider of abrasives, power brushes and maintenance products for surface conditioning, announced last month that it appointed Bill Dwyre as Managing Director of the newly formed Americas business. This promotion, part of a larger restructuring, supports the integration of the "game changing" acquisition of Swatycomet in late 2015, launching the company into the global abrasive market space. n

Synova, a manufacturer of high-precision laser cutting systems, has relocated its North American Micro-Machining Center (MMC) operations to Secaucus, N.J. The MMC offers laser machining services such as application trials, single and recurring cutting jobs and machine demonstrations.

Mitsui Seiki USA Inc. in April announced that Scott Walker, long-time president, has accepted the position of chairman; Robb Hudson, former business and technology director, has been named chief executive officer; and William "Bill" Malanche, former executive vice president, has been appointed chief operating officer.

March U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $200.05 million according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was up 14.3% from February's $174.98 million and up 8.4% when compared with the total of $184.57 million reported for March 2016.

Three-dimensional molded interconnect devices are a welcome addition to conventional printed circuit boards and are particularly well suited to Industry 4.0 applications. The example of a smoke detector illustrates how design and functional integration are simplified with this technology.

Florence, Ky.-headquartered Mazak Corp. hosted its Midwest Technology + Education Event May 2-4 at the machine tool builder's Midwest Technology Center, Schaumburg, Ill. The event featured a broad range of Mazak machines on display, exhibits and demonstrations presented by Mazak Value Inspired Partners and six daily seminars.

Hermle's newest automation solution is the HS Flex. Attractively priced, the HS Flex handling system is a powerful and compact automation tool, the company reports.

Hwacheon Machinery America Inc.'s new Hi-M G1 vertical machining center is specially designed to cut graphite. Its quick and precise performance makes it an ideal choice for dry cutting graphite electrode material used in die mold work, according to the company.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence announced its new solution for the calibration and performance testing of industrial robot systems. The RoboDyn software package, created in collaboration with the developers of SpatialAnalyzer, works in conjunction with a Leica Absolute Tracker to allow for the direct calculation of robot characteristics such as base and tool alignments and full DH parameters.