The 18th EuroMold World Fair for Mouldmaking and Tooling will be held at the Frankfurt/Main, Germany, from November 29 - December 2. In addition to being a showcase for the two titled areas of expertise, the event also incorporates areas dedicated to design and application, essentially offering visitors the opportunity to build a comprehensive picture of how displayed equipment can assist in each step of development through to series production and testing.
This year, the partner country for the EuroMold event is South Korea. In addition to a wealth of automotive manufacturing expertise gained over decades of production, Korea also has a number of research institutions and trade associations directly related to the event topic, many of which have permanent branches in Germany and across Europe. More information will be available over the event as to what these organisations have to offer and how the newly-ratified free trade agreement with the EU will impact new business.
Included in the 1,500 exhibitors at the event are companies experienced in a wide range of areas that impact directly on automotive production, including; prototype producers, tooling machinery providers, pattern makers, and finishing equipment, together with the core providers of mouldmaking equipment. With the increasing emphasis customers are placing on perceived quality, there is no better opportunity to examine the equipment that could deliver a profit-making difference.
According to the event organisers, DEMAT, out of the more than 56,000 visitors who attended the 2009 EuroMold event, 25.3% were working in the automotive sector. In 2010, this had risen to almost 30% of the visitor total, underlining the importance of this area of expertise to the automotive industry.
Below is a sample of the companies and products scheduled to present at this year’s EuroMold event that will be of interest to automotive professionals:
The multifunctional PSM 400 series laser processing machine from Schunk is a partially-automated system suitable for joining and welding repairs. Due to the equipment’s highprecision linear and rotary axes, the system operates with high precision and repeat accuracy. The PSM 400 can be set up very quickly and programmed using a user-friendly control interface with an integrated teaching function with line, arc, circle and spline presets to minimize the programming time. This flexibility allows quick implementation of the unit, for small batches or even single pieces.
The PSM 400 can be used across a range of processes, including tool and mouldmaking. Additionally, the PSM 400 BladeWelder is ideal for repairing difficult to weld, crack-prone materials, such as high temperature nickel- and cobalt-base alloys.
The handheld MetraSCAN 3D optical 3D scanning system and the C-Track 780 dual-camera sensor form a unique tool that can generate precise measurements in either the laboratory or on the shopfloor. Used in combination with the company’s HandyPROBE, the system forms a complete and powerful inspection solution that increases the reliability, speed and versatility of the measurement process.
The C-Track 780 dual-camera sensor is fitted with highquality optics and special lighting, enabling it to measure all reflectors within its operating space. In addition to tracking the reference model of the whole system, the C-Track 780 ensures accurate localization of the MetraSCAN, performing continuous image acquisition and transmission, lighting of reflectors, management of exchanges with the computer and storage of sensor parameters.
Delcam Hall 8.0 H57, Hall 9.0 B139
Delcam has launched the latest version of its FeatureCAM feature-based CAM system. Using faster, easier-to-use programming, the new system is able to maximise toolpath efficiency, resulting in improved machine productivity. Toolpath selection and display has also been simplified and a new ‘undo’ option has been added.
A range of other improvements make FeatureCAM even simpler to use. A selection of keyboard shortcuts have been added, including isometric view options, to allow faster programming. Additionally, it is now easier to select multiple items from the operations tree and move all the features in a group, useful when working with such processes as a network of similar holes or the operations on an individual spindle. Warning or error messages can be displayed by hovering over the relevant icon in the operations list.
Two new strategies are now available – back boring and spiral roughing. Back boring allows more parts to be completed in a single setup, while larger bores can be produced on the reverse side of the part. Spiral roughing can be used instead of Z-level roughing. This uses a single, continuous toolpath instead of a series of levels, resulting in a smoother finish with no dwell marks.
SLM Solutions will have the new SLM 250 HL selective laser melting machine at the upcoming EuroMold event.
Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing technology that uses a high-powered ytterbium fibre laser to fuse fine metallic powders together to create functional 3D parts.
Using 3D CAD data, the SLM 250 HL can produce layered metallic workpieces up to a maximum dimension of 250mm x 250mm x 250mm (an extended Z-axis option increases the maximum part height to 360mm).
Within this space, the shape of the component and material selection is virtually limitless. According to SLM, the melting rate of the advanced semi-conductor lasers, up to 400W, sets new standards in terms of construction standards for the segment.
To create a high-quality atmosphere suitable for the process, the evacuated vacuum chamber can be filled with argon gas. This is critical when working with titanium, which can react with oxygen, although nitrogen can be used with non-reactive materials.
The SLM 250 features an external powder hopper with valve interlocks, which allows additional material to be added while the process is running. Powder overflow containers also located outside the chamber, feature isolation valves so that unused material can be sieved and reintroduced to the process via the hopper while the system is still running.
All operations can be controlled via an easy-to-use touch screen user interface.