Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Nov 24, 2017 - Fanuc America has demonstrated a new automotive spot welding robot at the recent Fabtech event. The new seven-axis R-1000iA/120F-7B’s design is based on the R-1000iA robot series. It has a payload of 120 kg and a maximum reach of 2,230 mm. The additional axis allows the robot’s J2 arm to fold into itself, making it shorter and able to operate in very tight workspaces, says Fanuc.
At the FabTech event, the R-1000iA/120F-7B was equipped with integrated Fanuc Servo Gun Control, the Fanuc primary wrist and Solution Arm for spot welding dress out, and a servo weld gun, which performs a spot welding operation on an automotive body side.
The robot highlights Fanuc’s 4D graphics, and uses Dual Check Safety Speed and Position Check software to limit the robot’s envelope within the compact workspace.
Also featured were Fanuc’s latest R-30iB Plus controller with an intuitive iPendant for easy setup and operation.
Tim Holcomb, product manager, Fanuc America, says: “The articulation in the J2 arm now enables the robot to be placed closer to the operating point in a welding application without losing any reach.
“Since the robot can also work overhead and from behind its back, it has an amazingly large work area despite its compact design.”
In addition to spot welding, R-1000iA/120F-7B is designed for other applications including compact palletizing, machine load/unload and other operations with space constraints.
Some of the features of R-1000iA/120F-7B include:
The latest R-30iB Plus controller features an intuitive iPendant with enhanced screen resolution and more processing capability compared to previous versions.
Fanuc says this offers a variety of intelligent functions including iRVision, Force Sensing, RoboGuide, ZDT and DCS.
| A Fanuc release || November 24, 2017 |||
LINCOLN, Neb., Nov. 16, 2017 - Sandhills Publishing announces the launch of CraneTrader, a website and print publication connecting buyers and sellers specifically in the market for cranes and other rigging and lift equipment and parts. CraneTrader leverages Sandhills' presence and longevity in the construction and heavy machinery industry to establish a niche resource for buyers and sellers more specifically interested in cranes, lifts, and other high-value material handling assets.
CraneTrader.com features listings for various types of cranes including tower, crawler, truck mounted, articulated, boom truck and rough terrain cranes, as well as boom, bucket, and scissor lifts. Listings are organized categorically and include specs, photos, videos, machine location, seller information, and contact tools that make it easy for buyers to inquire about listed assets. CraneTrader.com also ties listings cross-posted for lease/rent to RentalYard.com, the leading resource for rental and lease equipment.
The CraneTrader print publication will launch in special editions ahead of the Spring 2018 crane and lift industry trade show circuit, providing focused exposure at the industry's largest events. Regular monthly editions of the CraneTrader magazine will enter circulation in early 2018, reaching active buyers (including contractors and dealers) through direct mail distribution.
The CraneTrader brand is an extension of Machinery Trader, which has been serving buyers and sellers of construction equipment and heavy machinery since the 1970s. "Our products and services benefit both buyers and sellers by providing easy access to an efficient, global marketplace for specific assets, and CraneTrader is no exception," explains Sandhills' Director of New Products Evan Welch. "CraneTrader strategically segments the construction equipment market for targeted, high-value exposure. At the same time, it provides buyers an easy and convenient way to source the specific equipment they need."
CraneTrader joins the ranks of a global product portfolio that includes a number of brands specifically serving construction, plant, and heavy equipment markets. In addition to Machinery Trader and RentalYard, these brands include: Machinery Trader Auction Results, AuctionTime.com, FleetEvaluator, Fast Track, Fast Track Iron, MarketBook, tp-Business.fr, Plant Locator, Resale Weekly, Maquinaria OP, and Cantierissimo Carrellistica. In total, the Sandhills group distributes over five million publications every month to audiences all over the globe, and its websites receive more than 16 million monthly visits. In addition to providing customers direct access to buyers in retail, auction, and wholesale markets, Sandhills also delivers practical tools that simplify sales transactions and internal business operations through the Sandhills Cloud.
For the latest updates on CraneTrader, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Google Plus.
About Sandhills PublishingSandhills Publishing is an information processing company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our broad range of products and services gather, process, and distribute information in the form of trade publications and corresponding websites that connect buyers and sellers across the trucking, agriculture, construction, heavy equipment, aviation, and technology industries. Our integrated, industry-specific approach to hosted technologies and services offers solutions that help businesses large and small operate efficiently and grow securely, cost-effectively, and successfully. Sandhills Publishing—we are the cloud.
| a Sandhills Publishing release || November 17, 2017 |||
16 Nov 2017 - Most engineers didn’t go to school aiming to become economists, but that’s often what it feels like once you take on a managerial role. High-performance equipment is expensive, and downtime is costlier than ever. Lubrication is a fact of life, as is maintenance, whether it’s an airliner on the ramp or a conveyor on an assembly line, and the overall cost of preventative maintenance is always in play. High temperature applications make the problem even worse. At 400° F and higher, conventional hydrocarbon lubricant formulations aren’t enough.
For the difficult environments found in aerospace and aviation applications, for example, high-performance perfluoropolyether (PFPE) lubricants can perform under extreme temperatures, pressures and exposure to harsh chemicals. Often, advanced PFPE lubes are the only solution, but what about cases where hydrocarbon formulations can survive? In this case, there are still strong cost and performance advantages to going with higher performance products.
Consider the true cost of lubrication in manufacturing. Maintaining Lubrication in Extreme EnvironmentsMachines can fail for any number of reasons, but improper lubrication is often a leading culprit. This is commonly due to environmental factors such as temperature, pressure or exposure to harsh chemicals, or due to a lack of scheduled maintenance and relubrication. Extreme environments pose a significant challenge for keeping machines properly lubricated. Steam turbine controls, for example, will see wear on cam shafts, valve lift bar anti-friction bushings and gears if they’re using conventional lubricants, leading to
| Continue toread the full article here || November 16, 2017 |||
14 Nov 2017 - Desktop Metal is a US based company committed to bringing metal 3D printing to engineers and manufacturers, today announced it will begin accepting international pre-orders of its metal 3D printing system, the Studio System™ from companies throughout Asia Pacific. The announcement comes as Desktop Metal is experiencing tremendous interest and demand from manufacturers and strategic partners around the globe.
“Our vision is to make our Desktop Metal 3D printing solutions accessible to engineers and manufacturers around the world,” said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal. “We plan to begin offering our metal 3D printing technology internationally and will be accelerating production to meet worldwide demand first for our Studio System and later for our Production System. Our partnerships with best-in-class resellers in each of these geographies bring us closer to making metal 3D printing solutions available to all who want to realize the benefits of rapid prototyping and mass production of metal parts. We are excited to see what happens next in manufacturing as we welcome these new countries to our landscape.”
To support its international expansion plans, Desktop Metal has developed strategic partnerships with authorized Desktop Metal international resellers to immediately begin pre-selling its Studio System throughout APAC, including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Australia and New Zealand. To date, the company has partnered with 13 resellers throughout APAC to pre-sell and support its systems. Availability of the Studio System will vary by country. Interested buyers should visit www.desktopmetal.com/international for the complete list of APAC resellers and country-specific information.
About the Studio SystemThe Studio System, which debuted in May 2017, is the first office-friendly metal 3D printing system for rapid prototyping and is 10 times less expensive than existing technology today. The Studio System is a complete platform, including a printer, a debinder, and a sintering furnace that, together, deliver complex and even impossible geometries of metal 3D printed parts right in an engineer’s office or on the shop floor.
To manufacture metal 3D printed parts at scale, Desktop Metal also debuted the only 3D printing system for mass production of high resolution metal parts today, the Production System.
| A Desktop Metal release || November 14, 2017 |||
14 Nov 2017 - Michael Molitch-Hou posted on engineering.com an article on HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing technology. He writes that this technologythat has been one of the most exciting to watch, not just in terms of what it is capable of now, but what it portends for the future— a future that includes embedded electronics, augmented reality, ceramics and even metal. Laying out the road to that future, HP announced both the release of a new MJF printer, ahead of formnext, and, this past October, plans to embark on metal additive manufacturing (AM). Along with the new Jet Fusion 3D 4210 system, HP has also announced, as a part of its Open Materials Platform, an expanded materials portfolio and additional partners.
Jet Fusion 3D 4210
The newest MJF system, the Jet Fusion 3D 4210, is an upgrade to one of its flagship machines, the Jet Fusion 3D 4200. The 4200 was already an improvement upon the other flagship system, the 3200, in that it printed and cooled faster, and had lower material costs for serial production.
The 4210 takes these improvements further and, according to HP, “rais[es] the ‘break-even point’ for large-scale 3D manufacturing to up to 110,000 parts.” This means that producing up to 110,000 items on the system matches the costs of traditional mass manufacturing methods. Based on the company’s internal testing, parts can be mass produced at 65 percent of the cost of other AM technologies, such as fused deposition modeling and selective laser sintering (SLS).
Ramon Pastor, general manager of Multi Jet Fusion for HP’s 3D printing business, put this point in context, “HP’s Jet Fusion 3D systems have now reached a technological and economic inflection point that combines the speed, quality and scalability needed to accelerate manufacturing’s digital industrial revolution.”
The increased productivity is the result of hardware and firmware upgrades made to the existing Jet Fusion systems, which make it possible to perform continuous operation. This includes a new processing station for handling higher material volumes. Preorders for the machine, including upgrades for existing Jet Fusion customers, are available now.
New Materials
HP has a unique approach to its materials for MJF, allowing partners to develop proprietary materials on MJF systems to be sold through HP’s distribution network. As a part of the Open Materials Platform, it’s also possible to work with what the company dubs a Material Development Kit (MDK), which gives customers access to specific parts of the MJF process at various stages of printing, beginning with powder distribution.
Up to now, the materials were somewhat limited to a couple of varieties of black nylon powder. This material set has expanded with the latest news from HP, adding several materials that bring MJF closer in line with the technology’s number one competitor, SLS.
These materials include:
HP’s materials partners previously included Arkema, BASF, Evonik, Henkel, Lehmann & Voss, and Sinopec Yanshan Petrochemical Company. Along with news of the above materials, HP also added two more partners. Dressler Group will be giving the aforementioned chemical companies access to its toll grinding manufacturing capabilities to enable quicker material development. Berkshire Hathaway’s Lubrizol, a chemical company with thermoplastic polyurethane expertise, has also been added to the group and will be developing materials for final part production with MJF.
According to HP, over 50 chemical companies are “actively engaged” in the Open Materials Platform. The latest are Dow Chemical and DSM, who have purchased the MDK to develop powders for MJF. Evonik and Henkel have also purchased Jet Fusion printers themselves to develop powders for the platform.
HP Aims for Metal AM
At the HP Securities Analyst Meeting 2017 in Palo Alto in October, the company also announced that it was planning to enter the metal AM market, something I’d hypothesized since the launch of MJF at RAPID 2016.
President of 3D Printing at HP, Stephen Nigro, relayed at the event, “We have developed a novel 3D metal approach that is built to run a combination of high quality and improved economics [for] 3D-printed metals. Today’s 3D metal industry is focused primarily on specialized, high value, expensive applications. Our invention will transform the 3D metal into a more mainstream, high-volume production.”
The MJF platform had already been modified so that it could produce ceramic components, which likely involves binding the ceramic powder together before this completed green part is sintered in an oven. Metal, then, would require a similar approach, with the ceramic swapped out for metal.
This Metal Injection Molding-style technique has already been implemented with Desktop Metal’s technology, possibly putting the startup in direct competition with HP. We’ll know more next year when HP will officially announce the platform and its business plan for metal AM.
Also at the event, Nigro said that HP will be releasing its full-color MJF platform next year. This will give MJF a serious leg up on SLS, which requires either dying printed parts or printing in monocolor plastics. Combined with the productivity of MJF, full-color 3D printing will make it possible for the technology to compete with injection molding even further.
“MJF will be the one and only 3D printing technology in the industry that can make mechanical and robust functional full-color parts,” Nigro explained.“We plan to combine this color capability with a new, lower price position. The lower price position will open up new markets to HP, making it easier for designers and creators to access the technology. Being able to prototype with the same technology as full-scale production, which will change the end-to-end design process and accelerate the adoption of 3D printing.”
In an industry filled with hype, I’m reluctant to say that both of these announcements may have a profound impact on how the 3D printing industry evolves and may shake up the $12 trillion manufacturing industry, as HP claims it will.
| An engineering.com release || November 13, 2017 |||
6 Nov _ Ingram Micro New Zealand and HP have teamed up in a deal which will see Kiwi resellers receiving an additional bonus for trade-ins when buying HP’s mobility offerings. The Ingram Micro HP buy back deal will see resellers – and their customers – receiving ‘some really awesome buy-back rates’ on old equipment when upgrading to HP, with the vendor sweetening the deal even more with an added ‘top-up’. The deal applies to HP’s Elite mobility range. A full list of eligible HP Elite devices can be found here.
Jamie Hall, Ingram Micro HP business development manager, says the buy back, which runs through to January, covers any PCs, regardless of the brand, along with accessories, and does not affect special pricing currently available to resellers.
Amit Jamnadas, Ingram Micro Life Cycle Services business solutions manager, says up to $1000 trade-in will be available, depending on the devices.
The HP bonus is added on top of the trade-in.
“When you take that trade-in value and add the bonus HP is going to put on top of that it is a great value towards purchasing new HP devices,” he says.
The HP top up will be sizeable, adding additional value to each buy back device linked to a new HP Elite sale.
Hall says the amount of money customers can receive from the trade-ins creates a compelling story.
“It’s helping them close sales,” Jamnadas adds.
“Customers never want to pay full price and they end up with a whole lot of old kit when they acquire new devices. A lot of that kit has real value, so rather than turning them into a spare machine for staff to take home or for kids to load computer games on, they can trade it in and put the value towards new device purchases.
“That’s where the value is.”
Hall says often customers will look at replacing a handful of devices, without considering that the rest of their fleet is aging and will require replacement soon.
“A buy-back option will see the existing value in the fleet they have and that if they do the buy-back now they will get more value out of the old kit and potentially be able to refresh more and get more value back.”
He says many businesses also have devices that while not old, are not appropriate for the business anymore – such as devices bought for cloud services, but now needing more grunt.
“If the devices don’t meet what they ultimately need, this is a perfect opportunity to get some amazing value back, and then move to a device that will give them the productivity they’re after,” Hall says.
To get the most out of a buy back process, Hall says resellers simply need to provide Ingram Micro with the model serial number, processor, hard drive and accessories details for the old equipment.
Accessories can bump up the value of the buy back because buyes like having the full package, he says.
The increased dollar value in turn makes the decision to switch or upgrade to new HP equipment easier for resellers’ customers, Jamnadas says.
Ingram Micro will be doing a secured three-pass data wipe on all devices returned, with certificates issued to confirm the process has been completed and help with insurance coverage.
The Blancco data wipe used by Ingram Micro is regarded as a gold standard of data wiping and is used by intelligence and government agencies around the world.
“It provides the peace of mind that none of the data will appear anywhere else,” Jamnadas says.
"Concerns about what will happen to data on devices that are traded in is a key issue for people considering buy-back schemes," Hall notes.
The HP buy-back promotion builds on Ingram Micro’s work in the buy-back arena over the past year.
“It’s an area of business we’ve seen ramp up over the past year,” Jamnadas says.
For more information on the buy-back offer, click here.
| A Channel release || November 6, 2017 |||
The Machinery Market latest edition3 November 2017
EMO Hannover 2017 theme of “Connecting Systems for Intelligent Production” allowed exhibitors to showcase their smart solutions
The EMO Hannover 2017 theme of “Connecting Systems for Intelligent Production” lived up to expectations from the many exhibitors who were only too willing to show you how they have embraced the concept by implementing Industry 4.0 or the Internet of Things (IoT) in their products or future plans.
Many were demonstrating connectivity solutions, data analysis applications and other innovative services, each trying to outdo the other with their novel idea giving a reflection of how they have interpreted the theme and the concept. However, throughout the exhibition the emphasis was on systems capable of interconnecting multiple partners, cloud-based machine monitoring solutions, simulation software, augmented reality for machine maintenance, block chain technology for secure data transfer, new business models and much more.
Prior to the show beginning, EMO’s organisers said they were confident that the show would generate impetus for implementing Industry 4.0 or the Internet of Things (IoT) concepts.
“In the machine tool sector we have long since implemented digitalisation,” explains EMO’s General Commissioner and VDMA President, Carl Martin Welcker.
“Digital images, for example, for simulations have likewise been possible for quite a long time now. Under the keyword of Industry 4.0, the task now is to network the entire production operation, and indeed the complete added-value chain.”
He also refers to Industry 4.0 as a mindset: encouraging staff to come up with ideas on how they can put Industry 4.0 into shop-floor practice.
“In a consistently networked manufacturing line, flexible production is possible with optimised sequences, so that even rush orders in small batch sizes can be handled. Complete networking of the entire production line with real-time communication and control will create maximised added value for companies when it implements horizontal communication from receipt of the order all the way through to dispatch. Within the added-value chain, moreover, it’s important to network not only the component suppliers, but also the logistical partners and the customers involved, so as to achieve maximised productivity, flexibility and efficiency. If all this succeeds, this signifies a quantum leap forwards in terms of productivity, and will catapult those who can do it to the leading edge of international competition,” is the succinct verdict of Carl Martin Welcker.
Individual responsesAt EMO, control developers and manufacturers, software companies, tooling companies and machine tool builders demonstrated their individual responses to Industry 4.0 requirements.
“The keynote theme of this year’s EMO Hannover gave us the ideal backdrop against which to present market-ready products for digital manufacturing,” said Christian Thönes, chairman of the executive board of DMG Mori AG, Bielefeld, Germany.
Continue here to read this article from MetalworkingNeews || October 27, 2017 |||
The Angle-Rite® clamping system from Meridian Stainless helps reduce shrinkage distortion that commonly occurs during tube and pipe welding. The system is designed to allow complete setup, cutting, and welding while the clamp is attached, so the angle and rotation of tube and pipe are maintained throughout the entire process.
The system comprises a primary clamp that prebends the intersected tube before welding. The secondary clamp holds the intersecting tube or pipe in a precise angle to be miter cut using the reciprocating saw attachment or notched using the abrasive or hole saw notcher. Following cutting, the secondary clamp holding its tube or pipe is rejoined with the primary clamp and its attached tube or pipe. The angle and rotational alignment of the tubes or pipes are retained throughout the entire process.
With the system clamping the primary and intersecting tube or pipe in place, the welder can weld the joint without requiring a third hand. The primary clamp’s bending force compensates for weld stress distortion during the welding process.
| Source: theFabricator || October 25, 2017 |||
ConnecTire is a sensor-based smart wheel which enables data sharing at multiple levels, reducing the risk of tire slippage on the rim. It allows farmers to leverage the Internet of Things for safer and more efficient operations.
Operating key farm machinery at the lowest safe pressure is a key challenge – being in control of this maintains the safety both of machine and operator as well as ensuring minimum impact on topsoil. During operations tire pressure can change due to a number of factors including ambient and soil temperatures, as well as the intensity of task being performed and the configuration of the machine itself.
ConnecTire constantly monitors two key variables – tire pressure and temperature – which it relays to both tractor and farm mainframes via Bluetooth and wireless connectivity. Operators set their target tire pressure and can then monitor how tire pressure deviates from that target and act accordingly. Should corrective action be required, ConnecTire automatically sends an alert via its App, ensuring minimum disruption and maximum machine safety.
Piero Mancinelli, R&D Director at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, commented: “ConnecTire is about ensuring efficiency and sustainability; tires are required to work intelligently and to be at the right pressure at all times. Farm machinery is exposed to many variables throughout a working day, all of which can impact upon efficiency – ambient temperature, humidity and soil conditions. Being able to be in control of these allows farming operations to reduce inefficiencies. The alert via App capability is an essential feature of ConnecTire; changing conditions can require immediate action in order to maintain maximum efficiency and prevent rim slippage. ConnecTire’s communications functions enables fingertip control.”
Beyond tire monitoring, ConnecTire delivers further advantages: An inbuilt GPS capability identifies the live position of the tractor helping to keep lone workers safe and even safeguarding the tires and machine against risk of theft. In addition, with the help of precision farming software, farm managers are able to track the number of machine passes over every square centimetre of land, helping to limit soil compaction and erosion as much as possible.
Mancinelli, continues: “Repeatedly driving over the same ground at different stages of the crop cycle has a long term impact on yield. With ConnecTire, we saw an opportunity to help reduce this effect by providing the data that allows farms to identify at risk areas and mitigate this. Efficient use of land is essential and by reducing the number of machine passes, ConnecTire helps soil to rapidly recover fertility and yield potential.”
ConnecTire will be on display at Agritechnica 2017, November 12 to 18 in Hannover, Germany. Further information will be available at Trelleborg’s Agritechnica Press Conference on Monday November 13th 2017.
| A Trelleborg release || October 19, 2017 |||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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