TaeguTec Faces The Milling Needs of Industry

Now available from TaeguTec is its new ChasePlusQuad face milling range of cutters for heavy machining applications with a depth of cut up to 8.8mm. The new range of face mills has a 45 degree entering angle that accommodates 16mm square, double-sided inserts with eight cutting edges for cost effective and highly productive rough machining.

The product program consists of a wide range of cutter diameters with different pitches and mounting styles to make the ChasePlusQuad suitable for a diverse range of applications. The new series is available as a screw clamp, wedge clamp, cartridge type or quick change type of cutter that incorporates an innovative system that gives the end user the option of using screw or cartridge type inserts on the same cutter body.

The new series offers cutter diameters from 63mm to 400mm for medium to large component processing. Depending upon the overall diameter, the cutters have the option of 6 to 58 insert pockets, with fine pitch options delivering the ideal solution for high feed and high speed machining.

To accommodate the diverse needs of the industry, the ChasePlusQuad is available with a multitude of TaeguTec insert grades including the TT9080, TT7080, TT7800, TT8030, TT9080, TT6080, TT6290 and the TT6030. This vast array of grades permit high feed and high speed machining with impeccable surface finishes on a range of materials including low and high carbon steel, alloyed, tool and stainless steels plus titanium alloys and cast iron grades.

This new addition to the ChasePlusQuad line with SNMHX 16 inserts compliments the already existing SNMGX 12 inserts with 45 and 75degree entering angle and the SNGX 13 inserts with 88 and 90degee entering angles. This latest edition completes a very comprehensive range of face milling cutters to meet the demands of highly productive machine shops.

For further information, e-mail: sales@taegutec.co.uk or view website: www.taegutec.co.kr

Schaeffler confirms its strength in innovation

The Schaeffler Group is now ranked in the top ten most innovative companies in Germany, according to the latest patent registration figures released by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.

Schaeffler KG, which includes the INA Group, FAG Group and LuK Group, now stands in eighth place in the rankings with a total of 605 patents granted in 2008, with LuK ranked 21st with 221 patents. This means that together, INA, FAG and LuK is currently the fifth most innovative company submitting patent applications in Germany. Together with its other group companies, including IDAM (INA Drives & Mechatronics), AFT, The Barden Corporation, FAG Industrial Services, etc.), the Schaeffler Group handed in more than 1,250 new patent applications in 2008, which represents an average of more than five patents per working day.

Dr. Peter Gutzmer, Member of the Schaeffler Group's Executive Management Board responsible for Technical Product Development and in charge of the Group's worldwide R&D activities, considers this strength in innovation to be one of the company's mainstays. "The Schaeffler Group's firmly entrenched roots in over 60 different industrial sectors give us the opportunity that hardly any other company has, to transfer our expertise and to introduce this into new solutions. Our customers in the automotive industry benefit from this and so do our customers in other industrial sectors," he pointed out.

Development efforts at Schaeffler focus on new developments aimed at more efficient use of resources. One of the latest examples is the company's fully variable 'MultiAir' valve train. Developed by the Schaeffler Group in collaboration with Fiat Powertrain, it was recently presented to the general public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show. Compared with conventional motors, the result is up to 25 per cent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as enhanced driving dynamics.

With more than 1,250 patent applications annually and some 14,700 patents in force, the Schaeffler Group has always been a pioneer of industrial innovation. Some 5,200 employees in 30 development centres worldwide are working on new power transmission solutions for machines and vehicles. In the automotive field, the product range comprises components and systems for engines, transmissions and chassis applications, and the application spectrum in the industrial sector spans from wind turbines and production machinery through to medical equipment.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office disclosed the number of patent applications for the year 2008 on March 16. For further information on the number of patent applications disclosed, view website: www.dpma.de

For further information on the Schaeffler Group, view website: www.schaeffler.co.uk   Refer to next page

Model of excellence at Titanium Racing

Norwich-based Titanium Racing Ltd is reporting continued and growing orders for its range of specially designed scaled parts for model racing cars. Machined in volume to micron tolerances, the metalcutting excellence behind the operation is provided by a recently installed Tornos Sigma 20 CNC automatic sliding headstock lathe, which joins an existing Tornos Deco 20a model, both supplied by Tornos UK.

Making scaled racing components for model cars may not sound like critical part manufacturing, but the uninitiated will be more than surprised regarding the level of precision and eye for detail demanded by a hobbyist sector that in the words of company founder and managing director, Darren White, can border on obsession.

"These are not toys," he states resolutely, "the parts we make are used by many of the world's top drivers and racing enthusiasts where hundredths of a second can make the difference between a winning car and an also-ran."

Titanium of course has many virtues, and its success in Formula One and other motorsport disciplines is driving demand in the model car racing sector where its lightweight yet high strength properties are highly desirous.

Himself a racing enthusiast, Mr White started Titanium Racing Ltd in 2001 upon noticing a lack of resource for scaled titanium racing parts. In less than a decade the company has grown to fill two adjoining industrial units in Norwich from where it exports components around the world to countries that include the USA, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand.

The Tornos Sigma 20 CNC automatic sliding headstock lathe with a few machined parts.

"A large part of our success can be attributed to the Tornos machines," he says. "Their repetition is fantastic - if you can make one, you can make thousands. They are also built very sturdily, which is vital when we need to hold tolerances in titanium in the region of 3-4 microns."

Fasteners, spools, drive shafts, axles, constant velocity drives and pinion gears are among the many part ranges offered by Titanium Racing. While materials such as Inconel and 7075 T6 high strength aluminium are used in some instances, the majority of parts are manufactured from Ti6AL4V aerospace grade titanium alloy. Often containing complex features, each part is programmed offline, with the Tornos TB Deco software singled out for special praise.

"The ease of programming is principally why we use Tornos," says Mr White. "The software breaks the part down into individual boxes that make everything very clear and straightforward."

The two Tornos machines at Titanium Racing are served by Tornos's own Robobar SBF-532 feeders that help deliver batches in the realm of 200 - 5000. Component sizes range up from 0.2mm thick shims, up to 450mm in length at the other extreme.

"The new Sigma 20 came recommended by Tornos," he adds. "It's not quite as high specification as the Deco 20a, but it's very precise and well suited to the simpler parts in our range. Being able to complete three or four operations in a single set-up provides us with an advantage over the competition as our cycle times can be minimised in all cases."

During times of economic hardship, Mr White says that people increasingly look to their hobbies as a form of escapism.

Titanium Racing makes parts for 1:8, 1:10 and 1:12 scale model racing cars. There is a governing body www.brca.org and a world championship race series. Similar to Formula One, each race consists of qualifying laps to determine starting grid order. Racing then commences at speeds of around 80 mph (straight line world record is 161 mph) with most races lasting around five minutes. Races are fast, aggressive and extremely technical - the smallest error of judgement can spell disaster.

"Model car racing is probably a $1 billion industry worldwide and we want to get as much of that as we can," he says. "Many car manufacturers have moved production to the Far East so it has become difficult for racing enthusiasts to get more advanced racing parts, which is where we come in."

Forming a smaller, yet no less important part of revenue for Titanium Racing is the Formula One sector. From November 2008 through to January 2009, the company supplied around 75,000 products to Formula One race teams.

"There is no reason why we cannot continue to make progress in Formula One," he says. "We have the required expertise, quality, flexibility and machining technology to meet the demands of this challenging sector."

For further information, view website: www.trbolts.com