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2025 Buyer’s Guide: Metal Cutting Product Releases
Discover the latest advances and innovations in metal cutting machines, CAD/CAM software and other metal cutting equipment that will cut down on steps and speed up processes and provide solutions to your machining challenges. The post 2025 Buyer’s Guide: Metal Cutting Product Releases appeared first on Fabricating & Metalworking.
Introducing a Breakthrough in Tap Manufacturing
ANCA CNC Machines’ (Wixom, MI) patented Motor Temperature Control (MTC) technology is a breakthrough in tap manufacturing. This innovative feature enables the production of consistently high-quality taps by addressing a key challenge — thermal growth. MTC tackles the problem of inaccuracy and variation caused by thermal expansion. Traditionally, manufacturers rely on measurement and compensation to control these variations, adjusting for thermal and mechanical changes during grinding. But what if there was a way to eliminate a major source of inaccuracy altogether?
MTC does exactly that. The technology allows operators to set the spindle temperature for production, and the machine automatically monitors and maintains that temperature. By stabilizing the spindle’s thermal environment, MTC removes fluctuations caused by thermal growth, ensuring greater precision and consistency in tap production.
For example, applying the MTC to the ANCA TapX, and using the cresting operation as an example; thread cresting is one of the most important tap features to get right. The relief of the thread typically involves a drop of 10-20 microns over the thread. The quality and shape of the thread crest are critical to the performance of the final (cut or formed) thread.
Threading is often the final operation in the manufacturing of parts, so taps play a crucial role. We do not want to scrap parts due to a tapped thread when all other values have already been added to the part. For example, the cresting affects:
Load Distribution and Thread Strength: Different crest types offer varying load distributions. High-load applications rely on high surface contact from a particular crest shape, such as a flat crest. The tap needs to form this large area without jamming or breaking.
Leak Tightness: Certain crest shapes, like rounded crests, can be more challenging to manufacture but are essential for creating effective seals in gas or fluid environments.
Thread Engagement: V-shaped threads provide high precision with increased thread engagement, while a tapered crest offers a more forgiving environment for quick or easy assembly, as well as being more durable with reduced wear.
Many tap manufacturers also have their own unique or specialized crest designs to achieve specific characteristics for a particular customer or industry. This is where a product such as ANCA’s TapX shines.
Compact Grinding Machine Now Available in North America
EMAG LLC (Farmington Hills, MI) announces the North American release of the WPG 7, a compact external cylindrical grinding machine designed to optimize efficiency for manufacturers working with smaller components. This innovative machine combines a small footprint with advanced features to deliver precision and productivity.
The WPG 7 is engineered for manufacturers working with components up to 250 millimeters in length. It’s compact footprint of 1.8-x-2.4 meters (approx. 71”-x-95”) is designed to fit on two Euro pallets allowing for easy transportation and setup in any location. Once in place, connections to power and compressed air are quickly secured, ensuring rapid deployment and minimal downtime. The machine’s straightforward installation process allows users to begin operations quickly. In addition, its rigid construction reduces heat build-up, ensuring reliable performance throughout the grinding process.
Ease of operation is central to the WPG 7’s design. Featuring an intuitive user interface powered by a FANUC control system, the machine streamlines the setup of grinding cycles, making it accessible to operators of all experience levels. Quick changeovers and optional high-precision in-process measurement technology enhance efficiency and ensure consistent results.
The WPG 7 offers flexibility for both manual and automated loading. For higher throughput, an integrated linear gantry system automates material handling, moving raw parts from a chain conveyor belt into the work area returning finished components with impressive speed.
Versatile Vertical Machining Center
Flex Machine Tools (Wapakoneta, OH), an American manufacturer and leading provider of machine tool solutions worldwide for metal fabrication operations and more, offers the versatile FlexCNC G-Series GM-20-06 Vertical Machining Center designed for high-speed cutting, milling, drilling and tapping of large parts, as well as machining round and square tubes on its 4th axis.
The FlexCNC features a customizable bed length from 10’-to-80’, easily accommodating a wide range of long parts. The spindle moves, instead of the machine bed, permitting materials/parts of large weights and sizes. For optimal efficiency, a robust gantry-style machine architecture enables large part machining in a single setup. A monobloc welded steel frame with precision linear guideways provides a strong, rigid infrastructure which works in tandem with a comprehensive motion control system.
Advanced 5-axis Vertical Machining Center
Built to deliver an unrivaled combination of quality, reliability and 5-axis performance — JTEKT Machinery’s WELE UG630 VMC features an advanced overhead gantry design, plus integrated, high-precision trunnion rotary table, enabling more operations in a single setup. JTEKT Toyoda Americas Corp. is based in Arlington Heights, Ill.
For a variety of machining needs, including high-speed, heavy-duty, and 5-axis machining, JTEKT Machinery’s complete line of vertical machining centers delivers lasting performance. Due to a vibration-dampening Meehanite cast iron base and large precision spindle bearings, users benefit from increased rigidity while sustaining higher load capacities. The UG630 includes a Heidenhain TNC 640 CNC plus touch screen display to optimize machining capabilities.
The UG630 VMC features X-axis travel of 640 mm/25.1”; Y-axis travel (spindle head) of 520 mm/20.4”; Z-Axis travel of 460 mm/ 18.1”. Rotating range of the C-axis is a full 360°. Swiveling range of the B-axis is -50 deg / +110 deg, maximizing tool access to surfaces of the workpiece. Machining speed and power is delivered through a built-in type 38-hp spindle with a speed of 15,000 rpm.
Reduce Clicks and Programming Time to Free up Programmers
OPEN MIND Technologies (Needham, MA) offers a working environment in hyperMILL® CAD/CAM software that focuses on “CAD for CAM,” addressing the requirements of CAM programmers who are not traditional CAD users. hyperMILL CAD for CAM provides two formats for CAD functions to enable selections and interaction.
The first approach is a traditional CAD front-end. Here, the user has a working environment to import CAD data, create and edit curves, surfaces and solids, as well as utilities for move, copy, and pattern commands. Then there are additional functions targeted for CAM users including radius and draft analysis, curvature and zebra maps, co-axial and co-planar selections, tags to easily arrange features such as all fillets of a certain size. Additionally, there are some advanced functions to refit a surface or mesh to simplify the model or improve the machining process, and deformation capabilities to account for expected machining deflections, or spring back during post-machining stamping process. This breadth of functionality provides users with easy and powerful CAD capabilities.
Secondly, OPEN MIND merged its CAD and CAM development teams to further integrate CAD requirements directly in hyperMILL CAM strategies. The result of these developments is very impactful to the user, saving keystrokes and lessening the impact of working in the CAD or the CAM environment.
New Flexible and Compact Tool Grinder
The newest generation tool grinder from Star Cutter Co. (Farmington Hills, MI) is the FLX 5-axis grinder, which has been designed with a focus on flexibility, enabling users to modify features to exactly match their grinding needs. At the same time, the FLX has automation and wheel change features that make it well-suited for high-volume, lights-out manufacturing.
“The FLX is designed to accommodate up to 15 wheel pack locations and a robot that can handle both tool and grinding wheel changeovers,” said Aaron Remsing, Star Cutter’s product manager. “This allows the machine to produce up to 1,200 tools (3-to-7 mm diameters) before unloading. Additionally, the new wheel magazine design is achieving a 30% reduction in typical wheel changeover time.”
Key to the system’s performance is Flexium Pro CNC, the newest control platform from NUM, which offers a tenfold increase in computing power. It streamlines operations and allows for a reduction in power consumption. Additionally, it improves data security while using a smaller electrical panel footprint.
With a grind zone of up to 228 mm in length and 20 mm in diameter, the FLX accommodates a variety of tool sizes. It also has two spindle options – a 7 kW, 24,000 rpm HSK synchronous for general manufacturing or a 15 kW, 24,000 rpm HSK synchronous for manufacturing, regrinding and higher RPM applications.
Vertical Lathe Sets New Standards
With the Dörries VT 28, Starrag USA Inc. (Hebron, KY) introduces a vertical turning lathe, the first of a new series. It combines the proven technology of the successful VCE series with new, innovative solutions. The machine is designed for multifunctional, high-precision and flexible pre-machining and finishing, for example for components such as planetary carriers and large engine housings. It combines state-of-the-art technologies, power and torque as well as highly flexible interchangeable systems. It is specially designed for precise and dynamic machining in the wind power and aircraft industries.
The direct drive allows for dynamic positioning and fast startup, thus reducing processing times and, as a result, the costs per component. Components weighing up to 37,479 lbs. (17 tons) with a maximum diameter of 110” (2.8 meters) and a height of 104” (2.65 meters) can be processed on the rotary table of the Dörries VT 28. Starrag continues to use wear-free, hydrostatic guides in all linear axes to dampen vibrations and thus ensure a high level of accuracy. A special concrete, Ultra High Performance Concrete, is used for the table base.
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