Orderfox News

Workpieces weighing several tons and material costs per piece the equivalent to the value of a small car: In the field of heavyweight machining, everything is slightly larger; except for the tolerances because high-precision production in the hundredth or even thousandths of a millimetre range is the rule rather than the exception in modern large-part machining and heavy machining. More and more manufacturing companies are meeting the high customer demands with powerful multifunctional machines. Turning, milling, drilling and grinding in one set-up ensures significantly increased process reliability – and at the same time reduces unproductive set-up times.

Medium-sized production plants are currently confronted with several challenges. A steadily growing cost pressure meets an increasing complexity in production, the quality requirements of the customers are increasing significantly and innovative competitors are already in the starting blocks on the international market. Added to the list of challenges is the acute shortage of skilled workers. There is a shortage of fitters, technicians, and machinists everywhere. The labour market has long been unable to meet the demand.

When the media talk about Industry 4.0, smart factories and networked production lines, the focus is usually on international corporations. Yet, the "digital workshop" provides immense advantages, especially for small and medium-sized production plants. Simplified customer communication, streamlined processes in administration or spare parts warehouses "on demand" are just some of the competitive advantages that SMEs can achieve by transitioning to Industry 4.0

Even though classical sheet metal working strategies such as punching are still indispensable in sheet metal working – especially for larger order volumes – more and more sheet metal processors are also using focused laser beams to cut sheets. Laser technology is becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the area of prototype production or small to exceedingly small batch sizes. But where exactly can "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation"  show its advantages – and why?

The 3D printing industry stands for innovative spirit like hardly any other industry – and the past "Covid-19 years" have done nothing to change that. On the contrary: 2022 seems to be the year for 3D printing providers! New materials, the use of artificial intelligence and a recognizable democratization of printing processes: it is really difficult for us to filter out the top trends from the many innovations. As part of our innovation blog series, we have researched the market for you and summarized the most important news.

The rapid development of prototypes will continue to ensure the competitiveness of companies in 2022. Additive manufacturing in particular - and also 3D printing - will bring a lot of speed to the development of new products this year. New synthetic resins and optimised printing processes are further trends this year that we would like to present to you in our innovation blog.

The machining of large and largest components will remain firmly in the hands of German SMEs in 2022. Even though the large parts processors had to accept significant losses in turnover in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, there are currently signs of a recovery on the market. The  "classic" areas of application for the components – mechanical engineering and automotive – are currently being supplemented by increased demand in the field of renewable energies. As part of our blog series, this time we will be looking at the current trends and important innovations in the processing of large parts.

For more than half a century, CNC controls have had a firm grip on the machining industry. Whether workshop-oriented programming directly at the machine or CAD/CAM applications: Modern manufacturing would be unthinkable without "computerised numerical control". Trends 2022 would also not be complete without an insight into current innovations with which the large and small control system manufacturers want to make production a little faster, more intuitive and, above all, more productive. In the context of our innovation blog, we have taken a closer look at the most important trends of the year.

No machining without tools – nothing will change in 2022. However, the current year will usher in a whole range of innovations. Tool and clamping device manufacturers are confronted with new challenges – keyword electro mobility.