“The Machining 4.0 voucher allowed us to get assistance from NMIS to look at the feasibility of setting up an automated manufacturing cell that we would not have had the time or the resources to do ourselves.”

Irish Pens are a micro company producing unique and beautiful hand-turned pens in a variety of woods and styles. As a creative and innovative company, they are constantly exploring new product options, and were interested in possible new premium metal pen designs. They approached Machining 4.0 through UCD for assistance with this.

Challenge

Nikhef’s Theoretical Physics group performs theoretical research on a wide range of fundamental topics in high-energy physics, ranging from particle and astroparticle physics to cosmology, gravitational waves and string theory.

Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine Europe Group  in Almere delivers innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries from commercial aviation and transportation to power plants and gas turbines, and from machinery and infrastructure to integrated defense and space systems.

Punch Powertrain is an independent full system supplier of fuel efficient powertrains With over 45 years of experience in the development and production of CVTs, Punch Powertrain has successfully expanded its product portfolio with DCTs and towards New Energy Vehicles, now offering propulsion systems for EVs and Hybrid Vehicles (48V & PHEV).

DAF Trucks N.V. is a technology company and a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles in Europe. DAF is a wholly owned subsidiary of PACCAR Inc., a world leader in the development and production of outstanding light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles.

“The Interreg Machining 4.0 project, thanks to the support of specialists and the Techniquote quoting software, has enabled us to structure our quoting activity to better meet the expectations of our customers.

The “Interreg Machining 4.0” project permits us to develop our business with the support of Cetim. The quoting software “Techniquote” has been set up to simulate machining sequence, time and costs within the methods department.

The reliability of our machining sequences and our costings will allow us to be closer to the actual manufacturing cost practiced in our workshops, but also to reduce the time allocated by the methods to accomplish these tasks.

Background - The Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland is Scotland's national centre for mountain biking innovation and excellence.

Background

Background

Background

The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland helped specialist engineering consultancy Astrimar develop its Rapid Acceptance of Product & Technologies (RAPAT) tool, which rapidly guides users through developing and deploying new products for market.

Background

Kulapro is specialized in the design and production of technical interior doors for commercial spaces and public buildings. With over 40 years of experience, they are experts in the contract market and they realize total concepts of impeccable quality. Kulapro loves innovation, digitization and optimisation, both in their projects and in their production processes.

“A very informative and detailed presentation given by Conor and Kareema. I found it very insightful and a great introduction to machining tools and strategies.”  David Keane

“As a mechanical engineering company in Switzerland that develops and produces wire processing machines for the mattress and upholstered furniture industry we found our visit to IMS ZHAW Smart Factory 4.0 particularly interesting, especially in the connectivity of industrial machines and data collection, and are now looking to explore the potential for joint projects with IMS ZHAW to further develop the Machining4.0 technologies inside our company.”

Tim Büchi, Spühl GmbH

Gilbos devised for itself an innovative yarn-twisting process for carpet manufacturing. However, the precision of the system Gilbos produced for this purpose proved problematic for its rollout. In this light, it decided to call on the know-how and precision-manufacturing capabilities provided by Sirris.

Gilbos NV, based in Aalst (Belgium), is a manufacturer of high-quality textile machinery, specializing in particular in producing carpet yarns.

Innovation and smart automation have for years been of key importance to JTEKT Torsen Europe, Factory of the Future 2016 and 2019, from Strépy-Bracquegnies in the Walloon region. The company is a global market leader in the production of limited-slip differentials for lorries with four-wheel drive.

The differentials operate 100 percent mechanically and are made up of a series of complex steel gears with internal and external gearings. To stay competitive, further optimisation is needed.

Hardening is an essential but onerous step in the manufacture of precision components for switches. The traditional hardening process takes a long time and entails precision risks.

“Having been involved with IMR on the recent Tool Holder Trials as part of the Machining 4.0 voucher system, we saw first-hand the real value in having research like this done on a local level, this research was invaluable in cutting through the noise and finding answers to everyday problems being encountered in organisations l

Testimonial

“We used a Machining 4.0 Voucher with IMR recently to investigate an ongoing issue we were having with material distortion on a family of parts that we manufacture, that went through a number of processes.

Dawnlough worked with Irish Manufacturing Research on CNC Tooling System Analysis as part of a Machining 4.0.

"Machining 4.0 voucher mechanism focused on toolpath development and senorisation for machining. We found the learnings to be extremely valuable and are currently trialing this within our own processes at Croom Precision Medical, which if successful it will lead to an overall component cost reduction”.

Shane Keaveney, R&D Manager at Croom Precision

VCST, based in the Belgian province of Limburg, wanted to know if there was a faster way of manufacturing prototype gears for its customers while retaining its trademark high level of precision. To this end, it successfully teamed up with Sirris to compare four alternative production methods.

The challenge | Making more prototypes faster

VCST, a company from Sint-Truiden (Belgium) which manufactures gears and powertrain components for the automotive industry, was looking for faster ways to produce prototypes.

Metalworking company Malmar wanted to find out whether one of its products could be automatically post-processed. This was done to improve working conditions and increase the quality of the pieces. Tests clarified the feasibility.

Luisi & Diener AG got into contact with IMS ZHAW - a partner of the Interreg Machining4.0 project - during a visit to their Smart Factory 4.0 demonstrator. Discussion of these technologies led to the idea of an «intelligent workpiece». This shared idea served as the basis for a common project with IMS ZHAW which was funded by a national funding scheme. The main goal of the project was to increase the company’s efficiency by increasing machine utilisation as well as reducing lead times and scrap parts. 

We were very happy to receive expert assistance in the context of the NWE Interreg Project Machining4.0. We now have more accurate information to consider when we make decisions regarding important production processes involving human-robot collaboration.

Alejandro Muñoz Espiago, Director of Technology at Steripack

“AE Aerospace, with thanks to the Machining 4.0 voucher system, has been working with IMR over the last few months. This has seen us gain a greater understanding of our balancing and capacity. The team at IMR has maintained a constant dialogue to keep us updated and has listened to our feedback.

"As a technology start-up company iSentioLabs develop novel smart tools for monitoring and diagnostics in machining applications. The opportunity through the Machining 4.0 project to work with IMR on accelerating our development work and engaging in industry oriented investigations was a key enabler to move us forward.

"As an SME servicing the global automotive, rail and defence sectors we have developed our in-house machining capabilities to meet the needs of our customers over many years of continual improvement.

T & T Precision Ltd recently worked with the IMR team on a Machining 4 voucher research project and found their level of industrial knowledge to be of great value when it comes to supporting companies. They were quickly able to identify real industry challenges and how to support us. Our team found the learnings very insightful, and we look forward to working with IMR in the future.

Mapal is a Tier Two Member at the University of Strathclyde's Advanced Forming Research Centre, where it taps into valuable member benefits, including networking opportunities, access to the experts and technical capabilities within the wider National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

Customer Challenge

Mapal provides high-quality machine tooling and offers professional advice on applying it effectively. However, the organisation experienced challenges conveying the quality of its offering within the confines of a trade event.