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The Chinese die and mould industry will meet in June at Die & Mould China. The industry, which was once known for its cheap and low quality products, has come a long way and able to compete on a global scale.

Germany/Switzerland - Additive manufacturing enables the production of metal mould inserts that feature conformal cooling to ensure and control temperature homogeneity for shorter cycle times. GF Machining Solutions and EOS collaborate to integrate AM into companies’ production process. By Barbara Schulz

Germany - Two prototypes of a machining centre show the way towards digital production. The networked machines are equipped with sensors which initially supply the data. Intelligent evaluation in correlation with other data provides a new quality of statement of the machine status. By Jörg-Oliver Hestermann, Schaeffler Technologies

Protection Systems – The Safe-Lock pull out protection system from Igenhausen-based Haimer, close to Augsburg in Germany, is said to ensure safe cutting in tool clamping.

Europe – The best cooling is useless if it doesn’t get to the blade. Therefore, tools with integrated coolant supply are increasingly used. Experts predict that the trend in cooling strategies is moving toward minimum-quantity lubrication and high-pressure cooling.

UK – Ajax has extended its range of heavy duty, solid box-way CBM interactive bed-style milling machines with the launch of the AJCBM 800.

UK - Edgecam software is playing a pivotal role in assisting a precision engineering company become a growing contributor to the niche market of supplying mould tools to the UK’s rotational moulding industry.

Compared to Q1 2017, the first quarter of 2018 brought a 22% indcrease in order bookings for the German machine tool industry, VDW reports.. Domestic orders were up by 39% and oders from abroad increased by 15%.

CNC machine manufacturer Anca has announced that Dr Christopher Hegarty will succeed Grant Anderson FCAM as Group CEO.