USA - Mastercam developer, CNC Software, has announced the integration of Sandvik Coromant's Coro-Plus tool library in its new release of Mastercam 2018.

Lubricants are essential for optimising tool life and for raising productivity. In an analysis of Zeller + Gmelin's second generation prelube oil Multidraw PL 61 SE in comparison with its previous product, the prelube oil PL 61, significant improvements have been verified.

The term industry 4.0 is hyped especially at trade fairs, but the digital transformation is also met with fear among manufacturers and their professionals: will their expertise become obsolete in the age of digitalisation? Alexander Epple and Michael Königs explain, why the knowledge and experience of experts will still be needed in the future.

Switzerland - Excessive vibrations are the nemesis of surface quality and tool preservation. Not so for Liechti Engineering where toolmakers rely on a clever clamping system produced by their compatriots at Rego-Fix.

The milling unit is well-suited for multi-face machining, the supplier said.

A contract manufacturer from Franconia produces parts on his stamping line, which many others can only produce with a costly fine cutting method. The great know-how in both in-house die making and in-house tool making makes this possible. The medium-sized company uses standard parts from Meusburger for its dies.

Toolholding innovator Gewefa will have a new taper toolholder on show. Other presented innovations are the Hydropin hydraulic chuck with a fixed stop pin, the Easy Fix boring bar toolholder and a new shrink collet system, called Induterm M96.

Delivery times for the unit are quick due to easy availability of parts, according to the manufacturer.

The harder the mould steel, the better the surface finish quality on plastic products. This theorem explains plastic injection moulders' increasing need for special steels, which excel thanks to their homogeneous hardness. This is why Deutsche Edelstahlwerke developed Formadur 400.

A flexible machining cell that can be adapted to a number of different tasks relies on robot technology to ensure high precision. For mould shops, the unit suits a number of finishing applications, according to its supplier.