Floyd Rolls Out New Technologies at MACH 2012

10 February 2012

MACH 2012 will undoubtedly be an exciting period for Floyd Automatic Tooling Ltd, as it will be enhancing its product range by introducing many new innovations at the UK's showcase event for the manufacturing industry. On Stand 5359, Floyd Automatic will be keen to build upon a very positive 2011 by introducing new cutting tool developments such as the Alesa milling & Turning lines, the Zeus roll marking tools, the MasterClamp workholding system, new Applitec tooling and the company's new 'Floyd Production Equipment’ Division'.

At the event, Floyd will be keen to demonstrate the capabilities and quality of the new Swiss manufactured Alesa milling and turning products. To complement the wealth of turning products the company will be turning its attention to the milling line with the new ‘Alesa Twist’ and ‘Alesa Speed’ cutters for high feed milling. All inserts in the ranges have positive geometries that will reduce machine power requirements whilst increasing metal removal rates. The advantage of these inserts is that the same insert is capable of machining a wide range of materials, including exotics and hard to machine materials up to 1450N/mm2. The Alesa milling range will be supplemented by a variety of the unique NUTEX circular saws and arbors at the show.

As the UK's market leading supplier of innovative turning solutions, MACH will give stand visitors the opportunity to see the new Zeus Roll Marking tools that will receive their MACH debut. Specifically for CNC turning machines, the new Zeus series introduces a new compact design for roll marking on small and medium sized turning centres. Incorporating a new cartridge style toolholder for single (spring back) roll marking, the Zeus roll marking line enables customers to mark tapers and faces with unsurpassed quality and productivity levels.

Complementing the roll marking system will be the revolutionary new MASTER-Clamp and MASTER-Guidesystem for collet clamping and guide bushing. The new MasterGuide system has been developed to solve common problems that often frustrate users of sliding head turning machines. One common problem the MasterGuide system solves is accuracy. With four clamping pads, the system significantly improves accuracy in intricate machining operations.

The major advantage of the MasterGuide is that the clamping pads can be supplied in different materials and coatings to improve the guiding process and eliminate bar marking that is commonplace when standard carbide bushes react with stainless steel bars. Acting as a mini 4-jaw chuck (3 jaws available for small parts) the MasterClamp system offers increased clamping forces and range than conventional collet systems. With no slots required at the face of the MasterClamp collets, the system eliminates the issue of swarf ingress travelling up the inside of the collet sleeve and marking the component.

For sliding head users, Floyd Automatic will also be introducing the new HTA coatings for the renowned Applitec range of cutting tools. A name that is synonymous with quality, Applitec has now developed a new range of coatings for their Swiss tooling for sliding head lathes. This offers a new coating technique used on a harder K10 substrate to deliver improved performance with regard to tool life, productivity and surface finishes.

Alongside the wide selection of cutting tools, Floyd will be keen to show its environmental credentials with its new Floyd Production Equipment Division (FPE). This new division will be concentrating on the growing need to manage oil recuperation and the quality of swarf. Cost conscious manufacturers realise that good quality oil is expensive, so Floyd is now introducing a series of products to prevent the disposal of oil that is attached to the swarf. Floyd’s new high quality centrifuges from Henri Petite-Jean will resolve both these issues. An issue that is becoming more relevant year on year, Floyd is already enjoying success with this new division.

Oil quality is vital for improved productivity, surface finishes and employee health and wellbeing. With this in mind, the Promatec oil filter systems offered by Floyd will filter oil down to 1-2µ guaranteeing excellent performance. The new FPE division will also offer solutions for part collection, swarf handling plus many other solutions to keep a modern machine shop efficient and cost effective.