Bringing Increased Accuracy, Reliability, and Performance to Dies and Moulds
Published on : Wednesday 24-05-2023
Mathews John on optimising production, providing deep-hole drilling technologies that meet the industry’s standards of accuracy, reliability, and performance.
The die and mould industry in India has been experiencing significant and consistent growth over the years. According to researchandmarkets.com, the Indian market alone is expected to grow by more than $1 billion from 2021 to 2025, progressing at a CAGR of 9 percent. Driving the market is not only pent-up demand in automotive but also substantial growth in sunrise sectors as well, including healthcare, electronics and electricals, and plastics. In India, we must also take into consideration aluminum metal injection moulding and automation in die casting, which are also likely contributors, along with increased construction activities and the push to “Make in India.”
In the automotive market, OEMs are faced with the challenge of inflation as well as productivity. Large machines where the size and complexity of the die and mould are in high demand. Die and mould requirements are evolving, becoming more and more complex, and requiring higher levels of machining accuracy.
WIDMA™, a machine tool building division of Kennametal®, based in Bengaluru, India, is helping OEMs optimise production, providing deep-hole drilling technologies that meet the industry’s standards of accuracy, reliability, and performance.
The WIDMA UGC Series Deep Hole Drilling (DHD) machine is made for high-accuracy machining, multi-axis positioning, and deep-hole drilling in a single setup. When designing the UGC Series, we took into consideration not only the variation in materials to machine but the size and complexity of the component. The UGC Series can be configured with up to seven axes including a CNC rotary table and spindle tilting feature, which together enable customers to drill complex angles and structures in a single clamping setup.
To give customers the flexibility to optimise machining time and resources, UGC Series machines can also mill, tap, and bore in addition to deep hole drilling, with minimal set-up changes. And with options to customise, the UGC Series offers drilling depths up to 2000mm and 40mm diameter and has the capability to support up to 30 tonnes.
Anticipating our customers’ needs and helping them overcome manufacturing challenges is what we do at WIDMA. Our teams are focused on designing high-performance machines that not only drive efficiency and productivity but are easy to operate and low maintenance. WIDMA machines also feature adaptive machining technology that defines values of torque to maintain operating levels and standards for accuracy. Linear glass scales and wireless probes are also offered with UGC Series machines.
WIDMA is a leader in providing customised metal-cutting CNC machines that offer high accuracy and productivity across industries. Founded in 1984, WIDMA diversified into customised, semi-standard, and standard machines for machining requirements, ranging from micro tools to large structural parts for the locomotive and general engineering industries. Working with some of the world’s most notable brands, WIDMA is recognised for high-performing machines that deliver on metal removal rates, drilling speeds, and depths.
Mathews John is the Sales Manager at WIDMA™, the Machining Solutions Group of Kennametal India Limited. He has over 18 years of experience in the machine tool building industry with a specialisation in managing the Special Purpose and Deep Hole Drilling machines portfolio. In this article, Mathews shares his insights on the evolving complexities of the die and mould industry, challenges faced by component manufacturers, and WIDMA’s solution in the form of the UGC Series Deep Hole Drilling (DHD) machine.
For more information, visit https://www.widma.com/.
