Tra le proposte che Renishaw presenterà alla prossima edizione di SPS spicca ATOM™: un innovativo encoder ottico, incrementale, senza contatto, lineare e angolare, che combina dimensioni ridotte con massima affidabilità, stabilità e immunità alla contaminazione. Le prestazioni del nuovo encoder sono il frutto di un design che non lascia spazio a compromessi, come invece spesso avviene con gli encoder miniaturizzati. ATOM, con dimensioni 6,7 x 12,7 x 20,5 mm, è un encoder in miniatura che utilizza ottiche filtranti con controllo automatico del guadagno (AGC) e dell’offset (AOC). Altro elemento di rilievo sarà RESOLUTE™, encoder assoluto lineare e rotativo (angolare) con interfaccia Siemens DRIVE-CLiQ che consente di elevare il livello prestazionale, garantisce maggiore affidabilità e fornisce elevate performance di controllo del movimento. L’encoder ottico assoluto RESOLUTE può essere utilizzato insieme all’interfaccia DRIVE-CLiQ per consentire ai costruttori di produrre macchine utensili più affidabili e performanti. Questo dispositivo è in grado di determinare la posizione al momento stesso dell’accensione con grande vantaggio, ad esempio, per mandrini di torni ad alte prestazioni e motori rotativi a presa diretta che richiedano alta precisione e massima integrità nel controllo del movimento. Sarà presentato anche il nuovo encoder rotativo, magnetico, assoluto AksIM™ per applicazioni integrate di controllo del movimento che permette risoluzioni fino a 18 bit senza isteresi meccanica. Il nuovo encoder su circuito integrato AM4096 rappresenta un’evoluzione della consolidata tecnologia di encoder assiali Renishaw per la sua alta funzionalità e il costo ridotto. Il sistema AM4096 è un encoder magnetico con chip che fornisce output UVW a 16 poli (8 coppie di poli) e uscite sinusoidali, incrementali, assolute, lineari (potenziometro) e tachimetriche. 

Rhydian Pountney, Renishaw’s General Manager – ROW Sales Division, will co-chair the Technology Collaborations in Advanced Engineering Working Group of the annual India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) which takes place in London on 19th January. The meeting is part of a wider JETCO gathering that will be jointly chaired by Dr Vince Cable, UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Indian Minister of Commerce & Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. Mr Pountney is currently responsible for business development in 10 of Renishaw’s overseas subsidiary operations, and also established the company's Hong Kong subsidiary and a network of offices in China and the Far East during the 1990s. In India he has overseen considerable expansion of the sales and marketing operation including establishing an extensive direct sales force and a network of regional offices. He said: “I am honoured to have been invited to co-chair the JETCO Advanced Engineering Working Group with Dr. Gopichand Katragadda, the highly respected Group Chief Technology Officer for Tata Sons, who previously led GE's India technology team of over 5,000 engineers and scientists. Renishaw is a highly successful UK exporter of high technology products for the engineering sector with over 30 years of commercial experience in India and I look forward to drawing on our this knowledge to positively contribute to the discussions on technology collaboration with our Indian partners”. Mr Pountney previously co-chaired an advanced manufacturing group meeting at the last JETCO which took place in India in December 2013. In addition to the Advanced Engineering Working Group there will also be JETCO joint working groups discussing Smart Cities and Education.  

Shop floor process control with Equator now includes new ultra-fast touch trigger probing, easy-to-use feature-based offsetting and updated EZ-IO automation software. Manufacturers using the Renishaw Equator™ flexible gauge now have even more options for inspecting parts right where they are being made – on the shop floor, in the toughest of conditions. With the new TP20 touch trigger probe kit, Feature Compare and updated EZ-IO software, flexible gauging is now ultra-fast, simpler to setup and easier to automate. Equator gauges are already used by hundreds of manufacturers worldwide for high speed flexible gauging, as manually loaded systems or in fully automated cells. Equator provides flexibility for engineers to re-program for design changes and for shop-floor operators to switch between different parts in seconds, using repeatable removable fixture plates and easy-to-use Organiser software. Manufacturers recognise the benefits of Equator's combination of flexibility, fast scanning, low purchase price, and low cost of ownership (Equator requires no regular re-calibration). These benefits, when combined with the system's unique ability to compensate for the effects of challenging environmental conditions, make it the gauge of choice in any industry. The ultra-fast TP20 touch trigger probe can now be combined on Equator with the high speed scanning of the SP25 scanning probe. TP20 can be used for fast capture of discrete point data, with the stiff lightweight structure of Equator allowing very short cycle times and high repeatability on simple touch point measurements. The touch trigger kit includes robust industry-standard TP20 modules and a new range of extension bars and joints. 

A female engineer who joined Renishaw as an apprentice aged just 16 has been shortlisted for a prestigious engineering industry award, which aims to banish outdated engineering stereotypes and help change the perception that engineering is only a career for men. Lucy Ackland (26), a Project Manager in Renishaw's Additive Manufacturing Products Division working on the company’s next generation of metal 3D printing machines, has been shortlisted for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Young Woman of the Year Awards. She started her career as a mechanical engineering apprentice and has progressed through a variety of roles whilst being supported by Renishaw to achieve further engineering qualifications on a day release basis. In 2012 she achieved a first class honours degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering from the University of South Wales, and in 2014 she was appointed a Board member of the charity Young Engineers. The IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards aim to find female role models to help address the UK science and engineering skills crisis. Lucy Ackland has been shortlisted along with four female engineers from other leading engineering organisations: Ford, Rolls-Royce, ABB Ltd and Selex ES.  

Renishaw is due to highlight the effect of new developments in metrology on aerospace manufacturing at the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, held from 8th to 13th September. Tarquin Adams, Renishaw's Group Communications Manager, spoke at the Trends in Advanced Machining, Manufacturing and Materials (TRAM) conference as part of the company's presence at IMTS. He said: “The presentation will show how new developments in metrology enable significant enhancements to the control of machining processes, robust and versatile shop floor gauging and radical reduction of inspection cycle times”. It will also show automated alignment of blade parts during both manufacturing and inspection cycles and include a look ahead at Renishaw's involvement in additive manufacturing for aerospace applications”. TRAM was a 2-days conference program focused on transferring advanced manufacturing technologies to the business managers and engineers who lead the aerospace manufacturing industry. In addition to Mr. Adams' presentation, Renishaw had a presence at IMTS for over 30 years. This year the company had a booth showcasing a wide range of its world leading metrology products. Several Equator gauging units, the world's first metal 3D printed bike frame, two machine tools and two co-ordinating measuring machines (CMMs) were at the Renishaw stand in the Quality Assurance Pavilion. 

Renishaw, a world leading engineering technologies company, announces that its Chinese headquarters has moved to a new state-of-the-art facility in Shanghai. The new office for Renishaw (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd is located in the Shibei High Tech Park in the Zhabei District, a rapidly developing area which is well connected with Shanghai’s public transportation network. The new headquarters building covers over 3,200 square metres, of which an initial phase of 1,860 square metres has been developed, with the 2nd phase due be completed in early 2015. A new demonstration facility offers comprehensive technical support to OEM customers, distributors and end-users for the full range of Renishaw's market leading metrology products, plus Raman spectroscopy systems and additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing) systems. The new building has also allowed Renishaw to expand its warehouse and logistics facilities, and to increase the size of its Service Centre, all contributing to improved customer service and support. “Renishaw has been strongly committed to the Chinese market ever since we opened our first office in Beijing in 1994, which was followed by a wholly owned subsidiary in Shanghai in 2005”, said Paul Gallagher, Managing Director, Renishaw (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd. “Our investment in this fast-growing country has been further strengthened by the expansion into this new facility. We look forward to many more years of strategic growth, and to continuing to build a strong business in Mainland China”. Renishaw currently has 11 offices across China with a total of 125 employees. The headquarters expansion enhances the company’s cohesion and competitiveness in offering cutting edge products and excellent customer service in China. 

Last 23rd July 2014, Renishaw released a preliminary announcement of results for the year ended 30th June 2014. Quite a few the highlights: record revenue of £355.5m (2013: £346.9m); record quarterly revenue of £107.0m achieved in final quarter; strong demand for 3D metal additive manufacturing, measurement automation and encoder products. New product releases during the period include the SPRINT™ high speed contact scanning system for machine tools and ATOM™ encoder readhead. USA FDA clearance to market the neuromate® stereotactic robotic system. Renishaw continued investment in research and development, production and marketing infrastructure. Capital expenditure of £39.2m, including construction of 153,000 sq ft at New Mills, purchase of buildings in Germany and in China. Renishaw conquered 17th Queen’s Award for Raman inVia microscope. Sale of shareholding in Delcam plc for £32.0m. Last but not least, strong balance sheet, with cash of £43.6m. 

Six students were “inspired” by a week-long tour of industry leading engineering organisations, arranged in partnership between Renishaw and Young Engineers. The lucky six winners of the unique national Renishaw Engineering Experience competition were given behind-the-scenes tours of eight big name engineering organisations, including BAE Systems, Airbus and Jaguar Land Rover, culminating with a tour and measurement challenge at Renishaw's New Mills headquarters in Gloucestershire. Throughout the week Renishaw graduates accompanied the winners on their visits, offering insights into a variety of engineering roles and answering questions the students had about their prospective career paths. The Renishaw Engineering Experience is an annual competition for 16 to 18 year-old students funded by Renishaw, the UK-based engineering technologies company, and co-ordinated by Young Engineers, the organisation devoted to promoting careers in the engineering sector to young people. Rod Edwards, Chief Executive of Young Engineers, said: “It's been a great week. We've had a fantastic time. They've had a marvellous experience of everything from aerospace to automotive and different types of engineering. They've seen nanotechnology and massive bits of civil engineering, and had a lot of fun. It's been very inspiring for them”. One of the winners, Efe Otobrise, said she “didn't know engineers' jobs were as fun as they are”. The seventeen year old from Manchester, went on to say, “I've enjoyed it a lot, I wasn't expecting to see all the stuff that we saw. I know now that I definitely want to be an engineer”.  

Renishaw will be exhibiting a range of its engineering technologies for aerospace applications at the Farnborough International Airshow 2014. On show - from 14 to 18 July - the company will introduce machine tool probing systems, precision sensors for co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs), as well as examples of the company’s additive manufacturing technology. At the exhibition, Renishaw will be exhibiting Sprint™, a game-changing contact scanning system for on-machine process control applications. The system opens up completely new process control opportunities for high-value CNC machine tools. The Sprint system incorporates a new generation of on-machine scanning technology that will deliver a step-change in the benefits of process control, enabling fast and accurate form and profile data capture from both prismatic and complex 3D components. Also on show will be Renishaw’s Revo® 5-axis scanning system, which gives a fast 5-axis measurement capability that maximises co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) throughput whilst maintaining high system accuracy. Revo uses synchronised motion and Renscan5™ measurement technology to minimise the dynamic effects of CMM motion at ultra high measurement speeds. This is achieved by letting the Revo head do the fast demanding motion while the CMM moves in a linear slow fashion. The system also allows the automated changing of different probe and sensor types, including a surface measurement option. Renishaw is also highlighting a developing family of high performance hardware and software products for co-ordinate measuring machines that are specifically designed to aid the measurement and manufacturing of aerospace blades.  

Per Empire Cycles, Renishaw ha realizzato un telaio per biciclette in metallo stampato 3D. Il telaio è stato prodotto con tecnologia additiva in lega di titanio in sezioni assemblate. Ciò ha permesso di ottenere una serie di vantaggi, come una grande libertà di progettazione e alte prestazioni, grazie all’impiego della lega in titanio.

di Francesca Fiore