The Karnataka Cabinet today approved setting up of the country’s first Integrated Machine Tool Industry Park in Tumkur district at a cost of Rs 447 crore.

The project at Hosa Narsapur, a joint venture between the central and state governments, will come up on 500 acres with a central government grant of Rs 125 crore, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said.

The park will be a cluster of machine tool builders, makers of accessories, components and foundry, among others, and will help small and medium scale enterprises to expand their manufacturing capacities, he said.

Once functional, it is expected to boost domestic turnover of machine tools and savings in imports and forex, he added.

The park is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs in manufacturing and administrative fields, Jayachandra said.

The central government on February 1 had approved five projects with a grant of Rs 175 crore related to the capital goods space for companies including this project.

August U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $168.8 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was down 5% from July’s total and down 2.0% when compared year-to-date in 2014.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals actually reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools.

“It appears as though cutting tool industry success this year is directly proportional to the amount of business tied to Oil & Gas/Mining. Those that are heavily invested in this market are feeling the most pain.  Additionally, the Agricultural Vehicle market has slowed below forecasts.   While Automotive and Aerospace markets remain consistent, the cutting tool industry needs a recovery in Oil & Gas to return to broad growth.  It will be a battle to surpass 2014 results in the 4th quarter,” said Tom Haag, President of USCTI.

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool.  Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.

Historical data for the Cutting Tool Market Report is available dating back to January 2012.  This collaboration of AMT and USCTI is the first step in the two associations working together to promote and support U.S.-based manufacturers of cutting tool technology.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has concluded an agreement, and signed a memorandum, with Sugiyama Mecharetro Inc. on collaboration in the machine modification of large machines. By combining the two companies’ respective strengths – MHI’s response capability in terms of technology and quality cultivated through its business in large machines, and Sugiyama Mecharetro’s cost competitiveness achieved through its robust track record in machine modification – the aim is to generate a broad array of new untapped market needs.

Initially the collaborative operations will target users in Japan. Applying the areas in which the two partners respectively excel, services will encompass all aspects of machine modification, including overhauling and retrofitting*.

MHI will primarily contribute in terms of specialized technology and quality control knowhow as a machine tool manufacturer possessing expertise accumulated in all types of large machines, including double-column 5-face milling machines and horizontal boring mills. Sugiyama Mecharetro will mostly take charge of the actual modification work applying its abundant expertise and technologies cultivated over its many years of operation in repair and modification – capabilities enabling the company to respond stably to modification jobs that are too difficult for other firms to handle.

Sugiyama Mecharetro, based in Motosu-City, Gifu Prefecture, was established in 1945. Since its founding the company has performed overhauling and retrofitting of machine tools, its unique knowhow extending even to remodeling of highly superannuated machines and machines of foreign origin. In addition Sugiyama Mecharetro undertakes the design and manufacture not only of machining tools – machining centers, turning mill and grinding machines, etc. – but also rocket component machining systems as well as dedicated machines for a broad range of manufacturing industries, including aviation and aerospace, automotive and nuclear power.

Taking the opportunity of new collaborative relationship with Sugiyama Mecharetro, MHI looks to further strengthen its business in total solutions, pursuing differentiation by offering solutions that will make use of its knowhow as a machine tool manufacturer having strengths in engineering, machining technologies and tooling technologies, to meet newly created demand for diverse manufacturing systems.

* Overhauling refers to mechanical modifications and repairs that restore, and in some instances, enhance, a machine’s functions, performance, productivity, quality, maintainability, etc. Retrofitting involves the replacement and repair of NCs and other control devices in order to improve functions, performance, productivity, quality, maintainability, etc.

• IMTOS is a niche platform showcasing path breaking ideas and innovation in machine tools; and is supported by Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ initiative

• Widely respected by the players of the sector, the biannual show witnesses participation from over 1000 companies every year

• Starting July 4, the Expo will witness large scale participation from international players, and will showcase to them the innovation taking place in India’s machine industry

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a major push for ‘Make in India’, the international spotlight is on India’s manufacturing sector. In line with this focus, the 6^th India Machine Tools Show 2015 is set to bring together over 150 exhibitors to showcase the innovation in technology and design being undertaken by them. With a participation of more than 1000 companies from India and at least 100 companies from the top league of capital goods sector, IMTOS has over the years emerged as the country’s leading exhibition on machine tools and automotive technology. The inauguration of the 6^th edition of the exhibition on July 4^th will be attended by some imminent dignitaries like Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, Mr. Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) – Government of India and Shri Ravindra Nath, CMD, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) at Pragati Maidan.

With India in the process of experiencing a paradigm shift in manufacturing, leaders of the Indian machine tool industry are paying more emphasis on inventions, innovations, improved technology, and design. Accordingly, they are welcoming the platforms and opportunities that will take the sector to the world. Organized by K and D Communication Limited, the India Machine Tools Show (IMTOS) 2015 offers such a platform. The 4-day expo is officially supported by ‘Make in India’ campaign and will provide a major interface between Indian manufacturers of machine tools and international companies to boost trade and exports.

For any country, a strong manufacturing sector is crucial for its growth. The sector has a major contribution in country’s intellectual capital, innovation and economic prosperity. The global competitive landscape for manufacturing is undergoing a transformational shift. An equivalent effect is also seen in India, with Indian machine tool production industry estimated to be of worth approximately a US$ 500 million, as per Unites Nations Industrial Development Organization.

“There is a lot happening in the machine tools sector across the world, as well as in India. Improved technology in the sector translates into a multiplier effect on output and incomes. It is therefore absolutely critical to boost trade and facilitate more exchange between innovators, manufacturers and buyers. We started this exhibition with the intention to showcase the innovation being done in the manufacturing field. The entire notion was to provide the players of machine tools manufacturing sector a platform where they can introduce any new development, concept or ideas they have initiated to the world. This niche platform aimed to build a strong industry network via sharing of latest trends, solutions, knowledge and vendor development. The overwhelming response from the industry has helped us to achieve remarkable success within a short span of three years,” said Mr. Kamlesh Gohil, CMD at K and D Communication Limited. 

The exhibition falls in line with the concept of ‘Make in India’ campaign, which is also an official supporter of the exhibition. Covering 40 sectors of the machine tools industry, IMTOS witnesses participation of over 20 countries every year. However, this year, it is expecting a wider participation including from China, France, Germany & the US considering the recent foreign visits conducted by Prime Minister Modi who has invited greater investment for India’s manufacturing sector.

Technology has been a strong growth impetus for many developed nations in their economic evolution. A similar push was received by India, when the players of Indian manufacturing sector and machine tool industry expanded their horizon by diverging from automobile and auto components to areas like aerospace, defense, space, power, railway and heavy engineering. Resultantly, there has been a considerable rise in exports and imports of components of machine tools. With India ranking 17^th in production and 12^th in the consumption, the imports of the machine tools have reached RS 76 billion, owning to which the size of the industry is expected to be Rs 2230 billion by 2020, stated the India Brand Equity Foundation.

Several international and local industrial giants will rub their shoulders against each other in the four-day mega event. Exhibitors profile includes Machine Tools, Heavy Machinery, CNC Machines & SPMs, Sheet Metal Working Machineries of all categories, Small Light Workshop Machineries, Hydraulic Press, Press Brake, Shearing Machines, Cutting Tools, Hand Tools, Power Tools, Industrial Pumps and Valves, Hydraulic and Pneumatic Equipments, Air Compressors, Electrical Equipments, Electronics & Industrial Automation, Instrumentation, Industrial Robotics, Wires And Cables, Testing and Measuring Instruments, Energy Conservation Products, Gears, Motors & Motor Drives, Newly Launched and Specialized Industrial Products, Wood Working Machineries, Welding and Welding Consumables & many more.

The machine tool Industry in India is now in a position to export general purpose and standard machine tools to even industrially advanced countries. With Index of Industrial Production touching new highs and emphasis on capital investment by the government, the Machine Tool Industry is all set to witness unprecedented growth.

Important strategic move for sports car production

Porsche is taking over the toolmaking division of Kuka Systems GmbH with locations in Schwarzenberg in the German state of Saxony and the Slovakian town Dubnica. Under the name of Porsche Werkzeugbau GmbH, the business unit with more than 600 employees will become a fully owned subsidiary of the Stuttgart-based sports car maker Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Kuka Systems GmbH belongs to Kuka AG, Augsburg, a world-leading supplier of robot-based automation systems. The takeover is still subject to approval under antitrust law.

“By taking over the toolmaking division, Porsche is making important moves for the sports car production of the future,” says Matthias Müller, President of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. “From a strategic point of view, the integration is a major step for us. There is additionally a decades-long tradition of craftsmanship and technology linking our companies.”

Dr Oliver Blume, Member of the Executive Board – Production and Logistics at Porsche AG, explained the importance of toolmaking: “Innovative tool concepts are enabling us to implement the emotional design typical of Porsche with the maximum possible quality. The employees of our new subsidiary are distinguished by their very high level of expertise across every step of the toolmaking process. We are especially able to profit from this expertise in complex aluminium parts relevant to lightweight design,” said Oliver Blume.

“We are delighted to welcome more than 600 specialists into our Porsche family,” said Uwe Hück, Chairman of the Group Works Council. “I can assure the new colleagues that Porsche – Executive Board and employee representatives together – will ensure that the jobs are safeguarded in the long term. That is what Porsche stands for and also what we stand for.”

The company from the Ore Mountains has a tradition that dates back over 100 years and high levels of expertise in the fields of method planning, engineering design, toolmaking and systems solutions for forming and cutting tools in the automotive sector.

As such “drilling” is the most commonly used process. You would find people using this technology even at home with an easy to use hand-drill machine. Once it comes to deep hole drilling very few people know about it. I have come across highly experienced engineers oblivious to this technology. Of course the main reason for this being that the process of Deep Hole Drilling is not commonly used in the industry compared to conventional machining processes like turning, milling, conventional drilling etc.

This technology dates back to the late 19th century, when it was invented to manufacture gun barrels. Earlier gun barrels were made by forging a long strip of steel around a mandrel in a helical fashion. This hand forging process formed the barrel bore around the mandrel and also welded the strip at the spiral joints. This used to be a highly skilled as well as cumbersome process. On the other hand Deep Hole Drilling made the barrel bore making process highly reliable and fast. Obviously being an armament technology, it remained closely guarded subject. Therefore even today you won’t find information in this area in the public domain. Even many Deep Hole Drilling solutions provider do not involve themselves into research in this field. Subsequently it started being used in other industries like oil exploration, automotive, nuclear, power generation etc.

Generally speaking, Deep Hole Drilling is used in applications where the ratio of hole depth to hole diameter (L/D) is more than 10. Major challenge in drilling Deep Hole Drilling is removal of chips from the hole. Peck Drilling is one way of tackling this issue. But there are still issues of lower productivity, hole quality and straightness etc. There are applications where Deep Hole Drilling is used for Holes with L/D ratio less than 10 due to its inherent capability of producing Holes with Higher accuracies and surface finish. But Deep Hole Drilling is the only option when it comes to larger L/D ratios where these ratios can go up to 100!

For implementing Deep Hole Drilling process the first thing required is an investment in Deep Hole Drilling Equipment. You will find many companies converting their conventional lathe machines into drilling deep holes and ending up losing money with breakages of costly tooling’s and compromising on quality of the component being drilled. Also the coolant required in this process is special cutting oil with EP additives. As already mentioned the expertise in this technology is very limited and hence troubleshooting becomes a challenge. Companies promoting this technology like Precihole are planning to conduct workshops and seminar for educating the Indian Industry. As India is poised to become a global manufacturing hub after China, it is imperative to keep updated with the latest manufacturing technologies and Deep Hole Drilling is one of them. In fact the government should promote research in this field through various engineering and research institute.

There are mainly three categories in Deep Hole Drilling Systems viz. Gun Drilling, BTA/STS drilling and Ejector Drilling. Generally for smaller diameters Gun Drilling is a preferred option. The range can be anywhere from Dia. 2 to 25. There are applications where up to Dia. 1 gun drilling is done on the lower side and up to Dia. 40 on the higher side. BTA/ STS drilling generally starts from Dia. 18 to 250 solid drilling and counter boring can go up to Dia. 500. Even here BTA is being used up to Dia. 12 in some special applications. Ejector technology has been developed by Sandvik mainly introduced to retrofit a conventional machine with Deep Hole drilling system.

Having more than two decades of experience Precihole is the first company in India to promote the standard models in Deep Hole Drilling Machines. This modular concept reduces the overall cost of the machine as well as the lead time. The Basic Machine for Gun Drilling starts as low as Rs 25 lakh whereas BTA machine starts from Rs 50 lakh. There are large Deep Hole Drilling machines drilling up to 12 meter long which cost more than 10 crores. There are specialised processes that have been developed upon the Deep Hole Drilling Concept like Skiving and Burnishing, Pull Boring, Trepanning etc.

Latest technological trend is using inserted type Gun Drill and BTA heads instead of brazed type. This enables usage of proper grade and geometry of Insert for specific materials. Advancements in coolant technology are now being introduced to increase the tool life as well the finish of the hole. On the machine side tool monitoring is being introduced to safeguard the costly tool. Apart from this in the filtration systems, automatic back filtration systems are being developed.

Looking at the huge growth in power, export, nuclear, oil and gas, renewable energy and automotive sectors there is a spurt in requirement for Deep Hole Drilling in the Indian Manufacturing Industry. It’s a big challenge for Indian industry to learn and adapt to this specialised technology.

Courtesy: Precihole Machine Tools

Precihole Machine Tools Pvt Ltd has perfected the art of making reliable deep hole drilling machines during 25 years of its existence. Precihole also provides precision machining and component manufacturing services for the engineering industry. Spread across a total of 150,000 sqft in enclosed building structures, Precihole is today market leader when it comes to state-of-the-art machine tools and special purpose machines. A visit to their facility proves why… 

Headquartered in Thane, near Mumbai in Maharashtra, Precihole has become a one-stop-shop for deep hole drilling technology. The company is now enjoying considerable amount of export as well. The Precihole story began 25 years ago when three experienced and seasoned technocrats got together with an aim to revolutionise the machine tool industry by providing custom-made machinery with cutting edge technology at reasonable costs.

Precihole is an industry leader when it comes to reliable and cost effective deep hole drilling solutions. The company also flaunts India’s largest and most versatile job shop for deep hole drilling services. Backed by skilled engineers and excellent sales and service, the company has several hundred machines successfully in production at several large and medium sized businesses around the world. The company has valued customers in the defense, automotive, aerospace, oil and gas exploration, steel tube, medical equipment, textile, machinery & machine tools, heavy engineering and general engineering industry.

The Precihole Advantage
To keep it short-Precihole offers the latest in cutting technology at affordable costs. The machines are well designed with the customer needs in mind. The machine tool range offered by Precihole covers most materials and hole sizes needed in the industry. The Precihole team considers that the effort being put by them for continuous innovation helps them lead. The team has been making constant progress on the technology front by innovating new designs and offering customers sophisticated product at affordable price each year. The company manufactures a superior quality range of deep hole drilling technology and these machines are available as per the customer’s specific demand. In order to meet this demand, the company standardises various modules. This ensures that the customer gets faster deliveries.

The Facility
The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with latest technologies backed by skilled work force. The company uses the best quality equipment’s to ensure reliable products for its customers. Quality assurance follows each individual part from initial fabrication through final assembly. The company also invests heavily in manpower development and training by conducting workshops and training sessions. “We believe in nurturing talent and continuously providing them training” says A A Qazi, Director, Precihole Machine Tools Pvt Ltd.

For every machine, depending on the specification and design requirement, there are 15 to 20 engineers working on the design alone, while almost equal numbers of employees work on the manufacturing process in the tool room and around 12 to 15 more during the assembling process.

In terms of specifications, drilling machines are built to handle components of diameters ranging between 2-150 mm typically, while 300-400 mm diameter machines can also be made. A machine weighs roughly around 7-8 tonnes and can be customised as per the need. Also, after dispatching the machine, Precihole appoints one engineer to the customer’s factory who takes care of assembling and training. The company maintains international standards at every step right from the shop floor practices to component manufacturing, end-product quality to dispatching.

Talking about the innovations in the company Qazi says, “We have a dedicated team for research and design activities, who continuously work for up gradation of our machines. We have exported various machines to counties like USA, Brazil, Austria and Canada.”

Variety of Products
The company’s complete line of deep hole drilling machines is designed to meet the needs of the modern machine shop today and for years to come. These machines offer a wide range of features and capabilities making them versatile to suit a myriad of applications in various industries. The multi-axis and multi-spindle versions boost productivity many folds without compromising on accuracy and rigidity.

The newly introduced next generation BTA drilling machines provide enough power to easily drill into solid metal up to 350mm (13’’) and lengths of up to 15m (45 ft.). Precihole also specialises in manufacturing custom designed special purpose machines that cater to complex drilling and machining needs.

Precihole has developed the largest Deep Hole Drilling job-hop in India. But there is much more to this, the company also has an in-house facility for Precision component manufacturing. With the latest machinery in place, Precihole has been able to provide customers complete solution for their product, from process designing to the actual finished component. With over 30 years of experience, Precihole has established itself as a brand in this niche technology.

Over the year, with its wide range of sophisticated deep hole drilling technologies, the company has earned huge number of customers in its basket. Precihole has customers in wide variety of sectors which incude Honda, Mahindra, TATA, Premier, Cummins, Escosrts, Bosch, Godrej and Sandvik to name a few.

Aiming High For The Future
During its inception, it was considered to be a local brand, but with continuous innovation and hard work the company has made its mark in global the market.
“We always try to make our products beyond the customer’s expectation so that we have more to offer. We also try new things and upgrade ourselves with the demand. We have incorporated lean manufacturing in our system, which is not only helping us reduce and identify unnecessary waste processes, but is helping us increase the volume of products being manufactured at our plant without any added cost or investment,” says Qazi.
Precihole is committed to providing the highest level of quality in all its solutions. The company has implemented 5S, Kaizen, TPM and other techniques of Lean Management in various departments to ensure continual improvement. The company also works on SAP B1, a world-renowned ERP system.

Precihole is one of those companies, who challenge themselves to upgrade their offerings. Looking into forward, Precihole aims to increase its market share in the global market by making foot hold and entering new markets.