With the launch of its new coolant called Tresor, Motorex met with Michael Rocker, chemist, Berufsgenossenschaft Metall Nord Süd (BGM), Mainz and talked about skin disorders associated with the use of coolants. You can see the wholeinterview here. Skin disorders caused by coolants – contact eczemas, as they are known – are generally multifactorial in nature. Depending on the damaging factors in each case, we refer to allergic, toxic, irritant or degenerative changes in the skin, and mixed (…)

Recent developments now make it possible to have laser sources which combine performance with compactness – several hundred Watts in less than 20 cm high. These equipments produce a beam of such high quality that they are capable of welding spots just a few tens of microns in diameter. The same laser can operate in either pulse or continuous mode, making it possible to cover an extremely broad range of applications and to work on a large spectrum of conventional and precious metals. . (…)

The problem of swarf management is a familiar one and in the case of precious metals the constraints are even greater than for standard materials. With the value of gold at more than 42,000 CHF per kilo and maximum waste tolerance at no more than 2 per cent, producers are having to find ever more sophisticated solutions to recover as much of the material as possible to avoid paying for “waste”. While swarf management is by no means a source of value added in production runs, the operation (…)

Europa Star and its series of publications in the fields of horology, jewellery and precision engineering are returning to the family that founded them more than 83 years ago. We at Eurotec, part of this batch of publications, are excited about the opportunities this new step offers us. In 1927, a young entrepreneur, Hugo Buchser, established the Geneva publishing house that was to become Europa Star and the multitude of other international luxury, jewellery and precision machinery (…)

Its content is clearly focused on news and ways to help users to be more efficient or save money. It will be sent to readers early June and will also be largely distributed at EPHJ/EPMT in Lausanne. Calibration tool from Mikron. Mikron is the only supplier of a whole machining system: tools, transfer machines and clamping systems. This Swiss manufacturer has built up its experience over several decades in the production of precision tools and machines for demanding applications (more to (…)

Micronarc has organized two seminars to take place during EPHJ/EPMT. People are invited to participate at these upcoming events in Beaulieu, Lausanne. . Counterfeiting in the Watchmaking Industry; Lausanne, Thursday June 10, 14h - 17h. In collaboration with Alliance, you are cordially invited to follow a series of presentations on this contentious theme. Registration is free of charge, but required. See the full program and register here (French). Microfactory Assembly, a (…)

Requirements in the mechanical machining of components for the gas industry and other industrial sectors in very large production batches are evolving very quickly. Initially it was enough just to produce economically. A few years later, with the arrival of « just-in-time » and the annualization of stocks, the main customer requirement of manufacturers was flexibility. Manufacturers had to produce smaller batch sizes at the same price. Subsequently, with the opening of Asian markets, we saw (…)

When machining middles or other prismatic parts, centering is a delicate and time-consuming operation. Whether the operation is carried out on a lathe or on a machining center, the problem remains the same: clamping the part with equal pressure on all its sides in order to ensure perfect centering. With a traditional collet the centering operation can become difficult if the X and Y dimensions of the part are not perfectly equal. In order to provide a solution to this recurrent problem (…)

The Jura is well-known and highly reputed for its watchmaking and microtechnology sector. And so it is only natural that more and more companies from the canton flock to the trade shows every year, exhibiting their products either on their own stands or in joint spaces rented by the canton’s Promotion Economique business service. This year, exhibitors from the Jura number 57; 37 of these will be present on joint stands organized by the canton. Attractive joint stands For a business, the (…)

In spring 2010, Matsuura, the leading Japanese manufacturer of quality machining centres is set to showcase its new 5-axis vertical machining centre, the MX-520. This 5-axis entry-level model was premiered at a company exhibition in Japan just a few days ago, on the occasion of the Matsuura’s 75th anniversary. Now, it is to make its Switzerland debut too. Top quality for small batches The MX-520 from Matsuura is specially designed for the cost-effective production of one-off jobs and (…)