TPT September 2010

An HM 180/1330, equipped with the new, energy-efficient ServoDrive drive concept, was presented with the production of a PA media duct. Here, a combination of water injection and projectile technology was used, with a mold supplied by IKV Aachen (Germany). Projectile technology enables constant duct cross-sections, smoother inner surfaces and forming of special cavity geometries. This project was presented in cooperation with IKV Aachen. As an example of COMBIMOULD multi-component technology, a two-component oil closure in Gram technology was manufactured in a double stack mold supplied by KTW (Austria) on an HM MK 300/2250H/525V. Here also, the new ServoDrive drive concept was demonstrated. A TM Xpress 210/1350 injection molding machine gave an impressive demonstration of manufacturing a cup with 750 ml. The IML automation equipment used in this process, as well as the mold, all came from WITTMANN. The complete range of WITTMANN peripheral equipment was on hand with the latest developments from every product group. Robots, dryers, granulators, metering devices, feeders, temperature controllers, chillers and flow regulators were all on display in the showroom. WITTMANN automation equipment can be delivered with a great number of different functions. High-speed parts removal is one option, others are high-precision path planning via the TruePath function, or synchronization of several robots and conveyor belts. Mag. Georg Tinschert, Managing Director of WITTMANN BATTENFELD, expressed great satisfaction with the obvious success of the Competence Days in Kottingbrunn: “We are the only supplier of complete solutions from a single source worldwide. The new products have met with a very positive response, and we can look to the future with great optimism“.

Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH – Austria Fax: +43 2252 404-1002 Email: waltraud.berger@wittmann-group.com Website: www.wittmann-group.com

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International Tube Association recruits nearly 100 new members at Tube Düsseldorf

THE 2010 edition of Tube may have effectively ended one day early because of the Icelandic volcano eruption but despite that the first four days were very successful for the International Tube Association (ITA). As a result of the exhibition the ITA signed up 95 new members, a record number for any single event. A well-attended annual general meeting and members’ lunch saw a number of changes in the ITA hierarchy. Professor Manabu Kiuchi was the 2010 recipient of the John C Hogg Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding service to the association. He retired as ITA president but was accorded the title of Honorary Life President Emeritus. In the elections held at the AGM Gunther Voswinckel became ITA President and Tsutomo Nakata the new ITA Chairman. Retiring Chairman Albert Sedlmaier was elected Vice President (Europe). During the members’ lunch Stephen Loynes, Chairman of the Technical Management Committee, announced the ITA’s 2010 speaker awards. The 2010 Professor Hugh Sansome speaker award and the speaker’s shield were presented respectively to: Winfried Heinemann of AWS Schaefer, Germany for his paper at the Pipe & Tube Istanbul 09 conference: “New generation of induction bending machines” Hans-Joerg Braun of Reika, Germany for his paper, also at the Istanbul conference: “The latest generation of tube straightening machines - cost and quality improvements in tube finishing lines” A highly commended award went to R Shahandeh, Urmia University, Iran, who was unable to attend the lunch, for his Istanbul paper: “Experimental and fem investigation on influence of ring stiffeners on buckling behaviour of subsea pipelines under hydrostatic pressure”. The Heinemann paper will be published in the next edition of the ITA’s ITAN newsletter. Anecdotal evidence from many ITA members suggests that Tube Düsseldorf 2010 resulted in a very healthy number of positive enquiries with clear signs that the global market is beginning to recover from the economic downturn of 2008/2009 and Messe Düsseldorf is to be congratulated for its efforts in attracting a high level of decision-making visitors to the trade fair.

International Tube Association – UK Fax: +44 1926 314755 Email: info@itatube.org Website: www.itatube.org

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OMS appoints Richard Brown as products engineering manager

UK-BASED specialist measurement technology company Optical Metrology Services (OMS) Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Brown as the company’s Products Engineering Manager. Based at OMS’ UK office in Bishop’s Stortford, Richard will head up the company’s Tools Division, which is responsible for maintaining OMS’ growing fleet of service tools used on inspection contracts in the UK and overseas. The Tools Division also manufactures custom inspection tools and software for specific inspection projects. Richard returns to the UK from New Zealand, where he spent eight years working as a Product Development Engineer at Steelbro (NZ) Ltd, a manufacturer of self-loading trailers, mobile cranes and sidelifters.