Switzerland’s LNS Group is known for equipment that automates machine tool operations, and now it is introducing a chip conveyor and high-pressure coolant system. It also promises more innovation to come with a planned introduction of bar-feeding systems at EMO Hannover in September.
“With the new CCM products, our research and development teams achieved two key goals: Optimizing the efficiency of the whole production process and at the same considerably reducing energy consumption. That cuts costs for our customers and protects the environment,” explained LNS BU Europe CEO Gilbert Lile.
“There is no comparable product,” added Jamie Towers, Global Product Manager CCM.
Unlike most of the other conveyors, the Turbo MH250 operates with only one motor and belt, filtering all chip types and shapes as well as all kind of materials. The energy consumption has been cut down by 50%, making it one of the most environment friendly filtering conveyors on the market.
“The self-cleaning conveyor does not only save energy, it also saves time,” according to Towers. “In a specific case one of our clients had to carry out maintenance on his existing conveyors – including extracting and cleaning conveyors and tank – every six weeks. Now he only has to do it once every year.”
According to LNS, the machine’s versatility, ease of maintenance, energy efficiency, and the reduction of downtime that it makes possible, the Turbo MH250 is very cost-effective. “We did not re-invent the wheel. In the innovation process, it’s all about being smart: We optimized the strength, improved the design and reliability while not significantly increasing costs,” explains Towers. It is easy to upgrade the existing Turbo MH500 to a new Turbo MH250.
High-pressure coolant system
Another LNS introduction is the PowerStream VP high-pressure coolant system (HPC). “With the PowerStream VP, we complete our HPC product range and reinforce LNS’ position as the one-stop-shop for the machine tool industry,” explained Towers. Optimizing productivity, cutting energy consumption and increasing user friendliness were the key targets while developing the PowerStream VP. The innovative plug-and-play unit allows programmable variable-pressure outputs, making the product highly flexible and energy efficient.
“By constantly monitoring the pressure output and regulating the speed of the motor, the PowerStream VP only uses the minimum amount of power to reach the desired pressure,” he continued. “The system does not create excess flow that wastes energy and creates excess heat. In tests, customers were able to reduce energy consumption by more than 70%.”
The standalone unit can deliver up to 140 bar of filtered coolant. A user-friendly touchscreen allows the operator to control the pressure, coolant level, power consumption, and to individually assign pressures to outputs.
Air filtration concepts
With the recent acquisition of the Italian air-filtration specialist Fox IFS, LNS made another step into green technologies, complementing the existing CCM product range and bringing environmentally conscious solutions to the customers.
At EMO machine tool exhibition in Hannover in September 2011, the LNS Group will introduce a new series of new bar feeders as a successor to the Express 332 series that combine the best elements of the Sprint and Express series, designed with improved rigidity and flexibility.
“We redesigned the Express 332 from the ground up, but kept its philosophy and all the features that made this bar feeder so successful,” said Carlos Muniz, LNS Global Product Manager Bar Feed. Other CE compliant bar feeders that will be available following EMO are the Alpha ST 320 S2 and the entry-level solution Alpha SL 65 S.
