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Retrofitting for success

Major Tool & Machine, Inc. retrofitted two of their machining centers in 2010 changing to a CNC technology platform that was completely new to the company. Ten more such large-scale retrofits have followed, bringing increased enthusiasm, momentum and productivity.

Major Tool & Machine has been on track to retrofit over a dozen of its giant milling and turning machines within just two years, all supported by a new Siemens CNC platform. MTM’s management says the process has been an empowering experience for the company.

Major Tool & Machine has been on track to retrofit over a dozen of its giant milling and turning machines within just two years, all supported by a new Siemens CNC platform. MTM’s management says the process has been an empowering experience for the company.

CNC upgrade enhances performance and precision

Major Tool & Machine (MTM) is a large job shop, producing precision milled and turned hardware throughout the company’s 500,000 square foot Indiana facility. Performance is essential, because MTM contracts with aerospace, energy, nuclear and defense companies on many mission-critical, one-off projects. Owner and CEO Steve Weyreter will tell you openly, MTM is more competitive by way of a significant CNC technology change, starting with an aggressive retrofit strategy.

Günther Zimmermann, CNC Controls Engineer at MTM, says the company’s retrofit program and the decision to change to the Siemens SINUMERIK CNC platform have brought a new enthusiasm and momentum to the company. Over the last two years the change has also brought significant time and cost reductions, especially in the areas of programming, maintenance engineering, and machine operations.

“The initial goal in early 2010 was to retrofit two Cincinnati U5 Gantry machines,” Zimmermann recounts. “We evaluated two CNC technology platforms and after considerable analysis our CEO Steve Weyreter announced that Siemens would best support the company’s future.”

The decision to reduce costs by moving to a single CNC platform was the least difficult decision for the company to make, Zimmermann explains. The larger challenge for MTM was the integration of a new CNC technology platform that was new to the company.

Bill Henderson, MTM’s manager of large machining and maintenance, agrees that the decision to change to a Siemens CNC platform integrated with advanced part and tool probing was critical, because the shop manages constant changeovers from one complex job to the next, making setup times a critical time/cost constraint for the company. Another big advantage is the increased flexibility by only having to train machinists and maintenance personnel on one type of control.

Henderson went on to say “the decision to change to a new control has signaled higher expectations for the company, along with new challenges for those who program, operate and maintain the company’s big machines.

Naturally, there’s a resistance to change,” Henderson says. “People are comfortable with what they normally run, but after our discussions with the people on the plant floor, they understood the overall objective. Our retrofit program is not finished, yet it’s already showing tremendous benefits.”

An advantage MTM gained by its retrofit strategy has been the ability to interchange heads and rotary tables from machine to machine. Easy-to- use head storage and tool management programming provided by the Siemens CNC platform support the new interchange capability.

An advantage MTM gained by its retrofit strategy has been the ability to interchange heads and rotary tables from machine to machine. Easy-to- use head storage and tool management programming provided by the Siemens CNC platform support the new interchange capability.

Retrofitter Doug Huber says having Siemens as a new CNC technology partner has made a difference for Major Tool & Machine, but it’s also been an evolutionary uplift for his own retrofitting company, Indiana Automation.

“Indiana Automation has increasingly retrofit using Siemens controls in recent years, Huber explains. “On a retrofit, we always try to exceed what the original machine could do, and that’s just kind of inherent when you put on a Siemens 840D. Major Tool’s first retrofits were the Cincinnati U5 machines, a bridge model and two gantry models. These are five-axis machines and five-axis is the 840D’s forte. The processing power of the control is so much better, that it just whips through the blocks faster. So right off, cycle time is a major performance enhancement.”

Huber says something else happened this time. As his firm finished retrofitting the first three giant machines with Siemens five-axis controls, drives and motors, the reaction within the company was not just that the machines were now predictably more efficient, but that they performed as very different machines. A new advantage is the ability to interchange machining heads from machine-to-machine, and all driven by the Siemens CNC platform.

Central to MTM’s retrofit program has been the Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl control, which features the SINUMERIK Operate interface. The highly intuitive interface enables both programmers and operators to easily capitalize on the broad capabilities of the control.

Central to MTM’s retrofit program has been the Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl control, which features the SINUMERIK Operate interface. The highly intuitive interface enables both programmers and operators to easily capitalize on the broad capabilities of the control.

“On many of the U5 machines, the axes come off with the heads,” Huber explains, “and we rebuilt these machines to accept any one of three different heads. That’s one of Major Tool’s key strategies. They insist on having flexible machine capabilities, so that they can run all kinds of different parts. They have straight heads for serious metal cutting, contour heads for five-axis work and finesse work. They have 90-degree heads for more flexibility than a straight head, but it’s also not as fragile as the contour head. And they wanted to interchange all of these heads to automatically go pick up a head out of the shuttle and, on the fly, reconfigure the axes and the zero positions. To do this, the compensation tables all had to be updated. Everything needed to be done with the macro program so that each head came on ready to run.”

The interchangeable head strategy was a challenge, Huber says, because the machines were not originally capable of sharing heads. But with support from Siemens, the strategy has worked, including the ability to interchange rotary tables as well as heads. “Each head or rotary table has a configuration file that has all the settings and compensations and travels with it from machine to machine. So now when you mount that head the control just runs the configuration file that goes with it and its all set up for you. We also incorporated Siemens Tool Management for each machine’s 60-pocket tool chain. We used the feature on these machines to manage all the different tooling MTM uses, both in the automatic tool changer as well as the ones manually loaded.”

Huber says, “MTM’s ability to smoothly transition to more advanced CNC is largely due to the HMI’s ease of use. The Operate interface is a huge help to us and to Major Tool. The HMI helps make better parts. And it didn’t take very long for the operators to fall in love with it.”

Programming as easy as 1-2-3: Using the SINUMERIK Operate interface, a machinist can turn on coolant flow by 1) pressing Cycle Stop to stop the machine, 2) Coolant On, and 3) Restart.

Programming as easy as 1-2-3: Using the SINUMERIK Operate interface, a machinist can turn on coolant flow by 1) pressing Cycle Stop to stop the machine, 2) Coolant On, and 3) Restart.

“I had never used a Siemens control before,” admits MTM machinist Mike Burthay. “I have extensive knowledge of G-code and CNC controls and I would say the Siemens 840D sl with the Operate interface is the easiest one I’ve ever run. It’s user friendly, that’s exactly the words for it.”

Burthay reports several ways in which the Siemens SINUMERIK Operate interface has made his life easier. “There’s not as much G-code,” he says. “The control does it all for you as long as you put in the parameters as to size, length, width. Then once you’re in Job Mode, there’s a screen where you can tool change or jog the machine around to certain positions, or turn the spindle on, turn the coolant on, anything that traditionally required G-code. So now you can push a cycle stop button to pause the machine, enter a change such as turning coolant on, then restart the program.

“Another function I love is Block Search, which allows me to start or restart right in the middle of a program. Say you’re finishing a pocket and you have to run the tool two or three times to get a tight tolerance, I can enter in a line number and hit Block Search, the control picks up every line before that, restarts the spindle and everything for you.”

Burthay says the Siemens control also enables him to program parts right on the machine whenever necessary, using a simple yet robust program called ShopMill. “I can go into ShopMill, type in some parameters and it will kick out that G-code program for me automatically. Say I want to drill a hole two inches deep. I open ShopMill, pick my tool, tell it the depth and these steps are all interactive on the screen. It even shows me 3D motion images of the tool path, confirms the drill going down as expected into the part. So I hit go and it puts a drill cycle into the program for me.”

Programmed for collaborative growth

Lead Programmer, Tim Hayden, has from the beginning conducted all processor setups for the newly retrofitted machines. Hayden says integrating the Siemens CNC platform has been an empowering experience he had not expected, given the fact that he had never before set up a post processor to run a Siemens control, nor had he ever before operated a Siemens control.

“Now, when I look at the Siemens control, I think man, it would have been so much better to have had it all along,” Hayden says, “because the other control I’ve been using is just a lot more cryptic. The Siemens control with the SINUMERIK Operate interface is more powerful for writing macros and the language seems modern, whereas the other control seems like it is still based on an old FORTRAN type language.”

Work offsets for compound angles can be scaled and rotated using the Frames function of the Siemens SINUMERIK Operate interface. Many advanced machining operations can be managed simply, without the use of time-intensive manual G-code programming.

Work offsets for compound angles can be scaled and rotated using the Frames function of the Siemens SINUMERIK Operate interface. Many advanced machining operations can be managed simply, without the use of time-intensive manual G-code programming.

Hayden points to the Frames coordinate and offset programming function of the Siemens interface as an example of improved programming convenience.

“We do a lot of work on compound angles,” Hayden explains, “and with the Siemens Frames function, you can scale and rotate your coordinate system on the control, just plug it in with your work offsets. Whereas, on the other control you will see a G54 request, you’ve got to enter G-code. You can’t just plug it into your work offsets like you can with the Siemens control.”

Hayden says the SINUMERIK Operate interface brings greater programming flexibility. The HMI enables him to enter G-code using a comparatively more advanced manual data entry (MDI) function; however the HMI has all but eliminated the need for G-code entry by way of its intuitive design and evolved capabilities.

Another example of such HMI evolution is in the area of data management.

“When we post a program, we no longer have to use a G-code based MDI,” Hayden explains. “We no longer need to type in T= and enter a nine digit number and then enter M6 to make a tool change. With the Operate HMI, you pick your tool off a screen and hit cycle start. It’s just as easy to program going to a position. Instead of doing things the old way by typing G0X0Y0Z0 into the MDI, you open the Operate interface, click position, then click how you want to wrap it and then you just type the numbers into those fields. So it’s a lot more user friendly.”

Hayden says the Siemens CNC platform has supported greater collaboration at MTM between him and the machinists, and this is helping the company find ways to increase performance and efficiency. He agrees with his coworkers’ assessments that shorter setup times and greater operator freedom are making a significant difference.

“One of our production bottlenecks has been programming,” Hayden says. “The machinists that run our machines are professionals, they’re not button pushers, and with the SINUMERIK Operate interface, we can now rely on them to control and program certain parts right on their machines, while we programmers work on the more complex projects.”

“Siemens was the best fit for all of us,” Hayden concludes. “Siemens CNC is set up as an open control, and with that kind of flexibility, it seems anything is possible.”

For more information on Siemens SINUMERIK CNC, visit www.usa.siemens.com/cnc.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC or Twitter: www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us.

Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products, solutions and services for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services Divisions as well as the Metals Technologies Business Unit. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/industry.

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division is the world’s leading supplier of products, systems, applications, solutions and services for the entire drive train, with electrical and mechanical components. Drive Technologies serves all vertical markets in the production and process industries as well as the infrastructure/energy segment. With its products and solutions, the division enables its customers to achieve productivity, energy efficiency and reliability. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/drivetechnologies.

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CNC IT-Integration Software for Machine Tools To Include New Applications

Siemens has added new applications to its "Sinumerik Integrate for production" software  suite for networking machine tools with production-level IT systems.

Siemens has added new applications to its “Sinumerik Integrate for production” software
suite for networking machine tools with production-level IT systems.

  • New applications for “Sinumerik Integrate for production”
  • Improved networking of machine tools with production-level IT
  • Access MyData for reading and writing NC and PLC data
  • Manage MyMaintenance for effective maintenance management

Siemens has added new applications to its “Sinumerik Integrate for production” software suite for networking machine tools with production-level IT systems. The new release now includes Manage MyMaintenance (MMM), an effective maintenance-tasks management system, and Access MyData (AMD), a set of open interfaces that now allows direct access to machine and process data.

Access MyData offers an interface to access machine and process data of machine tools controlled by the Sinumerik 840D sl CNC. To allow data communication, the machine tool is directly connected to the Sinumerik Integrate server at the customer’s site.
AMD Basic is available free-of-charge and enables the direct reading and writing of NC and PLC data from the Integrate application server. Purchasing extensions to AMD Basic allows machine tool data to be processed and NC part programs transferred via a file transfer interface.

Manage MyMaintenance enables small and medium-sized companies to enter the world of maintenance management without any additional investment. MMM automatically instructs the user, as soon as a new maintenance date is scheduled for a machine. The time and tasks to be performed are presented in a clearly laid out list.
Self-explanatory color-coding indicates which measure is overdue and which has
not yet reached its deadline. A number of maintenance tasks can be defined and intervals specified. The software is easily installed via the Sinumerik Operate graphical user interface without any programming effort.

Background information:

The Sinumerik Integrate for production software suite includes applications for simple management of machine tools and part programs, transparent recording of machine states and production data, as well as the remote maintenance of machines installed
all over the world.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.

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Twitter: www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us
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The Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly automation and drive technology, industrial software and technology-based services. The Sector’s comprehensive portfolio covers the entire industrial value chain, from product design, engineering and production to services. Siemens enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency, and flexibility in a wide variety of different industries. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services as well as the Business Unit Metals Technologies.

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Scalable Automation and Drive Technology Package for Tapping Centers

tapping_center_package_from_siemens

  • Package for tapping centers consisting of compact CNC, frequency converter with triple overload capability and high-speed electric motor
  • For ultra-fast tool changes: spindle start-up from 0 to 24,000 revolutions/minute in less than one second
  • Scalable functions and performance thanks to control hardware variants
  • High speed for high-speed cutting with small tools

Siemens has put together a scalable package of coordinated automation and drive components specifically for tapping centers. It consists of the Sinumerik 828D compact CNC with new panel processing units PPU2xx.3 of various performance classes as control hardware and the new variant of the Sinamics S120 Combi drive with triple overload capability. The package is completed with the new Simotics M-1PH8 Premium Performance main motor, which can achieve high speeds.

The productivity of tapping centers can be increased considerably due to the specially coordinated components, the powerful control system hardware, the converter with enhanced overload resilience and the high-speed main motor from Siemens. For example, the spindle can be started up from 0 to 24,000 revolutions per minute in less than one second. This saves considerable time, particularly with tapping center applications featuring frequent tool changes.

The Siemens range is also especially suitable for the increasing number of applications with freeform surfaces and high surface quality, for example cell phone components, which are manufactured with small high-speed cutting (HSC) tools and have short machining times. The tapping center’s maximum machine dynamics can be utilized to the fullest extent with the scalable performance spectrum, for example the different control hardware variants PPU 260.3 or 280.3 for the Sinumerik 828D compact CNC.

Background information

Tapping centers are designed as machine tools with small work spaces for milling, drilling and thread machining, and are frequently used to manufacture hard disk and mobile phone housings, for example. These are made out of lightweight materials using small tools and at high speeds.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.

Follow us on Social Media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC

The Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly automation and drive technology, industrial software and technology-based services. The Sector’s comprehensive portfolio covers the entire industrial value chain, from product design, engineering and production to services. Siemens enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency, and flexibility in a wide variety of different industries. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services as well as the Business Unit Metals Technologies.

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Three Convenient Functions for CNC Turning and Milling Applications

  • convenient_milling_turnning_functions_sinumerik_cncThree new functions for the Sinumerik Operate operator interface simplify the operation of turning and milling machines
  • Time-saving program handling
  • High-speed setting cycle with plain text function
  • Retraction function for manual retraction of tools

Siemens has added three new functions to the Sinumerik Operate graphical user interface making it easier to operate turning and milling machines. A new program management system, plain text reading in the high-speed setting cycle, and the new retraction function support operators during standardized turning and milling operations using the Sinumerik 828D compact CNC — or in high-end applications using the modular Sinumerik 840D sl CNC.

The Sinumerik Operate program manager has been supplemented with a new program management system providing direct access to all connected drives. Users can now work simultaneously on all connected drives and their file structures. In addition, a larger number of different file formats can be displayed than before.

In the powerful cycle package of Sinumerik Operate, the high-speed setting cycle has been simplified by plain text reading for a host of machining methods. This high-speed setting cycle supports machine tool operators in all tool- and mold-making applications by transferring the machining tolerance.

In the new version, machining methods such as roughing, pre-finishing or finishing can be output as plain text, and the orientation tolerance can also be entered. Users only have to specify a few parameters for this purpose.

The new retraction function in Sinumerik Operate now supports users when retracting a tool following an interruption caused, for example, by power failure or NC reset.

In JOG mode and in the swiveled machine state with Cycle800 or Traori five-axis transformation, machining can now be continued from the point of interruption following manual recovery.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.

Follow us on Social Media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC

The Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly automation and drive technology, industrial software and technology-based services. The Sector’s comprehensive portfolio covers the entire industrial value chain, from product design, engineering and production to services. Siemens enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency, and flexibility in a wide variety of different industries. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services as well as the Business Unit Metals Technologies.

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Siemens Introduces New SINUMERIK 808D Advanced CNC for Basic Machine Tools

Siemens Industry, Inc. presents its new Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC with compatible motors, drives and cabling, in vertical or horizontal variants for basic  milling and turning machines

Siemens Industry, Inc. presents its new Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC with compatible motors, drives and cabling, in vertical or horizontal variants for basic milling and turning machines

Siemens Industry, Inc. announced today its new Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC, designed for basic milling and turning machines.  Affordably priced for the machine builder (OEM), this new addition from Siemens offers a suite of design features to improve the accuracy, surface finish, safety and communication of the control. This new CNC is available now to the North American machine tool market.

The Sinumerik 808D Advanced offers up to five axes / spindle motion control on a single machine channel, with drive bus communication between the CNC and drive for better position control, data transfer over standard Ethernet protocol, plus Auto Servo Tuning (AST) for superior surface quality and repeatable part accuracy in mold and die applications.  These include incremental encoder with 2,500 parts per revolution (ppr) or absolute encoder with 20-bit resolution.

Motor speeds up to 4,000 rpm are offered with Safe Torque Off (STO) and IP65 enclosure protection. Vertical and horizontal configurations of the Sinumerik 808D are available to suit all standard control panels.

The Sinumerik 808D Advanced T is the ideal choice for basic turning machines or turning centers without a Y-axis, with the option of driven tools, while the Sinumerik 808D Advanced M offers advanced surface finish and the SINAMICS V70 drive platform from Siemens, all with an attractive price-to-performance ratio.

Additional features of the Sinumerik 808D Advanced CNC include an RJ45 Ethernet port, 7.5” LCD color display with 640 x 480 resolution for easy viewing, machine technology-specific keyboards with hard keys shielded with protective membrane, a robust enclosure with no fan or hard disk, maintenance-friendly power with no battery, continuous data buffering with NV-RAM technology, LED tool number display and a master control panel with rotary switch for feed and spindle override.  The rated torque is 1.9-40 Nm with drive line input of 400V and overload rating of 300 percent.

Part programs can be managed on an external PC, then fed to the control over an Ethernet cable or input via the USB port.  Simple program sub-folders can be stored on the control, just like on the PC.  Other standard features of the Siemens CNC for machine operators and programmers include intelligent jog, precise tool data handling with easy-to-recognize on-screen icons, tool wear data logging to ensure consistent high workpiece quality and startGUIDE engineering support, complete with the graphical user interface wizard for easier machine commissioning and startup and troubleshooting.

Siemens provides full training, on-site support and service plus a three-year warranty on parts and service.  Proper machine registration is required.

For more information about the new Sinumerik 808D Advanced, please visit:
www.usa.siemens.com/808D-PR.

For more information on Siemens SINUMERIK CNC, visit www.usa.siemens.com/cnc.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC or Twitter:  www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us.

Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products, solutions and services for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services Divisions as well as the Metals Technologies Business Unit. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/industry.

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division is the world’s leading supplier of products, systems, applications, solutions and services for the entire drive train, with electrical and mechanical components. Drive Technologies serves all vertical markets in the production and process industries as well as the infrastructure/energy segment. With its products and solutions, the division enables its customers to achieve productivity, energy efficiency and reliability. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/drivetechnologies.

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Siemens Retrofit Business Development Manager Sees Opportunities

Tom Curfiss details the rapidly evolving business climate for retrofit; impacting large production department, job shop machine tool sectors alike 

Machine Photo

Siemens retrofit

CHICAGO —Various market factors and economic conditions have made retrofitting existing machine tools a very viable option for the large metalworking department at an OEM, as well as the job shop sector of moldmakers, tool & die and contract part manufacturers alike, according to Tom Curfiss, the retrofit business development manager for Siemens.  Speaking from his Cincinnati area office, Curfiss comments, “Today’s business climate has combined with economic factors involved in the manufacture of control packages to create an ideal atmosphere for retrofit.  Our company has long been involved in the upgrade of large gantry mills for aerospace production, for example.  But today, it’s just as likely you’ll find our Retrofit Solution Partners outfitting a 3-axis mill or even a basic lathe with a new entry-level or mid-range CNC, motor and drive package.  And, the best news for the job shop, this work can now be done at a price point comparable to just the cost of the CNC a decade ago, owing to economies of scale in the manufacture of these control packages.”

Tom CurfissSiemens currently has 17 Retrofit Solution Partners under contract in the U.S.  These companies work in close cooperation with Siemens to fully understand the possibilities of retrofitting machines with SINUMERIK CNC and to provide complete services for the installation and refurbishment of the CNC machine.  These partner firms for the Machine Tool Systems business at Siemens must have a demonstrated ability to work on CNC, PLC, servo motor, digital drive and all accompanying peripheral products, plus have a proficiency in the development of software packages related to PLC and CNC applications.  Every Solution Partner then commits to a battery of training sessions on SINUMERIK controls and is required to keep at least two Siemens-trained engineers on staff at all times, according to Curfiss. The Solution Partners are not geographic specific, as several have proven expertise in the field working on particular types or brands of machine tools.  The selection process for the appropriate partner takes many factors into consideration, says Curfiss.  “We have partners who specialize in 5-axis machines, others who have expertise in a certain industry such as aerospace or medical, and still others who have their greatest strength in a particular area of the country.  Depending on the job specifics and the logistic costs involved, we work hard to match the right partner to the customer’s needs.”

Typically, Curfiss continues, the tipping point on a retrofit job is 60% of the price of a new machine.  However, he also points out that many machines have outdated controls, although they still perform adequately in the shop or production department.  “The challenge, when we do our onsite machine evaluation, is to determine whether a retrofit will make an appreciable difference in the performance of the machine, as other factors in the mechanics of the iron might make a retrofit impractical.”  Curfiss further noted that today’s control technology is evolving at a very rapid rate, making some equipment that went out of production just 10 years ago less than optimum in contributing to maximum machine tool performance.   “Running machine tools with 20-year-old technology today will simply not keep a shop as competitive as it needs to be.”

Existing Equipment

Existing equipment

Tom Curfiss has had his share of experiences with “old iron” in the field, as his background in machine tools spans over 40 years.  “A lot of people think their old iron is just impossible to keep running, even with a retrofit, but we’re able to make the old equipment run better than it did when it was new, quite often.”  He notes this achievement is the result of faster control processors, improved motor and drive technology, even more accurate and responsive encoders and other machine status sensing devices.  On a practical note, Curfiss also remarks, “You cannot, however, fix a broken leg with a bandage, so the machine evaluation needs to be very comprehensive.”

In the end, Tom Curfiss suggests, both the large production departments and the job shops alike need to have regular assessments done on their prototype and production machine tools to determine if a retrofit might be in order.  “The savings can be substantial, compared to purchasing new machines, because it’s not just a matter of the dollars saved at the outset, it’s also the long-term production improvements that inevitably lead to even greate Tom Curfiss has had his share of experiences with “old iron” in the field, as his background in machine tools spans over 40 years.  “A lot of people think their old iron is just impossible to keep running, even with a retrofit, but we’re able to make the old equipment run better than it did when it was new, quite often.”  He notes this achievement is the result of faster control processors, improved motor and drive technology, even more accurate and responsive encoders and other machine status sensing devices.  On a practical note, Curfiss also remarks, “You cannot, however, fix a broken leg with a bandage, so the machine evaluation needs to be very comprehensive.” In the end, Tom Curfiss suggests, both the large production departments and the job shops alike need to have regular assessments done on their prototype and production machine tools to determine if a retrofit might be in order. “The savings can be substantial, compared to purchasing new machines, because it’s not just a matter of the dollars saved at the outset, it’s also the long-term production improvements that inevitably lead to even greater profit for the job shop or OEM.”

For more information on Siemens SINUMERIK CNC, visit www.usa.siemens.com/cnc.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC or Twitter:  www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us.

Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products, solutions and services for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services Divisions as well as the Metals Technologies Business Unit. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/industry.

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division is the world’s leading supplier of products, systems, applications, solutions and services for the entire drive train, with electrical and mechanical components. Drive Technologies serves all vertical markets in the production and process industries as well as the infrastructure/energy segment. With its products and solutions, the division enables its customers to achieve productivity, energy efficiency and reliability. For more information, visit http://www.usa.siemens.com/drivetechnologies.

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