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Schütte Introduces 325linear CNC Grinder
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5-axis cnc grinder with extended x-y axis paths plus two aux slides for workpiece clamping
Equipped with unique SIGSpro software system to allow full 3D simulation on the HMI or offline for more accurate quotes, complete cycle validation
New Schütte 325linear cylindrical grinding system features extended x-y paths plus two auxiliary slides
Schütte (Jackson, Michigan) today announces the introduction of its new 325linear machine, a 5-axis CNC grinder with extended x- and y-axis movement plus two auxiliary slides for workpiece clamping and improved grinding wheel guidance over the entire machining envelope. Micro tools, gun drills, hob cutters and complex geometries can be accommodated on this new machine, which operates in the range of 2500-4000 rpm, typically. The additional second auxiliary slide enables the 325linear to utilize tool guidance, part support, tailstock or workpiece pallets in operation. This new Schütte machine further expands the user’s automation possibilities, as it also offers significant advancements in wheel change and robotic workpiece handling.
Specifically, on the a-axis, a user can install collet chucks, hydraulic expansion chucks or multi-range chucks. With the automated collet changer on the machine, workpieces with different diameters can be clamped with high concentricity in the unmanned loader station. The Schütte a-axis configuration on this machine also permits position-oriented clamping of non-rotationally symmetrical workpieces. In this way, sequential workpieces with various roughing and finishing requirements can be preset on the machine for continuous processing.
SIGSpro (Schütte Integrated Grinding Software) enables full 3D simulation of the entire cycle, either on the HMI or offline, for improved estimating and safety concerns
Likewise, this new Schütte grinding system offers scalable automation, with a 140-position tool changer, 5-24 grinding wheel magazine and a flexible robotic tool gripper for changing the smallest micro tools as available options. The same base machine can be utilized for continuous production of a single part in a work cell setup or used for sequential one-off work, as needed.
The 325linear features a universal rotation a-axis with a high level of concentricity (<0.0001º resolution) and pitch accuracy, while the xyz-axis resolution is maintained at
The machine is offered with the proprietary SIGSpro (Schütte Integrated Grinding Software) as the programming interface, allowing users to assign clamping options for each grinding operation being performed. When the support and tool guidance system are used, preset distances from the grinding wheel to the workpiece can be defined and held constant. In the 3D mode, all cycle steps can be simulated, controlled and optimized for exact estimating, collision avoidance and even external workstation integration with the other workpieces.
Optional robotic handling, wheel changing and tool magazines allow the same machine scalable automation in use
All motion control on this new grinder is maintained on a Siemens 840D sl CNC with compatible drive technology.
This new Schütte 325linear grinding machine is available for viewing at the company’s North American headquarters in Jackson, Michigan, as well as a number of the upcoming trade shows in 2015.
For further information, please contact:
SCHUTTE MSA, LLC
4055 Morrill Road
Jackson, MI 49201
Phone: 517-782-3600
www.schutteusa.com
rfq@schutteusa.com
Machine Safety Gets You Soaring Towards Productivity & Profitability
By Bernard and Company
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AIT uses Siemens highly integrated solutions platform, with SIMATIC Safety PLC, Sinamics drives and Simotion motion control over the PROFINET network, to go above & beyond to improve performance & productivity for Boeing’s Dreamliner fuselage assembly process
Advanced Integration Technology (AIT) is a 20-year-old supplier of turnkey industrial automation systems for the aerospace industry. The company’s strength centers on the design and build of complex, fully integrated manufacturing, tooling and assembly systems for commercial and military aircraft, produced by the world’s leading suppliers, including Boeing, Bombardier, EADS, British Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Spirit AeroSystems, Vought and others. Its reputation as an established partner to these companies is well known, despite its relative corporate youth. AIT operates six locations in the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Spain to serve its growing customer base.
All actions in each section are controlled and monitored by Siemens SIMOTION motion controllers, SINAMICS drives, failsafe CPU, safety devices and distributed I/O, working either independently or in concert, as the production requires
On a recent project involving production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, AIT designed and built all final body assembly systems needed to join the major fuselage components, plus a moving production line. Key elements in this design included the motion control system, servo drive platforms, failsafe CPUs and all distributed I/O, with the entire system communicating over a Profinet network. In addition, the integration of comprehensive safety technology was incorporated into the standard automation on these systems.
As a prime contractor on the 787, AIT had responsibility for the final assembly and body join functions, charged with delivering a fully automated positioning and joining system. In the end, two complete assembly systems and one positioning system were provided. The three main sections of the fuselage are joined, with 14 positioners mounted to transport structures that move either independently or interlocked and indexed to the factory floor for stability. Real-time positioning measurement data are logged with an integrated indoor GPS. AIT designed the alignment and positioning systems to allow rolling them under the aircraft dollies after the sections were brought into the Boeing factory, radically reducing auxiliary equipment needs, materials handling requirements and additional positioning steps in the overall process.
Onsite at Boeing, the 14 positioning system components were moved into their respective locations near the cradle dollies and engaged to lift and move the aircraft sections. Once the system was rigidly joined, a measurement system onboard located the airplane sections. This information was fed to the AIT system’s software application. From those data points, the system could then calculate how much each section (nose, tail, left and right wings) needed to move to ensure an exact fit to the adjoining section. This precise alignment ensured a smooth and more rapid build of each aircraft’s fuselage.
In commenting on the particulars of this system’s requirements for his company, Ed Chalupa, president of AIT, explains, “We looked for a supplier with an off-the-shelf selection of automation and motion control solutions, who could offer us global support. Our goal here was to align ourselves with a leading automation technology supplier and to utilize all current software, integrated safety and control technology advancements. Both Boeing and AIT were keenly sensitive to lifecycle security issues in this critical area of the project.” He further noted that it was vital the chosen supplier be able to provide comprehensive application engineering support, training on both the products and software, plus prototype and demo equipment for AIT’s use with its customer and internally, with ongoing technical support agreements, covering both the products and software updates.
After an extensive review of several global contenders, the selection was made for Siemens control system components.
Click to view -> schematic shows the independent but interconnected nature of the control platforms for each section. The Siemens SCALANCE wireless technology is used for system switching.
Section 47 (aft fuselage) of 787 in AITs FBJ
The basic scheme of the motion control system implemented here comprises a Simotion D motion controller, Siemens HMI on a Windows-based PC, a SIMATIC S7 Safety PLC and fail-safe/standard I/O modules, all running on a Profinet network. This basic architecture was then multiplied by the number of control nodes for each specific operational system in the overall production line being designed by AIT. Each unit is capable of working independently of the others in the line. Or, with the addition of relatively few Profinet cables and mode selctions on each unit, the final body join assembly tool is able to run as a single entity. When running together in this latter configuration, the safety devices are likewise working coherently, providing proper response levels to all E-stop events on the line. Each unit motion controller receives commands to perform uniform group movements with the tool as a whole via network communications from the HMI.
Specifically, the Siemens Simotion D motion controller used here controls all axis movements to accurately position and align parts. Because AIT delivers a turnkey and dedicated system, customers have no need for further internal customization of the controller hardware or HMI panels.
Position 2 full FBJ tool
AIT designed the overall layout of the control architecture, programmed the Simotion system with the Simatic S7 PLC, distributed I/O and integrated safety, plus provided support on the Boeing internal structure and lifecycle support requirements.
The integrated safety concept on this overall system was based upon three core principles: increasingly layered safety architectures, greater degrees of integration between the control and safety systems, plus more use of networking, especially Industrial Ethernet and currently available motion technologies.
In operational sequence, these safety principles manifest themselves in the form of physical barriers and mechanical means such as walls, gates, door interlocks and light curtains, all designed to separate personnel from danger. Meanwhile, the control systems, including programmable safety relays and safety PLCs, monitor operating conditions within established parameters. Finally, safety shutdown systems such as automatic shutdown via safety PLC or manual shutdown via E-stops, offer the final protections.
FBJ showing wing trivet for wing join
Siemens engineered a safety protocol that simplified the complexity often encountered in the integration of control and safety systems. This was achieved by reducing the issues related to different programming languages and procedures, installation and configuration requirements, maintenance procedures and human error factors. The result for AIT and its customer Boeing was lower total cost of ownership (TCO), owing to the substantial reduction in engineering, hardware, training and spare parts needed.
With integrated safety and control, the project has a single system for standard and safe automation, with one bus and one engineering system for both standard and safety technology, which further reduces cost. As a collateral benefit, the software solutions allow easier replication of series machines. Likewise, faster troubleshooting and extensive diagnostics onboard reduce downtimes on the floor, with faster restart after issue resolution. Functionally, too, this safety integration in the control system allows uniform user interfaces and data libraries, plus a reduction in the variety of control cabinets needed for the various applications.
PROFIsafe®, the first communication safety-profile meeting the IEC 61508 safety requirements, is the backbone of all fail-safe communication. PROFIsafe® facilitates the transmission of both standard and safety-related data on a single bus cable, using either Ethernet or fieldbus protocol. With advanced PLC and Industrial Ethernet networking technologies combined, the system safety for AIT and its customer became a production asset that protects the workers from harm and also ensures maximum availability and uptime. Reductions in initial capital expense and field operating expense were also realized.
Final assembly of first 787
According to AIT engineering, SIMATIC Safety PLC brought the highest possible integration of safety and ease of designing a complex system into the automation scenario for this project.
In the field, the final assembly and body join automated assembly systems, plus positioning system provided to Boeing, are utilized to join Section 41 (forward fuselage), Sections 47/48 (aft fuselage) and Section 12 (left and right side wings) to the mid-fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Two major sub-assemblies, namely the forward/aft body positioners and left/right wing positioners, are further split for transport into left- and right-hand minor sub-assemblies.
Motion Control, advanced PLC systems and industrial Ethernet networking technologies have enabled machine safety to become a production asset that not only protects workers from harm but also ensures maximum availability and uptime.
Machine Safety gives a competitive edge that goes to producers with highly integrated operations that are faster, more flexible and more responsive to changing market demands and opportunities, as AIT has shown in Boeing’s Dreamliner fuselage assembly process.
AIT designs and manufactures custom tooling and assembly equipment used to fabricate and assemble major commercial and military aircraft. As part of its total value proposition, AIT houses over 600,000 square feet for engineering, precision metal fabrication, machining and assembly of its production systems. The company’s equipment is typically used for assembly as well as machining of all the current aircraft structure materials, including aluminum, aluminum alloys, titanium, carbon fiber, Invar and many specialty alloys and composite substrates.
For further information on this story, please contact:
ADVANCED INTEGRATION TECHNOLOGY (AIT)
2805 E. Plano Pkwy.
Suite 100
Plano, TX 75074
Phone: 972-423-8354
Fax: 972-423-8469
Web: www.aint.com
Email: ait@aint.com
Attention: Ed Chalupa, President or Susan Hardaway, Marketing Mgr.
OR
SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
MOTION CONTROL
PRODUCTION MACHINE BUSINESS
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Fax: 847-437-0784
Web: www.usa.siemens.com/simotion
Email: SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Attention: John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communications
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/siemens.dt.us or Twitter: www.twitter.com/siemens_dt_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.
1250ºF Cabinet Oven for Heating Metal Parts
By Bernard and Company
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975 for heating metal parts | Grieve Corporation
No. 975 is a 1250ºF (676ºC), electrically-heated cabinet oven from Grieve, currently used for heating metal parts to remove deposits at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 50” W x 50” D x 50” H. 160 kW are installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 6000 CFM, 5 HP recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow to the workload.
This Grieve cabinet oven features 10” insulated walls comprising 2” of 1900ºF block insulation and 8” of 10 lb/cf density rockwool insulation, top-mounted heating chamber, aluminized steel exterior, Type 304, 2B stainless steel interior and all safety equipment required for handling flammable solvents, including explosion-venting door hardware. The insulated floor of the oven is reinforced for 1000 lb. loading with a 1/4” thick, Type 304 stainless steel plate.
No. 975 controls include a digital indicating temperature controller and manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors.
For more information, please contact:
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073-2898
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese, VP
The Second Generation – BEA 16 Universal Machining Unit
By Bernard and Company
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Following its successful launch, SUHNER is presenting the BEA 16 spindle machining unit with an all new drive and control concept.
The objective of this new development was the integration of the latest servo drive and control technology from Bosch Rexroth. Software developed additionally allows the user to program six different basic cycles without prior knowledge of CNC.
By visualizing these six cycles – drilling – combined drilling (drilling and thread cutting with the one tool) – thread cutting – drilling with chip removal – drilling with jump function – undercutting, the unit has become extremely easy to program.
Example of a drilling cycle with jump function | Suhner Automation BEA16
Plus, should the required machining cycle not be found among the standard selections or prove more complex, the unit can be switched to sentence programming.
The BEA 16 machining unit itself is a precision device from the SUHNER spindle machining unit series that has been designed for gruelling continuous use in multiple shift operations. The BEA 16 has a drilling capacity of 16 mm Æ in 450 N/mm2 steel. The max feed path is 140 mm, and the max speed is 500 rpm.
Today, rising production piece numbers and greater workpiece complexity with all-round machining are leading to a renaissance of the so-called special machine. However, today’s special machines are being used no longer as purely single-purpose solutions, but rather for whole part families.
Example of a sentence programming | Suhner Automation BEA16
These require different machining cycles, feed speeds, feed paths and rotating speeds, and, of course, must allow fast retooling. And it is these requirements exactly that the BEA 16 will meet to the full.
SUHNER INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS, CORP.
Hwy 411 S./Suhner Drive
P.O. Box 1234
Rome, GA 30162
Phone: 706-235-8046
Fax: 706-235-8045
Attention: Lee Coleman, Automation Division
www.suhner.com
automation.usa@suhner.com
Text and pictures files can be found and down loaded at:
www.suhner-press.com
Machining Takes Center Stage
By Bernard and Company
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Sinumerik CNC ensures high-quality guitar craftsmanship
Fryer Machine Systems supplies an American guitar builder with milling machines for the production of high-quality guitars. Right-angle head compensation is essential to the accurate, repeatable milling of guitar necks — an easy task for the Sinumerik 840D CNC on board Fryer machines.
The challenge of repeatable product performance is not new to C.F. Martin & Company. Six generations ago, company founder C. F. Martin Sr. was confronted with managing a guitar-making enterprise that was producing totally handcrafted guitars, one by one, with little means for standardization. Since those days, guitar legends such as Gene Autry, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and new-comers Ed Sheeran and Hunter Hayes have relied on the consistently distinctive tone, treble and bass specific to Martin acoustic guitars. When Martin learned that its previous machine tool builder had exited the market, the company turned to Fryer Machine Systems for new machines to cover a production increase and seized the opportunity to upgrade the control technology with Sinumerik CNCs.
Larry Fryer (left) and Mark Bickert from Martin Guitar are satisfied with Siemens CNC technology, service and part quality.
Hands-on support in customizing the CNC
“We use right-angle head aggregates in our CNCs,” explains Mark Bickert, engineering project manager at Martin. “We needed to find a machine builder that could give us right-angle head aggregate capability in conjunction with right-angle head compensation and a high-rpm spindle.” Fryer Machine Systems has earned a reputation for building reliable production machines that come with unexpectedly advanced features and functionality. The company happens to be the largest purchaser of Siemens controls in the United States, and the customizable aspects of a Fryer machine can often be attributed to the versatility of the Siemens controls on board. This time, however, Martin needed to be certain that the new Fryer machines would perform as expected.
“Anyone can sell you a machine with a controller on it and say, ‘Here you go,’” Bickert says. “But that’s not what happened this time. We were buying a machine through a Fryer dealership, and the machine had a Siemens control. Siemens invested their time in us during our transition and set-up. They really excelled.”
Bickert says a potential constraint to the transition was that all-new milling programs might need to be written for the Fryer machines, including the right-angle head cutter compensation programs, which were essential. “Siemens not only gave us the right-angle head cutter compensation we wanted and the ability to do it properly, they also helped write the programs,” Bickert says. “They took the programs that we already had for cutting parts on our existing machines and reconfigured them to work in the Fryer machine with the Siemens controller.”
Guitar body castings now also machined in-house
Having made a smooth transition to the company’s new Fryer-built machines last year, Martin has not skipped a beat in its ability to perform right-angle compensation milling. Martin now has eight Fryer/Siemens machines, utilizing one for the guitar maker’s tooling and machinery operations and seven for various other guitar production operations. It is here, behind the scenes, that the company’s machinists reside and modern CNC technology and Old World craftsmanship come together to create the fixtures, tools and wherewithal that contribute to the mastery of Martin guitar making. It is also here that Martin found a way to bring previously outsourced operations in-house, a step that has improved repeatable production quality while reducing production costs. “The machining of our castings had been another hurdle for us,” says Terry Kline, Martin’s manager of tooling and machinery. Until the company invested in the Fryer machines with the Siemens controls, Martin had outsourced the machining of its guitar body castings, with inconsistent results. “Now we’re holding close tolerances on our guitar body castings,” Kline says. “The quality of the castings is consistently accurate.”
CNC technology meets craftsmanship
On a daily basis at Martin, Kline sees what is possible when CNC technology and craftsmanship work together. “Without CNC technology, we’d be still carving out all our necks by hand, and that’s just not efficient enough to compete in today’s world,” he says. The intersection of technology and craftsmanship has come naturally for this 180-year-old guitar company, without one side compromising the other. “I think every manufacturing company needs to embrace technology,” says Kline. “Technology and craftsmanship go hand-in-hand. People are amazed by how much handwork still goes into our guitars. We’ll build a neck and a body and then assemble the two elements together, which makes that guitar come to life.”
Right-angle head compensation is essential to the accurate milling of guitar neck components. The function requires the sophisticated Sinumerik 840D sl CNC and ShopMill software from Siemens. Guitar image courtesy of C.F. Martin & Company.
For more information on this story, please contact:
SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES – MOTION CONTROL (MACHINE TOOL BUSINESS)
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Fax: 847-437-0784
Web: www.usa.siemens.com/cnc
Email: SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Attention: John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communication
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.
heimatec 2015 Show Schedule
By Bernard and Company
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Here it is – heimatec’s 2015 Show Schedule!
Check out all the places you’ll be able to learn about the heimatec advantage this year (Click the show name to see more about heimatec at the respective show):
Heimatec BMT 65 live tooling-axial style
February 24-26 | HOUSTEX Booth 209 | Houston, TX
March 17-20 | HAAS-Tec | Oxnard, CA
April 1-2 | Northwest Machine Tool Expo Booth TBA | Portland, OR
April 21-23 | PMTS Booth 936 | Columbus, OH
May 12-14 | EASTEC Booth 5137 (with Tom Paine Group) | West Springfield, MA
June 15-17 | WMTS Booth 129 (with Expertech Distribution & Technology) | Edmonton, AB
September 28-October 1 | CMTS Booth TBA | Toronto, ON
Heimatec BMT 65 live tooling-radial style
For further information, please contact:
Preben Hansen, President
HEIMATEC INC.
16 E. Piper Lane Suite 129
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
Phone: 847-749-0633
Fax: 847-749-2445
Email: info@heimatecinc.com
Website: www.heimatecinc.com
Connect with Heimatec Inc: 
750ºF Belt Conveyor Oven for Curing Mold Release Onto Steel Molds
By Bernard and Company
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No. 792 is a gas-fired, 750ºF belt conveyor oven, currently used for curing mold release onto steel molds. Workspace dimensions measure 42” W x 12’ D x 12” H. 800,000 BTU/HR are installed in a modulating natural gas burner to heat the unit, while a 7800 CFM recirculating blower provides vertical downward airflow to the workload. The oven travel comprises a 4’ long open belt loading zone, 1’ long insulated but unheated vestibule entrance, 12’ long insulated heat zone with recirculated airflow, 1’ long open zone, 2’ long cooling zone and 2’ long open unloading zone.
This Grieve jumbo walk-in batch oven features 6” insulated walls, a 36” wide x 1” x 1” flatwire conveyor belt with ½ HP motor drive, variable from 0.7 to 14.3 ipm, two 12” tubeaxial fans, each driven by a ½ HP motor, to push/pull air through the cooling zone, an aluminized steel interior and exterior, plus all safety equipment required by IRI, FM and NFPA Standard 86 for gas-heated equipment, including a 650 CFM powered forced exhauster.
For more information, please contact:
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073-2898
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese, VP
Model Turbines from One Mold
By Bernard and Company
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Energy production specialist MCE uses a simultaneous five-axis mill-turn center with Sinumerik 840D sl for producing model running wheels in one setting and thereby reducing throughput time.
MCE Maschinen- und Apparatebau GmbH CEO Gottfried Langthaler (right) and Buz Bozner, head of the Alzmetall Technology Center, agree: The efficiency of the Sinumerik 840D sl makes an important contribution to enabling simultaneous milling and turning in every position with the GS 1000/5-FTD.
MCE Maschinen- und Apparatebau GmbH in Linz, Austria, produces various components for large gas, steam, and water turbines, as well as for wind power stations and other segments of energy production. But before the company receives any orders for these products, realistic models must prove their efficiency, underlines MCE CEO Gottfried Langthaler: “It is therefore very important for us to be able to manufacture the turbine models in high quality and, at the same time, productively with a short throughput time.”
In mid-2010, the running wheels were still being milled individually on a five-axis machining center and then bolted or welded together. The average throughput time was six weeks. Thanks to a few technical tricks and the Sinumerik-controlled GS 1000/5-FTD from Alzmetall, which has been used in model production since the end of 2010, the machining expert Langthaler was able to reduce throughput time by up to one-third — to about four weeks, depending on the product. As a qualified master of mechanical engineering and design, he already knew before purchasing the Alzmetall machine that it would be ideal for his model production if a Francis turbine could be produced from solid brass: “I was merely skeptical that a machining center could do that. After all, we have to achieve a high roughing cut and smooth with maximum precision and surface quality.” Initial tests with the GS 1000/5-FTD revealed that the technical conditions were right. Langthaler adds: “Alzmetall also flexibly adapted the machining center to our needs so that we can meet all the requirements regarding accuracy and surface quality — in one setting if necessary.”
User-friendly CNC for milling and turning jobs
Because this machine must also perform turning tasks, in addition to milling tasks, at MCE, this requirement is also in the specification and is met by the GS 1000/5-FTD. Buz Bozner, head of the Technology Center at Alzmetall, explains the technical basis: “We integrated torque motors in all round axes. We therefore achieve speeds of 300 rpm in the c-axis.” The mill-turn center offers an enormous machining space that not even standard lathes achieve. Parts with a diameter of up to 1,000 mm can therefore be machined. A highlight of the GS 1000/5-FTD is that it can be turned to any round axis position and level.
The energy professionals in model construction have been relying on Sinumerik controllers since the mid-1990s because, according to the mechanical engineering boss Langthaler, these were always convincing, especially in complex five-axis machining: “The handling of Sinumerik 840D is also clear and simple on the ShopMill and ShopTurn graphical user interfaces.” The operator can work particularly easily and clearly when a GS 1000/5-FTD with the new Sinumerik Operate user interface is used. Operation and programming always have the same structure, regardless of whether milling or turning processes are to be programmed and set-up. The operator is also supported by graphical displays and animations. Many intelligent functions are available, which are helpful, among other things, for tool and workpiece measurement. The operation and programming of 3+2 axis machining is also supported by the integrated Cycle800 functions. Animated Elements simplify the explanation of functions such as selection of the direction and free running, as well as swiveling.
Another highlight of the new GS 1000/5-FTD is the Sinumerik MDynamics technology package, which is especially important for complex five-axis machining. Maximum surface quality and exact contour accuracy can be achieved even more rapidly. The key is in the new Advanced Surface intelligent path control, which contains an optimized look-ahead function and an optimized online CNC data compressor, among other things. The integrated intelligent jolt limiter relieves stress on the machine mechanics because it enables gentle acceleration and deceleration despite extreme dynamic response.
Customers reap the benefits
As a specialist in single-part and small-series production for small to large workpieces, MCE is equipped to meet even extraordinary demands on-time and with top quality. By equipping its machines with state-of-the-art Siemens technology, the company is able to achieve high throughput times in model production and pass these advantages on to its -customers.
For more information on this story, please contact:
SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES – MOTION CONTROL (MACHINE TOOL BUSINESS)
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Fax: 847-437-0784
Web: www.usa.siemens.com/cnc
Email: SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Attention: John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communication
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.
Continue readingChemcoaters Hosting Ongoing Cigar Fest Sessions
By Bernard and Company
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Metal service centers and other key customers of Gary, Indiana coil coater hear company updates, enjoy great cigars and camaraderie
As Chemcoaters Director of Sales & Marketing Mike Tieri puts it, “We might not be politically correct, but we have a great time and it’s a very productive session, as the interaction is just what we wanted.” He’s referring to the ongoing Cigar Fest sessions, being hosted by Mike and Chemcoaters President Bill Capizzano, on a recurrent basis at a local area establishment in Countryside, Illinois, namely the Casa de Montecristo (www.casademontecristo-chicago.com)
Held every other month, Mike Tieri gathers 10-20 customers, mostly from the company’s metal service center base, to enjoy a meal, hear a presentation on the Chemcoaters service package of coil coatings, plus engage in a lively exchange of topics relevant to the business world of the service center, the market conditions and the future outlook for business development between service centers, their suppliers and their customers. The sessions conclude with an assortment of cigars and lively conversation. Tieri notes, “We have intentionally planned these events, so there’s a good mix of small and large firms, plus the service centers often bring their customers, so we gain that extra perspective on the market and we learn a lot about how to serve it better. Every session so far has yielded some great ideas for our customers and our company alike.”
Based in Gary, Indiana, Chemcoaters is a leading supplier of green coil coatings, as well as traditional prepaint and protective coil coatings, dry film lubes and RoHS-compliant coatings. Virtually no VOCs or HAPs are present in the process.
The company’s patented InterCoat ChemGuard® is formulated with trivalent vs. hexavalent chrome, making it environmentally friendly for all building, architectural and mechanical appliance applications. Superior corrosion resistance and documented cost reductions are provided, as well. Chemcoaters offers a presentation that evidences these facts to all interested parties.
Any companies interested in attending an upcoming Cigar Fest can contact Mike Tieri (details below).
For more information, please contact:
Mike Tieri
Director of Sales Marketing
Chemcoaters, Inc.
700 Chase Street
Gary, IN 46404
Phone: 877-411-2905
Email: miket@chemcoaters.com
Website: www.chemcoaters.com
Connect with Chemcoaters online: 
The Five-Year Plan That Worked
By Bernard and Company
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Smiths Machine answered the recession with a formula for major change
So what’s the secret to their success?
To begin with, the omission of the apostrophe from the company’s name was deliberate. Being different is in the DNA of Smiths Machine. This is a second-generation, family-owned business that found a way to grow its workforce by 70 people during the last five years That’s a 300% employment surge that mostly happened during the recession, a time when many machine shops (and for that matter, many businesses), were struggling just to hang on.
Ahead of the recession, Smiths Machine did what many machine shops were doing at the time. They were riding the wave of automotive parts production and doing seemingly fine, until the massive downturn came. The bankruptcies of the tier one automotive companies suddenly left many machine shops vulnerable to volume-based supply from overseas competition; and a once well-oiled machine tool business model now seemed unstable and uncertain. Equally uncertain was the idea of moving the business in an entirely different direction.
Manufacturing complex parts for the aerospace and defense industry, demands consistency, high-quality and precision — achieved only with Siemens CNC.
To be or not to be — different
Defense and aerospace part manufacturing require a different business approach altogether, says Tim Smith, vice president of Smiths Machine.
“It is specialized work that requires special approvals, log-down processes and complicated procedures,” Smith says. “The complexity is challenging. And it all starts with a different way of thinking, more of an engineering approach than a production approach.”
Smith says his company needed to build a new business model and the operations to support it. The defense and aerospace machining market is characterized by small lot counts, generally lower margins, and a very low tolerance for errors. Scrap rates thought to be nominal in the past would now be out of the question.
“You can’t make a $6,000 part and have a 30% scrap rate or even a 10% scrap rate,” explains Smith. “The emphasis is not on throughput, but on the high quality, highly precise manufacturing of very complex parts.”
Based on these three inseparable machining requirements — quality, precision and complexity — Smiths Machine set out to reach its greater potential in the machine tool market, not as a production machine shop, but as company focused on complex part manufacturing. Having achieved some early success in this new direction, the way forward for the company soon could be summed up more simply:
“The more complex the part, the more competitive we are,” says Smith.
To protect and grow this competitive advantage, the company’s leadership knew that their internal processes and technology needed to match up with the unique requirements of the defense and aerospace industries. Major investments in large, complex, five-axis machines would need to be enhanced by equally complex control capabilities. Smith recounts how a decision made previously by the company would now come into play in a profound way.
A backbone for change
Traditionally a milling and turning company, Smiths Machine first teamed up with DMG and Siemens in the year 2000 to establish their singular machine tool platform. This brought about a synergistic approach to complex milling and turning; an advantage that took on greater significance when the company decided to focus on the defense and aerospace markets later in the decade.
“Siemens controls were available on DMG milling and turning machines, and that was a natural fit for us,” Smith recalls. The DMG / Siemens platform has enabled Smiths Machine to establish and maintain a high level of operational proficiency. The central advantage here, Smith says, has been the ability to invest, train and keep his people moving forward based on a stable technology platform.
“The technology and the people using it are the backbone of our organization,” Smith asserts. “Even with 25 machines, we can share knowledge between the milling and the turning machines. The common control is a Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl. Our technology purchases are based on where we want to be in ten years, not on a workforce that is fractionally trained and a platform that can rapidly deteriorate due to a change in market condition or a change in employment condition.”
Smith says an example of this singular platform advantage is the control’s similarity across milling and turning operations. “All controls are customized to a certain extent,” Smith acknowledges. “But unlike Siemens, many other control series are individually customized so that the keyboard layout will be different from machine to machine. The Sinumerik 840D sl CNC is consistent. So when you train your operators, you can say, here’s the jog button, here’s the axes button, here’s your alarm button and your offset button. And this level of consistency extends to a graphical interface that really complements how we teach and learn.”
Teaching and learning are closely held values within an organization that uses a breadth of visual techniques to foster education, efficient information sharing, and quality control.
“We are a very visual company,” Smith says. “We use a lot of colors and we buy a lot of printer toner. Our parts inventory uses color-coded tags and the same is true across our production. We use yellows and blues and reds for consistent instruction. And the Siemens 840D sl control uses the same approach. You are guided visually for such things as axis direction, approach point, final depth and other variables inside a cycle. And this is true from control to control, for milling and turning.”
Smith says visually guided information flow is characteristic of today’s complex range of next-generation electronic communications, because this speeds understanding and information sharing. Whether for a smart phone or a CNC, graphically guided interfaces enable rapid learning and proficiency, a fact that has been well leveraged by the 840D control interface design.
Smiths Machine’s plan for stable growth started with its investment in a stable CNC platform: The steady progression of a stable machine / control platform has enabled the company’s similarly growing workforce to build on existing knowledge, rather than learn new and different versions every few years.
New angles on programming
Gerhard Hetzler, engineering manager at Smiths Machine, has experienced firsthand how the company’s singular platform approach has brought continuity to such manufacturing functions as post, machine simulation, NC code, and control functionality.
While the Siemens 840D sl control has evolved in significant ways over the years, Hetzler says these changes have served only to accelerate the performance of the programmers and operators, rather than impede them with new and different procedures. The control platform has also given Smiths Machine the freedom to create custom cycles that can be copied and shared from control-to-control, and so machine-to-machine.
“I’ll give you an example,” says Hetzler. “To catch occasional entry errors on the tool management side, we created a cycle that checks the length of the tool and within a specific tolerance. So within in a matter of milliseconds, the control compares that value to what was entered in the tool management side, and if the tolerance is exceeded by 2mm, the control immediately stops the machine.”
Hetzler says another advantage resulting out of the DMG and Siemens relationship is the continued simplification of complex cutting operations, especially in the area of angular milling heads.
“Siemens has come a very long way to improve the cycles and support related to milling heads,” Hetzler says. “Aerospace requires a lot more use of angular milling. Even a five-axis approach can’t do it. You need an angular milling head. I would put this on the top of my list of the advantages DMG and Siemens have developed. And this relates to another important development, Siemens NX.”
NX as in next
Siemens NX software integrates CAD, CAE and CAM for faster part manufacturing, encompassing all areas of tooling, machining and quality inspection. NX has become integral to Smiths Machine’s CNC platform, because it supports part planning through manufacturing, with the prevention of errors and related costs.
“Our ability to develop all of our own post-processors in house is supported by Siemens NX,” Hetzler explains. “We setup our angular milling heads in NX, so we can post the G-code before we even send it out to the machine.”
An early introduction to the power of NX came when the company found that it needed to write code to produce an especially challenging aerospace landing gear. The code took six-weeks to manually program. This was before the company learned that it could do the same task in nine days using NX.
“Siemens knows five-axis machining and NX is a Siemens product that leverages five-axis,” Hetzler says. “As an example, we can do three-plus-two axes work in NX. There is a cycle for that called Cycle 800. So when NX outputs the NC code, the machine then also understands it. Other control brands will have a cycle that can be made to work, but they are a lot more problematic. We are talking about managing the change of plane, a concept that has been around for a long time and was always problematic to do. Now Cycle 800 in NX does it all for you.”
Hetzler says Cycle 800 makes programming the change of plane easier, faster, and with higher accuracy than traditionally calculated methods. “We would normally round off after the third or fourth decimal,” he recalls. “Now the control calculates to nine decimals. When you start talking microns, especially in the aerospace industry, it makes a huge difference. And this difference has been fully implemented by DMG. They have invested a lot of time and money to make sure from their side that Siemens NX and Cycle 800 work 100% of the time.”
The Cycle 800 function within Siemens NX supports the programming of 2-1/2 axis and 3D milling throughout the rotation of all X-Y-Z planes, while maintaining a zero offset. Functions include automatic shifting of zero offset, tool length and radius compensation in rotated planes, compensation of machine geometry, and all machining cycles can be used.
Please forward all inquiries to:
SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES
MOTION CONTROL
MACHINE TOOL BUSINESS
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Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
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Attention: John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communication
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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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