Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Sixteen precision 112.5º gearboxes fully manufactured, tested, assembled and shipped in ten weeks; run at 1800 RPM on 100 HP
Excel Gear, Inc. of Roscoe, Illinois announces the completion of a sixteen gearbox order in only ten weeks. Seems rather normal, until you see the application, namely, one of the world’s largest ever vibratory pile drivers, the APE Octokong, to be used for erection of an over/underwater structure, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in China. The machine is being built by American Piledriving Equipment, Inc. (APE) of Kent, Washington. In use, the sixteen gearboxes regulate timing on the vibratory power transmission for the apparatus needed to secure the pilings in the riverbed or sea floor. For a video of this amazing machine design, see www.apevibro.com.
Using its “design for manufacturability” approach, according to N.K. “Chinn” Chinnusamy, Excel Gear president and its chief engineer, the company manufactured the spiral bevel gears, machined the castings, engineered special Teflon seals, created 
special stainless steel breather caps and holes to accommodate the tremendous pressure build-ups and air dissipation requirements in the system, then heat treated and assembled the units, finally testing them in the Excel quality inspection lab. Each component was hand-washed and inspected for chips, the alcohol-wiped, run with oil, inspected and re-cleaned.
The sixteen gearboxes, filled with environmentally-friendly biodegradable canola (vegetable) oil and protected with special Teflon bearing seals, are used in pairs at each of eight stations to provide the sequential vibration to the massive assembly that holds the piling above the insertion tube. As the piling vibrates, it literally shakes its way into position. (This is shown in the video.)
“The toughest part of this job…and there were many tough parts,” comments Chinn, “was to get the shaft keyways aligned properly in orientation to the surfaces of the spiral bevel gears. The math involved here was staggering.” In addition, Chinn notes that special fixturing had to be built to facilitate the machining of the very large surface areas involved on this job. He proudly reports that the very first test runouts saw keyway alignments within 0.0005” of parallel. 
Another aspect of this immense job was the need to minimize backlash for noise and distortion. The offset bearing calculations needed the highest accuracy possible and, owing to the very nature of spiral bevel gearing, this was an immense math and machining challenge. Excel maintains a battery of the largest gearmaking machines in the industry, as its customer base comprises heavy materials handling equipment, naval vessel gun turret builders, barge off-loading crane and other manufacturers where huge gears and precision motion are both required.
Despite the timing of the job, Excel Gear shipped the order ahead of schedule by several days, satisfying the customer completely. Chinn acknowledges several suppliers who greatly assisted Excel in the completion of this job. Youngberg Industries of Belvidere, Illinois performed some of the heavy fabrications needed, while Reliance Gear of Addison, Illinois did spiral bevel gearwork, a highly specialized service, and General Surface Hardening in Chicago handled the carburizing and hardening in the heat treat processes on the 4320 alloy steels used. Finally, Chuck Schultz of Beyta Gear Surface in Winfield, Illinois did some consulting and spec writing on the job.
For more information on this success, please contact: EXCEL GEAR, INC. 11865 Main Street Roscoe, IL 61073 Phone: 815-623-3414 Fax: 815-623-3314 Web: www.excelgear.com Email: sales@excelgear.com N.K. Chinnusamy, President 
No. 829 is an electrically-heated 250°F(~121.11°C) belt conveyor oven from Grieve, currently used for curing epoxy on metal and nylon filter assemblies. 40 K are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements. Workspace dimensions are 30” wide x 10’ deep x 15” high.
The oven has 4” insulated walls and an aluminized steel interior and exterior. A 4200 CFM, 3-HP recirculating blower provides vertical upward and downward airflow to the unit. The oven has three zones: a 2’ long open belt loading zone, 10’ long insulated heat zone with recirculated airflow and a 2’ long open unloading zone. The product is moved through the oven on a 24” wide, 1” x 1” Type 304 stainless steel flatwire conveyor belt with a 1/4 HP motor drive, with variable speed from 0.3 to 6 feet per minute.
Controls onboard No. 829 include a digital indicating temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors, SCR power controller, fused disconnect switch and a recirculating blower airflow safety switch.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 Hart Road, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-9210. Web: www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank Calabrese.
Continue reading13-year-old student visits Forest City Gear to explore career options; meets many women already succeeding in “a man’s world”
Accompanied by her grandfather, Brian Cluff, vice president of Star-SU, a major gearmaking machinery and tooling supplier, Alexi Cluff toured Forest City Gear to see the manufacturing world and discuss the options there for young women. Alexi, though only 13, is currently enrolled in an advanced engineering class at Northern Illinois University, designed to encourage more young women to explore engineering and science as a career.
Roscoe, IL-Forest City Gear frequently opens its doors to visitors, usually from customer and prospect companies, as well as international trade associations, the media, vendors and occasionally competitors. Company owners Fred and Wendy Young have always believed this policy was beneficial to the visitors, who see some of the industry’s finest gearwork, produced and validated for quality on absolute state-of-the-technology, world-class equipment.
On March 30, 2011, however, another visitor came to tour Forest City Gear with a slightly different agenda. 13-year-old Alexi Cluff, accompanied by her grandfather Brian Cluff, vice president of Star-SU, a leading supplier of gearmaking machinery and tools, visited Forest City Gear to learn about manufacturing and especially to explore the options for women in manufacturing, an environment traditionally thought to be “a man’s world.”
Alexi is not your typical 13-year-old. She is currently enrolled in a program sponsored by a grant from the Motorola Foundation and conducted at the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University. The program is a workshop in partnership with NIU-Enhanced Engineering Pathways, the Society of Women Engineers and the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. The stated objective of the program is to challenge and sharpen the skills of accelerated learning for 12- and 13-year-old girls selected by their local middle school science and math teachers. Currently, 48 girls work in small groups, assisted and taught by NIU women engineering professors and women engineers from various industries. These instructors mentor the girls on various engineering projects, from the building of simple electrical circuits to create sound, motion and light, to bridge building, chemical engineering and lean manufacturing simulation. The groups meet on Saturday mornings on the NIU Napervillie (IL) campus and also attend a summer camp, held each June.
Forest City Gear President Wendy Young conducts the tour through the plant, showing Alexi Cluff the many types of machines used to produce and validate quality on the company’s high-precision gearwork.
Often, the groups or individual students have tours arranged for them at local area manufacturing locations such as electronics and communications giant Motorola, where they can absorb “real world” experiences and especially meet women of all ages who have succeeded in the various disciplines required in a manufacturing environment. Since Alexi’s grandfather had a long working relationship with Forest City Gear, he reached out to Fred and Wendy Young to arrange a tour. The Young’s obliged, giving the young lady a complete tour of their factory and quality lab, plus arranging a roundtable discussion with a number of the women at the company, who perform all categories of activity for Forest City Gear. A world leader in precision gear manufacturing, Forest City Gear has an international reputation for “excellence without exception,” which happens to be the motto of the company.
Women from all departments of the company, including application engineering, human resources, gear grinding, gear deburring, gear hobbing, order processing, estimating, expediting, procurement, materials inspection, quality validation, machine set-up and company management were at the table. Alexi’s eyes and ears were wide open, as she listened attentively to every word.
Seated at the table for Forest City Gear, in addition to Wendy Young, president, were Kika Young, Geneva Parr, Mary McClellan, Krista King, Sharyl Stewart, Lori Lovett and Ingrid West. These women are involved in literally every aspect of the company. As Mary McClellan mentioned, “We touch the products at every step of the process, especially me (in gear deburring), because of my little fingers!” These women were unanimous in their advice to Alexi Cluff. “Always be willing to learn more, never be afraid to speak up with your ideas, bring all your skills to the job, every day, and don’t hesitate for ask for directions…something men never do!” They all had a good laugh.
Alexi said, “I’ve always been interested in making things and finding out how they work,” a sentiment her grandfather echoed. “I started making gears when I was 14 and it’s fascinated me, ever since.” If there’s anything to that old adage about the genes skipping a generation, perhaps the gear industry will have another Cluff in its future!
Forest City Gear CEO Fred Young explains some of the company’s gear successes to Alexi Cluff at the company’s display showcase.
At the end of the roundtable, Forest City Gear CEO Fred Young had some comments. He detailed the difference in the European education model, where there’s considerably more encouragement given to young women to explore any and every working option. In America, he noted, “Our greatest strength came from manufacturing, the basic ability to make things better and faster than anybody else. The value-added service of making something from raw materials is what builds a nation’s wealth and makes us more self-reliant. Letting go of manufacturing would be a big mistake. By learning and using the technology we develop, as well as what we can gather from other countries, we’ll make America a stronger nation and more successful, in the long run.”
Following the visit, her grandfather remarked to Forest City Gear President Wendy Young, “Alexi was excited and, on the way home, quite animated. The sharing time with your ladies impressed her immensely. She has been journaling her observations. She told us in the car on the way back home that the very first class she had at the NIU workshop for girls was a hands-on exercise in lean simulation and that what she saw at Forest City Gear, from the way the routing sheets, bar codes and processing were set up, that you obviously have implemented lean manufacturing practices! As she downloads, processes and articulates what she saw and observed, she has already started to ask me questions about gear geometry. Such sweet candy to this old grandpa!”
At this roundtable discussion, Alexi Cluff listened as women from every department of Forest City Gear spoke of their roles at the company and the many opportunities for women in the traditional “man’s world” of manufacturing. Many of these women are the lead or key individual in their respective departments at the company.
In reviewing the NIU program and the comments above, perhaps it’s possible Alexi Cluff actually IS your typical 13-year-old girl. They just need to be shown their options.
Forest City Gear was founded in 1955 by Stetler and Evelyn Young, parents of the current CEO, Fred Young, who runs the company with his wife, President Wendy Young. Forest City Gear is considered among the premier gearmakers in the worl
d, with successes ranging from the Mars Rover to the BMW/Oracle, winner of the America’s Cup.
Brian Cluff and his longtime colleague and partner, David Goodfellow, manage and operate Star SU LLC, located in Hoffman Estates, IL. The company sells various leading brands of gearmaking machinery, other machine tools and a proprietary line of cutting tools.
Here is a link to the news release about the program on the NIU-EEP website (www.niu.edu/eep): http://www.niu.edu/PubAffairs/RELEASES/2008/nov/scouts.shtml
For more information on this story, please contact: FOREST CITY GEAR CO., INC. 11715 Main Street Roscoe, IL 61073-0080 Phone: 815-623-2168 Fax: 815-623-6620 Web: www.forestcitygear.com Email: wyoung@forestcitygear.com Attention: Wendy Young, President
PR agency contact for Forest City Gear: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500 tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
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International firm uses robotic ultrasonics and conventional machine tools to supply product, usually with 24-hour turnaround; achieving near 24-7 unattended operation with over 15 percent reduction in scrap material on very expensive substrates.
OpenHealth, one of the world’s leading providers of business and technical solutions to the dental healthcare industries, was formed by the owners of five major international dental lab groups — Aurum, Cordent, DTS, Race and ZMC — who combined to harness the strategic synergies of their respective lab and milling center services. The milling and technology business, under the brand name of Core3D Centres and operating six facilities, brings the OpenHealth group’s expertise and comprehensive service package to labs, dentists and educational institutions in 15 countries on three continents.
We interviewed Tim McKimson, Core3D’s Worldwide Director of Engineering, at OpenHealth’s Las Vegas-based Core3D facility, located near the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI), where restorative and cosmetic dental techniques are taught to practicing dentists and lab technicians, Here, Core3D provides a full range of CAD/CAM/CNC machining and finishing services to LVI and dental labs across the United States. Led by technical operators Mark Ferguson, Danny Palomares and Drew Hrubes, the Core3D team prepares CAD files developed from data typically gathered with an iTero oral scanning wand or from CAD files from scans of conventional dental impressions from the patient’s mouth, which are then digitally captured in a dental scanner from companies such as 3shape. CADENT and other software are typically used to image the impression and begin the process of creating the crown, bridge, abutment, coping, implant or even full denture restoration, as required by the individual lab. 3D CADENT files are G-coded at a remote location of the parent company for transfer to the CNC machine tools at the various Core3D facilities worldwide. 
The next step is translation of the digital impression to a RenShape® mold, using conventional machine tools. In most cases, the required structures are designed simultaneously, then the mold with coping is introduced to the DMG Sauer ultrasonic dental machine for preparation of the final structures. This is where the most advanced substrates are processed, ranging from conventional, yet difficult to machine metals such as titanium and cobalt chrome, to the newest advanced materials, including glass ceramics, lithium disilicate and zirconia. These substrates are quite expensive, therefore extreme care is taken in their handling and processing to reduce scrap and conserve operating costs.
As McKimson explained, the decision to cut with ultrasonic technology was relatively easy, given the inherent wear conditions and high cost of conventional tooling. In the ultrasonic process, a combination of electrolysis and fluid lubrication act in concert to create an ionic attraction of particles, removing material in a highly predictable and accurate manner, without the mechanical stress implicit in conventional machining techniques. As a result, the surface of even the hardest materials can be machined with the necessary tactile smoothness required for dental implants.
The DMG Sauer ultrasonic machines located at this Las Vegas facility, fully operated by Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl CNC technology, are loaded with blanks of material into a 66-position feeder station, then delivered into the cutting theater by a Motoman robotic arm with Schunk pressure grippers. The Sinumerik 840D sl recognizes the code on each workpiece pallet and each job is identified by the patient’s name to minimize the risk of error in work product delivery. As McKimson further notes, in detailing the accuracy of the ultrasonic machining technique, each tool used is obtained from the 25-position tool changer and its position is monitored by an integral Renishaw probe. The technicians often load three sets of the tools needed for the 66-piece runs, ensuring virtually 24/7 unattended operation of the machines. Through the capability of the Siemens CNC, a remote alarm can be sent when tool breakage or other off-normal condition occurs during production.
The extremely hard materials being machined are produced with accuracies in the 2-4 micron range, owing to the combination of ultrasonic technology and the high precision of the Sinumerik CNC, according to McKimson, who notes the reliability of this accuracy has been a significant advantage in reducing scrap at Core3D.
In another area of the facility, conventional mills are used to make polyurethane models and Wieland Zeno 4820 and 4030 mini-milling machines are also utilized for the production of various crowns, wax/resin forms and models, veneers, inlays and implant abutments. 
As evidence of the decidedly international nature of this emerging dental giant, all the zirconia and lithium disilicate materials are provided in the IPS e.max System from Ivoclar Vivadent, a company based in Liechtenstein. The company has branches in the United States and Canada, which supply the Core3D Centres in those countries. The templates and cutting tools are closely controlled and validated by the manufacturer to ensure that the preparation of these materials in dental applications is properly executed.
In commenting on the use of the DMG Sauer ultrasonic machines, McKimson notes that it was the machine builder who recommended the Siemens control. “They knew we were dental technicians and engineers, not machinists, by nature. The Siemens control has been extremely easy-to-use and our training time from the builder was minimal. Troubleshooting is mostly done by our operators, with only occasional assistance from Siemens.” Danny Palomares, one of the technical operators, agrees. “My training is in the dental lab world, not on machine tools. It was a great relief to have such a sophisticated control operate with relatively simple language commands and cycle adjustments.”
Palomares is also responsible for the translation of the lab’s incoming data files, so he is involved from start-to-finish with most of the projects done at this Core3D facility. In a single day, for example, he might use Delcam DentCAD, then hyperDENT CAM software, all translating the cutting paths from the dentist’s impression to the Siemens CNC on the DMG ultrasonic machines in this facility. As McKimson adds, “The sub-routines on the Sinumerik CNC make our job much easier to accomplish and faster to complete. Plus, when you add the upside of at least 15 percent reduction in the scrap that we’ve realized with the ultrasonics, it’s a real win-win situation for us.”
While there are substantial differences between the European and American dental labs in terms of the materials and assembly techniques used, and despite the fact that literally all projects are highly customized based on the individual needs of the patients and the preferences of the labs and those of the dentists performing the procedures, in the end, the typical project is being turned in 24 hours or less.
For Core 3d Centres, utilizing the best-in-class equipment is critical. In complement the quality machines here, a key part of the overall efficiency protocol in the Core3D network of companies, McKimson points out, is the “know-how” provided through their CAM-DO committee. This global technical committee conducts regular online meetings to discuss what’s working and what’s not in their various worldwide operations and then optimizes and standardizes the processes. He recalls one unanimous vote of approval was voiced on the performance of the DMG Sauer ultrasonic machines with Siemens controls. Core3D currently has nine such machines in their network, all used to process the most advanced materials.
® RenShape is a registered trademark of Huntsman Corporation.
For more information on this story, please contact:
Core3D Centres
Tim McKimson
Engineering Technology Director
5955-2 Wigwam Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89139
Toll-Free: 1-888-750-9204
Phone: 702-750-9204
http://www.core3dcenters.com/
tmckimson@core3dcenters.com
OR
Siemens Industry, Inc.
John Meyer
Manager, Marketing Communications
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
(800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications
www.usa.siemens.com/cnc
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.
Continue readingNo. 948 is an indirect gas-heated 650°F(~343.3°C) walk-in oven from Grieve, currently used for evaporating water from plastic. 500,000 BTU/HR are installed in a modulating natural gas burner 
that fires into an alloy radiant tube. Workspace dimensions are 60” wide x 72” deep x 72” high.
The oven has a top-mounted heat chamber, Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior and an aluminized steel exterior, with 5” thick insulated walls. The insulated floor is lined with truck wheel guide tracks. A 6000 CFM, 5-HP recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow to the workload. The oven is equipped with a 1500 CFM stainless steel powered forced exhauster with motorized dampers on the intake and exhaust for accelerated cooling. For protection, safety equipment is included as required by IRI, FM and National Fire Protection Association Standard 86 for gas-heated equipment.
Controls onboard No. 948 include a digital programming temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors, 10” diameter circular chart recorder and a recirculating blower safety switch.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 Hart Road, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-9210. Web: www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank Calabrese.
Continue readingTwin-spindle, twin-turret turning center with twin CNC control has 16-pallet capacity and boasts 27-second cycle time in continuous mode
Takisawa TT-200G, a twin-spindle, twin-turret turning center, purchased by Forest City Gear, has made dramatic improvement in this gearmaker’s blanking production.
Roscoe, IL-Forest City Gear has purchased a Takisawa TT-200G, a fully-automated turning center with twin-spindle, twin-turret and twin-CNC operation, for its in-house blanking department. By the acquisition of this machine, according to a company spokesman, the production in the blanking department has radically improved, as the machine combines full automation with twin-sided, simultaneous machining.
With a 16-pallet capacity, this Takisawa 8” chuck type machine boasts a feed rate of 8m/min and features a standard spindle and turret plus a second C-axis spindle and turret with milling function. In addition, a bar loader, workpiece stacker, turnover unit, chip conveyor, air blower, tabulating counter and other equipment are onboard for fully automatic mode operation of the machine.
As a strictly custom gearmaker, Forest City Gear made the decision recently to develop an in-house blanking department, thereby improving its turnaround time on most jobs, according to company president, Wendy Young. “We were reliant on a number of outside suppliers and, while our volume overall is quite substantial, we were often slow to receive some small, project-specific blanks for production. Many of our jobs are short-run, highly specialized precision gears and that means we place a premium on being very efficient in our time-to-first-part protocols. The Takisawa is already making a big impact on our blanking operation here.”
Tommy Kalt, who runs the blanking department at Forest City Gear, concurs. “We’re achieving a 27-second cycle of continuous turning and the fully automatic mode means a big boost in production for our department. Because we do so many jobs that require relatively few blanks, our speed was hampered, due to excessive downtimes for set-up. That situation is diminished to a great degree with the Takisawa machine.”
This sale was made for Takisawa by Brad Fischbach of Yamazen.
Forest City Gear is a world-class supplier of high-precision gears for demanding applications in the aircraft, aerospace, defense, instrument, medical, racing (boat and auto), high-end sporting goods and other markets. The company sells its products worldwide, including to China.
Forest City Gear was founded in 1955 by Stetler and Evelyn Young, parents of the current CEO, Fred Young, and is considered among the premier gearmakers in the world.
For more information, please contact:
FOREST CITY GEAR CO., INC.
11715 Main Street
Roscoe, IL 61073-0080
Phone: 815-623-2168
Fax: 815-623-6620
Web: www.forestcitygear.com
Email: wyoung@forestcitygear.com
Attention: Wendy Young, President
Forest City Gear Capabilities Brochure - Click Image To Download
Forest City Gear proudly announces the availability of its new capabilities brochure. This new literature details the many markets for which the company produces highly-specialized, custom gears to suit the most demanding applications for accuracy, stability and wear. A world-class gearmaker, Forest City Gear has a reputation in the international market for “excellent without exception,” the mantra of company CEO, Fred Young.
Forest City Gear produces precision gears for a variety of markets, most notably aircraft, aerospace, defense, instruments, medical, racing (boat and auto), high-end sporting goods and more. The company’s products are found on the Space Shuttle, every car in the starting field at the Indy 500, the world’s longest distance casting reel, highly sophisticated measuring instruments and Siemens magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, as well as Howitzer’s, surface-to-air missiles and other military ordnance. The company proudly boasts it will have every wheel and actuator gear on Curiosity, the next generation Mars Rover vehicle. That achievement was based on its outstanding performance on Spirit and Opportunity, the current vehicles occupying the Red Planet.
Long recognized internationally as a leading gear manufacturer, the company continues its philosophy of reinvestment and ongoing purchase of the latest, most advanced gearmaking technology in the world. As Fred Young explains, “We don’t wait for the order to buy the machine, we acquire the best technology available to push our capabilities into new arenas, every day. That policy, coupled with arguably the most sophisticated gear quality lab in the world, has kept us in the forefront of the industry for decades. We’re very proud of that fact. As evidence of same, Forest City Gear counts dozens of other gear companies among our customers, as they bring work to us which they cannot perform themselves.”
The full brochure is available online at www.forestcitygear.com, which also details the company in a virtual tour of the facility, plus videos and a full personnel directory of key contacts.
For more information or a copy of this new capabilities brochure, please contact:
FOREST CITY GEAR CO., INC. 11715 Main Street Roscoe, IL 61073-0080 Phone: 815-623-2168 Fax: 815-623-6620 Web: www.forestcitygear.com Email: wyoung@forestcitygear.com Attention: Wendy Young, President
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MC726/MT-2C machining center from Stama America; 30% smaller footprint than conventional mill/turn centers
Allows six-sided processing of parts in two independent operations in five axes on single machine; twice the speed of conventional MT centers with 30% less footprint
Stama America, Itasca, Illinois announces the introduction of its MC 726/MT-2C mill/turn, twin spindle machining centers for the automotive, fluid power, tooling, medical and other industries, where parts needs to be milled and turned in production operations. This new machining center is the latest iteration of the popular TANDEM concept mill/turn centers, introduced by Stama in 2007.
Independent spindles simultaneously turn and mill in sequenced ops, often doubling productivity.
Two independent spindles are onboard, each on a traveling column assembly and each supporting an independent swivel table, one of which acts with a bar feeder mechanism. Workpieces are introduced to the turning spindle, then transitioned by a conveyorized gripper assembly to the milling indexer and fed to the milling spindle, before finally exiting the work area.
Complete six-sided machining is possible between the two cutting operations, all on one machine with approximately twice the speed of a conventional m/t center in 30% less footprint. Since the first part is being milled simultaneously to the next part being turned, the overall production operation is greatly enhanced, nearly doubling in many applications.
For more information on this new machining center, please visit our website or contact:
STAMA AMERICA
Each of the spindles is served by a swivel unit, one acting with a bar feed mechanism.
1063 Hawthorne
Itasca, IL 60143
Phone: 630-233-8101
Fax: 630-773-1660
Web: www.stama-america.com
Attention: Simon Knecht, Sales Engineer
Simon.knecht@stama-america.com
OP 090/OP 100 in sequence at General Motors Toledo Powertrain plant.
GM realizes “weeks to hours” reduction in line change and transmission build dynamics at Toledo Powertrain, resulting from Flexible Assembly Configuration System (FACS) and Siemens control/communication
A tried and true euphemism nowadays, “thinking outside of the box” usually refers to a pattern of thought or action that results in rapid innovation, enhanced relationships being developed from established concepts as well as new ones, plus a genuine willingness to forego past practices in favor of a better way. Enter the GF6 six-speed, front wheel transmission line at General Motors Powertrain on Alexis Road in Toledo, Ohio.
Here, a new front wheel drive transmission line for smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles such as the popular Chevy Malibu and new Chevy Cruze is currently ramping up to its initial goal of 2200 units per day. Nothing new about such an event, until a closer look reveals the method used to program this line, implement changeover, stage the workpiece flow, perform all machining, secondary operations and assemble the finished transmissions.
Greg Nazareth, GM controls engineer, demonstrates the reconfiguration procedure on the FACS server, part of the overall Flexible Assembly Configuration System, provided by Elite Engineering of Rochester Hills, Michigan.
During the development of this line, several years ago, GM engineering contacted its longtime controls suppliers to investigate ways of significantly reducing the workflow through the line, as well as enable faster changeover, reduce reprogramming and prevent the curse of all automated manufacturing lines, situations where one out-of-spec machine caused complete shutdown. Another key driver in the development of the GF6 line was the need to minimize maintenance time by installing PLCs, drives and component pallet recognition devices outside the conventional cabinetry found on traditional assembly lines. In addition, controllers were distributed throughout the system, which allowed for removal of typical zone controllers and, in turn, substantially increased system flexibility.
Following considerable investigation into the process for the new line, the major obstacle remained changeover and the need for a more flexible yet highly automated system of transmission builds. In consultation with the controls provider on the existing six-speed, rear wheel drive line, Siemens Automotive Center of Competence (Troy, Michigan), as well as third party software package provider, Elite Engineering (Rochester Hills, Michigan), a deterministic study was undertaken and the result was the line now in production. Siemens provided the PLC, CNC, HMI, RFID and its high-level Ethernet protocol, Profinet, to run on the GM network. Overlaying this hardware and communications topology, Elite Engineering delivered its Flexible Assembly Configuration System (FACS), complemented by Siemens to create its SIFACS solution, wherein all the control elements for every assembly operation and test stations would be fully integrated. SIFACS largely focuses on the integration of the core PLC software blocks and functionalities of the individual stations with the RFID tags on each of the workpiece pallets, according Jim Remski, manager of powertrain activities for Siemens.
Siemens CNC and HMI technology combine with its Profinet high-level Ethernet communications and RFID pallet tags to execute the machining, assembly and testing at this transmission plant, currently targeting an output of 2200 units/day.
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Within any flexible automated assembly system, the keyword is flexible. All hardware and related software must be designed with a deterministic functionality that is both valuable to the customer’s build strategy and cost-competitive, as well. Working with technical specialists in safety integrated systems and industrial communications alike was the key to the success of this project at GM Toledo. By creating a decentralized control network that was nonetheless in complete harmony with the overall workflow of the plant, GM and Siemens devised the optimum modular yet flexible architecture for the entire system. This totally integrated automation approach not only addressed multiple families of hardware involved, it also coordinates all code development, safety and communications functions into a seamless and interdependent yet highly flexible and adaptive control scheme.
This integration is nowhere more visible than in the modular and open controller and I/O rack assemblies located throughout the facility. A Siemens Simatic® S7 CPU, the Siemens Safety Integrated drives platform and all I/O, including RF antennas for RFID tag reading are configured and reside here.
Diagnostics in the system are similarly integrated, according to Matthew Thornton and Jeremy Bryant, who consulted from Siemens. “We devised pre-made templates and blocks important to the powertrain build process, as our starting point,” commented Thornton, who further noted the importance of placing the critical performance data on all the HMI panels in the system for easy operator access. “With all motion and safety functions integrated into the drives, there was no need to build a separate troubleshooting architecture for what would be a more traditional safety network of relay cabinetry.”
Bryant continued, “Only a few components talk on the Profibus system, all other I/O and automation components communicate over Profinet.
Reinhold Niesing of the Siemens Automotive Center of Competence further explained the contact process between his group and the provider of the FACS. “They provided the configuration and monitoring system, while we (Siemens) provided the automation run time system. Both systems needed to run in sync to provide GM with configurable options, when changes in production or manufacturing enhancements were needed.”
Each RFID tag carries all the information needed to produce the part at each of the machining and assembly stations in the line.
Comau machining centers produce transmission cases and torque converter housings.
The result of this collaboration, coordinated under the Siemens Transline solution, whereby all operational, visualization and diagnostic functions are streamlined in a consistent control scheme, was the Transline HMI Lite CE package. This package provides uniform user interface for operational and diagnostic functions on the vast majority of the various machine tools, transfer lines, robotics, assembly machines, sensing devices and vision systems throughout the entire facility. As Michael Grass, project manager for Siemens, explains, “The best part is that the package can be customized to meet specific user needs and preferences. It provides our SIFACS (see sidebar) system of configurable assembly automation very useful information, as the two systems complement each other quite well.” In the safety communications area, he also noted that GM is currently reviewing another Siemens option for open safety communications technology on distributed automation systems.
RFID GETS THINGS STARTED
As a workpiece proceeds through the line, having been delivered by an AGV in most cases, each pallet is equipped with an RFID tag. Reinhold Niesing, engineering manager on the project for Siemens, explains, “The key here is the data throughput in the system, as it directly impacts the cycle time or takt time (maximum allowable time to produce one finished part or product) of the line. The tags must be able to function in static mode, whereby the data on the part must be read before the process begins. Model number, serial number and build status information are all contained in the tag. The faster we read the information, the faster the process begins.” Niesing also detailed the dynamic mode of operation for this RFID system, in which the information at subsequent line stations must be read “on the fly” without any line stoppage, as is often seen in conventional packaging, shipping or other line applications for RFID. In this case, all data are read as the tag passes by the antenna.
Often, in less sophisticated applications, the signal can degrade over time and number of reads. Here, according to the Siemens technical specialists, two interface protocols are supported, namely, ISO 15693 (open standard) and a proprietary Siemens-developed standard, Simatic RF300. The latter uses a state-of-the-art chip paired with highly optimized communications to achieve the faster data read/write rates. Large amounts of data (64kB) are handled in faster cycle times, while the overall RFID solution is applied in a high-speed, non-stop environment. One of the key drivers in the system is the fact that each RFID tag has both EEPROM and FRAM. The 20-byte EEPROM is actually designed to be a one-time programmable memory chip (OTP), a security feature that was deemed most desirable by GM for this application. Meanwhile, the FRAM can be written and rewritten many times for optimum utilization of the hardware, over time.
Despite this level of sophistication in the RFID hardware, the system easily communicates over the existing Profinet, Profibus and other common protocols.
LOGIC BLOCKS ALL AROUND
Open hardware racks and communications cabling are easily accessible for maintenance personnel.
The overall thrust of the line development, according to George Jewell, the GM engineer responsible for the implementation of the FACS online at the Toledo plant, was to have consistent, even identical logic blocks at every station. This would allow, as is seminal to the FACS architecture, immediate successive modifications to be made in the machine or assembly operations performed, throughout all stages of the line. When rebalancing was needed, when an upturn/downturn in current production was required or when an entirely new model came onto the line, the changeover needed to happen in hours, rather than in weeks, as was the industry norm.
By standardizing on the hardware, software and communication protocols used, engineering costs could be contained and, as a collateral but vital side effect, maintenance on the system could be made much more efficient with much of the system hardware exposed on the line, rather than enclosed in electrical cabinets, again the norm for the industry in the past. Flexible modules would allow more rapid reconfiguration, product changes and a genuine synergy with the ongoing GM commitment to continuous improvement in the line, as the new GF6 transmission ramped up to incremental target levels of production.
Jewell noted that Siemens responded to the challenges, “…with a plug-and-play technology approach, coupled with an understanding of the processes we utilize.”
From the utility perspective, he also noted that the run-time component in the system would function without the full configuration system being online, further complementing a decentralized architecture. Bob Raven, GM controls manager, further commented, “The Siemens commitment to provide this value added functionality geared towards flexibility within our manufacturing principles has substantially supported GM Powertrain’s efforts to standardize processes, controls and continuously improve.”
Reaction carrier sub-assembly.
Currently, GM uses the FACS at various plants in Mexico, China, India, Thailand, Korea and the U.S. — and soon in Canada and Eastern Europe, for the production of transmissions, engines and even the generator on the new Chevy Volt. These products, it should be noted, can be manufactured, assembled and tested, all within the same flexible control architecture, while supporting standardized GM processes.
Rather than textbook product life cycle management, Jewell sees FACS as more of a production line life cycle management tool, as its inherent adaptability means common hardware can be made to do diverse tasks, at varying rates, with on-the-fly changeover, in far less time than previously possible.
TYPICAL STATION DYNAMICS
On one automated assembly station, Hanwha produces the various sub-assemblies of the transmission, as other lines produce the components that go into the sub-assemblies. Adding a station, as Greg Nazareth, GM controls engineer, explained, requires simply adding a PLC with the standard SIFACS logic, desired process devices and downloading an eFACS configuration. In contrast to the traditional zone control, this reconfiguration is not a building block concept; rather, the instructions being given impact the entire line. Nazareth worked with the full GM controls team, headed by Ron Goeckerman, to implement FACS with the host server.
By contrast, all manual workstations on this line have the same download received to a PLC, provided by Siemens in its Simatic lines. While not reliant on the server network in a deterministic mode, the manual stations nonetheless utilize the same software to execute quick tooling changes, machine sequence variations, line balancing and report tracking. Operators received training from both Siemens and Elite Engineering personnel for these tasks.
All part build histories, troubleshooting and machine debugging are recorded for further analysis.
Federal Broach machines perform large transmission gear production.
CONTROLS CALL THE BALL AT EVERY STEP
Throughout the metalcutting process here, mostly in the gear and spline forming, hobbing, grinding and finishing, CNC technology is onboard dozens of machine tools. Most of the machines here are controlled by Sinumerik® 840D, the highest-level CNC offered by Siemens. The control not only processes the particular part dimensions in the cutting theater of the machine, it also coordinates all motion control and movements into and out of the machine. Working in tandem with the other hardware and communication network software in the line, for example, ring gears cut on a Wera Profilator machine are indexed from one station to the next, in timed sequences, to coordinate with predetermined production requirements. This operation occurs in a fully automated mode, requiring no operator intervention, except for maintenance and planned inspections.
Likewise, in the machining of valve bodies and transmission cases, each step of the process is controlled by the Siemens CNC to produce the required components in the proper sequence for subsequent assembly and testing operations. During those subsequent operations, other motion control devices and software solutions provided by Siemens execute, monitor and control the assembly process, through the SIFACS solution set. (See sidebar.)
PROFINET TALKS THE TALK
Through a decentralized and cabinet-less design, GM achieves highly integrated RFID control with easy access and true out-of-the-box solutions for the control architecture installed on this line. A Profinet solution provides GM with a high-performance, reliable network with minimum bandwidth impact or additional network load achieved at this plant, all with no special hardware required, a further cost savings for GM.
SAFETY FIRST — AND LAST
Safety features are numerous here, resulting in a complete failsafe system across all Siemens Simatic PLC, I/O devices and safety-integrated drives. All safety devices are networked over Profisafe protocol, a certified safety network, eliminating time-consuming and difficult to maintain traditional hardwired safety connections. All safe I/O, failsafe drives are part of the Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) protocol. Since it is fully integrated, this protocol provides comprehensive system diagnostics,
Rear wheel drive, six-speed line has been in full production, while the new line is producing front wheel drive, six-speed transmissions for vehicles such as the Chevy Malibu and new Cruze models.
which can help guide maintenance staff to exact fault location and mitigate downtime. Since the drives, starters and machine safety are integrated into the multi-functional machine mount I/O system, Simatic ET 200pro, the overall engineering complexity is reduced because of simplicity in panel design, wiring architecture and seamless integration to the project level hardware configuration, which is reduced due to the totally integrated automation design. For service requirements in the event of a fault, hot swapping of an I/O module is possible during operation, without switching off the entire station. There is nonetheless a very high degree of integral protection, to IP65/67 standards. The fact that an enclosure is not required also helped save on the total cost of the project for GM.
MAJOR INVESTMENT PAYING OFF
Between the two lines here, GM Toledo has invested $872 million on its six-speed, rear- and front-wheel drive transmission production at this 2 million square-foot facility, which currently employs 1400 employees, most members of UAW Local 14.
The highly fuel-efficient rear-wheel drive Hydra-matic 6L80 transmission is now joined by the GF6 front-wheel drive, six-speed
units being produced on this new line under the FACS control solution that supports flexible manufacturing while driving standard processes.
As George Jewell, the GM engineer who spearheaded the implementation of FACS, stated, “From our first installation in Ramos Arizpe (Mexico) to this Toledo plant, we’ve seen great results, with activities that took months reduced to weeks and what took weeks reduced to hours. There’s less ramp-up time, plus the changeover and line balancing upsides are already proving this was a beneficial investment.”
Testing station with FACS configuration terminal in background.
Please direct all inquiries generated by this story to:
John Meyer
Siemens Industry, Inc.
Marketing Communications
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Fax: 847-437-0784
Email: SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Wera Profilator gear profiler run by a Sinumerik 840D, the highest level CNC in the Siemens line, used for fully automated production of ring gears.
SIFACS — THE SIEMENS SOLUTION FOR THE FLEXIBLE ASSEMBLY CONFIGURATION SYSTEM (FACS)
Working in tandem with GM process specialists and Elite Engineering, the third party provider of the unique Flexible Assembly Configuration System (FAC
S) used at this GM Toledo transmission plant, Siemens personnel created SIFACS, a solution that integrates the host IT system at the facility with all hardware and software in the line.
SIFACS is quite literally the hub of the information management system for this line, as it coordinates all demand input from the GM server and FACS configuration stations, transmits it via the Profinet communications network in the plant to all the onboard PLC, HMI, motor starters, frequency converters, safety-integrated drives and other controls at the various machine tool, assembly and test stations.
Likewise, the feedback data from all RFID, smart sensors, RS-232 interfaces, hand scanners and other I/O devices are tracked and captured for detailed analysis by production management here.
Faessler gear honing machine works in tandem with robotic load/unload stations.
In this way, not only is the system’s production output closely controlled, but also the line stations themselves can be reconfigured, using a unique Siemens micro memory card that allows easy component replacement, without a laptop. All PLC logic, hardware configuration and process data are embedded on the card, which is interfaced to three Ethernet and one Profibus ports for instant communications.
Critical for a continuous moving line such as those found here, the Siemens Simatic control systems are executing motion commands read from the RFID devices at 8000 bytes/sec, far in excess of the ISO 15693 standards for read and write performance.
SIFACS HMI screen extensions with Cognex Vision View further permit constant monitoring by both a team leader and a conveyor controller, eliminating a PC dedicated to a vision system.
All the smart devices on the line are also interfaced to the SIFACS solution, including fastening, leak test and pressing systems, plus barcode readers, barcode printers, robotic articulation and handling devices, vision systems and protocol gateways.
eFACS functionality is finally integrated into the SIFACS, as this feature of the Elite Engineering system provides connection establishment and monitoring, as well as configuration, process and status data exchanges, plus management of the model configuration data, all stored on the system.
On the most practical of levels, even the data structures feed to the Andon boards for in-plant display is integrated through the resident IT system via SIFACS.
Process Improvement Tools and Process Efficiency Tools, provided with the FACS, enable both process and production engineers to collect data and fine tune the system in real time, keeping build status and cycle time information always current. Line and station balancing can likewise be achieved on-the-fly, with complete process efficiency, operator loading, anticipated cycle time, even individual process operation time calculations being made, charted, displayed and rapidly analyzed by the team leader or station control personnel, in a hierarchy of need-to-know, need-to-act protocol.
The net effects of the Siemens SIFACS® system and the Elite eFACS are sustainable, highly flexible production scenarios, coupled with lower life cycle costs, as the controls and station hardware need not be re-invented for each new model, as well as lean manufacturing strategies, since the line can be constantly tuned without interruption. The flexibility, data analysis and transparent metrics of these systems further allow all employees to understand the current line performance in real time and to make suggestions for improvements that can be implemented almost immediately.
“It’s a win-win-win for all parties involved,” commented George Jewell of GM, whose team pioneered the development and application of these systems for his company’s various plants. Further advancements in FACS and SIFACS are currently being introduced at other GM facilities worldwide, according to Jewell.
For additional product information and inquiries:
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: 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 readingCHICAGO — During this year’s IMTS, Siemens raffled off a 10th anniversary motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers (OCC), the custom build shop owned by Paul Teutel 
and popularized on national TV. Over 3000 people registered for the raffle during
the six-day event, held at McCormick Place in Chicago, this past September. Recently, the winner received the bike from OCC.
The winner was Bob Pool, machining supervisor at Riverview Manufacturing Inc., located in Palmyra, Missouri and a division of Doyle Equipment Manufacturing Company, across the Mississippi River in Quincy, Illinois. Doyle is a major manufacturer of dry bulk handling machinery and Riverview fabricates large-capacity fertilizer spreaders and other equipment for its parent company.
As Bob tells his story, “I’d gone to IMTS with a colleague from Riverview and we noticed the crowd at the Siemens booth. We were waiting in a very long line to get our picture taken with Paul Teutel from Orange County Choppers and the nice young lady who was registering us asked if we wanted to sign up to win the motorcycle. I’d ridden bikes all my life but never owned one. I figured I’d take the chance, but didn’t think about it much, after signing up. The photographer said the photos would be up at the website a couple days later and, when I checked, I couldn’t find them, so I called Siemens. The next morning, I came into the shop and saw a message from Siemens. I called and asked about the photos and got steered to the right spot on the website, but the person said he was really calling for another reason. To my surprise, he said I’d won the bike!”
After signing the necessary forms and briefly considering a trip to OCC to ride it home, Bob decided to take receipt of the bike by delivery. It arrived and he immediately took for a ride…several, actually, he says. “I knew the weather was about to change here in the Midwest, so I got in all the rides I could. Now that it’s turning cold, it’ll go into a nice, warm place.” 
Riverview is a 25-person shop with full CNC machining, welding and assembly capabilities, all used to produce the 6- and 8-ton spreaders and other Doyle brand equipment built here. Bob says he looks forward to taking very good care of his new bike and using it for many years to come. “I’m really enjoying it and am sure glad I stopped by the Siemens booth at IMTS!”
For more information:
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.
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