Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
With SINAMICS G220, Siemens is launching a new high-performance drive to join the SINAMICS drives family and recently introduced it to the North American market. SINAMICS G220 is an innovative multi-purpose adjustable speed drive with built-in Clean Power technology, which reduces harmonics by up to 97% without the need for an AC line reactor or DC choke. SINAMICS G220 is significantly more efficient in terms of space utilization and operation. SINAMICS G220 makes the system engineering and its integration into a production or processing machine much easier.
SINAMICS G220 is also the first drive to join the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, the Siemens-wide business platform for digital transformation. SINAMICS G220 drives are an integral part of the TIA Portal and feature a digital twin in Startdrive, the drives commissioning tool from Siemens. This allows the behavior of the drive to be tested and optimized before the hardware is available.
When it comes to integrated safety, SINAMICS G220 reaches the next level by meeting hardware based SIL 3 functional safety requirements. Thanks to its built-in media and S2 system redundancy, maximum system availability is guaranteed and the continuity of critical processes are maintained.
SINAMICS G220 ensures the improved sustainability of processes through robust, safe, secure and efficient design and operation. This new drive contributes to a sustainable future along its entire lifecycle from design to delivery thanks to the carbon neutral production sites and paperless delivery system. This new drive is suitable for all industries, but especially food-and-beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, oil-and-gas, marine, automotive and tire manufacturing.
The new SINAMICS G220 drives are the first drives in the SINAMICS family to join the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, the open digital business platform that enables machine builders and machine users to accelerate their digital transformation.
With the SINAMICS S210 next generation servo-drive system, comprising a digitally native drive with wide range of corresponding motors and gearboxes, Siemens brings a new level of high-dynamic, motion control in mid-range operation to stand-alone and multi-axis machines, recently introduced to the North American manufacturing industry.
This next generation servo-drive system introduces a new level of safety and security to discontinuous motion control in the mid-range segment, as well as moving, processing and positioning functions on a wide assortment of packaging, printing, labeling, pick-and-place, stacking, assembly, chip sorting and filling machines, with a special emphasis on food-and-beverage and pharmaceutical applications, owing to the availability of stainless-steel motor and planetary gearbox options.
SINAMICS S210 offers DC link coupling on 3-phase units for increased power efficiency on multi-axis applications. Corresponding SIMOTICS highly efficient synchronous motors feature high-resolution 22- or 26-bit absolute encoders, single or multi-turn. One-cable connectivity is standard and all motors and feature IP64, IP65, IP67 or IP69X protection. Easier setup and selection are assured with the integrated EMC filter and braking resistor.
For the engineering of SINAMICS S210, machine builders and machine users can utilize
the embedded web-server or Startdrive integrated with the Siemens TIA Portal. Easy implementation of the SINAMICS S210 servo-drive system for global use is provided by universal standards and certification compliance.
SINAMICS DriveSim model integrates into simulation software to allow machine builders to create a digital twin of the drive and motor in a project’s planning phase to ensure highest efficiency and performance of the equipment in use. In the field, the S210 is capable of communicating status through Edge or cloud-based data capturing for continuous monitoring and data analytics. Using the Siemens Analyze MyDrives application, machine users can monitor key conditions for advanced anomaly detection. Seamless transfer of data from the drive to the machine controller, Edge device and the cloud are maintained for truly digital native operation from planning through operations.
In the area of cybersecurity, SINAMICS S210 comes standard with integrated security for network connectivity, providing enhanced communication, integrity and authenticity checks
to protect against tampering, plus the drives offer User Management and Access Control (UMAC) within TIA Portal.
These new servo-drives are paired with the popular Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 PLC or ET200 SP open controller and various SIMOTICS servomotor and planetary gearbox designs. Increased engineering efficiencies are gained with integration into the TIA Portal and TIA Selection Tool for optimized system selection and programming.
With Safety Integrated onboard, the SINAMICS S210 servo-drive system offers machine users up to SIL3 level of protection across an extended range of safety integrated functions including safe stopping and safe limited speed or direction. Integrated into the Startdrive advanced software, the menu-guided safety acceptance testing assures proper operation and safety validation.
The new SINAMICS S210 next generation servo-drive system is ready for digitalization and brings an enhanced level of safety and security to stand-alone or multi-axis machines for use in various manufacturing industries.
Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power. In fiscal 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, Siemens Group USA generated revenue of $18.6 billion and employs approximately 45,000 people serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Global distributor Wesco and Siemens team up with local integrator to enable major Tennessee tire manufacturer achieve consistent tension, save money
As Chad Garner, a Nashville-based application engineer with distributor Wesco, relates, “We were presented with a significant challenge by one of our great customers, a tire manufacturer in the area. They needed to upgrade their multiple wire drawing machines for tire cord production in the plant.”
Garner goes on to explain in detail. “They were faced with very specific challenges. The machines needed to hold a very tight and consistent tension to meet the wire specifications. The company was using a ‘black box’ solution that had been custom-developed for them by a small local company that was no longer in business. The black box, in this case, originally allowed the user to dial in the tension on the wire without making any adjustments to the drive parameters. However, the system was now only able to hold +/- 500 grams of tension on the line, even after the customer had tested nine different control schemes to find a solution. Ideally, their goal was to replace the black boxes with off-the-shelf products, but their current drive and control supplier was not able to help satisfactorily. Wesco, in tandem with a local integrator and Siemens, was able to devise a solution, using standard Siemens components for the first line.”
The full solution to this challenge comprised a SIMATIC S7-1500 PLC plus remote I/O racks, SCALANCE wireless switches, SIMATIC HMI panels and, the heart of the solution, the SINAMICS S120 drive system, running 30 axes of motion control, plus various servo motors and other control products. All these components were supplied as a total solution to the integrator and the tire cord manufacturer by Wesco.
Thanks to the success on the first machine, three more wire drawing lines at the facility were upgraded with the Siemens solution, with more planned for future installation. A total of 120 axes of motion run by the SINAMICS S120 drives are currently in operation. The key to success here was the tight tension control programmed into the S120 drive control unit.
Chad Garner of Wesco further observes, “A major financial aspect of this project was the amount of money invested in the controls cabinet on each machine. The legacy PLC and Ethernet cards, if purchased from the previous supplier, would have cost approximately $30,000 and we were able to supply our better solution for about one-third that amount. This was not only a significant reduction in cost from the previous solution, but it also resulted in component reduction, as we were able to combine functions in fewer parts. The Siemens solution offered the customer integrated Ethernet on the PLC, so there was a reduction in expensive hardware, also achieving a smaller footprint in the plant.”
Matt Wagner, a Drives and Motion Consultant on the Siemens team, comments, “By replacing the old black box solution for tension control on these wire drawing machines at the tire manufacturer, our team, working in tandem with Wesco and the local integrator, was able to achieve all the required wire draw specs and do it with off-the-shelf solutions from the Siemens product lines. It’s exciting when we can exceed the goals of the customer, retrofit a substantial part of the manufacturing operation and save them a lot of money in the process. Can’t do much better,” he mused.
This industrial, true 6-axis continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printer enables tool-less rapid fabrication of aerospace-grade integrated composite structures.
Aerospace and defense design engineers and the complex components they develop require true manufacturing agility. Shepherding ideas from seeming impossibilities to sparks of inspiration to groundbreaking products that enable innovation can be both exhilarating and maddening. To iterate quickly and enable true collaboration, the fastest teams in engineering employ the Electroimpact SCRAM system powered by the Siemens SINUMERIK ONE CNC.
Helping to make the impossible possible, Electroimpact has integrated an in-situ out-of-autoclave thermoplastic Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process, an advanced Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing process, a Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) 3D printing process, and subtractive machining into a unified Scalable Composite Robotic Additive Manufacturing (SCRAM) system. SCRAM is an industrial, true 6-axis continuous fiber-reinforced 3D printer that enables the tool-less rapid fabrication of aerospace-grade integrated composite structures.
High-performance thermoplastics combined with a high percentage of continuous fiber reinforcement are used to produce parts with exceptional material properties previously unheard of in the world of additive manufacturing. The enhanced performance of the 6-axis system offers unmatched dexterity and flexibility, enabling shapes, accuracies and intricacies not possible otherwise.
This technology has no equal in the industry and is a unique offering available only from Electroimpact. The capabilities and processing speed of the SINUMERIK ONE control empower Electroimpact engineers to achieve these breakthroughs in additive manufacturing.
Most 3D printing processes are more accurately described as 2.5D printing. The material is deposited successively in
flat slices, which when stacked together form a 3D object. In contrast, the SCRAM process renders true 3D printing.
Layers of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic capably take the shape of complex contours, including aerodynamic surfaces and ducts for fluid flow. As a 6-axis process, fiber orientation within each layer can be tailored to the specific application, providing optimal strength and appropriate stiffness distribution throughout the part, much like a conventional AFP system.
In addition to the continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic printing process and the FGF support tool printing process, SCRAM cells are also fitted with two FFF nozzles optimized for deposition of thermoplastic material reinforced with short or “chopped” fiber.
A proprietary laser heating system is incorporated, producing exceptionally strong bonds between layers. This process is ideal for situations in which layering continuous fiber is geometrically impossible or otherwise does not make sense. “It allows us to deposit the material exactly where it needs to be and only where it needs to be, achieving the highest possible strength and lowest weight,” says Ryan Bischoff, senior composite engineer at Electroimpact.
This is a true 3D printing process where the layers are not simply a stack of planes. Complex geometries such as variable density core and other internal structures can be printed directly onto continuous fiber-reinforced layers with widely varying curvature. If desired, additional continuous fiber-reinforced layers can then be deposited on top of the chopped fiber-reinforced core structure, forming an upper skin.
The system is an integration of several additive and subtractive processes, combined with Electroimpact’s patented accurate robot, a rotating build platform and a climate-controlled build chamber.
Electroimpact then supercharges everything with the SINUMERIK ONE control from Siemens. “SINUMERIK ONE allows us to run more complicated code much faster,” says Kylie Martineau, Electroimpact controls engineer.
“Electroimpact expanded from doing mostly drilling and fastening to additive manufacturing about 15 years ago,” Bischoff says. “That move and the advancements over the years led to the development of a system that we call a ‘factory in a cell.’ Instead of needing a whole assembly line, with each dedicated machine only performing a single function, it is one system, which can be printing ducts for jet engines one day and a wing component the next. It can be quickly changed and adapted according to needs.”
The SCRAM enables the tool-less rapid fabrication of aerospace-grade integrated composite structures. This factory in a cell gives builders the option to produce low-run parts that make all the difference in their designs.
This might be a carbon fiber element for Formula One racing or a part made from a revolutionary alloy that is destined for space. For short runs or small runs, nothing can compete with this technology. “Here is where the factory in a cell helps teams develop parts much more quickly than a traditional facility. You complete the whole process within the SCRAM system. It makes sense because these are not the kind of parts that are produced in the thousands,” Bischoff says.
“Our customers are doing extraordinary work, and we are right there alongside them,” he adds. “Your Electroimpact engineer is with you though the lifespan of the system for all questions and requests. We are here to help builders push boundaries. We service our equipment till the day it dies. Support is one of the things that Electroimpact does better than anyone else in the industry.”
With the SCRAM system, 3D printing replaces the need for the traditional complex tooling development typically used for automated carbon-fiber layup. This eliminates the inflated cost and time investments needed in traditional tooling and development; therefore, the SCRAM system allows for faster corrections and modifications.
Once the complex tooling is printed, the SINUMERIK ONE control facilitates rapid changes throughout the process. First, the SCRAM system changes to a multi-axis milling head that finishes the form to exacting specifications. Then the SCRAM system changes once again to the 6-axis carbon-fiber placement head and applies the intricate pattern of carbon fiber tape to the support material.
Bischoff explains that the tape is deposited quickly, establishing the form. Next, the support material additive is then completely dissolved away, leaving behind a component in the exact shape the manufacturer needs.
“The knowledge that we’re able to dissolve the tooling without creating graywater brings us great peace of mind,” Bischoff says.
The SCRAM system, with the power of SINUMERIK ONE, also enables iteration. “We are working to make an open system that will support the material choices and make the parts each customer needs. We are driven by customer demand,” Bischoff explains.
Electroimpact engineers appreciate the advanced features of this next-generation control platform.
“The faster processor times for both motion control and PLC, combined with new functionalities of the SINUMERIK ONE, further enable the incredible work Electroimpact is doing with the SCRAM system,” says Steve Czajkowski, engineering manager at Siemens.
Brian Cubie, account manager for Siemens, agrees. “Our system is the foundation on which they are building, and it is just incredible to experience,” he says. “I have been in robotics for many years, and to see what the engineers at Electroimpact are doing in terms of digitalizing the factory floor is exciting. They are always at the forefront. Electroimpact does a phenomenal job of taking our new SINUMERIK ONE control and adding encoders for feedback and run it though their own kinematics.”
SINUMERIK ONE is built for high-speed processing that enables the accuracy needed for specialized parts. It is ideally suited to the SCRAM’s groundbreaking ability to shift from 3D printing to finishing and continuous carbon-fiber placement, all from one control.
SINUMERIK ONE makes product development faster, more flexible, and more efficient.
Looking towards the future, the SINUMERIK ONE control platform will take the SCRAM into advanced digital twin technology. This will help teams engineer a fully functioning machine even before a real-life prototype exists and for teams to transfer tasks from the real world to the virtual environment. It will keep projects moving consistently to the work preparation phase. Having SINUMERIK ONE as a built-in tool will help reduce overhead costs for projects and support.
“There‘s a huge industry push to having a digital twin,” Martineau says. “I am extremely excited about supporting SCRAM in our customers’ endeavors moving forward. Each customer is pushing what is possible. They are reaching for ideas that are slightly out of the ordinary. With this true digital twin, instead of needing to travel for an on-site visit or asking for photos or video footage of their challenges, the PLC will allow simulation right inside the control.”
Just as customers can run the digital twin from their computer, Martineau will be able to operate the digital control of a customer’s SCRAM right from hers.
“We hear from customers when they’re striving for the next level, pushing the system to the max. Being able to jump in and see what’s happening is so valuable,” she says. “The digital twin capabilities of SINUMERIK ONE will enable us to work extremely close to our customers in the future, supporting their desires to push the envelope of product development. With digital twin technology this accurate, customers will benefit from knowing we can jump in anytime to seamlessly help troubleshoot.”
Siemens and Electroimpact have been partners for more than 10 years. The SCRAM previously included the SINUMERIK 840D sl, a precision CNC control highly favored by the aerospace industry. SINUMERIK ONE is faster and excels at more complex code. With the advancements of the SINUMERIK ONE control, the possibilities are endless.
“Electroimpact is always pushing the envelope,” says Brian McMinn, head of the Siemens Machine Tool Systems business. “Their approach is to always be at the very leading edge of manufacturing technology. We are glad to be a part of their team as SINUMERIK ONE has the power and speed to make it all possible.”
Expect to see further advancements from Electroimpact in the next few years that raise the bar even higher for complex aerospace design and development.
The SINUMERIK ONE control will continue to evolve and support the next wave of design and development in machine building.
For more information and to watch the video, visit: usa.siemens.com/ei-scram
Company increases focus on additive manufacturing research and development to help accelerate transformation of American manufacturing
Siemens, a global leader in technology for additive manufacturing (AM) is expanding focus on AM initiatives in the United States to help accelerate the transformation of the US AM industry through serial additive manufacturing.
“We are on the threshold of a new frontier in American industry, where the implementation of additive manufacturing will bring fundamental changes to the landscape, end-to-end, from product to machine to manufacturing. Siemens is very excited to be at the forefront of this process,” said Steve Vosmik, Head of Siemens Additive Manufacturing in the United States.
Siemens is focused on supporting the domestic AM machine builder community, so is bringing its world-class motion control, automation hardware, digitalization software and technology capabilities to assist machine builders. From its Charlotte Advanced Technology Collaboration Hub (CATCH), located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Siemens will act as an ecosystem platform for machine builders, machine users and additive design engineers alike.
“More than 100 machine builders from around the world are implementing Siemens automation solutions to industrialize their machines,” says Rajas Sukthankar, Vice-President, Motion Control, Siemens Industry, Inc. He continues, “Now it’s time to support even more customers and accelerate their transformation from single machines to series additive manufacturing factories. North America is heading in this direction.”
Siemens can assist AM job shops as well as Tier One production facilities with end-to-end solutions, including product design software, digital twin machine simulation and virtual execution of manufacturing methods, with full data feedback into the design protocol for necessary adjustments, prior to any machine building. “This comprehensive suite of software and motion control hardware offerings makes Siemens a viable partner at every step of the AM process”, according to Vosmik.
Siemens is adding technology to CATCH to incorporate metal binder jet technology through the purchase and installation of an ExOne/Desktop Metal Production System and Meltio Robotic System with the Siemens SINUMERIK RunMyRobot application onboard. SINUMEIK RunMyRobot controls the kinematic path of an industrial robot as it integrates with the CNC machine.
Siemens is also establishing an Additive Manufacturing Advisory Board of renowned industry leaders in AM, drawn from various industries and technical disciplines, to provide the company guidance, as it seeks to support the fast-growing needs of the AM market. “We are looking forward to engaging and collaborating with this talented group of industry experts as we move ahead together into this exciting new world of manufacturing in America,” concludes Vosmik.
Visit the Siemens Additive Manufacturing website to learn how Siemens is accelerating transformation in the manufacturing industry.
Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power. In fiscal 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, Siemens Group USA generated revenue of $18.6 billion and employs approximately 45,000 people serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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The Intralogistics segment will provide a holistic, systematic approach for materials handling
Siemens recently announced the formation of the new Intralogistics vertical that brings best-in-class material handling thought leadership, hardware automation, software and service solutions to customers in the United States. Siemens is leveraging its broad technology to address the market needs for digital transformation, cybersecurity, safety and sustainability. This new group will operate both as a vertical industry group and a horizontal business operation. It will reside within the Siemens Digital Industries — Motion Control business and functions in tandem with the organization’s existing additive manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, food-and-beverage, and other industry verticals.
Joel Thomas is the head of the Intralogistics vertical. Besides management of the group, Thomas will also work closely with trade associations who serve the intralogistics industry and will foster programs at Siemens to educate the next generation of engineers, programmers, software developers and plant operations personnel who will manage the warehouses of the future.
Products and software, plus the communications protocols needed to gather, prioritize and act upon plant conditions, will be key deliverables for this unit of Siemens.
This new group will serve machine builders and end-customers alike. For example, using the Siemens TIA Portal, a warehouse facility or postal clearing house will be able to integrate all its motion control hardware, software systems and communications protocols, internal and external, as needed. Additionally, Siemens digital twin and simulation technologies allow a warehouse or manufacturing operation to test all the “what ifs” before taking action on a material handling challenge.
Further, notes Joel Thomas, “The goal for all companies should be smart manufacturing and automated material flow, which is adaptable to changing market and technology conditions. This is especially challenging in older brownfield operations, where the legacy equipment might not handle the needs of the company, tomorrow or even today.”
Joel Thomas, head of the Intralogistics Vertical, Siemens Industry, Inc.
Predictive analytics and predictive maintenance will also be among the key drivers for the Siemens Intralogistics business, as it strives to offer users the needed system components to maximize productivity and to gather the data needed to monitor and maintain the operation. The biggest challenge for this new group, according to Thomas, is to identify and bring the necessary skills and solutions to the resident knowledge base for each customer. He notes this varies considerably based upon each company’s size and onboard skill sets.
Thomas also comments how sustainability, which involves energy consumption and the ability to anticipate what equipment and software will be needed in the future to keep the plant running at maximum efficiency, will be a critical factor in the service package provided to customers.
Lastly, with use of this digital-to-real world technology, the Intralogistics business will help companies achieve a more productive eco-system and, with various Siemens solutions and services, a homogenous environment in the future-proofing of their operations.
Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, the company creates technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers its customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a globally leading medical technology provider shaping the future of healthcare. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power. In fiscal 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, Siemens Group USA generated revenue of $18.6 billion and employs approximately 45,000 people serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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Allows all Siemens CNC community members to interact with a product expert and get answers to programming and operations questions on-demand
Siemens today introduced the Virtual Product Expert (VPE), a new support program for its CNC machine tool users, machine builders, dealers and importers. Through the VPE program, customers can now interact directly with a SINUMERIK CNC product expert and have their specific operation and programming questions answered — from the basic functions of the control to the most advanced machining technology aspects of the hardware and software suites. Best of all, this service is offered to all Siemens CNC community members at no cost.
Machine tool customers can contact Siemens to arrange an online session, tailored to their specific needs, regardless of where the programmer, operator or the machine are located. Sessions are typically one-hour in length and are being scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
John Meyer, the Marketing Communications Manager for the Siemens Machine Tool Business, notes, “With the rapid advancement in our SINUMERIK CNC technology on both the automation hardware and software sides, we see our Virtual Product Expert program as a vital part of our support offering. We know it will benefit our machine tool users, who are looking for immediate answers to their operation and programming challenges in order to keep their production running. It’s like having a Siemens CNC expert in your back pocket.”
For more information on the Virtual Product Expert, please visit: http://usa.siemens.com/vpe.
For additional machine tool CNC training offered by Siemens, users can visit: http://usa.siemens.com/cnc-training.
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Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and currently employs approximately 75,000 people internationally.
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. For more than 160 years, the company has innovated and invented technologies to support American industry spanning manufacturing, energy, healthcare and infrastructure. In fiscal 2018, Siemens USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.0 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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Embarking on the digital journey with SINUMERIK ONE reduces product development cost and time-to-market, plus the company will display an expanded hardware, software and service portfolio to help pave the way towards digitalization
During IMTS 2022, Siemens will present its hardware automation and software technology portfolio, highlighted by the first-ever, digital-native CNC platform, SINUMERIK ONE, for machine tool applications. In addition, Siemens will present its solutions and services for the industrialization of additive manufacturing. In booths 133346 and 433028, the company will highlight how machine users can quickly and easily embark on their digitalization journeys — from part concept to design, digital twin to simulation, part and machine production, as well as total integration of these processes into the digital enterprise for job shops and production departments alike.
In the Controls and CAD-CAM pavilion (East Hall) in booth 133346, Siemens will demonstrate the end-to-end production and installation of a transmission housing and bracket for the eRod, an autonomous electric vehicle that will be in the booth for visitor inspection. The parts are made by additive and subtractive machining processes. At every stage of the part’s development, including machining, display kiosks will take visitors through the digital process. From the popular Siemens NX CAM design software, which enables the use of 3D models, data and processes to seamlessly connect planning and shopfloor operations on a digital thread to the powerful SINUMERIK ONE, the digital-native CNC that permits a digital twin of the machine and its full operation in production, Siemens has streamlined machine shop operations as well as leading automotive, aerospace, off-highway and medical part production facilities worldwide.
In the Additive pavilion (West Hall) in booth 433028, Siemens will demonstrate its CNC implementation into the additive and additive / subtractive production worlds, displaying part production processes from design to the finished part. Visitors can discuss their manufacturing challenges with Siemens to determine the optimum method of part design and manufacturing, whether one-off or full production runs, all performed with digitalization methods for validation and time / cost containment.
Additional highlights of the Siemens booths will include:
For specific product information and inquiries, send an e-mail to: cnc.marketing.us@siemens.com
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Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 75,000 employees internationally.
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Through the separately managed company Siemens Mobility, a leading supplier of smart mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is shaping the world market for passenger and freight services. Due to its majority stakes in the publicly listed companies Siemens Healthineers AG and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital healthcare services as well as environmentally friendly solutions for onshore and offshore wind power generation. For more than 160 years, the company has innovated and invented technologies to support American industry spanning manufacturing, energy, healthcare and infrastructure. In fiscal 2018, Siemens USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.0 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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As part of the digitalization group at Siemens and currently working with the machine tool systems business in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, near Chicago, Chunrong “Shelly” Shan is a digitalization software pre-sales engineer, primarily focused on the company’s advanced Industrial Edge technology. Edge brings machine tool users the ability to capture operational data from a machine or production line, feed it up to the cloud and analyze it in real time, in relation to a preset battery of monitored conditions. This technology, on a very practical level, enables the small job shop with a few CNC machines or a large production department with hundreds on the factory floor to maintain the highest levels of output coupled with consistent and constantly evolving manufacturing control, largely running through the algorithms in the machine’s control.
Shelly finds such work very stimulating. “In my current role at Siemens as pre-sales engineer, my primary task is to help our customers develop customized programs based upon our Edge technology platform to improve their manufacturing productivity.” She cites a recent example of her work, where she developed a software application for a top U.S. automotive manufacturer to capture the high-frequency data from the CNC on their many machine tools, then send that data to what Shelly calls the “data lake” for production optimization. Through the use of Edge devices on the various machines, such data are extracted from the machine controllers and fed to that data lake. Shelly notes it was a very big challenge, since the end user’s data lake uses a very specialized, proprietary protocol not supported by the standard Siemens solution. “That’s where it got interesting,” she muses.
Through a series of customized adaptations in the software, Shan was able to create a smooth interface between the data gathering and the host protocol, resulting in an optimal solution for the customer. One of the most significant challenges in Edge technology is something of a “too much of a good thing” scenario, as the power of Edge allows massive data sets to be gathered. The software needs to separate the data, prioritize it, compare it to preset levels or limits, then take the appropriate corrective action, all within milliseconds.
Shelly Shan brings an impressive skill set to the task, as she holds a Master’s degree in computer science from Penn State, as well as a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Beihang University in her home country of China. She first worked for Siemens in China for 11 years and now four years at the company’s U.S. machine tool headquarters in Chicago.
Shelly’s skills range from software development to AI, big data and cloud computing. She came to the U.S. when her family migrated.
In reflecting on her reasons for entering the engineering field, Shelly states, “I think it involves a combination of my personality and my technical interests. I feel most comfortable and engaged when I’m solving problems for a customer. That gives me a lot of strength and confidence, as well as joy in helping others.”
She makes mention of her mentor in China. “I had one colleague there who was simply good at everything! He could master technologies, problem-solve very quickly, and he was capable of numerous achievements simultaneously. His top skills were controller commissioning and debugging, as well as digitalization coding. I would say he definitely gave me a lot of help and guidance, as I worked to find the right directions in my career.”
Shelly enjoys her variety of tasks in customizing Edge application development and she seeks to do further software development for Siemens.
As a woman engineer, she notes there are both advantages and challenges. “Everyone tends to be very friendly to the often-lone woman in the room, which is nice,” Shan notes, also noting that it is sometimes difficult to talk to anybody about makeup or clothing styles. On the business side, she believes females tend to be more careful about details and can often communicate more easily with customers. The issue of work-life balance can also be a challenge. “Women often feel the need to take care of family as well as work, plus travel can be difficult, but I handle it. The company is also very supportive and flexible in helping me achieve my goals.”
From her performance and track record in the industry with a major corporation such as Siemens, Shan seems to handle it all quite well.
Asked where she sees herself in the coming years, Shelly observes, “I am sure I’ll still be working as an engineer and I’d like to make more contributions to the technology. I think the future for women in engineering is very bright and promising, as it will continue to drive the development of many technologies and improvements in our world.”
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Displays include hardware automation and software solutions specific to today’s material handling / intralogistics challenges
Siemens will exhibit at MODEX 2022 in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center from March 28-31, 2022. MODEX is the premier supply chain event, attracting industry professionals from across the globe.
Highlights will include the new SIMATIC MICRO-DRIVE, designed for ultra-low-voltage applications, in a demonstration of an automated guided vehicle (AGV). Also featured will be the new SINAMICS G115D, a recently released distributed drive system, specifically designed for conveyor applications.
Displays in the Siemens booth will include drives for motion control, material handling and intralogistics applications that are controlled by SIMATIC PLCs with unified HMI panels
and integrated safety, all programmed in the Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal. Additional topics in the booth include Industrial Edge and cybersecurity.
Another highlight will focus on a project Siemens recently completed for a customer in Kentucky. Siemens supplied a fully automated mega warehouse with 200,000 pallet positions as a turnkey project which distributes laundry and home care products to 60% of the U.S. market, with all logistics operations performed at this production site. The benefits Siemens offered, in addition to all mechanical deliveries, include a modular automation standard by SIMATIC, SINAMICS, SIMOTICS and SIMOGEAR standard components and INTRALOG TIA software modules resulting in increased delivery reliability (on-time and defect-free.)
In the booth, Siemens technical experts will be available for hands-on demonstrations and to answer questions. Editors are welcome to stop by.
For specific product information and inquiries, send an e-mail to:
mc.us@siemens.com
Smart factories, the foundation of smart manufacturing, connect the digital and physical worlds to monitor an entire production process — from supply chain management to manufacturing tools and even the work of individual operators on the shop-floor.
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Siemens Digital Industries (DI) Siemens Digital Industries (DI) is an innovation leader in automation and digitalization. Closely collaborating with partners and customers, DI drives the digital transformation in the process and discrete industries. With its Digital Enterprise portfolio, DI provides companies of all sizes with an end-to-end set of products, solutions and services to integrate and digitalize the entire value chain. Optimized for the specific needs of each industry, DI’s unique portfolio supports customers to achieve greater productivity and flexibility. DI is constantly adding innovations to its portfolio to integrate cutting-edge future technologies. Siemens Digital Industries has its global headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and has around 72,000 employees internationally.
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 170 years. Active around the world, the company focuses on intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems and on automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Siemens brings together the digital and physical worlds to benefit customers and society. Through Mobility, a leading supplier of intelligent mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is helping to shape the world market for passenger and freight services. Via its majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital health services. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power that has been listed on the stock exchange since September 28, 2020. In fiscal 2020, Siemens Group USA generated revenue of $17 billion and employs approximately 40,000 people serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
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