Tag Archives: Sinumerik

Voith Hydro Achieving Improved Production of Power Generation Equipment Through Standardization of Machine Tool Controls

Large parts and one-off runs present particular challenges; common CNC platform offers many benefits to busy York, PA shop

Voith Hydro in York, Pennsylvania is a major manufacturer of hydroelectric power generation equipment, especially the intricate turbines used in such operations, supplying hydroelectric generating companies and municipalities throughout North America. Over 12,000 units have been commissioned in the field with more than 65,000 MW of installed capacity, plus Voith Hydro has also upgraded over 600 existing power generation units. As a turnkey supplier to the industry, the company manages all phases of power plant projects, from analysis and planning, design and implementation, to commissioning and operation. Voith Hydro is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Certified.

At the York facility, very large multi-axis machining centers produce carbon and stainless steel work pieces, most often in a one-off mode and at sizes frequently exceeding 35’ in diameter. Adam Ward, the manager of maintenance & facilities at Voith Hydro, says the machining done typically holds +/- 0.002” tolerances here, nonetheless. “We do turning, line boring and milling on extremely large and heavy work pieces that often challenge us to design the optimum machining cycle. Our long cycles can frequently result in heat distortion on material surfaces and so we take great care in looking for problems before they occur.”

Voith Hydro maintains an impressive array of machine tools and multi-axis machining centers here. Despite a variety of builder brands, the majority of the machines have one common component, namely, the Siemens SINUMERIK 840D CNC onboard.

As Ward notes, “Our operators are quite comfortable with the CNC from Siemens and they use it for all motion control, plus the operator interface has the ability to afford us great troubleshooting capability and something else we value greatly, the commonality of the HMI on the control. That fact allows us to do a great deal of cross-training and that’s very important to us. We need to be highly flexible, given the one-off nature of our work here.” Most of the operators at Voith Hydro are capable of running multiple machines, while the maintenance personnel on his team can more easily service the machining equipment in the facility, adds Ward. He credits his machine builders and the Siemens team led by Howard Weinstein and Robert Stiefel for this ongoing flexibility.

Voith typically takes a customer design, runs it through their CAM system and simulates the cycle offline, in order to preserve valuable machine uptime. Since the work here involves highly complex geometries on the turbine sections, the simulation must be equally complex and account for all machine motions and collision avoidance. Once the program is finally determined for a part, it is fed over the Voith Hydro network to the appropriate machine tool or machining center for scheduling and production startup.

During production, a system of real-time remote condition monitoring is available through the CNC for troubleshooting by both the Voith Hydro maintenance personnel and, when required, machine builder personnel, working offsite.

Ward cites one example where an Ingersoll milling machine was completely retrofitted both mechanically and electrically by a Siemens Solution Partner, with a new CNC, motors, drives, encoders, other hardware and software. “Working with the builder and Siemens support personnel, we were able to resolve issues and implement changes to the programming, right on the CNC of the machine…and all done remotely, in a very short time period.”

Voith Hydro boasts machining capabilities on workpieces over 42’ diameter and 350 tons at the York facility. Surface finishes are typically 250 and 125 Ra, though occasionally 64 or 32 Ra is required. The finishes are achieved through both machining and secondary finishing operations, according to company sources.

Adam Ward further notes that, on most new machines required at Voith Hydro, “The cross-training capability of the CNC, the standardization of the HMI on various types of machines, the support provided and the previous successes our operators and maintenance personnel have realized, all combine to make specifying Siemens as our control of choice an easy decision.”

Howard Weinstein, business development manager for the power industry manufacturing sector at Siemens, comments on the relationship with Voith, “We’re a proud partner to Voith Hydro in York, Pennsylvania. Their facility is a great showcase for our flagship CNC, the SINUMERIK 840D, as used on an array of multi-axis machining centers to produce large, complex geometry parts for the hydroelectric power industry.”

For more information on this story, please contact:

SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES –  MOTION CONTROL (MACHINE TOOL BUSINESS)
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Fax: 847-437-0784
Web:  www.usa.siemens.com/cnc
Email:  SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Attention:  John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communication

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

Others involved in this story may also be contacted:

Voith Hydro
760 East Berlin Road
York, PA 17408-8701
Phone:  717-792-7512
Web:  www.voith.com
Email:  adam.ward@voith.com
Adam Ward, Manager of Maintenance & Facilities

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Machining Takes Center Stage

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Model Turbines 
from One Mold

Energy production specialist MCE uses a simultaneous 
five-axis mill-turn center with Sinumerik 840D sl 
for producing model running wheels in one setting and thereby reducing throughput time.

MCE Maschinen- und Apparatebau GmbH 
in Linz, Austria, produces various components for large gas, steam, and water turbines, as well as for wind power stations and other segments of energy production. But before the company receives any orders for these products, realistic models must prove their efficiency, underlines MCE CEO Gottfried Langthaler: “It is therefore very important for us to be able to manufacture 
the turbine models in high quality and, at the same time, productively with a short throughput time.”

In mid-2010, the running wheels were still being milled individually on a five-axis machining center 
and then bolted or welded together. The average throughput time was six weeks. Thanks to a few technical tricks and the Sinumerik-controlled GS 1000/5-FTD from Alzmetall, which has been used 
in model production since the end of 2010, the machining expert Langthaler was able to reduce throughput time by up to one-third — to about four weeks, depending on the product. As a qualified master of mechanical engineering and design, 
he already knew before purchasing the Alzmetall machine that it would be ideal for his model production if a Francis turbine could be produced from solid brass: “I was merely skeptical that a machining center could do that. After all, we have to achieve 
a high roughing cut and smooth with maximum 
precision and surface quality.” Initial tests with the GS 1000/5-FTD revealed that the technical conditions were right. Langthaler adds: “Alzmetall 
also flexibly adapted the machining center to our needs so that we can meet 
all the requirements regarding accuracy and surface quality — 
in one setting if necessary.”

User-friendly CNC for milling 
and turning jobs

Because this machine must also perform turning tasks, in addition to milling tasks, at MCE, this requirement is also in the specification and is met 
by the GS 1000/5-FTD. Buz Bozner, head of the 
Technology Center at Alzmetall, explains the technical basis: “We integrated torque motors in all round axes. We therefore achieve speeds of 300 rpm in 
the c-axis.” The mill-turn center offers an enormous machining space that not even standard lathes achieve. Parts with a diameter of up to 1,000 mm can therefore be machined. A highlight of the 
GS 1000/5-FTD is that it can be turned to any round axis position and level.

The energy professionals in model construction 
have been relying on Sinumerik controllers since the mid-1990s because, according to the mechanical engineering boss Langthaler, these were always 
convincing, especially in complex five-axis machining: “The handling of Sinumerik 840D is also clear and simple on the ShopMill and ShopTurn graphical user interfaces.” The operator 
can work particularly easily and clearly when a GS 1000/5-FTD with the new Sinumerik Operate user interface 
is used. Operation and programming always have 
the same structure, regardless of whether milling or turning processes are to be programmed and set-up. The operator is also supported by graphical displays and animations. Many intelligent functions are available, which are helpful, among other things, for tool and workpiece measurement. The operation and programming of 3+2 axis machining is also supported by the integrated Cycle800 functions. Animated 
Elements simplify the explanation of functions such as selection of the direction and free running, as well as swiveling.

Another highlight of the new GS 1000/5-FTD is the Sinumerik MDynamics technology package, which 
is especially important for complex five-axis machining. Maximum surface quality and exact contour accuracy can be achieved even more rapidly. The 
key is in the new Advanced Surface intelligent path control, which contains an optimized look-ahead function and an optimized online CNC data compressor, among other things. The integrated intelligent jolt limiter relieves stress on the machine mechanics because it enables gentle acceleration and deceleration despite extreme dynamic response.

Customers reap the benefits

As a specialist in single-part and small-series production for small to large workpieces, MCE is equipped to meet even extraordinary demands on-time and with top quality. By equipping its machines with state-of-the-art Siemens technology, the company 
is able to achieve high throughput times in model production and pass these advantages on to its -customers.

For more information on this story, please contact:

SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.
DRIVE TECHNOLOGIES –  MOTION CONTROL (MACHINE TOOL BUSINESS)
390 Kent Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-640-1595
Fax: 847-437-0784
Web:  www.usa.siemens.com/cnc
Email:  SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Attention:  John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communication

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

–

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

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

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The Five-Year Plan That Worked

Smiths Machine answered the recession with a formula for major change

So what’s the secret to their success?

To begin with, the omission of the apostrophe from the company’s name was deliberate. Being different is in the DNA of Smiths Machine. This is a second-generation, family-owned business that found a way to grow its workforce by 70 people during the last five years That’s a 300% employment surge that mostly happened during the recession, a time when many machine shops (and for that matter, many businesses), were struggling just to hang on.

Ahead of the recession, Smiths Machine did what many machine shops were doing at the time. They were riding the wave of automotive parts production and doing seemingly fine, until the massive downturn came. The bankruptcies of the tier one automotive companies suddenly left many machine shops vulnerable to volume-based supply from overseas competition; and a once well-oiled machine tool business model now seemed unstable and uncertain. Equally uncertain was the idea of moving the business in an entirely different direction.

To be or not to be — different

Defense and aerospace part manufacturing require a different business approach altogether, says Tim Smith, vice president of Smiths Machine.

“It is specialized work that requires special approvals, log-down processes and complicated procedures,” Smith says. “The complexity is challenging. And it all starts with a different way of thinking, more of an engineering approach than a production approach.”

Smith says his company needed to build a new business model and the operations to support it. The defense and aerospace machining market is characterized by small lot counts, generally lower margins, and a very low tolerance for errors. Scrap rates thought to be nominal in the past would now be out of the question.

“You can’t make a $6,000 part and have a 30% scrap rate or even a 10% scrap rate,” explains Smith. “The emphasis is not on throughput, but on the high quality, highly precise manufacturing of very complex parts.”

Based on these three inseparable machining requirements — quality, precision and complexity — Smiths Machine set out to reach its greater potential in the machine tool market, not as a production machine shop, but as company focused on complex part manufacturing. Having achieved some early success in this new direction, the way forward for the company soon could be summed up more simply:

“The more complex the part, the more competitive we are,” says Smith.

To protect and grow this competitive advantage, the company’s leadership knew that their internal processes and technology needed to match up with the unique requirements of the defense and aerospace industries. Major investments in large, complex, five-axis machines would need to be enhanced by equally complex control capabilities. Smith recounts how a decision made previously by the company would now come into play in a profound way.

A backbone for change

Traditionally a milling and turning company, Smiths Machine first teamed up with DMG and Siemens in the year 2000 to establish their singular machine tool platform. This brought about a synergistic approach to complex milling and turning; an advantage that took on greater significance when the company decided to focus on the defense and aerospace markets later in the decade.

“Siemens controls were available on DMG milling and turning machines, and that was a natural fit for us,” Smith recalls. The DMG / Siemens platform has enabled Smiths Machine to establish and maintain a high level of operational proficiency. The central advantage here, Smith says, has been the ability to invest, train and keep his people moving forward based on a stable technology platform.

“The technology and the people using it are the backbone of our organization,” Smith asserts. “Even with 25 machines, we can share knowledge between the milling and the turning machines. The common control is a Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl. Our technology purchases are based on where we want to be in ten years, not on a workforce that is fractionally trained and a platform that can rapidly deteriorate due to a change in market condition or a change in employment condition.”

Smith says an example of this singular platform advantage is the control’s similarity across milling and turning operations. “All controls are customized to a certain extent,” Smith acknowledges. “But unlike Siemens, many other control series are individually customized so that the keyboard layout will be different from machine to machine. The Sinumerik 840D sl CNC is consistent. So when you train your operators, you can say, here’s the jog button, here’s the axes button, here’s your alarm button and your offset button. And this level of consistency extends to a graphical interface that really complements how we teach and learn.”

Teaching and learning are closely held values within an organization that uses a breadth of visual techniques to foster education, efficient information sharing, and quality control.

“We are a very visual company,” Smith says. “We use a lot of colors and we buy a lot of printer toner. Our parts inventory uses color-coded tags and the same is true across our production. We use yellows and blues and reds for consistent instruction. And the Siemens 840D sl control uses the same approach. You are guided visually for such things as axis direction, approach point, final depth and other variables inside a cycle. And this is true from control to control, for milling and turning.”

Smith says visually guided information flow is characteristic of today’s complex range of next-generation electronic communications, because this speeds understanding and information sharing. Whether for a smart phone or a CNC, graphically guided interfaces enable rapid learning and proficiency, a fact that has been well leveraged by the 840D control interface design.

New angles on programming

Gerhard Hetzler, engineering manager at Smiths Machine, has experienced firsthand how the company’s singular platform approach has brought continuity to such manufacturing functions as post, machine simulation, NC code, and control functionality.

While the Siemens 840D sl control has evolved in significant ways over the years, Hetzler says these changes have served only to accelerate the performance of the programmers and operators, rather than impede them with new and different procedures. The control platform has also given Smiths Machine the freedom to create custom cycles that can be copied and shared from control-to-control, and so machine-to-machine.

“I’ll give you an example,” says Hetzler. “To catch occasional entry errors on the tool management side, we created a cycle that checks the length of the tool and within a specific tolerance. So within in a matter of milliseconds, the control compares that value to what was entered in the tool management side, and if the tolerance is exceeded by 2mm, the control immediately stops the machine.”

Hetzler says another advantage resulting out of the DMG and Siemens relationship is the continued simplification of complex cutting operations, especially in the area of angular milling heads.

“Siemens has come a very long way to improve the cycles and support related to milling heads,” Hetzler says. “Aerospace requires a lot more use of angular milling. Even a five-axis approach can’t do it. You need an angular milling head. I would put this on the top of my list of the advantages DMG and Siemens have developed. And this relates to another important development, Siemens NX.”

NX as in next

Siemens NX software integrates CAD, CAE and CAM for faster part manufacturing, encompassing all areas of tooling, machining and quality inspection. NX has become integral to Smiths Machine’s CNC platform, because it supports part planning through manufacturing, with the prevention of errors and related costs.

“Our ability to develop all of our own post-processors in house is supported by Siemens NX,” Hetzler explains. “We setup our angular milling heads in NX, so we can post the G-code before we even send it out to the machine.”

An early introduction to the power of NX came when the company found that it needed to write code to produce an especially challenging aerospace landing gear. The code took six-weeks to manually program. This was before the company learned that it could do the same task in nine days using NX.

“Siemens knows five-axis machining and NX is a Siemens product that leverages five-axis,” Hetzler says. “As an example, we can do three-plus-two axes work in NX. There is a cycle for that called Cycle 800. So when NX outputs the NC code, the machine then also understands it. Other control brands will have a cycle that can be made to work, but they are a lot more problematic. We are talking about managing the change of plane, a concept that has been around for a long time and was always problematic to do. Now Cycle 800 in NX does it all for you.”

Hetzler says Cycle 800 makes programming the change of plane easier, faster, and with higher accuracy than traditionally calculated methods. “We would normally round off after the third or fourth decimal,” he recalls. “Now the control calculates to nine decimals. When you start talking microns, especially in the aerospace industry, it makes a huge difference. And this difference has been fully implemented by DMG. They have invested a lot of time and money to make sure from their side that Siemens NX and Cycle 800 work 100% of the time.”

 

Please forward all inquiries to:

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/cnc4you
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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CNC IT-Integration Software for Machine Tools To Include New Applications

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

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

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

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

Background information:

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

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

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

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

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New Generation of Operator Panels For High-End CNC Applications

• Robust and durable capacitive touchscreen operator panels
• 40% energy savings compared to conventional neon lamps
• Liquid and dust resistant, ideal for harsh conditions

The Sinumerik blackline panels OP 015 black and OP 019 black are a new generation of operator panels for the Sinumerik 840D sl CNC system and offer new options for machine operation. The inductive sensor technology enables rapid interaction with the user interface even when the operator is wearing gloves. Similarly, it prevents incorrect entries, for example caused by the heel of the operator‘s hand.

The 19-inch display of the OP 019 black can show all the entries made in widescreen format at a glance. The OP 015 black also features an alphanumerical keypad on the right that can be operated via touch control. This feature means that the 15-inch display is not restricted by the superimposed keypad during data entry, which ensures clear and efficient operation. Both blackline panels also have an integrated glass panel on the front side and are designed with IP65 (OP 019 black) and IP66 (OP 015 black) degrees of protection. They are resistant to liquids and dust and can be operated even under harsh industrial conditions. An integrated key lock helps safeguard against operating errors. The operator panel can provide a basic machine display, with three or four channels showing up to 13 axes.

The blackline panels also feature durable LED background lighting, providing 40 percent energy-savings compared to conventional neon lamps.

In combination with the Sinumerik 840D sl control, for use on high-end milling, turning, grinding and laser cutting machine tools, the blackline panels can be used as an operating and programming station for aerospace composite machining, power generation and medical part manufacturing, in addition to tool- and mold-making, rotary indexing machines and in shopfloor manufacturing.

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

Follow us on Social Media:

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/siemens_cnc_us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SiemensCNC

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

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IMTS RECAP: “Anything is possible” with SINUMERIK CNC at IMTS 2014 in Chicago — booth E-5010

If you missed IMTS 2014, here’s what attendees saw at Siemens booth E-5010:

• SINUMERIK 808D / 808D Advanced CNC — the perfect, pre-configured CNC for basic, standard machines
• SINUMERIK 828D / 828D Basic — advanced CNC that’s made easy
• The SINAMICS drive platform
• Our family of SIMOTICS servo-, linear-, torque- and main spindle motors
• Solutions for aerospace, automotive, power generation and medical part manufacturing
• The CAD/CAM/CNC process chain
• New innovations for additive and hybrid machining
• Live presentations and technical seminars throughout the week

For more information: http://www.industry.usa.siemens.com/drives/us/en/events/imts-show/pages/imts-show.aspx

For additional photos of the event: http://ow.ly/BH12k

Download the Siemens Customer Booklet: IMTS 2014 Siemens Customer Booklet

Please forward all inquiries to:

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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Siemens Names TechSolve as a Solution Partner for MTConnect®

During this year’s [MC]² 2014 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference, Siemens announced today the appointment of TechSolve (Cincinnati) as a Solution Partner to offer solutions to customers with Sinumerik CNCs who are interested in or have already implemented MTConnect into their factories. Through this development, Siemens proactively responds to the growing demand in the market for MTConnect solutions among the end-user and machine builder sectors. TechSolve was a Founding Sponsor of the Institute and is a major supplier of MTConnect Adapters, translation products as well as support software and services that enable shops and production departments alike to more efficiently gather and analyze machine tool performance data, using the open-source communication standard of MTConnect.

In a typical machine tool end-user scenario, TechSolve applies its Adapter software to an existing machine’s CNC, such as the Siemens Sinumerik 840D, which enables data transfer through an MTConnect Agent. For older controls and legacy devices that do not have native communication output, TechSolve can also supply additional hardware and communication software to facilitate this process. The data can then be stored locally or cloud-based for further access and evaluation in an overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) strategy.

Likewise, TechSolve provides Adapter software to machine tool builders for integration into their control schemes to suit particular applications or customer-mandated specifications for MTConnect compatibility.

Ryan Legg, product manager, Sinumerik CNC, Siemens Industry, Inc., explains, “In the U.S. market especially, we are seeing growing demand for MTConnect. This appointment of TechSolve as a Solution Partner to support requests for MTConnect represents our company’s commitment to bring practical solutions to our customers through an experienced and reliable source of both products and services. When MTConnect is written into the specification on any job, we now have an ideal resource to complement our capabilities.”

Noting the open architecture of the Siemens CNC allows easy integration of the TechSolve solutions; Legg further explained the cross-platform advantages of this new relationship. “TechSolve has written their MTConnect Adapter for the Sinumerik CNC
in a way which allows complete flexibility regardless if the system architecture of the Sinumerik employs a PCU or if it is running in an embedded architecture without a PCU. Ultimately, this allows for more customers to take advantage of this offering.”

Ron Pieper, manager, VizProducts^™ Group at TechSolve, observes, “To be affiliated with Siemens is a compliment to both of our products and services as well as our engineering talents. We believe this relationship will be mutually beneficial, as it will further promote the acceptance of MTConnect in the machine tool market, plus being a Solution Partner to Siemens will open new doors for our company.”

Pieper further comments on the market need for these solutions. “When all the data from the shop or factory floor is available as it occurs, the customer learns the reality of their situation, then can make confident steps to improve their game, so to speak.

They see where the inefficiencies are, where and why the downtime is occurring and how they might improve or streamline production. All of these factors are crucial in today’s competitive machining market.”

More information on the above-mentioned solutions will be available at the upcoming MTConnect Conference in Orlando, April 8-10, 2014, organized by the MTConnect Institute.

For more information about this announcement, please visit: www.usa.siemens.com/techsolve-pr.  

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

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

—

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

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

TechSolve is a consulting firm that has helped organizations of all sizes leverage process improvement, machining expertise and innovation to enhance their competitive edge across ever-changing markets. We understand engineering and manufacturing, so we developed an array of machine monitoring software under the umbrella of VizProducts^TM.
Our custom-tailored machine-monitoring and data-gathering solutions enable shops and production departments alike to more efficiently gather and analyze machine tool performance data, TechSolve can help manufacturers eliminate extraneous costs, increase productivity, and maximize profits. For more information please visit www.techsolve.org. 

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Siemens Retrofit Business Development Manager Sees Opportunities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AeroDef 2014 Booth #239: Siemens Sinumerik 840D sl

Visit us at booth #239!

AERODEF 2014 – Siemens will present its SINUMERIK 840D sl numerical controller, the aerospace industry standard for CNC machine tool control, which features unmatched open architecture for the handling of the most complex cutting and forming operations.  In addition, Siemens will demonstrate robotic control through its mxAutomation solution, where robotic functions are controlled on a second channel of the SINUMERIK CNC and transferred to the robot via the Siemens PLC.  And as the only single-source supplier in the aerospace industry who can provide the entire CAD/CAM/ CNC process chain, it’s clear why Siemens is the first choice in aerospace part manufacturing.

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

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

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

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

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

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