German subcontractor Euler Feinmechanik, based in Schöffengrund, north of Frankfurt, has invested in three robotic machine tending systems from Halter that are available in the UK through Salisbury-based 1st Machine Tool Accessories. The tending systems automate the loading and unloading of its DMG MORI lathes.
Established more than 60 years ago and with around 75 employees, Euler Feinmechanik machines complex turned and milled parts such as optical bearing mounts, medical and aerospace parts, housings and stators for vacuum pumps. Materials machined are mainly aluminium, brass, stainless steel and various plastics including PEEK, acetal and PTFE.
Managing Director Leonard Euler explained: “Our production processes include milling, but are centred mainly on CNC turning of prototypes, pre-production batches and series parts. We develop product-specific manufacturing strategies for our customers. For example, Airbus, Leica and Zeiss are supported from the development and production stages through to surface finishing and assembly.”
When Euler Feinmechanik bought a DMG MORI CTX beta 800 4A CNC turn-mill centre for complex components, the company knew it wanted to automate the machine, but first had to establish a reliable process. That was the responsibility of Marco Kühnl, the senior technician. He said: “We purchased our first loading robot in 2017 and it has allowed us to increase productivity while getting labour costs under control.”
Mr Euler added: “DMG MORI was in the running, as it had introduced its Robo2Go robot. This seemed to us to be the most logical combination and it is indeed a nice product, but it can only be programmed when the lathe is not running. However, Halter is a specialist in this field and not only had a good automation solution, but also great references and working demonstrations that showed exactly what we wanted. In the end, we opted for one of its Universal Premium 20 cells.”
There were various reasons for the decision, one of which was the use of high-quality components in the construction, such as a FANUC robot, Schunk grippers and a laser safety system from Sick. The mobile Universal Premium 20 can be moved quickly from one machine tool to service another, providing a high degree of production versatility on the shop floor.
The cell is designed for automatic loading of billets and unloading of machined workpieces to a maximum diameter of 270mm. A customer can choose from a large selection of grid plates of different capacities for buffer storage. To facilitate the connection of the loading robot to the CTX beta 800 4A, Halter equipped the machine with an automation interface.
After automating the machine with the Halter cell, productivity increased by about 25%. A year after purchasing the first DMG MORI turning centre and retrofitting it with automated loading and unloading, Euler Feinmechanik bought two more lathes, another CTX beta 800 4A and a smaller CLX 350 devoted to producing about 40 different components for the optical industry.
The two new machines were immediately equipped with Industry 4.0 compliant Halter loading robots identical to the first. Production on all three twin-spindle lathes can continue unattended for an average of half a shift, which maximises productivity and reduces labour costs.
Automation has improved production efficiency to such an extent that the subcontractor intends to continue automating its plant. A Halter LoadAssistant is planned for an existing DMG MORI lathe on the shop floor and asking Halter to add additional functions like workpiece polishing and grinding to the automation cells is being considered.
