The CHIRON Group first presented the FZ 16 S five axis machining center at AMB in Stuttgart, Germany in September 2018. An important factor for high productivity is the fast, automated change of the up to 162 tools in a pick-up process. But what about the path of the tools in and out of the machine? How can we ensure that the right tool is equipped? How can tools be changed with the maximum level of security and efficiency?

These are questions which ZOLLER and the CHIRON Group have investigated and for which they have found convincing answers as part of a cooperation project true to the motto »better together«. The approach: Integrating the CHIRON FZ 16 S five axis machining center into the ZOLLER Smart Factory in Pleidelsheim, Germany to jointly test innovative procedures for moving tools into the machine and develop these for series production.

Traditional and critical: Manual data entry
This is the traditional way of doing things: The operator prints a label at the setting device, walks to the machine with the tool and enters the data. However, statistics indicate that every 20th keystroke is a typing error, with a 4 quickly becoming a 1, or a 5 turning into an 8. It sounds harmless, but during production this can lead to machining problems and even a machine crash. 

Smart solution, part 1: Secure data transfer to replace paper chaos
A core competence of ZOLLER is setting and measuring prepared tool assemblies. The first step of the smart solution is connecting setting and measuring devices to machining centers. The data can be transferred via RFID tags, which is very secure but also quite costly. Just as secure but easy and affordable to implement for small companies is the new data transfer via DataMatrix code.

The process is incredibly simple: The code on the tool holder is read with a hand scanner at the setting device, the tool is measured and the actual data is stored in the central tool database. There is another code reader on the machining center which is used to clearly identify the tool. The machine control system then obtains the measuring data including all other required tool information directly from the tool database and inputs these into the machine – clearly, automatically and free from errors.

Secure data transfer is just one of the benefits: The »flash« production analysis software offered by the specialists from Pleidelsheim makes it possible to check the tool service life in real time based on a traffic light concept. If the tools reach the warning limit, a message is generated in the tool setting space, the new tool can be prepared and equipped in good time.

Smart solution, part 2: Communication, protection and dynamic action via ProtectLine
Another result of the cooperation between ZOLLER and the CHIRON Group is the integration of the full tool modeling data in ProtectLine. The digital machine twin is supplemented with the complete tool data – including tool geometry and tool holder geometry – fully automatically. This creates a highly efficient process for generating digital twins, which forms the basis in the system for preventative collision protection for the machine via ProtectLine. »The fully automatic integration of tools therefore creates significant added value,« explains Pascal Schröder, Development Coordination Digitalization at the CHIRON Group.

A 3D scan is generated for the digital tool twin on the Zoller pre-setting device and automatically provided to the CHIRON Group machining centers in the right data format. 

Smart solution, part 3: Automated tool handling with »cora«
When working with difficult-to-machine materials, such as Inconel or titanium, the tools need to be changed in a quick rhythm. Frequently changing order sequences also require correspondingly frequent set-up processes. This takes up work and machining time – just a few minutes each, but these add up over time and across all machinery. With »cora«, the cooperative robot assistant from ZOLLER, in combination with the CHIRON Group machining centers, potential for rationalization can be exploited and clear gains in efficiency can be achieved.  

Excellent solution, pioneering, super digital …
… great tool, many application options: This is just a small selection from the all-positive feedback received for the webinar led by Bernd Schwennig on behalf of the CHIRON Group Sales department.

Would you experience the solution for yourself? Make a personal appointment for an online presentation or stop by for a visit at the Smart Factory in Pleidelsheim. To do so, please contact your responsible sales employee from the CHIRON Group or contact ZOLLER.

As an alternative, you can also have a first look at the OPEN HOUSE ONLINE during the innovation talk of ZOLLER on the topic »Increase efficiency, ensure quality - integrated tool management and innovative data transmission in practice«.

Millions of machining centers are used worldwide, and they operate with cooling lubricants as a rule. In most cases, that means the operators mix water and an additive to form an emulsion, top up the tank, and assume everything's fine.

»Unfortunately that's not actually the case«, according to Pascal Schröder, Development Coordination Digitalization at the CHIRON Group. »Let's say the tank holds 900 liters, and there was 300 liters left in it. It wouldn't be wise to then add 600 liters of fresh, cold emulsion to it. The temperature of the emulsion as a whole would change suddenly, which – thanks to the laws of physics – would mean each machining center would warp slightly, negatively affecting the precision and machining quality.«

Another negative aspect is that machining processes generate heat, causing the water in the emulsion to evaporate faster. The longer the cooling lubricant is used, the higher its concentration, and the less stable the process. If the cooling lubricant is not maintained properly, it can also result in deposits accumulating in the process, causing tools to break and stopping surfaces from fitting. Which is all the more problematic if a tank supplies many different machines rather than just one. According to Adrian Schoch, Head of Application at MOTOREX, »even high-quality additives won't help in these cases. That's because they, like the machining centers, can only give their best performance when they are used correctly.«

The goal: »To digitalize« fluid
For Pascal Schröder, the answer is clear: »The automatic supply, monitoring, and maintenance of cooling lubricant is a key factor for machining centers to deliver perfect results. Particularly bearing in mind the opportunities from networked production and Industry 4.0, it makes little sense to constantly monitor the machine condition but to completely ignore the surrounding processes.«

That's why the CHIRON Group has, for many years, supported developments by MOTOREX to achieve automatic fluid management and the optimum conditions for machining different materials.

Scalable for every requirement
The smartphone-based Easy Monitoring App from MOTOREX offers a convenient introduction to automatic cooling lubricant maintenance. The app provides a digital illustration of the fluids, records all relevant parameters in seconds, and stores the data for analysis and documentation purposes. Discrepancies can be identified at an early stage and eliminated quickly.

Machining centers »understand« fluid
Incorporating fluid management into the machine controls of the CHIRON Group machining centers offers a number of advantages when combined with the Easy Monitoring App: All relevant values such as the concentration, pH value, conductivity, temperature, and fill level can be viewed directly. Plus, the data can be transmitted to the CHIRON Group and to MOTOREX, with the customer's consent of course. This allows the professionals to provide direct support. The system can intelligently top up and automatically maintain the fluid. When the first shift starts on Monday, the emulsion is just right and the tank is topped up to perfection.

Would you like to know more about Swisscare Smart Solutions for CHIRON Group machining centers?
Get in touch with us! Or pay a visit to »micro on tour« in Switzerland in late summer 2021. Nine partners will be on board the roadshow truck, providing information on innovative solutions and services along the entire precision manufacturing process chain.

If you get to witness Fouad Cheaitani, Head of Sales, Customer Support and Business Development at Stellba, and Axel Boi in a discussion about digital expertise, you feel a bit like a spectator at a high-level table tennis match. The balls fly at lightning speed, the »players« are precise and each return brings a new twist. They’re in their element – a well-oiled team. They’re clearly proud of what has developed from what was initially a simple LinkedIn connection. It’s grown into a development partnership and the AM Cube, which, since its premier at the OPEN HOUSE ONLINE in May 2020, has expanded both its options and applications. One thing led to another...

Expanding and deepening expertise
As a specialist for tailored customer solutions for coatings and machining, Stellba has in-depth expertise in the areas of thermal spraying, welding and Plasma-Transferred-Arc. In 2014, they had already begun using laser technologies and selling the first laser-welding systems for »XXL-workpieces and components,« says Fouad Cheaitani. The goal of the investment was to optimize the technology for use at Stellba and to transfer the machining of particular workpieces to the factory. The particular focus was on the processes where conventional methods delivered good results, but they weren’t quite »Swiss Quality«.

Building expertise and finding new partners
The company built up its expertise and, in May 2019, took on distinguished expert Fouad Cheaitani. He had extensive experience with laser technologies, which he’d been building on since 2003, precisely tracking the development of laser deposition welding, especially in Additive Manufacturing, across all media. Fouad Cheaitani gives lectures on the subject and is well-connected with all specialists and research institutions in this area.

When Stellba was looking for a partner to expand their expertise beyond coating to the creating of workpieces, to answer requests to manufacture small batches, Fouad Cheaitani was in contact with a whole host of companies. But none of these really fulfilled his requirements for a partnership that really benefited both parties. »We didn’t want a finished system that we would need to restructure to suit our needs. We’re also a relatively small company, with only 20 employees, and we worried that we wouldn’t be heard on stage with the large OEMs.«

But, thankfully for both sides, Fouad Cheaitani became aware of CHIRON Group during his research, thanks to how active it was in the area of Additive Manufacturing. He liked a LinkedIn post by Dr. Nasim Bosh and immediately made contact. They got to know each other online, then met in person at the ETH Zurich and found they clicked instantly. The first meeting with Axel Boi took place in fall 2019, and the contracts had been signed before Christmas even arrived.

Flexibility. With Additive Manufacturing as an alternative.
Axel Boi was immediately prepared to prove that they could achieve what Fouad Cheaitani describes as »fantasy in the plant«. He wanted to work together with Stellba to put the existing qualities of the AM Cube to the test. They wanted many options which fell under the heading of »maximum flexibility«. Stellba is a service provider, and the requests can differ greatly from day to day. For example, machining with four or five axes, wire or powder, material application with lance or nozzle, preheating parts to 300 degrees, welding under argon cover gas atmosphere in the entire working area to avoid oxidation and formation of pores – every project has its own, new challenges. Challenges, which the AM Cube would need to conquer fantastically.

Always at top speed
To transfer these varied requirements into practical solutions, it isn’t just Fouad Cheaitani and Axel Boi who are constantly in discussion. In Dottikon and Tuttlingen, teams from all departments work closely and constructively together. Every two weeks there is a team meeting, where all the application engineers, material specialists and software engineers get together and to discuss issues and progress. Every department contributes different expertise and view points, which are discussed, and then discarded or implemented as quickly as possible.

The worry that the CHIRON Group was too large to move at this pace quickly dissolved. The Additive Manufacturing division has, according to Axel Boi, »A start-up character – very dynamic and flexible. On the other hand, we have access to CHIRON Group reserve resources and support, and more experts that we can call upon if necessary.«

Stellba’s focus is new materials and possibilities
Fouad Cheaitani is on the »side of material«. One of the reasons why Stellba decided to collaborate with Axel Boi’s team was, »many companies got involved on the software side or the technology side – but for the perfect results and more applications, the material had to be perfect. As a distinguished materials expert, Dr. Nasim Bosh is the ideal sparring partner for us.« Eventually, in the future, Stellba doesn’t just want to build components with the existing material range of wire or powder, it also wants to develop new specially adjusted materials and coating materials for Additive Manufacturing. They should help achieve the required mechanical values and realize new material properties – for example with new additives or new compositions.

Will this work better with wire or powder? On the one hand, this is a matter of experience, on the other, a case of experimenting. Of course it will take time, but in comparison to developing and gaining approval for completely new materials, the desired results are found much more quickly. Not least thanks to the idea-ping-pong going on between them and Axel Boi’s team, where ideas and approaches are communicated openly, and jointly tested and fleshed-out for feasibility.

Easy to use: a real USP
And now, back to reality, after a brief foray into the future of Additive Manufacturing. The important thing is the safe mastery of these highly complex technologies to minimize operating errors. According to Fouad Cheaitani, one of the central benefits of the AM Cube is »automatic changing of the application heads. Whether wire or powder, 3D printing or coating, internal or external... Things that take hours for other manufacturers take only minutes here, and without the need for manual interference. It’s unrivaled.« Equally unrivaled – and incidentally a small but positive surprise for Axel Boi too – is that the AM Cube takes just five days to install and set up.

Variety as a goal – check.
Coating, 3D printing or repair – It’s all possible with the AM Cube. And the various applications at Stellba prove that anything is possible. Since it was commissioned, various research projects have been run on the 3D metal printer in collaboration with prestigious Swiss universities and, since December, it has taken on even more different orders. It has been welding half-shells for brakes in locomotives, coating the inside of components with aluminum-bronze and repairing turbine blades.

Currently, they are building an impeller for a turbine fully additively. Stellba also carries out repairs on various components using the AM Cube and is working hard on qualifying new materials such as tungsten carbide or materials based on nickel.

The development partnership is a resounding success, not just in finding more options for all AM Cube users, says Fouad Cheaitani, »to our delight, and that of our owner and CEO Philipp Jutzi, the system is already making us money.«

The trial phase is now complete and the AM Cube has already mastered a huge variety of industrial tasks at Stellba, with flying colors.

This begs the question, will Additive Manufacturing replace existing technologies? Fouad Cheaitani and Axel Boi are united in thinking that it won’t. But the engineers have more possibilities when developing components, both regarding the lower weight of the part and saving energy, and the design.

Click here to find out more about the highlights of the AM Cube, applications and options.

Interested in more information or a personal discussion about the AM Cube and its industrial uses at Stellba? 

Axel Boi welcomes your request and would be happy to put you in contact with Fouad Cheaitani.

Although, his admission isn’t entirely true. The IT specialist had previously been a builder in a metalworking company. Working in production, he noticed just how much paperwork, besides just the workpiece drawings, accompanied the manufacturing contracts at the machining centers. However, at the time, he knew there was no other real alternative.

Fast-forward to today and there are better options for generating digital working plans, including time and cost calculations, which are not only paperless, but also much quicker and cheaper to implement.

But one thing remains true; the firm with the biggest edge, is the one that can massively reduce the pre-production costs to create a sizeable advantage over their competitors (especially as a service provider).

The disadvantage? This isn’t the kind of edge you can simply buy, install and run. It’s something you have to generate and develop yourself. But at BAM GmbH this was quite simple, for two main reasons. Firstly, because their young CEO (Bauer was just 24 when he took over the company) was a fully signed-up and pioneering digital protagonist. And secondly, because the digitization of the then-small JobShop developed hand-in-hand with the company’s expansion. Bauer concedes, »In an existing organization with an established production planning system, moving from analogue to digital processes would certainly require a lot of persuasion and persistence.« But he is convince »The effort is worth it. Certainly, we consciously invest in the most modern manufacturing equipment for machining and sheet-metal machining, as well as for 3D printing, but having your business and technical administration digitized is the key for high efficiency and has the most growth potential. Without the immense advantages that digitization allowed us, we wouldn’t have grown so quickly.«

BAM GmbH started eight years ago as a prototype operation with the initial idea of growing as an online business. And this is, of course, where the advantages of digitally generated offers are most evident (as most orders are single-piece runs or lots of one). The calculation algorithm functions fully automatically and is complete within seconds. Bauer sets the scene, »We calculate around 3,000 requests per month over this rapid platform. We’d never manage that with traditional paper methods unless we had a really big and extremely pricey, dedicated calculations department.« They simply wouldn’t be profitable, or would have to make parts extremely expensive.

The BAM GmbH digital business predominantly (but by no means exclusively) deals with 3D-printed parts, for which – by the nature of what it is – there are already 3D-CAD models. These are the perfect input for a fully automatic, digital calculation of the work plans and price within seconds. Bauer explains »The 3D-printing customers for additive manufacturing, who are digitally oriented anyway, have no problem sharing their construction data for their products with us so we can calculate the quote. It’s the opposite for the ‘subtractive’, that is, the typical machining customers – we almost always have a bit of back and forth there about data protection and security. We get plenty of objections to simply uploading and sending highly sensitive construction data to the internet.«

But one has to wonder why, since »The same companies, however, have no problem sending their construction data, fully unencrypted, via email. For the digital JobShop business model, Germany is definitely one of the toughest markets in the world. And that’s why we’re – as far as we know – still the only digital contracting manufacturer here.«

It’s a business that has achieved incredible and rapid growth in just eight years and, for example, within the last two years, invested 25 million euros in more manufacturing equipment. If you ask the Executive Majority Shareholder Bauer, how a medium-sized enterprise like BAM GmbH finances this kind of huge investment? He’ll tell you »certainly not on credit from a bank. For two reasons. Firstly, BAM GmbH achieves a much higher profit margin than your typical JobShop, thanks to increasing digitization in place of time and cost-intensive administrative processes. And secondly, the Unger family (German auto-parts billionaires featured on Forbes.com) have been shareholders for some time now, and we agree completely on our joint business strategies. And so, BAM GmbH is able to finance its investments almost entirely without the involvement of banks.«

And on the subject of collaborative, streamlined (anything-but-standard), business approaches, let’s not forget the unusually broad variety of options that this contracting manufacturer offers. BAM GmbH offers comprehensive precision manufacturing of all kinds (including honing), but primarily turning, milling and drilling, as well as 3D printing for metal and plastic, and industrial sheet-metal working with lasers/ punching, bending and welding. And last but not least, BAM’s special-purpose machinery for plant engineering. And all of this, wherever possible, is automated on the workpiece side to allow for 24/7 operation.

Is this young company not perhaps overstretching itself? Bauer can explain, »Our aim is to be the one-stop-shop for everything, online. We want to fulfil our customer orders to a high professional level, as simply, quickly, professionally and cheaply as possible, and that requires us to have the most comprehensive offer of technical services.« He reiterates, »The investment required to achieve this is possible thanks to the increasing digitization of our processes, which makes us leaner. When we’re selecting which manufacturing equipment to invest in next, we always consciously choose the newest developments.« He explains this logic: »These are the options that, if they meet our needs, promise us the greatest benefits and returns.«

An example of these far-from-usual investment decisions includes the three machines, which were first presented at the 2018 AMB in Stuttgart, and which BAM GmbH ordered.

+ For example, the Artery Universal multifunctional turning center, which was presented by Weisser Söhne, is spectacular in many aspects, not least its design. BAM GmbH opted for this, alongside the milling head capable of performing the ‘High Dynamic Turning’ process, in order to use the ‘FreeTurn’ tools from Ceratizit. Josef Wittman, Head of Manufacturing, explains the decision: »No. As striking and unusual as the design of the ‘Artery’ is, that wasn’t what persuaded us to invest. It was actually the very high-quality workmanship and the HDT concept with the view to more efficient turning than has yet been possible. Not to mention the extremely high long-term precision, even with lengthy cycles of high cutting capacity, that we’ve come to expect from Weisser-Vita – also possible thanks to the HDT. That is really the talking point.«

+ Then, the equally universal HyperTurn 45 G3 by Emco. No, not a spectacular development, but one that has impressed pragmatic and demanding users like BAM GmbH. Wittmann says, »It's very compact for its operational range, has a relatively small footprint and is very productive, with two tool turrets, especially as it bridges delivery and empty routes very dynamically. This machine is perfect for small components.« He emphasizes, »Unfortunately, unlike for milling/drilling, there isn’t such a comprehensive and coherent product offer for various working areas from one provider when it comes to turning. We could also opt to invest in others, in addition to turning, like those at Hermle AG – we have 13 machining centers from them with various working areas.«

+ Last but not least, from STAMA the MT 733 two plus was another BAM new investment after the 2018 AMB – and was also the reason for this user report. A ‘Project Machining Center’, is how Wittmann describes this newly developed multifunctional milling-turning center. He explains, »We had a request from one of our existing customers for around 15,000 parts per year for a geometrically very demanding component made from aluminum forge material with 40 tools, and we knew that we’d need very special manufacturing equipment for this potential job.« Handy, then, that there were regional machine representatives effectively creating a hinge between machine users and manufacturers. Like the Berner+Straller GmbH sales representation with their three offices in Nuremberg, Munich and Dresden, who represent, among many other notable machining brands, STAMA and Weisser Söhne. Sales Engineer Jürgen Güntner reports, »We knew both the particular project requirements of our customers, BAM in Weiden, and of course the newly developed MT 733 two plus from STAMA, and thought that they’d be a good pairing. So we brought the two together at the AMB 2018.« And Wittmann remembers, »We knew immediately, right then, that the MT 733 two plus was exactly what we needed for the potential project order – our evaluations just confirmed that.«

And why did they decide in favor of the MT 733 two plus, as the tallest in the range? Wittmann explains, »This configuration level is the most versatile and, as a contracting business, you need the most versatile manufacturing tools you can get.« He reminds us, »The MT 733 two plus works both from the left on bars and also with rear loading via the portal loader for handling pre-formed or pre-cut parts. That was a key criterion for our decision.« He continues, »It’s also technologically versatile, as the first spindle on the MT 733 two plus offers an enormous 59 kW, while the second spindle, with its 15 kW, reaches up to 20,000 rpm. We can both mill precisely, and efficiently drill tiny holes, with 120 bar coolant fluid pressure to ensure processes reliability and, of course, we can achieve optimal turning too.« STAMA Sales Engineer Marcel Alter emphasizes, »Thanks to the fully symmetrical portal principle, and also the polymer concrete base frame, the MT 733 two plus offers fantastic static rigidity and low dynamic flexibility, which also works in favor of a long cutting-edge service life and high precision.« Wittmann sums up, »This turning/milling machining center also has the advantage of two autonomous, five-axis working areas for optimal machining. Also, when OP20 is finished, the part, which is machined on six sides in two clamping positions, can be removed automatically from the rear – this reduces the processing time again.«

And even with the order of 15,000 parts per year with a time-per-piece of four minutes, the MT 733 two plus isn’t at capacity. As we come to the end, Bauer confirms, »No, of course it’s not. But we’re sure that we will win more contracts for it. Thanks to our extensive digitization of both administrative and technical processes, and our workpiece-side automation – partially with robot cells we have developed ourselves – BAM GmbH is extremely competitive.«

Another BAM-man joined us in our research. Ralf Schnurr’s business card describes him as a Technology Evangelist, which he explained to us, »Translated, it means ‘the bearer of good news’. It’s my job to publicize and promote how digitally forward-thinking we are, in the hope that our digital methods are accepted by more and more customers – I’m a bit like a digital missionary.« So once again, and always, anything but standard. And that’s the key to their success.

For more information: https://bam.group/en/

An FZ 15 S baseline machining center is compact, fast, and versatile. The pre-configured machine is the ideal choice for producing gleaming surfaces and the finest slots, fits, and geometries. Thanks to this profile, the pre-configured 5-axis machining center perfectly matched the complex requirements specified by Massimo Simeone, Project Manager at the Anest Iwata Strategic Center: »We wanted a machining solution that we could use to fully and highly precisely manufacture the components for a new spray gun. Quality is the deciding factor in this high-end segment. The CHIRON Group had the experience we were looking for and the perfect machines.« In addition, Anest Iwata wanted to change from 4-axis to 5-axis machining so that it would be able to manufacture other parts with complex geometries highly productively after this project.

The special spray gun made from die-cast aluminum is designed for applying paint in car body construction at OEMs and smaller companies, which, among other things, paint Formula 1 racing cars layer by layer to achieve a high-gloss finish. It's the most complex product to date for the Italian site, and the first collaboration with CHIRON Italia.

Teamwork for an automated process
The solution presented by the team, headed by Regional Sales Manager Davide Isepatto and Project Manager Mario Farella, is an Italian co-production consisting of a CHIRON FZ 15 S baseline, clamping technology from LORENZI S.r.l. from Bergamo, and automation from Automazioni Industriali Brescia, under the turnkey responsibility of CHIRON Italia.

Not only do the participating companies work together perfectly as a team – the three elements do too: The robot cell takes the blanks from the pallets and loads the parts into the machine. The FZ 15 S baseline carries out all of the machining operations: Milling, highly complex drilling, threading, and smoothing. Once the machining is finished, the robot passes the parts to the blow-out station and then places them into trays. The automation enables continuous machining around the clock; all the operators have to do is place the blanks on the pallet.

The order was placed in October 2019, and the installation was completed in June 2020. To keep availability consistently high, the solution was supplemented by the RemoteLine digital system for remote diagnosis and maintenance.