Precisely! (PDF 1,5 MB)

Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
The state of the art
in aerospace parts
INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE FORUM
Machine efficiency and flexibility
cut costs per part
Regro S.r.l.
Looking for trouble
FAiST Mekatronic
Booming business banks on Makino
www.makino.eu
www.makino.eu
Precisely!
02|2014
Dear Reader,
A key characteristic for companies demonstrating a sustainable
leading position in a high-tech sector is their significant investment in research and development. One of the most advanced
industries in the European Union in this respect is aerospace,
which, according to official figures, generates a total annual
turnover of €128 billion, 12% of which is directed to R&D.
It is no coincidence that Makino, in pursuing objectives with
a very long-term perspective, have made major investments
in R&D to promote the advancement of the premium production
technologies required for today’s aerospace components –
from a technical and commercial point of view.
The increasing global demand for air travel – 4.8% annual
growth in passenger traffic is expected in coming years –
promises a rosy future not only for aircraft manufacturers,
but also for their Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers! At Makino,
we take pride in making a proactive contribution to the
development of small as well as large enterprises working
in this field. Given the enormous attention devoted to this
industry, we do our best to share our knowledge and experience throughout the aerospace community and also to help
in establishing an exchange network between partners and
customers.
Last but not least, we cordially invite you to join us at our
next aerospace event on 27 - 28 November 2014, where we
will be focusing on Aerospace Structures. Incidentally,
Michael Santo will be one of the keynote speakers on this
occasion.
I hope you enjoy reading this latest issue of our customer
magazine and look forward to seeing you at one of the
upcoming exhibitions in Stuttgart (AMB), Brno (MSV) or
Milan (BiMU).
Yours sincerely,
One such event was the International Aerospace Forum held
at the Makino Technology Centre in Kirchheim in early July.
In the meantime, this Forum has become a yearly tradition
at which the attendees can witness how the cost of machining aerospace parts can be dramatically reduced through
optimising cutting performance and benefiting from the
extraordinary flexibility of Makino’s technology solutions.
On pages 4-7, we look back at the key messages that came
out of that Aerospace Forum, portray the new Makino T1 as
a highly efficient machining solution for large aerospace parts
of any shape or material, and feature an interview with Michael
Santo, a recognised aerospace supply chain specialist, on
the impact of current and future developments on European
aerospace supply firms. In that same interview, Rolf Schmidt,
General Manager Application & Services at Makino Europe,
outlines how we at Makino can help aerospace suppliers
tackle current and future challenges.
P. Anders Ingemarsson
President & CEO
Makino Europe
If you would like to find out more about the Makino
portfolio, a specific product or anything else
mentioned in this magazine, or if you have any other
questions or enquiries, please get in touch with:
Andreas Walbert, Marketing
[email protected]
Publisher: MAKINO Europe GmbH
Photos: Makino, Regro s.r.l., FAiST
Director of publication: P. Anders Ingemarsson
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Precisely! 02|2014
Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
www.makino.eu
Contents
MAKINO Europe GmbH
Headquarters:
Essener Bogen 5
22419 Hamburg, Germany
+49 (40) 2980 9-0
Makino GmbH
Essener Bogen 5
22419 Hamburg, Germany
+49 (40) 2980 9-0
4
INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE FORUM
Machine efficiency and flexibility cut costs per part
8
Regro S.r.l.
Looking for trouble
11
14
FAiST Mekatronic
Booming business banks on Makino
Makino Europe News
Kruichling 18
73230 Kirchheim unter Teck,
Germany
+49 (7021) 503-0
Makino France S.A.S.
Bat. Ronsard Hall A Paris Nord 2
22 Avenue des Nations, CS 45045
95912 Roissy Charles De Gaulle
Cedex, France
+33 1 787843-20
Makino Italia S.r.l.
Strada privata delle Orobie, 5
Località Santa Maria in Campo
20873 Cavenago Brianza (MB), Italy
+39 (02) 9594 82-90
Makino Iberia S.L.U.
C/Agricultura, 16 – 18, 2º 4ª
08320 El Masnou, Barcelona, Spain
+34 (93) 555 95 15
We kindly invite you to join us at the following events:
AMB, Stuttgart, Germany
16 - 20 September 2014
MSV, Brno, Czech Republic
29 September - 3 October 2014
BiMU, Milan, Italy
30 September - 4 October 2014
Fakuma, Friedrichshafen, Germany
14 - 18 October 2014
Siane, Toulouse, France
21 - 23 October 2014
Airtec, Frankfurt, Germany
28 - 30 October 2014
Metall Madrid, Madrid, Spain
29 - 30 October 2014
Technology Seminar, Cavenago, Italy
17 November 2014
Prodex, Basel, Switzerland
18 - 21 November 2014
International Aerospace Forum, Kirchheim u.T., Germany 27 - 28 November 2014
Intec, Leipzig, Germany
24 - 27 February 2015
For detailed information, please go to www.makino.eu.
We are looking forward to your visit!
Makino s.r.o.
Tuhovská 31
83106 Bratislava, Slovakia
+421 (2) 4961 2-100
Ve Svahu 482/5
147 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic
+421 (2) 4961 2-100
MAKINO Europe GmbH
4th Dobrininsky Pereulok 8
Office C13-02
119049 Moscow,
Russian Federation
+7 (495) 989 82-20
International Headquarters:
Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd.
3-19 Nakane 2-chome
Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8578, Japan
+81 (337) 1711 51
www.makino.co.jp
Europe-wide web address:
www.makino.eu
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INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE FORUM
Machine efficiency
and flexibility
cut costs per part
Numerous attendees saw how the cost of machining aerospace parts
can be reduced through optimised cutting performance and the efficient
flexibility of Makino’s machining solutions.
Cost reductions and time savings in manufacturing structural parts
were the focal point of the International Aerospace Forum held at the
Makino Technology Centre in Kirchheim/Teck on 2-3 July this year.
Numerous attendees were impressed by demonstrations of the latest
developments in aerospace parts’ machining, a first sighting of the new
Makino T1 designed for high-efficiency machining of large parts of any
shape or material, and success stories from Makino customers.
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Precisely! 02|2014
Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
The latest developments in manufacturing aerospace parts were demonstrated not just by Makino but also by
partners such as Dassault Systèmes,
a world leader for CAD/CAM software
for aerospace applications, that has
optimised the cutting performance for
structural components by implementing solutions developed in collaboration with Makino. Besides presentations
by well-known personalities from the
aerospace industry and Makino specialists, the Aerospace Forum staged
the first-ever viewing of the Makino T1
www.makino.eu
1
in Europe (see box). The message that
all participants went home with was
that costs per part can be reduced and
time saved in machining aerospace
components through the flexibility and
efficiency of Makino machines. This
was underlined by the following success stories presented at the Aerospace
Forum by two Makino customers.
Huge cost savings
N.C.M, a manufacturer of components
for aircraft, aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines based in Foligno, Italy,
reported on how costs savings of between 65% and 83% were achieved
in machining aluminium alloy structural
parts on two Makino MAG1s equipped
with a 30,000-rpm spindle in a 30-pallet Fastems lean manufacturing cell.
The other success story came from
ASCO Industries, a company based
in Zaventem, Belgium and a world
leader in the design and manufacture
of high lift devices, complex mechanical assemblies and major functional
components for the aerospace industry. Working with a stand-alone
Makino T2, two Makino T2s in flexible
manufacturing systems and a standalone Makino a92, ASCO has reduced
machining work-in-progress and flow
times by a third, polishing times by
half and costs by over 10%. Such
impressive achievements were made
possible by close collaboration between ASCO and Makino that commenced in 2009.
2
2
3
4
5
1 Serge Wintgens, ASCO’s Technical
Director, talking about his positive
experience with the Makino T2
2 Rolf Schmidt, Makino Europe’s
General Manager Applications,
speaking at the opening session
3 L ive demonstrations at
Makino’s European Aerospace Centre
in Kirchheim/Teck
4 Masayoshi Hirahata, Makino Japan’s
General Manager Applications,
introducing the Makino T1 to the
European market
5 T he BBQ dinner was a great opportunity
for interesting discussions
5
INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE FORUM
European Aerospace
Centre
Based in spacious, climate-controlled rooms in
Kirchheim/Teck near Stuttgart, Makino’s European
Aerospace Centre is staffed by specialists for 5-axis
programming for aerospace parts, aerospace application engineers, tooling and fixture specialists.
Since various Makino machines specifically designed
for manufacturing aerospace components, e.g. the
MAG1 and T1, have been installed at the Technology
Centre, visitors can enjoy live demonstrations.
Just contact us to arrange a visit
[email protected]
Demonstrations in aluminium, titanium and
Inconel® showcased the T1’s versatility
Interview
but only delivering 10% of its output to customers there.
Not surprisingly, the regions with the highest demand
expect to enjoy their share of the value added chain as well.
Michael Santo
Managing Partner,
h&z Consulting
Rolf Schmidt
General Manager Application
& Services, Makino Europe
Precisely! talked to Michael Santo, an aerospace
supply chain specialist who is Managing Partner
at the consultancy firm h&z and writes a column for
FOCUS Online and is often quoted in Handelsblatt
and Spiegel online, and Rolf Schmidt, Makino
Europe’s General Manager Applications & Services.
What key developments are impacting
on aerospace suppliers right now
Michael Santo: I see four main developments. First, the
reduction in military expenditure in Europe. For years,
military programmes have been the customary drivers of
aerospace technology and the introduction of new materials.
Since the margins for military suppliers have been good,
they have helped companies to offer attractive prices on
civil aerospace projects. Second, there is the rising importance of the BRIC countries (Ed. Brazil, Russian, India and
China). They currently have the highest growth rates in air
traffic and demand for aircraft, especially in Asia. Airbus,
for example, is buying approx. 80% of its material in Europe
Q
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Precisely! 02|2014
Third, the introduction of new materials and technologies in
a wider range of aircraft, e.g. the increasing use of titanium
and carbon fibre, requires huge investments on the supplier
side to maintain market share and be in a position to grow
with the OEM.
Fourth, there are big challenges in the ramp-up of new
programmes. This is particularly true of the A350, the new
carbon-fibre long-range jet, and the A320 Neo, a revamped
version of the existing plane with new engines and more
carbon fibre. Bringing the completely new A350 to series
production obviously throws up huge challenges; and with
the A320 Neo the biggest challenge is to ramp up production
from nil to 50 planes a month in a very short time – with
nearly 80% external sourcing. To master these ramp-up
challenges European suppliers will have to be strong,
flexible and agile.
How can Makino help aerospace suppliers tackle
such challenges and improve their performance?
Rolf Schmidt: European aerospace suppliers are certainly
facing increasing pressures, as Michael Santo said, and they
have to be able to manufacture aerospace parts on competitive terms – despite increasingly strict quality requirements
Q
Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
www.makino.eu
Makino T1: high-efficiency machining of large parts of any
shape and any material
The Makino T1 is a versatile and powerful horizontal machining centre that combines the toughness, rigidity and damping
of Makino’s larger titanium machining centres with the machine dynamics of Makino’s aluminium machining centres and
the accuracy management of Makino’s vertical machining centres. The T1 delivers the dynamic stiffness and rigidity critical to achieving maximum cutting stability when producing large, heavy components. Beam deflection and the resultant
inaccurate part positioning often experienced on traditional trunnion tables are not an issue since the B-axis rotary table
and bed casting support such large stresses. Moreover, the T1’s unique casting
and kinematic structure ensure easy accessibility to large or cylindrical workpieces. The T1 is ideally suited to machining structural parts in titanium alloys
and engine components in titanium or nickel alloys, while also delivering good
cutting performances in other materials, e.g. aluminium. The T1’s chip and coolant systems effectively eliminate heat from the cutting zone, extend tool life and
optimise chip evacuation to overcome the challenges presented by high-volume
aluminium machining and high-temperature titanium roughing.
and more demanding material combinations. So the
focus quite clearly is on costs per part. At Makino we can
support our customers through technologies that satisfy
these requirements, e.g. the ability to rough and finish
titanium parts in five axes on one and the same machine.
Such one-set-up machining not only improves quality but
also reduces cutting times. In addition, our BU Aerospace
specialists are constantly working to optimise innovative
cutting strategies and reduce tool costs. This combination
of products specially designed to meet the demands of the
aerospace industry and our technological know-how can
help Makino customers achieve cost savings of up to 80%.
What future developments do you expect in the European
aerospace industry, and how will they affect suppliers?
Michael Santo: The aerospace supply chain will undergo
a significant transformation. To ensure successful ramp-ups
and remain competitive, OEMs will concentrate on a
limited number of Tier 1 suppliers and expect them to be in
a position to manage their own supply chains properly. This
means that Tier 1, Tier 2 and even Tier 3 suppliers will be
held responsible, more than now, for managing their own
supply chains. In concrete terms, that will mean investments
in people, tools and infrastructure. In order to remain competitive in a global supplier market, European companies will
have to be cost-competitive and very strong on innovation
in processes and products. I am convinced that innovative
capabilities will be the driver for future USPs. As a com-
Q
modity required in higher volumes than before, aerospace
components will be sourced all over the world on the basis
of total cost comparisons.
In practice this means that suppliers will clearly have to
think hard about their future strategic set-up: “Am I the
future global cost leader or the innovative technology
leader?”; “What is my USP?”; “What will be my future role
in the supply chain – Tier 1, 2 or 3?”; “How will I get involved
in global supplier networks?”; “Will I go for partnerships
with other suppliers, and if so how?”; and “What financial
requirements will there be, and how will I meet them?”.
I am sure that these developments will lead to very strong
global cost competition and an innovative supplier landscape in Europe.
International
Aerospace Forum
The next Makino aerospace event to be held in
Kirchheim, Germany on 27-28 November 2014
will focus on optimizing process and tool costs
by applying leading Makino technologies.
7
Regro S.r.l.
Looking for
trouble
No-compromise quality, scrupulous tolerance compliance and tight
delivery times are now vital for European mould-makers.
Founded in 1977 in Adro near Brescia in Northern Italy, Regro has since acquired in-depth know-how in designing
and engineering moulds, initially for die casting and later injection moulding. From operating in a number of
industries Regro has, in recent years, switched to an almost exclusive focus on the automotive industry and
now designs and manufactures medium to large moulds for international first-tier suppliers who supply plastic
components to mainly German automotive companies: dashboards, interiors, and front and rear bumpers.
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Precisely! 02|2014
Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
Beating Chinese competition
Dario Marchetti, Regro’s General
Manager, is convinced that mouldmakers, who were challenged by
countries with low labour costs long
before the economic crisis started,
cannot merely stick with their old
routines: “They need to improve, meet
the challenges of the market, learn,
invest and grow. We did that and we
keep on doing it. Before we established
ourselves in the demanding automotive
industry, our moulds were simpler and
more exposed to global competition.
For example, when a vacuum cleaner
manufacturer moves to China, we cannot possibly supply the mould from
www.makino.eu
Extraordinary complexity
Moulds leaving the Regro factory are
real machines. In addition to the usual
injection and cooling circuits, each
mould includes a number of parts that
must move in various directions and in
a specific order to enable the moulded
part to exit the mould. Sliding core
moulds are only one of the many difficult challenges the engineering design
team faces. The so-called inserts are
another, i.e. various combinations of
steel blocks with different forms (depending on the type of product to be
made) and for different versions of the
same component, though originating
from the same mould base.
Italy, no matter how good we are. The
whole production chain will move and
the customer will want suppliers from
over there. That is inevitable. Only by
manufacturing difficult pieces can we
beat the Chinese competition.”
Regro has thus made significant investments in technology to achieve a qualitative leap, explore different paths and
manufacture much bigger, more complex and more difficult moulds. The
company has literally been looking
for “trouble”, offering no-compromise
quality, scrupulous tolerance compliance and tight delivery times. All this
justifies the manufacturing of moulds
in Italy, even if these moulds are used
in automotive plants further afield.
An automotive mould typically combines a base mould and different
inserts. These inserts require many
hours of consistent work and repre­
sent the most critical part of the
operation because of their number
and different shapes. The final part is
often on view and aesthetic aspects
are absolutely important.
Challenges with suppliers
Such complex components were both
a blessing and a curse for the engineer­ing design team: “For a while we out­sourced their manufacturing, but there
were quality issues,” Dario explains.
“And a delay in delivery because our
supplier made a mistake was out of
question! The time we had for manag­
ing emergencies was – and still is –
very short, and the delivery date has
to be complied with at all costs. Attracted not least by the cost savings,
we tried manufacturing inserts in
China, but the rate of non-compliance
was unacceptable.”
9
Dario Marchetti,
General Manager, Regro s.r.l.
Goodbye to uncertainty
Regro decided to insource all mechanical processing – with no exceptions.
So they bought a 5-axis Makino D500
with nine pallets. They considered
other manufacturers, but the D500
promised better precision and guaran­t ies for the spindle no other manufacturer could match: “We needed to be
sure that after machining, the insert
would be ready for assembly on the
mould with no more manual work.
Only this certainty allows us to carefully plan the progress of the work on
the mould, insert after insert, in line
with the CAD geometry. The parts
have to be immediately perfect, with
no adjustment time permitted. Today,
after a couple of years of continuous
work, we know that the Makino D500
is the best you can get on the market
for that operating range and its precision is excellent.”
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Precisely! 02|2014
Guaranteed precision
In fact, the imposing structure of the
D500 guarantees precision. Regro can
clamp its inserts in the machine, and if
the settings and tools are correct, the
part will definitely comply with the specifications. Uncertainty is no more, as
Dario explains: “We have fully achieved
our goal. We can achieve precision in
the hundredth range without relying
on expert operators. The D500 does
not let us down: when the two critical
prerequisites are met – setup and selection of tools – anybody can obtain
a perfect part, simply because the
machine does not make mistakes.”
According to Regro operators, the
D500 is an intrinsically precise machine.
Electronic corrections are almost non-­
existent. Its excellent performance is
based on great care in designing each
component, e.g. the spindle. Makino’s
spindle concept, which is different from
that of most machine manufacturers,
offers advantages in maintaining precision and prolonging tool life, because
wear is reduced and surface quality
stays excellent over time. The stator
and rotor are cooled from the inside to
the outside, which is a more difficult
and expensive but much better solution than spindles cooled from the outside. The same centrifugal force helps
the coolant to reach the outside
surface, which helps to stabilise the
temperature of each component.
Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
“The quality of the finishing is such that
we can avoid reprocessing, polishing
and any other manual intervention,”
Dario says. “We are really satisfied
and in future we might invest again
in Makino machines. We have now
solved the problem with the inserts:
the entire production cycle is monitored
smoothly, repeatability is assured,
recoveries have been eliminated and
adjusting interventions abolished.
The scheduled mould assembly deadlines are met.”
Booming business
banks on Makino
Reliability of Makino machines the key factor for Romanian high-flyer
Rome, the legend says, was founded by Romulus and Remus. The Romanian engineer Remus Cotut, may not have founded FAiST Mekatronic, but
his career – from CNC operator to managing director in only five years –
is almost legendary. The company this modern-day Remus manages has
seen its workforce grow from 250 employees in 2010 to 880 now, and revenues rise from €4m in 2008 to €53m in 2013. Remus regards the reliability of his Makino J66s and a51nx as a key factor in the FAiST Mekatronic
success story.
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www.makino.eu
FAiST Mekatronic
FAiST in Romania
The Italian FAiST Group has been expanding worldwide ever
since it was founded in 1978. The subsidiary set up in 2005
near the West Romanian city of Oradea, only a few kilometres
from the Hungarian border, is part of the FAiST Light Metals
Division. Since 2005, the product portfolio of FAiST Mekatronic,
as the subsidiary is known, has expanded to include research
and development, new product launches and manufacturing
of high-quality aluminium die-castings, precision machining,
silver plating of components and assemblies for the telecom,
automotive, railway and industrial sectors, as well as new
Meteoric career
FAiST chose to set up a subsidiary in this region of Romania
because of the low labour costs and highly skilled workforce –
people such as Remus Cotuț. Although a graduate mechanical
engineer, he first worked at FAiST Mekatronic as a CNC
operator. But he didn’t stay one for long. Soon he was head of
CNC. Within two years he had been promoted to production
manager and in 2010 to managing director. This meteoric
career went hand in hand with the remarkable growth of
FAiST Mekatronic.
Remarkable growth
FAiST Mekatronic is a real high-flyer. The workforce grew
from 250 in 2010 to 650 in 2013 and 880 in August 2014. And
“we’re planning to take on 250-300 more in the next few years,”
Remus adds. If anything, the growth in revenues has been
even more remarkable – up from €4m in 2008 to €53m in 2013.
To cope with the increasing demand for FAiST Mekatronic
products, the company works 24/7 and a three-shift regime,
while a fourth shift stands in for holidays or other gaps.
What is more, there are no signs that growth is coming to
an end. Right now, the company is extending the factory to
add another 9,000m2 to the 16,500m2 of production and office
space currently available. Once the extension is completed
towards the end of 2014, FAiST Mekatronic will have over
20,000 m2 of production space. And it will definitely not be
lying idle, as new machines have already been ordered to
meet the growing demand for the company’s products.
A new aluminium die-casting machine will arrive in December
2014 and the CNC fleet is to be extended from 48 to 70 machines.
Remus Cotuț (r.) talking to Petr Pavka,
Head of Consulting and Sales at Makino s.r.o.
product launches and assemblies of electro-mechanical and
electronic systems. FAiST Mekatronic’s most important markets
are in Europe, supplying customers such as Ericsson with
telecom infrastructure components and automotive suppliers
such as Mahle with motor and pump housings or an Italian
company with two million body tensioners a year. FAiST
Mekatronic produces its components solely from aluminium
alloys but they are currently looking into magnesium as a
significantly lighter alternative.
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Precisely! 02|2014
Remarkable reliability
The first Makino machines arrived at the FAiST Mekatronic
site in June 2006, not long after the factory opened. Those
six J66 horizontal manufacturing centres (HMCs) had come
from a FAiST facility in Italy, where they had been in operation since 2002. “The remarkable thing about these J66s,”
Remus says, “is that they’ve been running totally reliably
for 12 years.” After rather different experiences with the
reliability of HMCs made by another manufacturer, it was the
trusty performance of these J66s that convinced Remus to
Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
www.makino.eu
buy a Makino a51nx in February 2012. “Here, too, we’ve been
amazed by the machine’s performance,” Remus explains.
“For over a year, we monitored this HMC very carefully and
had no unscheduled downtime at all. The a51nx’s performance
with a 15,000-rpm spindle was as good as other CNC machines
with an 18,000-rpm spindle. But the a51nx’s reliability is the
decisive difference. And that’s why I’ve ordered another four
a51nx machines from Makino for delivery this year. Other key
factors in Makino’s favour are the machining precision of 8 µ
and exemplary service support from Makino in Bratislava.
When we need them, Makino’s service technicians are at my
factory by 8 am sharp.”
interest rates down by 30-50%, the cost of borrowing money
will now be no handicap to the company’s on-going expansion.
And as this region of Romania has seen an influx of foreign
factories in recent years, FAiST Mekatronic’s products are
now sold to other companies in the region, e.g. electronic
actuators to the Hella facility in Timişoara.
Expansion plans
“In 2014 we are investing another €10m – €7m in equipment
and €3m in building extensions – and in the coming two years
a further €6m per year,” Remus points out. These upbeat
plans also reflect the promising prospects for the Romanian
economy. The rating agency S&P recently upgraded Romania’s
investment potential from ‘bad’ to ‘very good’. With Romanian
Moving ahead with Makino
The reliable performance of the Makino machines, strong
service support from Makino Europe’s Central European
facility in Bratislava, and the close consulting and sales
assistance provided by Makino’s Petr Pavka are three
reasons why Makino is likely to continue making a key
contribution to FAiST Mekatronic’s on-going success.
“
When we need them, Makino’s
service technicians are
at my factory by 8 am sharp ”
Totally reliable: Makino J66 machines have not let FAiST down in 12 years of operation.
13
News
Makino Europe
Bekaert, Kortrijk, Belgium
As a global market and technology
leader in steel wire transformation
and coatings and the world’s largest
independent manufacturer of drawn
steel wire products, Bekaert employs
27,000 people worldwide, serves customers in 120 countries and generated
combined sales of €4.1 bn in 2013.
Bekaert has been improving the bulk
and surface properties of steel wire
products for more than 130 years.
Though possibly best known as a supplier of steel cord for tyre reinforcement, Bekaert also offers a very wide
range of advanced steel wire products
for other applications, e.g. carding
solutions and card clothing for textile
machinery. Bekaert recently invested
in a second 4-axis Makino UPV-3 wire
EDM machine because of its precision
(within 0.001 mm) and excellent carbide
tool life quality. www.bekaert.com/cardclothing
Grunewald Group, Bocholt, Germany
The Grunewald Group, which is made up of four specialist companies in Germany
and one in the USA, looks back on over 50 years of high-quality tooling, casting and
machining work. The five specialist companies form a strategic alliance in soft
interior and aerospace tooling and the development and production of metal and
plastic components in a function- and production-oriented portfolio ranging from
design concepts and prototypes to low-volume manufacturing and final series
production. Grunewald recently purchased a Makino F8 vertical machining centre
because they were looking for a highly stable machine for working steel. The key
characteristics that led Grunewald to choose the F8 were the stable spindle, a working space that matched Grunewald’s requirements, and a good price-performance
ratio. Grunewald already had a Makino EDM machine in operation at their tooling
company in Irxleben.
www.grunewald.de
Hesterberg, Meinerzhagen, Germany
Founded as tool-making company in 1978, Hesterberg GmbH is an ISO 9001-certified
job shop that has been solely focusing on contract orders since 1996. Hesterberg
specialises in the prodution of tools and prototypes for customers from the metal-,
plastic- and sheet metal-working sectors as well as die and mould making. In March
Hesterberg invested in a Makino machine for the first time. This F9 vertical machining
centre was chosen for its good price-performance ratio and to satisfy the demand
of Hesterberg customers for large components machined to a high degree of
precision. www.hesterberg-cadcam.de
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Makino Europe’s Customer Magazine
www.makino.eu
Hacker-Feinmechanik, Offenberg, Germany
Since its establishment in 1986, Hacker Feinmechanik GmbH has grown into an
international supplier of complex machined parts and sophisticated assemblies for
customers from a wide range of industries, e.g. automotive, hydraulics, mechanical
engineering, medicine and aerospace. A Makino customer since the early 1990s,
Hacker-Feinmechanik recently invested in a Makino D500 vertical machining centre
with an Erowa robot system. The most convincing argument for purchasing this
machine was the overall machine concept and in particular its rigidity.
www.hacker-feinmechanik.de
Barosz Gwimet,
Roman Rochau, Bachhagel, Germany
Wodzisław Śląski, Poland
Established in 1984, the Barosz Gwimet
Group is made up of three business
units, one of which (System-Barosz
Gwimet Sp. z o.o.) specialises in CNC
machining for the automotive industry
and other sectors, machine tool production and the manufacturing of parts
and subassemblies for a wide range
of customers. System-Barosz Gwimet
recently purchased seven Makino
a61nx horizontal machining centres
to machine cylinder heads for Volvo
engines. The company chose the a61nx
because it needed a high degree of
reliability and stability for this highvolume machining contract in which
machine downtime or problems with
accuracy and stability are absolute
no-goes. One of the machines is already
producing the Volvo engine components
and the customer is more than satisfied.
www.sbg.barosz.pl
For more than a quarter of a century, Roman Rochau GmbH & Co. KG has been spe­cialising in producing high-quality stamping and forming tools, high-precision parts,
prototypes, individual components and small batches. The company recently purchased
their first Makino machine, a U6 H.E.A.T. wire EDM. The managing director Roman
Rochau explains why: “We knew Makino to be a first-class partner for precision
machines and decided to invest in a U6 H.E.A.T. because of its very good price-performance ratio and energy balance, intuitive operability, good accessibility and precision.
The collaboration with the
responsible field salesman was
also very satisfying. We have
had the U6 H.E.A.T. since April
and it has entirely fulfilled both
our expectations and those of
our customers in the field of
contract EDM and tool making.
This U6 H.E.A.T. will certainly
not be our last Makino machine!”
www.Rochau-Werkzeugbau.de
SCHIEBEL s.r.o., Olomouc, Czech Republic
Established in 1996, SCHIEBEL s.r.o. focuses on CNC milling and turning. The company’s main production volume consists of welding, turning, milling and checking
fixtures for the aviation industry, as well as single part or small batch production for
various industrial applications. The company’s first Makino machine was a DUO64
wire EDM bought in 2013. Since this machine has always run very well, SCHIEBEL
purchased a Makino EDBV8 sinker EDM a few months ago. This highly accurate
5-axis machine, which is designed for drilling the cooling holes for turbine blades
and other applications in material such as Hastelloy® or Inconel®, was chosen for
its accuracy, drilling speed and ability to drill very small and deep holes in five axes.
The fact that the maximum workpiece dimensions and table payload of 150kg place
no limits on the cutting possibilities also gives SCHIEBEL a clear advantage. www.schiebel.cz
15
MAKINO EVENTS
International
Aerospace
Forum
27 - 28 November 2014
Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany
Attend the International Aerospace Forum 2014 and enjoy a unique opportunity
to experience live some strategies and technologies that will help you to reduce
costs per part when producing titanium and aluminium structural components.
For detailed information, please go to www.makino.eu/aerospace.
We are looking forward to your visit!