Digital developments

Dave Tudor has been attending the annual DMG Mori press conference in Pfronten for more than a decade now. Over that time, there has been a noticeable shift from simply showcasing machine tools to a marked emphasis on digitisation, automation and holistic solutions – a trend that looks set to continue into 2018 and beyond.

At the 2018 event that took place at the end of January, Dr Christian Thönes, chairman of the Executive Board of DMG Mori AG, began by reflecting on 2017 as a ‘year of innovations’ for the company as it experienced healthy growth, gained market share, achieved all of its KPI objectives and continued to make significant developments in the areas of digitisation and automation. Indeed he noted that 50% of DMG Mori’s machine tool portfolio is now fully automated. Not forgetting its machine tool roots however, 2017 also saw 15 world premieres introduced to the marketplace.

The DMG Mori mantra for 2018/19 is ‘Dynamic. Excellence’ and this encompasses both key areas of focus and a number of new initiatives: automation, digitisation, additive manufacturing, technology excellence, DMQP (DMG Mori Qualified Products), First Quality and Service Excellence, not to mention new machine tools and ancillary equipment. The ‘dynamic’ part of the motto reflects a desire to respond more quickly to customer needs and challenges; ‘technology’ is somewhat more self-explanatory but no less significant. DMG Mori will continue to push technological boundaries.

At the press conference, Dr Masahiko Mori, DMG Mori president concurred with his colleague Dr Thönes that 2017 had been a “year of good order intake and sustainable profit.” Dr Mori also presented forecasts compiled by VDW/Oxford Economics predicting that 2018 would be a busy year for the global machine tool industry, with consumption up 3.6% up on 2017 and revenues of €73.2 billion.

It’s perhaps not surprising that China is top of the premier league in terms of predicted consumption and revenues. In fact it represents 32% of the total market at €23.6 billion. Then it’s the USA (11%, €8.3 billion); Germany (8%, €6 billion); Japan (8%, £6 billion) and Italy (5%, €3.6 billion). Collectively, the big six account for 64% of the total figure.

“At 10% growth year on year, China remains a buoyant market for DMG Mori and represents 10% of our total sales,” Dr Mori explains. “Breaking this down further, 55% of our revenues originate from the US, Germany and Japan and a further 20% from the EMEA region which includes countries like Italy, the UK and Spain.”

The digital domain

The central theme of the 2018 Pfronten open house was the ‘Path of Digitisation’ but of course there were a number of additional highlights. The 9,000 international trade visitors saw 70 high-tech machines across 8,500m² of exhibition space, including the new NTX 3000 2^nd Generation as a world premiere. Also on show were innovative developments in cutting edge technologies such as additive manufacturing.

The Path of Digitisation is DMG Mori’s approach to the revolution that is digitally transforming machine building worldwide. “We are actively shaping digitised production through App-based control and our operating platform Celos, as well as exclusive technology cycles and powertools,” Dr Thönes affirms.

“More than 10,000 DMG Mori machines fitted with Celos are in operation worldwide. Additionally, we are offering our customers and suppliers an integrated and open solution through the ADAMOS digital platform.”

ADAMOS (ADAptive Manufacturing Open Solutions) initially set-up by DMG Mori, Dürr, Software AG, Zeiss and ASM PT, has recently seen two new members join the strategic alliance focused on the development of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies – Engel Austria, an injection moulding machine manufacturer and Karl Mayer, a German textile machine maker. By the end of the year, Dr Mori says 200 customers globally will have implemented ADAMOS-based solutions and connected factories.

Sterling service

A new development by DMG Mori in the IIoT arena is Netservice 4.0 – a new digital remote system for service support, online training and online user assistance. On the service side, the objective is to get customers that are experiencing operational issues back up and running as soon as possible.

Netservice 4.0 offers multi-user conferencing where operators, DMG Mori service personnel and technicians can work collaboratively to resolve problems. A really innovative part of the system is ServiceCAM which provides targeted support via a DMG Mori-developed transmission camera facilitating real-time streaming.

The service allows remote access to constituent elements of the connected factory such as Celos, IPC, NC and NETbox – a device which facilitates the networking of older generation DMG Mori machines and equipment from third-party providers. It also features an integrated firewall for security purposes with the complete Netservice 4.0 packet preinstalled on the Celos NETbox.

Further strengthening its digital offering, at the end of 2017, DMG Mori acquired Bielefield, Germany-based Werkbliq along with its 20-strong team. Werkbliq offers a non-proprietary platform where all those involved in maintenance/repair processes can be linked to one another. The Werkbliq user interface allows machine operators to access all important data and key figures through a dashboard interface at the click of a button. “This digitises the entire maintenance and repair process and speeds it up considerably,” Dr Thönes adds.

On the subject of integrated digital workflows – Celos version 5.0 will be released imminently encompassing everything from planning and preparation through to production and monitoring. The new version will also feature 10 new apps – Tool Agent; Surface Analyzer, Clamp Check, Cockpit, Performance Monitor, 3D Part Analyzer, Tool Analyzer, Production Planning, Robo2Go and Condition Analyzer.

Quality first

Dr Mori noted at the press conference that around 70% of DMG Mori’s sales is repeat business so there’s as much emphasis on keeping existing customers happy as there is on new business. The company’s First Quality strategy enables it to guarantee high reliability and long service life for its products as well as trouble-free processes.

The strategy defines the highest quality standards during the in-house development of machines and components as well as cooperation with DMQP (DMG Mori Qualified Products) certified partners. DMG Mori evaluates customer feedback from regular satisfaction surveys and incorporates it into its optimisation processes.

High product reliability is achieved through a six-phase design review process which systematically focuses on long service life and the durability of all products. Prototype tests, which represent real-life customer conditions, guarantee 100% functionality of the product right from launch.

Exacting quality standards ensure that DMG Mori components such as milling spindles, turning spindles, turrets or tool changers offer optimum performance. Also the fact that the company takes complete responsibility from development through manufacturing and assembly through to maintenance and service contributes to the optimisation process.

“An example of the requirements placed on product and component quality is the Master spindle series, which unites all of DMG Mori’s expertise,” says Bert Seebach, responsible for central quality management at DMG Mori AG.

“The result is the high reliability and significantly longer lifecycle of the motor spindles compared to conventional spindles. This is the reason DMG Mori provides a 36 month warranty on the spindles in this series – without any hourly limitations.”

Other pillars of the quality guarantee are the many established supplier partnerships the company enjoys and the DMQP certificate for peripherals and accessories. DMG Mori uses the DMQP programme to define its high expectations on quality and certified partners have to satisfy stringent requirements relating to technological expertise and quality.

Next generation

Even in the digital age, no DMG Pfronten open house would be complete without a world premiere machine tool.

With a compactMASTER turn and mill spindle, an additional turret including Y-axis, and a bar diameter of 102mm, the new NTX 3000 2nd Generation from DMG Mori combines maximum productivity with a footprint of just 16.5m².

Hard on the heels of the NTX 2500 2nd Generation exhibited at EMO 2017, the NTX 3000 2^nd Generation is designed for larger bar diameters of 102mm. It is capable of machining the most complex of components with a torque of up to 1,194Nm and features a generous work area of 675mm in the X-axis and ±150mm in the Y-axis.

A decisive core component here is the B-axis with the company's in-house compactMASTER spindle for demanding 5-axis machining with up to 122Nm. With its high torque and optional counter-spindle, the main spindle extends the performance of the NTX 3000 2nd Generation into the realm of six-sided heavy-duty machining in the aerospace industry, the automotive sector and medical engineering.

The machine incorporates a robust machine bed together with stable roller guides. Added to this are comprehensive cooling systems in the spindles and ballscrew drives, ensuring stable temperature conditions.

The NTX 3000 2nd Generation embodies the trend towards automation from two perspectives. While the integral tool measurement and tool breakage monitoring system in the work area ensure efficient machining, a choice of handling systems – including a robot – takes care of tool loading and unloading. DMG Mori Technology Cycles are also available.

DMG Mori https://uk.dmgmori.com