Despite what it described as ‘difficult economic circumstances’, cylindrical grinding machine manufacturer Studer, along with its partner companies Schaudt and Mikrosa, presented a positive picture at the annual Motion Meeting held at its factory in Thun, Switzerland. The event, themed around the showbiz world of Hollywood, also featured a new machine upgrade and the company’s approach to the current manufacturing maxim Industry 4.0.
Jens Bleher, managing director of Studer and CSO of the Cylindrical Grinding Technology Group said the company had started 2016 with positive sales but this had lessened as the year had progressed.
Major factors in the downturn included the scandal that surrounded VW and emissions from its diesel cars and a weakening economy in China. Uncertainty in Europe both before and after the UK’s Brexit vote had also contributed to the slowdown.
“Studer’s most important sales markets are Western Europe, followed by Germany, China and North America, Mr Bleher explained. “Schaudt and Mikrosa were unable to continue the success of 2015. After a strong spring, incoming orders remained clearly below the set targets. Orders in Germany, with a percentage of 25%, primarily come from automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. Another big market is China, with a percentage of 26%.”
However, according to Fred Gaegauf, CEO of Studer, Schaudt and Mikrosa, the company’s focus is targeted towards solving customers’ specific needs: “We make our customers more successful, by responding to their requirements,” he commented. “To do this, you first have to understand the customer's individuality in a time when the complexity of processes is steadily increasing and customer requirements are also growing significantly.
“Our three companies achieve this thanks to their flexibility in production and constant pursuit of innovation. It is for good reason that Studer, Schaudt and Mikrosa are global leaders in the industry with their products. We are well on track, even if we have not met all our targets. To this end the cylindrical grinder manufacturers in our group have invested heavily in their production technology and hugely reduced processing times, which ultimately also benefits our customers.”
Studer, Schaudt and Mikrosa have invested around 40 million Swiss Francs in their plants over the last few years. New buildings have been added along with new machine tools and a network has been created based on what is describes as ‘optimised logistical criteria’. In essence this means the group has integrated central manufacturing processes in order to guarantee high manufacturing stability.
An example is Studer’s implementation of flow-line assembly practices at its factory. This has meant assembly times for its grinding machines have been reduced by 50% and quality performance has been significantly improved.
The company has also implemented its own version of the Six Sigma approach to manufacturing processes ‘PuLs’. This method enables its employees to shape their own working culture and to constantly examine and improve processes and systems. The focus is on the avoidance of losses and waste in all divisions of the company and this means transparency and an open problem-solving culture has become an important philosophy at the companies.
Small but powerful
The main machine innovation launched at the Motion Meeting was a significant upgrade of the Studer S11 cylindrical grinder. The S11 – the smallest machine in Studer’s range – now has a new high-speed spindle meaning grinding speeds of up to 140m/second are achievable. A redesign of the workhead means C-axis capability is possible allowing for thread and form grinding operations. The addition of StuderWINFocus and a Fanuc 0i-TF control means the machine can also utilise StuderGRIND, Studer’s own offline programming software.
“The customer naturally still has the opportunity to design his program as flexibly as possible using micro functions. With Studer standard grinding cycles, however, he or she has even more convenience and support with the S11,” explains Christian Josi, project manager at Studer. “The uniform control platform guarantees program consistency on all machines running Windows operating systems. This is regardless of whether the program is programmed directly on the control or is generated externally with StuderGRIND.”
Studer says despite its small footprint of less than 1.8m², the S11 achieves extremely high abrasion performance. New and re-profiling of grinding wheels is carried out by the StuderDress system and machining of longitudinal contours with StuderContour extends the scope of the applications that are possible.
The new S11 also features the SBS Dynamic Balance System. This contact detection system measured by vibration and semi- and fully- automatic balancing of the grinding wheels, cuts downtime by reducing air grinding. It also enables the grinding process to be monitored by indicators such grinding noise levels.
The machine is offered with two different case designs: the existing version for manual loading or combined with small handling systems; and a new casing optimised for vertical loading through a top hatch. This design is ideal for interlinked production in which the machines are loaded and unloaded via portal cranes.
Forging the fourth revolution
Like many manufacturing machine builders, Studer is also addressing how it can incorporate the benefits of Industry 4.0. or the Smart Factory into its machines. Through digital networking and the Internet, it hopes to minimise downtime and maximise production. This can be achieved by the analysis of Big Data and incorporating it into its grinding machines.
Talking on this theme Mr Josi asserted: “A Smart Factory isn't simply created overnight – it is necessary to focus on certain areas. For Studer the basic principle applies that all further developments should lead to a customer benefit and that means working closely together with our customers.”
The Smart Factory relies on networking of the machine tool, logistics, product and business systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. To do this information has to be transferred through universal software interfaces. Studer has integrated the Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture (OPC UA) standard into its StuderWIN software to enable its machines to be integrated simply and securely into the environment of the digital factory.
The company believes these networks will advance its predictive maintenance services. It is also developing what it calls a ‘One Push Remote Solution’ which means that if an assembly or component fails, despite Predictive Maintenance, the problem can be rectified at the press of a button and the customer can be offered optimal support.
Mr Josi said: “Once there is a clear vision, suitable strategies and measures can be precisely planned and the right tools developed.”
Studer, Schaudt and Mikrosa will be focusing on four areas in the future: Industry 4.0, to avoid unexpected downtimes for customers and to make production more plannable and efficient; smart sensors, to fully measure and actively support the grinding process; furthering its range of machines; and developing laminar flow coolant nozzles so lubricant can be accurately directed into the grinding slot ensuring optimal cooling is achieved at the desired location.
Gerd König, COO of the Cylindrical Grinding Technology Group concluded: “We strive to achieve perfect processes, so that we can provide excellent products and services. We want to impress our customers with our effectiveness.”
You can watch a short video of the event below.
STUDER www.studer.com/en/studer
