At the Fritz Studer press conference, staged for trade journalists from around the globe, the grinding specialist set out its recent sales success and new technology developments. Ed Hill reports.
My last trip to the Studer press conference was back in February 2020 just days before the world closed for business and COVID virus particulates began to rampage their way through the population.
So, it was nice once again to be able to return in person to the town of Thun, nestled below the Swiss Alps, where the manufacturer of cylindrical grinding machines’ headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located.
In fact, despite the impact of the virus has had on global trading, the Studer management was upbeat about the company’s prospects – perhaps a sign that we can, at least in economic terms, finally set aside COVID as a thing of the past.
Orders have increased for Studer machines in recent months thanks in particular to a glut received late in 2022 resulting in it, “being one of the company’s most successful years,” enthused chief sales officer, Sandro Bottazzo.
“Overall, it was the third-best year in our company history in terms of order intake with expectations exceeded by far in all sales regions. Some countries, such as Turkey, even recorded the highest order intake in our company history. All in all, in 2022, we once again succeeded in expanding our position in the most important markets in the world and increasing our market share.”
New customers made a substantial contribution to sales in 2022 amounting to 37%. The aerospace and energy sectors saw the biggest upturn in sales with other markets such as tooling, die and mould, and machine manufacturing remaining stable at high levels. The only major industry that saw a decline was automotive.
The bestseller in the Studer range was the versatile S33 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine which is capable of producing small and large workpieces in both single and series production. Other machines that sold well were the favorit, the S31, and the S41. In sales of internal cylindrical grinding machines, Studer achieved its second-best annual result ever. Another area that reached a record high was its WireDress technology, which enables the precise dressing of metal-bonded grinding wheels, boosting productivity to higher levels.
Additionally, Studer maintained reliable delivery times despite the instabilities of global supply chains thanks to a risk-based approach to minimise single-source dependency wherever possible. This meant its engineering and purchasing departments were able to evaluate alternative components well in time when bottlenecks seemed imminent.
New grinding developments
2022 also brought numerous new developments and an expanded product range from Studer. “With our product offensive, innovative, and application-specific solutions, we can address the needs of our customers even better,” affirmed Daniel Huber, chief technology officer.
“In 2022, we presented a new innovation at almost every large trade show – including the S36 production machine at the GrindingHub in Stuttgart. This machine fills a gap in our portfolio between the S11 and S22 and is particularly well-suited to applications and components in the field of electromobility. The S36 is now also available with an innovative energy monitoring concept.”
China is a large revenue generator for Studer to the extent that is has its own manufacturing and assembly plants there making machines specifically for the market. This year the company launched a new generation of its KC33 universal cylindrical grinding machine in this market and the ecoGrinder, so Chinese customers now have an economical entry-level machine available.
In terms of new machines at the press event, Studer focused on its latest S100 CNC universal internal cylindrical grinding machine, described as an entry-level model and first seen at the BI-MU exhibition in Milan.
As is customary at these Studer presentations, the unveiling of the machine was unconventional, situated in a mock jungle setting with a Studer technician, sporting Indiana Jones style clothing and cracking a whip while discussing the virtues of the new machine.
Studer says the S100’s price-performance ratio makes it the perfect machine for a wide range of internal grinding applications. Like all Studer machines, the S100 has a machine bed made of its Granitan cast mineral material with dampening, and thermal characteristics that ensure Studer machines consistently produce accurate grinding results.
During the development of the S100, special attention was given to designing simple and efficient components, making operation and maintenance easier for the operator. However, the assembly of the S100 also makes it suitable for grinding a universal spectrum of parts comprised of geometrically defined basic forms and contours, which can be generated with interpolating axes.
Versatile options
For more flexibility when it comes to producing parts, the machine can be equipped with two internal grinding spindles or one internal and one external spindle. In addition to a fixed wheelhead, it can be equipped with a manual 2.5â° Hirth and, in its optimum configuration, with an automatic wheelhead with 1â° Hirth. A synchronous motor drives the grease-lubricated internal and external belt spindles. The machine is operated by a FANUC 0i-TF Plus controller, together with Studer’s own operating system.
A further advantage of the S100 is the automation options available. On request, it can be equipped with a loading interface and an automatic sliding door, enabling automatic operation and the production of large series’ of parts.
Typical workpieces for production on the S100 include collets for toolmaking, bearing rings, ball bearings and cylinders, as well as hydraulic control valves. External and internal machining of flange parts or grinding of threads or non-circular forms is also possible.
The maximum workpiece length on the machine is 550mm. It has a maximum swing diameter of 425mm and maximum internal grinding diameter of 300mm. The maximum external grinding diameter is 420mm. The maximum diameter of the internal grinding wheel is 63mm. Internal grinding spindle speeds up to 60,000rpm are offered and workhead chucks can be ISO50/110 or MT4/70.
Clever cooling
The other major technical development that Studer revealed was its SmartJet concept described as an intelligent cooling system that can save significant amounts of energy and resources and considerably simplify machine operation.
SmartJet can reduce water consumption on grinding machines by 40% and energy consumption by as much as 50%. It uses a clever 3D printed nozzle, sensors, a frequency-controlled pump and ram pressure measuring unit, along with intelligent control software to optimise lubricant delivery to the grinding wheel and workpiece. It helps operators by reducing the time and difficulty associated with manually setting and adjusting nozzles and coolant parameters.
Whether roughing, fine grinding or finishing, SmartJet calculates the best speed and amount of coolant to flow from the nozzle in a consistently reproducible way.
Martin Habegger, who is in charge of SmartJet at Studer said: “The jet of coolant is highly precise, coherent, and reproducible. SmartJet sets a new benchmark for effectiveness, process reliability, and efficiency in the industry.
“As a machine manufacturer, we were able to plan and integrate the entire coolant system from start to finish, as well as match all components with each other and optimise them. This is a great advantage over companies that only develop nozzles, for example, because the nozzles alone aren't smart – it's the entire concept.”
The system can also be integrated in the grinding machine’s C.O.R.E control, which is gradually being installed on all United Grinding Group machines of which Studer is a part. C.O.R.E. features a modern, large-scale multitouch display with intuitive operation and numerous visualisation options for more efficient production. It also offers smart networking of several machines and the latest generation of contact sensors.
The SmartJet system has initially been installed on Studer’s S36 machine, as it is intended for high volume production, but it will also be rolled out and become standard on its S31, S33 and S41 models in the coming year.
So, with its philosophy of engineering quality, investment in R&D, training and aftermarket support, it’s no surprise that in its 111th year Studer still seems to be striving forward with innovations and going from strength to strength.
As Mr Huber summed up: “Only manufacturers that offer intelligent machines with intuitive operation, digital assistance and monitoring systems, automation options, as well as efficient process management will be successful in the future.”
Studer
www.studer.com
