DMG MORI UK

Automation investment sustains confidence

DMG MORI UK — 28/06/2019

Investing in new machinery and automation is high on the list of priorities for UK companies despite the current uncertainty according to Steve Finn, managing director of DMG Mori UK.

“At the end of 2016, our order intake was split 65% OEM business and 35% subcontractor business,” he reveals. “Currency values have played a big role in the high levels of business that most manufacturers are experiencing at the moment and we have witnessed a significant swing in the make-up of our order book. At the end of 2018 subcontractor business comprised 68% and OEM 32%.

“The fact that these orders are not for models which we hold in stock, but are for machines to be delivered in 7- 9 months, demonstrates the confidence in the marketplace to proceed with capital investment despite the potential uncertainty.”

DMG Mori Finance has played a major role in helping companies to invest while protecting their capital reserves. Traditionally a lending assessment is based on historical financial information, with little credence placed on the positive effect of a new machine tool to a business; often this can result in less than favourable terms being offered.

“With DMG Mori Finance, we have a thorough understanding of the industry and this has enabled us to take a future related view on machine tool investment,” Mr Finn explains. “Instead of concentrating almost exclusively on historic financials, DMG Mori Finance is able to place priority on the intended outcome of the investment as it is funded by DMG Mori itself. This has resulted in a significant increase in new customers taking advantage of our finance, reaching 34% in 2018.”

He continues: “To increase the productivity of machinery and to sustain and expand their businesses, companies now understand the importance of automation. At our last open house in 2018, 80% of the machines had automation featuring, for example, robots and gantry loaders and all these machines were sold at the event.

“The key demand was for solutions which addressed the requirements of low volume high variety applications. With these types of relatively simple automation systems, machines can be run 24 hours and at a rate of £7-£8 per hour and still be profitable.

“We also ran another event in April called ‘Complex machining realised’ which focused on automation. Examples of the latest automation systems include Robo2Go 2nd Generation for flexible workpiece handling on lathes and the PH 150 with up to twelve pallets and a maximum load capacity of 250kg. We have in total 50 solutions in the area of workpiece and pallet handling systems.

“In view of the surge in automation installations and to ensure reliability for machines used under automation, we have split the maintenance and service departments,” he adds. “We consider planned maintenance to be crucial to our customers’ operations so that they can keep running with the minimum of unplanned breakdowns. Our maintenance department will be focused on delivering a preventative maintenance schedule so that production can be planned around it.”

He concludes: “Despite the uncertainty, we are seeing companies take matters into their own hands and relying on their own skills and abilities to secure the future of their businesses by making them more competitive through investment in technology. DMG Mori is doing as much as it can to help manufacturers make the changes necessary to make this a reality.”

DMG Mori
www.dmgmori.com

Additive manufacturing and 5-axis machining of larger workpieces

DMG MORI UK — 28/02/2020

A new 5-axis machining centre with integrated laser deposition welding capability for accurate, reliable, cost-effective, complete production of complex components in one hit has been introduced by DMG MORI. The LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid is intended for the manufacture, maintenance and repair of workpieces up to 1,250 mm in diameter by 745 mm high and weighing up to 2,000 kg.

The company launched this technology in 2013 with a smaller model, the LASERTEC 65 3D hybrid, since which time the global manufacturing group has become a leader in supplying machines for additive production of metal parts. Gradually the machine range has been extended, first with the LASERTEC 4300 3D hybrid combining additive manufacturing using a powder nozzle and turn-mill machining in one work area and then with powder bed machines in the LASERTEC SLM series.

Based on the machine tool builder's rigid monoBLOCK platform, the LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid offers high dynamics, rapid build rates and excellent repeatability. Automatic changeover between laser deposition welding and simultaneous 5-axis milling in a single setup reduces processing times by up to 80 percent. Such savings are helped by eliminating the need for heat treatment as a separate process step due to the machine's ability to deposit material with a hardness of up to 63 HRC.

The alternate use of laser deposition welding and simultaneous 5-axis milling is beneficial for improving production processes or enabling new component geometries, an example being the manufacture of closed impellers. Another strength of the hybrid machines is the

production and repair of hot and cold forming and forging dies.

The LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid can also produce lightweight structures that reduce the weight of parts by up to 90 percent. A selling point of laser deposition welding is the possibility it offers to change between two materials quickly under CNC. So, for instance, hard surfacing to reduce wear can be carried out in one area and corrosion- resistant welding for environmental protection may be carried out in another. Alternatively, the cooling characteristics of a part can be significantly increased. As an illustration, a die casting mould can be produced by starting with a bronze core that dissipates heat effectively and welding onto it an outer skin of tool steel.

In the past five years, such machines have emerged as a key procedure for economical repair and recoating. The damaged area is first prepared by milling before the repair is carried out by laser deposition welding. The part is then finished in a final milling process, all in a single setup. The individual processes are thus combined in one machine, without compromising other production resources. Due to precise process control, the weld material deposited is of very high quality. The service life of repaired inserts for a die casting mould, for example, is three times longer than if it had been repaired by manual welding.

Another use of the procedure is in areas where top priority must be given to plant availability and reduced maintenance times. These include industries such as oil and gas as well as the chemical, pharmaceutical and energy sectors.

As with its sister models, the LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid can be integrated into a CADCAM process chain that contributes significantly to raising productivity. High-performance hybrid CAM software for powder nozzle technology, developed especially for DMG Mori by Siemens NX, enables end-to-end programming of repairs with users able to change seamlessly between machining and laser deposition welding during programming. The process steps are sent to the machine in one program and executed alternately in automatic operation.

AM Assistant is part of the innovative software and hardware offer. It includes an integrated thermal imaging camera for continuous monitoring, either of the entire component or defined areas, monitoring of the melt pool size and temperature, or monitoring of the clearance between nozzle and component.

Compact machining centre offers higher productivity and accuracy

DMG MORI UK — 13/08/2019

A new machining centre has been introduced by DMG Mori that, despite having travels of 700mm, 420mm and 380mm in the X, Y and Z axes respectively, has a footprint of just 4.2m².

The DMP 70 takes up 10% less space on a factory floor than the machine it replaces, the successful MILLTAP 700, of which more than 3,000 have been sold.

Available either as a 3-axis CNC machine or fitted with an optional swivelling rotary table to enable 5-axis simultaneous machining, the production centre is ideal for the manufacture of medical parts. However, it is equally well suited to producing smaller parts in the aerospace and other demanding sectors, as well as in the job shop.

Provided that components fall within its working envelope, the DMP 70 is able to lessen the load on larger capacity, more expensive machines on a shop floor. A high degree of rigidity in the machine construction, including a grey cast iron machine bed and 35 mm wide linear guideways, allows a metal removal rate that is 10 percent higher than the maximum possible on the MILLTAP 700.

With rapid traverses of 60m/min and acceleration up to 2g, the DMP 70 offers highly dynamic performance. In its standard version, the machine is equipped with an inline, 10,000rpm / 78Nm spindle. Fast tool change and chip-to-chip times of 1.5 seconds also contribute to high productivity. The tool magazine has capacity for 15 cutters up to 250mm long, 25 tool pockets being an option.

Temperature stability and long-term accuracy have been improved through thermo-symmetrical design and optimised cooling measures. Linear scales provide high positioning accuracy, ensuring the machine meets the demands of its target sectors. Accuracy of machined components is said to be 60 percent higher than is possible on the superseded MILLTAP 700.

Scratch-proof, long-life surfaces protect against damage and boost the value retention of the machine, while steep covers promote chip evacuation. The SLIMline multi-touch 3D control with Operate 4.8 on a Siemens platform has a 19” display for ease of use and comprehensive cycle simulation ability.

An extensive portfolio of options includes high-speed spindles, various tables, coolant systems and chip conveyors. The manufacturer’s established WH 3 workpiece handling system can be connected flexibly at the left, right or front of the machine to provide a compact, automated cell requiring only 8.8m² of space.