Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
38 Slashing machining time by 20 hoursEric Huyghe Formenbau
50 Almond crescents launch bespoke machine buildingBott GmbH
The carousel for precision grinding wheelsMitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
35
The smart magazine for users
Profile Issue 01 · October 2013
Contents
06 WeareallmembersoftheMödererfamily
75years,34employeesandasimpleexplanation
HansMödererWerkzeug-&FormenbauGmbH
12 Intelligentclampingmakesallthedifference
Thekeytosuccessliesingoodpreparation
AldrovandiAG
18 Rustprotectionwithwater
Banishingtheriskofrust
Chia-moSrl
24 Cuttingdiamondswithprecision
Solutionsforhigh-performancemachining
LüttickeGmbH
04 Editorial
05 Newsflash
11 Competition
30 Gettingitrightfirsttime
Leavingnothingtochance
WalterPottiezGmbH
35 Thecarouselforprecisiongrindingwheels
Micrometreprecisionforthedressingofgrindingwheels
MitsubishiElectricEuropeB.V.
38 Slashingmachiningtimeby20hours
From50to30thankstotheMV2400R
EricHuygheFormenbau
44 Toothfortooth–gearedforsuccess
ATop100SMEreports
NeugartGmbH
43 Profilemagazine
You’vemissedoneofourissues?Noproblem!
65 Origami
Theartofmechanicsandmaterial
66 Userhoroscope
50 Almondcrescentslaunchbespokemachinebuilding
Theflavourofsuccess
BottGmbH
56 Unchartedterritory
Exploringmaterialsrightatthemachine
Empa
60 Movingupintotheworldleague
Injectionmouldswithupto96components
ERMOGROUP
02 Profile08.2013 Profile08.2013 03
Contents Contents
Editorial
Only walking on air is better …
HANS-JÜRGEN PELZERS
Legalnotice
Publishedby:
MitsubishiElectricEuropeB.V.
GermanBranch
MechatronicsMachinery
GothaerStrasse8
40880Ratingen·Germany
Tel +49.2102.4866120
Fax+49.2102.4867090
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
Copyright:
MitsubishiElectricEuropeB.V.
Editorialboard:
Hans-JürgenPelzersandStephanBarg
Designandlayout:
CityUpdateLtd.,Düsseldorf
Noresponsibilityistakenfortheaccu-
racyoftechnicaldataandinformation
inarticles.
Newsflash
Anycustomerwhomanagestocutmachiningtimeforatoolfrom50hoursto
30willbewalkingonair(page36).Andthisisprettymuchtheprinciplethatthe
uniqueTubularShaftMotorsworkon–availableonlyatthetopoftherange
fromMitsubishiElectric.Byconsistentlyeliminatingfriction,wearisexcluded
fromtheoutset.Soitishardlysurprisingthatcustomersareincreasinglytend-
ingtoaskforjustasinglequote–aquotefromMitsubishiElectric(page06).
TherearemanyreasonswhyMitsubishiElectrichasbecometheworldmarket
leaderintheEDMsector.TheexclusiveTubularShaftMotorbuildsonthislead
andhelpsmanyuserstoachievebetterresultsinshorterjobtimes.Andwhen
oneconsidersthatthewholesystemsavesenergyonabigscale,itbecomes
obviousthatthecurrentmachinepaysforitselfthroughhigherproductivityand
energysavingsalone.Youcanthenenjoytheextraprecisionandcomfortasa
bonus.And,talkingofbonuses,askmeaboutthespecialenergybonus–you’re
suretolikeit!
Down-to-earthregardsfromRatingen
Hans-Jürgen Pelzers
DistributionManagerEurope
20,000 Blu-ray discs per day onafootprintofonly17m²Manufacturers of optical discs (DVDs and Blu-ray) have
to temporarily produce large quantities of discs in
rapid cycles. Satisfying such tough requirements in pro-
duction, Mitsubishi Electric has been the automation
supplier to Singulus Technologies (Singulus), a leading
maker of replication systems for CDs, DVDs and
Blu-ray discs, since 1999.
ThenewgenerationofEcodan heat pump systems
The new generation offers even higher efficiency and
further simplification of planning and installation.
While the solution for indoor units is available with and
without drinking/hot water storage, outdoor units can
be employed with power inverter or new Zubadan
compressor technology. The hot water tank volume
has been increased to 200 litres net.
LEDscreenssolargethey can be measured in wingspans To highlight the diversified product spectrum and out-
standing pinnacle technologies of Mitsubishi Electric,
the online advertising campaign “You wouldn’t believe
the things we do” has been launched. It shows a selec-
tion of products and applications ranging from satellite
communication and e&ecoF@ctory to power semicon-
ductor modules.
Rapid relief forfloodvictimsWith the quick and unconventional donation of 25 dehu-
midifiers, Mitsubishi Electric has responded to the
flood disaster in southern and eastern Germany. The
move was initiated by Christina Marx, Mitsubishi
Electric employee, who comes from the affected district
of Wurzen. Christina has also ensured locally that the
dehumidifiers run reliably and safely in tough continu-
ous operation.
Profile08.2013 05
LatestdevelopmentsEditorial
06 HansMödererWerkzeug-&FormenbauGmbH
Everyone at Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau GmbH, Leinburg, had good reason to celebrate. In October 2012, there was not only the company’s 75th anniversary to com-memorate, but also the change of genera-tions at top management level. And, on top of this, the company that sees itself as a big family had just invested in a second wire EDM machine from Mitsubishi Electric.
Awelcomingreceptionwithsparklingwineandsoft
drinks.Followedbyanopulentbuffetofhotand
colddishes,arrayedaroundasucklingpigturning
onaspit.Amouth-wateringsightfortheguests,
betheyfriendsofheartyFranconiancuisineormore
partialtofishandotherseafood,cheese,fruitor
desserts.Butnotonlythebuffetwassubstantial,but
alsothespeechesinwhichcompanyhistorywas
“servedup”beforetheinformalpartoftheevening.
From1937totheageoftheInternet
AfterthewelcomeaddressbyManagingPartner
NorbertNeubauer,politiciansturnedintheir
speechestothecompany’sdevelopmentandac-
complishments.TherepresentativeofCentral
Franconia’sChamberofTradealsostressedthat
theworldin1937,whenHansMödererestab-
lishedhisbusiness,wasentirelydifferenttoto-
day’s.Therewereneithersmartphonesnorthe
Internetoremail.Agooddealhashappenedinthe
75yearssinceitsfoundation,reportedNorbert
Neubauerinhisillustratedtalk.Atthebeginning,
Möderer’slinesofbusinesscouldnothavebeen
morediverse.Heproducedturnedpartstocustomer
drawings,soldbicycles,mo-
peds,electricalappliances
andsewingmachines,drove
workersfromthesurround-
ingvillagestotheirworkwith
hisownfleetofVWmini-
buses,ranapetrolstation
andkeptbees.Overthe
years,thecompanyspecial-
Theguestsoftheanni-
versarycelebration
lookedforwardtoan
opulentbuffetofhot
andcolddishes.
isedbeforefinallymaturingwithinsomecases
massiveinvestmentinbuildings,themachinepark
andCAD/CAMworkstationsintoahigh-techsup-
pliertospecialisedmachinemanufacturersand
intoamakeroftop-classinjectionmoulds.Amajor
factorinthiswasthedecisiontobuildlarger
mouldsandcomponentsundersubcontract.Asa
result,Mödererbuiltanothershopin2007andpur-
chasedforallproduction
processesmachines
equippedwithlargerma-
chiningranges.Anexample
ofthisistheFA30-Vwire
erosionmachinefromMit-
subishiElectricwithama-
chiningrangeof700×500×
350millimetres(X/Y/Z).The
endofthisphaseofinvestmentwasmarkedbya
FA30-SAdvanceasthesecondwireerosionma-
chine,whichwentintooperationjusttwoweeks
beforetheanniversarycelebration.
Bigextensiontoproductioncapacity
MödererhasbeenworkingwithwireEDMsince
1989.Sometimesinunmannedoperationatnight
andatweekends.Thisiswhythecompany
demandsveryhighmachineavail-
ability.Ademandthatculmi-
natedinthepurchaseofthe
FA30-SAdvancefromMit-
subishiElectricinNovem-
ber2007andhenceina
changeinsupplier.Neu-
bauer:“Wewerehappy
neitherwiththecompetition’sservicenorwiththe
wire-threadingsystem.Withoutareliablethread-
ingsystemandourextra20-kilowirestation,
continuousunmannedoperationwouldbeoutof
thequestion.”
InchoosingtheFA30-SAdvance,theoperator
wentforawire-cutEDMmachinewhosemachin-
ingrangeof750x500x410millimetres(X/Y/Z)
matcheshismaximumworkpiecedimensionsper-
fectly.Thenew,high-precisionerosionsystem
equippedwithanAdvanceCNCcontrolalsohasa
greatercuttingheightthantheFA30-V.Möderer
hadthemachinefittedwiththeoptionallyavailable
digitalFSgeneratorinordertoachieveevenbet-
tersurfacequality.
Nowthatthecompanyhassignificantlyextended
itsproductioncapacitybyaddingthesecond
system,ithasbeenabletoreduceitsproduction
» The first machine from Mit-subishi completely
satisfied our expecta-tions, so we didn’t in-vestigate other op-
tions when it came to buying the second
one. «
TheFA30-SAdvance
wassuppliedona
truckandtransported
byaforkliftintothe
productionshop.
We are all members of the Möderer family
HANS MöDERER WERkZEuG- & FORMENBAu
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 07
EDMandmore
simplylaidonthemagneticclampingplate.Mö-
derermainlyprocesseshardenedmouldmaking
steelsaswellasspecialmaterialsthataredifficult
tomachineconventionally,suchasthoserequired
formedicaltechnologymachinery.Whateverthe
material,thecompanyusesstandard0.25millime-
trewire.Theworkpiecesizesrangefrom30x30
to700x800millimetres.
“Youhavereachedyourdestination”
Beforethebuffetwasopened,seniormanager
GeorgWeinmann,whohasbeenmanagingthe
companysince1976withhiswifeIngridand,since
themid-Nineties,additionallywiththeirson-in-
lawNorbertNeubauer,deliveredhisspeech.To-
gethertheyhavedevelopedMödererintooneof
thebiggermouldmakersintheNürnbergregion.
GeorgWeinmannstressedtheteamspiritand
pointedoutthathiscompanyislikeabigfamily:
“WeareallmembersoftheMödererfamilyand
Möderer’ssuccessisourcollectivesuccess.”And
thenthebigmomentarrived:GeorgandIngrid
Weinmannhandedoverthemanagementbatons
toNorbertNeubauerandhiswifeAndrea.
Today,thecompanycertifiedtoDINENISO
9001:2000seesitselfasaspecialistintheproduc-
tionofpartsofanycomplexity.Inthemouldmaking
sector,thecustomersincludetheautomotiveand
toyindustries,manufacturersofcosmeticprod-
uctsandsuppliersofautomationsolutions.With
everythingdevelopingpromisingly,Neubauer
viewsthefuturewithoptimism.“We’vepositioned
ourselveswellinthelastfewyears,overtaken
someofourcompetitorsandincreasedourcircle
ofcustomersintheregion.Inviewofthisand
since95percentofourcustomersarelocatedin
andaroundNürnbergsothatbothsidesbenefit
fromtheshortdistancesinvolved,Ihavenowor-
riesaboutthecomingyears.Ourcomprehensive
serviceandabilitytodeliveratshortnoticeare
muchappreciated,asthismakesourcustomers
awareofourdeterminationtosupportthematall
times.”
Neubaueraskedhiswifeandparents-in-lawover
foragroupsnapshot.“Thevoiceofasatellite
navigationsystemwouldnowsay:‘Youhave
reachedyourdestination.’Butdon’tworry,a
newdestinationhasbeenenteredandtheroute
isalreadybeingcomputed.”
bottlenecksappreciablyandtofreeresources
fornewcustomers.Neubauercelebratedtheanni-
versaryinanupbeatmood:“ThefirsEDMma-
chinefromMitsubishiElectriccompletelysatisfied
ourexpectations,sowedidn’tbothertoinvesti-
gateotheroptionswhenitcametobuyingthesec-
ondone.”
Withtheaidofthewireerosionsystems,the
Mödererteamfabricatesextremelyprecise
injectionmouldsfromdrawingsandCAD
data–fromdesignandmouldmakingthroughto
piloting.EDMbusinessalsocomesfromthema-
chinemanufacturesectoriftheseareelaborate
partsthatcannotbecost-effectivelyturnedor
milled.Anexampleofthisisgrippercomponents
forinjectionmouldingmachines.Moreover,wire
EDMforMödererisalsoanalternativetomillingif
unusualgeometriesarecalledfororthedelicacyof
theworkpiecenecessitatesanunconventional
clampingarrangement.ForEDM,inwhichnopres-
sureisappliedtothepart,theworkpiececanbe
We are all members of the Möderer family and Möderer’s success is our collective success.
Sinceeverythingisdevelopingpromisingly,Neubauerviews
thefuturewithoptimism.
GeorgandIngridWeinmannhandoverthemanagementba-
tonstoNorbertNeubauerandhiswifeAndrea.
RaketoothofVA1.4301,ofwhich
thecustomerorderedseveral
parts.Mödererinitiallyproduceda
plate,thencuttheslotthroughall
thepartsandfinallywire-cutthe
exteriorcontourofallthepartsat
nightduringunmannedoperation.
www.moederer.de
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 09
EDMandmore
08 HansMödererWerkzeug-&FormenbauGmbH
Professionals in Profile: Norbert Neubauer
Nameandplaceofcompany:
HansMödererWerkzeug-&Formenbau
GmbH,Leinburg,Germany
Foundingyear:
1937
ManagingPartner:
NorbertNeubauer
Numberofemployees:
34permanentemployees,4appren-
ticesandtemporarystaff
Corebusiness:
Tool-andmouldmaking
How did you earn your first money?
As an electronics apprentice.
What motivates you?
I’m to some extent naturally ambitious. It’s from this that I derive my
motivation to be successful at work and in my private life.
What’s different about how you do things now, compared to
five years ago?
Five years ago, the company was in the middle of a phase of growth. The
investment in the FA30-S Advance marked the end of this phase. Now it’s
a question of consolidation economically and in terms of internal structure.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We aim to stabilise the position that we’ve reached and build on it in a
controlled fashion.
What's your favourite way to relax?
Jogging and singing.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Dependability and honesty.
How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech-
nical knowledge?
I cut contours in metal with wire in the same way as I cut wood with
a fretsaw.
www.moederer.de
HansMödererWerkzeug-
&FormenbauGmbH
Kleeäckerstraße2
91227Leinburg-Diepersdorf
Germany
Tel +49.9120.180950
Fax +49.9120.1809555
Simply tick the right answer, fill in your address and send off by fax.The closing date is 30th September 2013.
Company Surname Firstname
Postcode Town Date,signature
Note:Onlyoneprizecanbeawardedperperson.Therewillbeadrawforthewinners.EmployeesofMitsubishiElectricandsalespartnersarenoteligibletocompete.Thejudge’sde-cisionisfinal.Paymentoftheprizeincashisnotpossible.Yourdatawillnotbepassedontothirdparties,excepttocompaniesinvolvedinthehandlingoftheprocessesmentioned.Youcanobjectatanytimetothestorageofyourdata.Todoso,simplysendafaxto:+49.2102.4867090.
Tel.
Sauber F1 Factory Tour
Whatfloatsonairandyetachieveshighprecision?
Shuttlecock TubularShaftMotor Hot-airballoon
Win one of 10 places on the
F1 Factory Tour!
Fax+49 . 2102 . 486 7090
No.,road
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 11
Competition
10 HansMödererWerkzeug-&FormenbauGmbH
Outstanding results are only possible with a tailor-made clamping fixture. Since Peter A ldrovandi is convinced of this, he builds the fixtures himself – including one for his new wire EDM machine, an MV1200R Grand T ubular from Mitsubishi Electric.
PeterAldrovandi,ManagingDirectorof
AldrovandiAGinBaar,Switzerland,sits
athisPCandpagesthroughthelatest
contributionstohisdiscussionforum
thathehassetupatwww.aldrovandi.
ch/forum.AsanEDMspecialistthrough
andthrough,hehasbeenrunningthe
forumforseveralyearssothathecan
sharehisexpertisewithhisfellows.“I
havenoreservationsaboutdoingthis.I
regularlyswapnoteswithcolleagues
fromalloverthemetalworkingsector.At
socialeveningsthatIorganiseseveral
timesayear,weshareourworriesand
ideas.”Intheforum,heencounters
auserfacedwiththedifficulttaskof
choosingbetweenthreewireerosion
machinesfromdifferentmanufacturers.
Someadvicesoundsprettyflippant.
Forinstance,“WithMitsubishiyouget
themostforyourmoney”or“Thebig-
gestcheekwasonceafterwirebreakage
whenthemachinerethreadedthekerf
onthespot.”
Incloseanddirectcontactwithcustomers
Inviewofhisopenness,manifestedby
theconstantflowofinformationon
technologicaldevelopmentsandsavings
opportunities,itisnosurprisethat
PeterAldrovandihasregularcustomers
whohaveremainedfaithfultohisfirm
for30to40years.Throughthewindow
hegreetsamanwhohasjustarrivedto
collecthisparts.“That’ssomeonefrom
V-ZugAGthatproduceshigh-grade
devicesforkitchensandwashrooms–
oneofourcustomerssincethe
Seventies.”
V-Zugisthusoneoftheveryfirstcus-
tomersofthemechanicalandtechni-
calfirmthatpurchaseditsfirstwireEDM
machinebackin1974andfocuseson
wireanddie-sinkingEDM.
Thecompanynowusessixwireerosion
machinesandonedie-sinkingmachine,
allofthemstate-of-the-art,andcanthus
Know-how-AustauschrundumEDMimAldrovandi-Forumwww.aldrovandi.ch/forum
ALDROVANDI
Intelligent clamping makes all the difference
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 13
EDMandmore
12 AldrovandiAG
motorduringapresentationofthehigh-
endNAEssencewireerosionsystemat
theSauberracingcarproductionshop.
“ItoldHans-PeterBarth,theSwiss
Mitsubishiregionalrep,thatifhewere
tooffermeanFA-SAdvancewith
TubularShaftmotors,I’dbuyit.And
whenIfinallysawtheMV1200R
GrandTubularatthe2012Prodextrade
fair,Icouldn’tsayno.”Themachine
completelysatisfiesAldrovandi’srequire-
mentprofile.HeexpectsawireEDM
systemtobecompact,precise,mainte-
nance-friendly,dependableandcost-
effectiveandofferahighmachining
speed.AnintegratedBaxisisanabso-
lutemustforhim.TheMV1200Rpicks
upfurtherpointswithitsprice/perform-
anceratio,lowservicingandoperating
costsanditseasy-to-operatenewAD-
VANCEPLUSCNCcontrol.Completely
digital,thelattercommunicatesmuch
fasterandmoreefficientlywiththeaid
oftheOpticalDriveSystemandthus
enhancescomponentprecision.
However,Aldrovandidoesn’tprogram
atthemachine,whichhehasequipped
witha20-kilowirestationforlongerin-
terruption-freeassignments,butata
veryswiftlyandflexiblyrespondand
ensurepunctualdeliveryevenwhere
moreelaboratejobsareconcerned.
Alsoavailableisamachiningcentrethat
enableshimtoofferthefullrangeof
machininginclusiveofgrinding.
Thesmelloffreshlybrewedcoffee
waftsthroughAldrovandi’sofficeashe
placescupsandaplateofcroissants
onthetable.“In
face-to-facemeetings
withcustomers–and
overacupofcoffee–we’veof-
tenfoundsurprisingandsimplersolu-
tions.We’reincloseanddirectcontact.
Ourcustomersexpectquick,inexpen-
siveandcompetentlyperformedwork
withinthetolerances.”ButAldrovandi
knowswherehislimitsare.“Ifthere’sa
betteralternativetowireEDM,wesay
so.Thecustomer’sconfidenceisthe
mostimportantthing.”
Cultivatingcontactswiththecustomer
alsoincludespersonallysupplying
keyaccountswithfinishedpartsand
collectingpartsformachiningfrom
them.Withinthesparselypopulatedfirm,
relationsarenolesspersonal.As
fellowemployees,theManagingDirector
hashiswifeElisabethandhissister
Esther.Andthen,finally,there’sDaniel
Melligerastheonlynon-familymem-
berwhomAldrovandihasknownsince
childhoodandwho,likehissister,
trainedasatoolmakeratAldrovandiAG.
Clampingfixturescanbeseenonacart.
Aldrovandipicksoneup.“Intheinter-
estsofourcustomers,weaimtoclamp
workpiecesintelligently,sowebuild
thesefixturesourselves.Forseriesparts,
forexample,sothatseveralcanbe
clampedtogetherandwire-cutcost-ef-
fectively.Orforcomplexpartsfor
whichhighpositionalaccuracyisall-im-
portantsothatwedon’thaveto
additionallyalignthemmanually.
“Icouldn’tsayno.”
Aldrovandireplacedan
oldmachinewithhis
MV1200RGrand
TubularfromMit-
subishiElectricin
December2012.
Hewascurious
aboutthelatest
technologies,he
says,includingthe
drivestrategyofthe
MVSerieswithitsTu-
ibularShaftmotorsthat
permitsahighqualityofsurface
finishevenwithstandardsettings.
ThesedrivesintheX,Y,UandVaxes
preventcoggingandensuresmooth
andhighlycontrollablemovements.In
theworkshop,Aldrovanditellsusthat
hebecameawareoftheTubularShaft
DanielMelligerbenefitsfromtheeasy-to-operatenewADVANCEPLUS
CNCcontrol
TheMV1200RGrandTubularthreadsthewireinthekerf.
» With Mitsubishi you get the
most for your money. «
“In the interests of our customers, we aim to clamp work-pieces intelligently, so we build these fixtures ourselves.”
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 15
EDMandmore
14 AldrovandiAG
speciallycre-
atedprogram-
mingstation.He
isabletoadopt
themostcom-
monlyusedCAD
datastraightfromthecustomerand
processthem.Withreferencetoprod-
ucts,hecanshowwhathedoeswiththe
data.“Weproducecomponentsforsen-
sors,medicaltechnologyparts,punch-
ingtoolsandgeneralmachinecompo-
nents.Themainmaterialsweuseare
hardenedtoolsteelandstainlesssteel
aswellascementedcarbideandtita-
niumindimensionsrangingfrom10x
20to200x250millimetres.”
“Ihadnoideathatitworked.”
Becausedatahavetobekeptconfi-
dential,Aldrovandiapplieshighsecu-
ritystandardstohisITinfrastructure.
“I’vebuiltmyown
serversothatmy
dataandthoseof
mycustomers
cannotwander
offintotheWeb.
Mycustomers
appreciatethis
datasecurity.”
Heopensthedoortoastoreroom.“I
keepatleastsixmonths’stockofall
theconsumablesthatIneedforEDM.
Wireandfilters,forexample.Aslong
aspowercomesoutofthesocket,I
candothejobsformycustomers.”
The“IntelligentAT”automaticwire-
threadingsystemdevelopedbyMitsubi-
shiElectrichasalsostimulatedhisinter-
est.Hedemonstrateshowitworks.“I
wasrecentlystandingatthemachine
andglancedintothedielectricbath,
whenthewiresuddenlybrokeandthe
machinethreadedthekerfonthespot.
Andonan80millimetrehighworkpiece.
Untilthismorning,Ihadnoideathatit
workedsoperfectly.”Healsostresses
theenergyefficiencyoftheMV1200R
GrandTubular.“Ibenefitfirstlyfromthe
lowerpiececosts.Andsecondly,asthe
fatherofanine-year-olddaughter,Ihave
anobviousinterestinprotectingtheen-
vironmentandconservingresources.”
www.aldrovandi.ch
3DCADdrawingof
theplateofadie
(erodedcutsare
markedwithorange
lines)
Professionals in Profile: Peter Aldrovandi
Nameandplaceofcompany:
AldrovandiAG,Baar,Switzerland
Foundingyear:
1965,convertedintoaSwiss
Aktiengesellschaftin1976
Geschäftsführer:
PeterAldrovandi
Numberofemployees:
4
Corebusiness:
Wire-cutanddie-sinkEDM,precision
machining
How would you describe in a sentence
what your company does?
We’ve been wire-cutting everything conceivable for cus-
tomers at home and abroad for 40 years now.
How did you earn your first money?
While still at school and in the holidays, I wrote programs for my father for
his very first wire EDM machines.
What motivates you?
Curiosity, because I’m very interested in new technologies. I want to keep
up with the state of technology in all areas of my life.
What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five
years ago?
I drink less coffee and more wine.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We want to continue to make use of the latest technologies so that we can
offer our customers the best-possible results.
What was your biggest business success?
keeping our family business on course in good times and bad.
What’s your favourite way to relax?
I’ve been practising Shinson-Hapkido for five years, which is very relaxing.
I also enjoy playing with new technological challenges. I’m currently ex-
ploring 3D printing.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Honesty and keeping a sense of humour.
How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech-
nical knowledge?
using a fine wire and electricity, I cut the most incredible shapes out of a
piece of metal.
AldrovandiAG
Laettichstraße8
6340Baar
Switzerland
Tel +41.41.7630333
Fax +41.41.7630331
www.aldrovandi.ch
Aldrovandi’sproduct
rangealsoincludes
medicaltechnology
components.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 17
EDMandmore
16 AldrovandiAG
Thankstoitsmanyyearsofmarketpresence,Chia-
moSrlhasacquiredawealthofexperienceinthis
field,enablingittoprovideplanninganddesignserv-
icesforbespokecomponentsthathavetomeetthe
customer’sspecificrequirements.
Thecompanyhasbeenquality-certifiedforten
yearsandmeticulouslymonitorstheentireproduc-
tionprocess–fromthematerialsandcertifiedand
testedheattreatmentsthroughtotheapplication
ofSIT-certifiedmeasuringinstrumentsforfinal
control.Allphasesinplanning,machiningand
testingarecarriedoutinternally,thusfacilitating
continuouscontrolofallproductionprocesses.
Chia-moisalsocommittedtotheenvironment,
havinginstalledatitssiteaphotovoltaicsystem
thatcovers50percentofthecompany’senergy
needs.
TheotherstrengthsofthecompanyinBolognain-
cluderapidorderprocessing,asFabioChiari,in
chargeofproduction,confirms:“Weareconstantly
increasinglyourproductrange.95percentofour
standardproductsarenowstockedandwecan
sendouttheitemsonthesamedayaswereceive
theorder.Wedesignandmachinemanyproducts.
Thisapplies,forexample,todrillingtoolsthatfea-
tureaspecialsystemmakingiteasiertoworkwith
thetoolandthuseliminatethestrength-and
centring-relatedproblemsthatcanoccuronthe
machines.Thisproductwastheresultofthe
requirementsofcustomers
whoforthemostpartactas
subcontractorsandap-
proachuswithallkindsofin-
quiriescallingforahighlevel
offlexibility.Thisisarealtest
forus,aswearefacedwith
everyproblemthatcanarise
duringmachining.Thisexpe-
rienceisreflectedineverythingweproduce.”
Areliableandhigh-performancemachine
MostofChia-mo’scustomersareItalian,although
thecompanyhasrepresentativesanddistributors
forthemostimportantEuropeanmarkets:Germany,
FranceandSpain.Chia-mohasalwaysattached
hugeimportancetoquality,whichisreflectedinits
sales.Testedandcertifiedrawmaterials,reputable
Chia-mo Srl has been designing and building accessories for machine tools for subtractive machining since 1972. The company whose headquarters is on the urban periphery of Bologna today produces an extensive range of acces-sories for machine tools and particularly for lathes: chucks, closure systems, lathe collets, tool holders, boring bar sleeves, manual tap holders, tailstocks, awls, spindles and other spare parts.
CHIA-MO
The Mitsubishi Electric machine was chosen to ensure a high degree of precision, quality, reliability and above all productivity.
Chia-moSrl’sexten-
siverangeofcompo-
nentsforlathesand
loadersincludescol-
lets,chucks,groove
nuts,toolholders,
sleeves,tailstocks
andmanyotherprod-
ucts.
Rust protection with water
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 19
EDMandmore
18 Chia-moSrl
problems.Afteracertainnumberofworkpieces,
rethreadingfailedtoworkproperly,sotheproc-
esshadtobestopped.”
Inaddition,afterthefinishedworkpiecewasre-
movedfromthewater,rustdevelopedonitafter
exposuretotheairforjustafewhours–onlysu-
perficiallyandlocally,butitwasunacceptablefor
aestheticreasons.IthadtofindanEDMmachine
thatwouldsolvealltheseproblems:“AtMitsubishi
Electric,we’vefoundit.ThenewMV2400Rhas
demonstratedexceptionaldependabilityinthelast
fewmonths–threadinghasbeenflawlesswithout
exception.WheneverIcomeintotheworkshop
inthemorning,alltheworkhasbeencorrectlyper-
formed–andwiththepreviouslysetprecision.
Tecnomachalsoassuredusthatthreadingunder-
waterwouldbeperformedwiththesamedependa-
bility.Andsoitwas.Thiswayweareabletosolve
theproblemofrust,aswekeeptheworkpieces
immerseduntiltheverylastmomentandthuspre-
venttheircomingintocontactwiththeair.Then
theyarealldriedcollectively.”
Mitsubishihasdesignedanextremelyefficient,in-
novativeandrevolutionarywirethreadingsystem.
Thewireisheatedandstretched,whichyields
abarelyperceptiblebutsufficientreductioninthe
diameter.Thenawaterjetisdirectedatthelower
machinehead(30cmfurtherdown),whichisonly
afewmillimetreslargerthanthediameterofthe
wireandthreadsthewire.Digitalmotorsfeedthe
wire,withcontinuousmonitoringoftheprocess.
Optimisedparameters
Asfortheprogrammingofthemachine,theChai-
motechniciansstressthatthesystemforthesim-
pleandintuitiveorganisationofworkprocesses,
anddependablesuppliers,meticulousproc-
esses,andtheapplicationofthelatesttechnol-
ogy–allthiscontributestotheachievementof
uncompromisingquality.Oneofthemostrecent
investmentshasbeeninanEDMmachine,the
newMitsubishiElectricMV2400R.
Evenifthelion’sshareofworkisperformedon
lathesandmillingmachinesattheBologna
plant,anotinconsiderableproportioncallsfor
EDM.Particularlyifsubtractivemachiningis
notpossible–notleastbecausetheyhavetobe
carriedoutonalreadyhardenedmaterialinorder
toensureahighdegreeofprecision.
Itisaquestionofspecialshapes(square,hexago-
nal),geometricalsectionswithanextremelysmall
radius,andinteriorareasthatareinaccessible:
“TheMitsubishiElectricmachinewaschosento
ensureahighdegreeofprecision,quality,reliabil-
ityandaboveallproductivity.Allthiswasguaran-
teedbyoursupplierTecnomach.Wetrustedhim–
notleastbecauseofthemanyyearsofprofitable
cooperationthatunitesus–andtooktheplunge
bypurchasingitwithouthavingseenitinopera-
tion.Wehadclearlydefinedourrequirements.”
Allworkperformedunderwater
TheBologna-basedcompanyhastomachinenu-
meroussmall-sizeworkpiecesandhadlongbeen
consideringbenefitingfromunmannedoperation
atnight.Thiswouldmeanthatthemachineis
loadedintheeveningandtheworkpiecesarefin-
ishedbythefollowingmorning.
However,forthistobepossible,itwasnecessary
aboveallthatthewire-cuttingmachinewasable
tothreadthewireautomatically:“Thisfeaturehas
beenavailableonthemarketforsometime,but
noneofthemachineswehadpreviouslytested
provedtobeabsolutelyreliable.Theresults
wereacceptable,aslongashigh
standardsofcleanlinesswere
maintained.
However,itjusttooktheti-
niestcontaminationon
thewireoralittledust,
andtherewere
Thewirethreaderof
thenewMitsubishi
ElectricMV2400R
operatesnotonlyfully
automatically,butalso
ensuresahighdegree
ofreliabilityanduni-
formresults.
Semi-finishedcollet
withawire-cutpilot
boreandovermeas-
ureforskimcutting.
» The new MV 2400 R has demonstrated exceptional
de pendability – threading has been
flawless without exception. «
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 21
EDMandmore
20 Chia-moSrl
howevercomplex,ismatureandextremely
user-friendly.“Anexternalcameraispractically
unnecessary.Thevideographicsareself-explan-
atory.Communicationwiththemachinetakes
placeviamasksandsymbolsthatmakeprogram-
mingmuchmorestraightforward.Manyparame-
tersareautomaticallycalculatedbythemachine.
Othermanufacturersadoptthesameprocedures,
butintermsofprecisionwehavefoundthatthis
newmodelfromMitsubishiElectricsetsthe
standard.”
Thesolutionfortheadaptedmovementoftheaxes
isbasedonreluctancemotors(tubularmotors),
whichiswhynofurthermechanicalcomponents
areneeded.Furtheradvantagesincludeenergy
savingsandtheoptimisationofalloperatingpa-
rameters,startingwiththespeedofwirerunning
throughtothevaluesforelectricaldischarge.The
outcomeisaconsiderablereductionincycletime.
Unlikeothermachinesonwhichthenumberof
successivelysettableoperatingcoordinatesislim-
ited,theuserisgrantedmorefreedom:“Wecan
placealargenumberofworkpiecesonthetable,
eachofwhichisaccessibleviaitscoordinates.
Theworkprogramiscapableofpreciselyposition-
ingthemachineheadinthevariouspositionsand
thusworkingautomaticallywithouttheneedfor
manualintervention.”
Conclusions
Sincetheinstallationofthenewmachinefrom
MitsubishiElectric,theproductivityofChia-moSrl
hasimprovedconsiderablywithoutcompromis-
ingonquality:“Weusedtohavetomachinethe
workpiecesoneafteranother,emptythetank
immediatelytodrythecomponents(beforerust
canform)andfinallystartthecyclefromthebegin-
ningwithanewworkpiece.Thisresultedinwaiting
timethatwewantedtoeliminateatallcosts.Now
wecandoalltheworkunmanned–themachine
operatesentirelybyitself.”
Since the installation of the new machine from Mitsubishi Electric, the productivity of Chia-mo Srl has improved considerably without compro-mising on quality.
www.chiamo.it
Wire-cutseriesparts:
hexagonaltoolholders
forreamers.
www.chiamo.it
Nameandplaceofcompany:
Chia-moSrl,Bologna,Italy
Foundingyear:
1972
ManagingDirector:
AdalbertoChiari
Numberofemployees:
30
Corebusiness:
Productionofcomponentsfor
machinetools
Chia-moSrl
ViaCadutidiSabbiuno
40011Anzoladell'Emilia
Bologna
Italy
Tel +39.051.734153
Fax +39.051.734958
www.chiamo.it
Welcome to the home of tortellini, mortadella and other culinary de-
lights. Bologna is the capital of the province of the same name and
has a population of over 380,000. The area between the rivers Reno
and Savena and the Appenine Mountains is also much loved by the
students of the university city.
Bologna is the home of tortellini – ring-shaped pasta filled with minced
meat that is usually served in a meat broth (“brodo”) or with “sugo bolog-
nese” (made from minced meat and tomatoes), which is usually simply
called “ragù”. In Bologna, the “sugo” is made not only with minced meat,
but sometimes also with the addition of “salsiccia” (coarse raw Italian fry-
ing sausage). According to legend, tortellini are modelled on the navel of
Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
Another speciality of Bologna is mortadella, a cooked pork sausage that is
eaten cold, usually diced or finely sliced.
Bologna is also famed for its lasagne and yellow tagliatelle of egg pasta.
According to another legend, the latter is said to have been invented by a
cook who was ordered to create a dish for the wedding of Lucrezia Borgia
to Alfonso I. d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, and found inspiration in the bride’s
golden hair.
Did you know …? Bologna
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 23
EDMandmore
22 Chia-moSrl
MrWeinberger,somewomen’seyes
lightupwhentheyheartheword“dia-
monds”.Howdothepolycrystalline
diamondsthatyouprocessdifferfrom
thedecorativevariety?
Weinberger: Diamondsforjewellery
areusuallynaturalpolycrystalline
gemstones.Theyarebright,andthey
gleamandrefractthelightinitsmany
facets.PCDs,ontheotherhand,con-
sistofpolycrystalline,syntheticallypro-
duceddiamondgrainsthatarebonded
togetherinamatrixusuallyconsisting
ofcobaltandothersubstances.
“True”diamondscanbeimmediately
distinguishedfromPCDsbytheirout-
wardappearance.APCDisusually
blackandnotveryattractive.However,
whattheybothhaveincommonistheir
veryhighstrength,althoughthetwo
typesofdiamonddiffergreatlyintheir
amenabilitytomachining.Whereasa
naturalgemcanoftenonlybegroundin
asingledirection,aPCDcanbeground,
erodedandlasered.
Whatstepshavetobetakentomake
ahigh-performancetooloutofPCD?
Weinberger:WeusePCDforthecut-
tingedge.Forthis,wefirstproducea
toolcarrier.WeusuallybuythePCDin
70mmroundblanks.Wecutthemby
wireerosion,andbrazethematching
bladeintothecarrierandthenfinishit.
Thiscanbebygrindingitorwire-cut-
tingitwiththeaidofthefinefinishing
generator.
ForyourEDMwork,youhavebeen
usingMitsubishimachineslikethe
MV1200,FA20VSandBA8foralmost
30years.Whatdoyoulikeaboutthe
machines?
Weinberger:Thereareanumberof
points.We’reveryhappywiththeafter-
salesservice.Operationisintuitiveand
Cutting diamonds
with precision
LÜTTICkE
When it comes to high-performance machining in industry, tools with cutting edges of PCD (poly-crystalline diamond) and CBN (cubic crystalline bo-ron nitride) have become firmly established – among other things in the automotive sector and in the machining of graphite and of carbon-fibre- and glass-fibre-reinforced plastics. PROFILE magazine spoke to Stephan Weinberger, Management Direc-tor of innovative tool specialist Lütticke GmbH, about the production and machining of such tools.
KarlJ.Lüttickesteppeddownin2005andhis
daughterBrittaWeinbergerandhisson-in-law
StephanWeinbergertookoverthecompany
together.
The future belongs to automated toolmaking
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 25
EDMandmore
24 LüttickeGmbH
whichinourcaseisamaximumof0.25
mmwide–andathighspeed.And
thirdly,there’sthegeneratoroutputthat
makesmuchfastercuttingpossible.
MrWeinberger,let’stalkaboutyour
fullyautomatictoolchanger.Whatis
itforandhowdoesitwork?
Weinberger:Ihavetoadmitthatgetting
startedwasdifficult.ForLüttickeandour
partnerMitsubishi,itwasthefirstsystem
ofthiskind.Initscurrent,initialstate,a
robotaidedbyatoolchangerloadsaFA
20VSwithnewtoolsforwire-cutting
aroundtheclock.Thesystemisspecifi-
callyintendedforthefabricationofrotary
toolsthathavemorethantwocutting
edges.Fortheextensionsplannedfor
2014and2016,weintendtointegratean-
otherwire-cuttingmachineinthesystem.
Atpresent,thetoolchangercanbe
loadedwithamaximumof15tools.With
interimextension,weplantoincrease
thisfigureto30and,initsfinalstate,to
50.
Whatarethedifficultiesinvolved?
Weinberger:Whenweorderanew
wire-cuttingmachine–sayfromMit-
subishi–wegetacompletesystem
withtestedsoftware.Inthiscase,the
tried-and-testedsoftwarewasn’tavail-
able.Thesoftwareforthecontrolofthe
cellcomesfromGTRandthemachine
fromMitsubishi.Problemsattheinter-
facesarepracticallyinevitable.But
we’vegottogivecredittoMitsubishi.
Theirstaffalwayscameroundstraight-
awaytotrackdowntheerrorsource
andremedyit.We’venowovercomeall
theteethingtroubles.Thesystemhas
beenrunningtotallysmoothlyforthe
lastthreeandahalfmonthsandwe
haven’thadanysystem-relatedfailure.
Self-critically,Ihavetoadmitthatwe
underestimatedtheproblemsbefore-
handanddidn’tdoallourhomework.
Notallthetooldimensionswerepre-
ciselyloggedandthezeropointswere
notallclearlydefined.
theprogrammingsystemneatly
structured,andourstaffareimmedi-
atelyabletohandleitreliably.Wehave
ofcoursetriedoutanumberofrival
productsovertheyears,butweweren’t
impressedbythetrials.
Inwhichproductionareasdoyou
usedEDMmachines?
Weinberger:Weusethemforthepre-
liminarymachiningoftools,which
meanscuttingtheblanks.Wegrindthe
insertseatswiththerequiredprecision.
Ifthecustomerwantsparticularlyhigh
precision,wewire-cuttherecessesfor
thePCDblades.Withthisformof
machining,weworkwithatolerance
rangeof5µmwhenpreparingthetool
carrier.Webasicallyproducesmallse-
ries,althoughwealsohaveproductsin
ourportfoliomachinedinnumbersof
upto200.Theaveragebatchsizewith
PCDis3to5.
LastyearyouinvestedintwonewMit-
subishiMV1200SwireEDMmachines.
Aretheseadditionstoyourmachine
parkorreplacementsforoldermodels.
Weinberger:ThenewMVmachinesare
extensionstoourrangeofmachining
options.FortheScandinavianmarket,
wehavereorganisedourfieldservice,
andthishasyieldedagoodnumberof
wire-cuttingjobs.Oneofthemachinesis
workingtoahighlevelofcapacity.
We’veequippedthesecondmachine
withaclockedaxis.Itisaredundant
systemthatstepsintohandletheexist-
ingworkloadintheeventofamachine
failureormaintenance.Thissounds
costly,anditis.Butweworkfortheau-
tomotiveindustryandifwecan’tmeet
ourdeadlines,welosethecustomer.
Also,we’vejustreachedthelimitsofour
capacityagain.Allourmachinesarein
operation.Wehaveverylittledowntime.
Ourproductiondepartmentoperates
withflexitimeshiftsfrom5amto7pm.
Afterthis,weletmostofthemachines
workintothenight.Ourautomationcell
runs24/7.
WhataretheadvantagesoftheMV
systeminyourview?
Weinberger: Allowmetoconcentrate
onthepointsthatmattertous.Firstof
all,there’sthefinefinishinggenerator.
Unliketheslightlyoldermachines,itde-
liverssignificantlybettersurfaceswhen
cuttingPCD.Italsoachievesamorepre-
cisecut.Secondly,there’stheautomatic
wirethreader.Wecutalltoolswitha
clearanceangleofunder7,11or15
degrees.Intheeventofwirebreakage,
theoldermachinesfirstrunthesystem
backintoitszeroposition.Butnotthe
MV.Itautomaticallyre-threadsthewire
inthepositionwherethewirehasbro-
ken.Indoingso,itfeedsthewirediago-
nally,atthegivenangle,throughthekerf,
Almosteverytoolisuniqueandproducedinsmallbatchsizes.Eachonehastobedesigned,computed
andprogrammedfromscratch.We’veadaptedourstructuretothis.
Lüttickeproducesrotatingtoolswithmorethan
twocuttingedgesonthenewsystemwithitsau-
tomatictoolchanger.
Companies in Profile
Since its founding in 1979, Lütticke GmbH has been concerned with ma-
chining solutions for industry. While the company initially served exclu-
sively the regional market, it now has its sights on Europe. With its innova-
tive products for machining, it has developed into a dependable supplier
to the automotive industry and automotive parts suppliers. Other focuses
can be found in the machining of CRP, GRP and graphite and abrasion
protection. In the last 10 years alone, the product range has grown to
about 10,000 tools, machined typically in batch sizes of 3 to 5 pieces as
well as 100 to 500 pieces. One of its specialities is high-grade special
tools with cutting edges of PCD (polycrystalline diamond) and CBN (cubic
boron nitride).
In the last few years, Lütticke has invested about EuR 4 million in its
modern machine park and in efficient automation solutions. Together with
reputed partners, the company researches and develops, among other
things, blade geometries for the machining of CRP materials and the high-
precision profiling of diamond grinding discs with wire EDM.
The company’s backbone is its 16 highly skilled employees who,
together with the committed managers Britta and Stephan Weinberger,
stand for punctual delivery, precision and innovation. So that it can
continue to meet its high standards of quality in the future, Lütticke suc-
cessfully trains machinists.
In the coming years, the company aims to increase its market shares,
expand its foreign business and grow at its current site with further auto-
mation and innovative further development in the special tool sector.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 27
EDMandmore
26 LüttickeGmbH
MrWeinberger,howdidyousolve
theseproblemsbeforetheinstalla-
tionoftherobotcell?
Weinberger:Basicallywedidn’t.We
hadtheideasandgotthemachinesys-
temgoingbeforewegotthefirstjob.
Onlyafterwardsdidwetakeonwork.
Thiswaywedidn’tgetundertoomuch
pressure.AsImentionedearlier,our
customersexpectdelivery
todeadline.Withthenewau-
tomationstrategy,we’vebeenableto
significantlyboostoursales,and
they’verisenbyabout30%.
Forthefirsttimewe’vebeenableto
adopttotallynewtoolingstrategiesand
machinerotarytoolswithevengreater
precision,asitisouraimtoimprove
speedandprecision.We
believethatwecanonlyhold
ourownasaGerman-basedcompanyif
wecanproducedhigh-precisionand
high-gradetoolswithanattractive
price/performanceratio.
MrWeinberger,you’vebeenconduct-
ingresearchtogetherwiththeFraun-
hoferInstituteinBerlinintothe
optimisationofthesubtractivema-
chiningofCRPmaterials.What’sthe
ideabehindthis?
Weinberger:TogetherwithSGLCar-
bonandtheFraunhoferInstitute,we
wanttodevelopanentirelynewcutting
material.WithMitsubishi’ssupport,we
wanttodeterminetheoptimum
productionparametersandcuttingge-
ometriesforthemachiningofCRP
materialsandwoodwiththeaidofall-
ceramictools.Ourgoalistodevelopa
toolthatattopspeedduringhigh-
speedcuttingisabletoabsorbthe
processheatwellwhilealsopermitting
higherfeedrates.
Wethuswishtoreducetheburnsthat
oftenariseduringthemachiningof
woodtoaminimum.
Arethereanyotherprojects?
Weinberger: Inanotherproject,weare
workingtogetherwithMitsubishion
theEDMprofilingofdiamondgrinding
wheels.Thisprojecthasalready
reachedtheindustrialtestingstage.
Weseeapplicationsintheglass
industryandintheprecisiongrindingof
millswithknurledtoothing.
Wearecurrentlyworkingherewith
metalgrindingwheels.Butthefirstat-
temptstoproducegrindingwheels
bondedinasyntheticresinmatrixwith
conductivefillerhavegonewell.
Whenwillyoubepublishingthe
findings?
Weinberger:Theinitialfindingson
theprofilingofgrindingwheelsareal-
readyavailable.Thefinalreportonthe
researchprojectdevotedtothedevel-
opmentoftechnologyforall-ceramic
shanktoolsforCRPandGRPmachin-
ingwillbepublishedinMay2014.
MrWeinberger,thankyouforthe
interview.
» We have of course tried out a number
of rival products over the years, but we
weren’t impressed by the trials. «
Abigadvantageofthe
systemisitsintuitive
operation.
Thissystemmakesitpossibletoproducemany
differenttoolsinsmallnumbers.
www.luetticke.biz
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 29
EDMandmore
28 LüttickeGmbH
QualifiedengineerLarsKölle,whorunsthebusi-
nesstogetherwithhiswifeKatjaPottiez-Kölle,
placesagearingdieonthetablewhoseteethhave
beencutontheMV2400RGrandTubular.“Since
weonlyproduceone-offs,wehavetobesureof
gettingitrightfirsttimewhenwire-cutting,aswith
allourotherprocesses.Atthesametime,it’sa
questionofmasteringthischallengeatacceptable
cost.Thisiswhyprecision,forexample,ismore
importantthanahighmachiningspeed.Speedis
ofcoursealsoappreciated,butbeforeweproduce
scrap,wepreferthemachinetorunalittlelonger
instead.”Precisiondoesn’tofcourseexclude
speed,astheGrandTubularisrenownedasmuch
foritsspeedasfortheprecisionofitscornersand
curves.
UniquepositioninGermany
LarsKöllepointstotheoperatorwhohasjust
clampedaworkpiece.“Tocreatetheconditionsfor
precisecuts,wehaveadditionallyoptedfor3D
machineset-up,enablingustomeasuretheposi-
tionoftheclampedcomponent.”Apartfrom
precision,Pottiez,whoseeshimselfasahigh-per-
formancesupplierofprecisionpunchingtools
andprecisionpunchedpartsandsubcontracting
work,demandshighstandardsofthesurface
quality,reproducibility,parallelismandthecontour
accuracyofhisproducts.
Dowedetectawhiffofaerospace,carsandfood
intheairoftheproductionshop,oritjustourim-
agination?Afterall,thecustomersofthecompany
thatcallstoolmakingitscorecompetencecome
fromthesebranchesofindustryalongwiththe
electrical,electronicsandconsumerdurablesin-
dustry.Pottiezmainlyerodesramanddiesetsas
wellasguideplatesfortools.Thesearerequired
forshapingstainlesssteel,aluminiumandsteel.
Kölletakesanothercomponentoutofaglasscab-
inet.“Alongwithheatexchangersandcorrugated
andtubularfins,thisbaffle,forinstance,isoneof
thefinishedpartsthatcus-
tomersmakewithourprod-
ucts.Thankstothespecial
punchesthatwedevelop
forthispurpose,wehave
achievedauniqueposition
forourselvesontheGerman
market.”Thematerialsthat
Pottiezmainlyprocessesare
steel,metal-ceramicsteels
andcementedcarbide.Thedimen-
sionsrangefromtinytothesizeoftheentire
clampingspace.Themachiningtimes,hesays,
runfromafewminutestoseveraldays.
Non-stopEDM
AJustifyinghispurchaseoftheMV2400RGrand
Tubularandhenceachangeofsupplier,Kölle
stressesitsattractiveprice/performanceratioand
superiortechnicalfeatures.Alsonoteworthywere
thecompetenceoftheMitsubishiElectricstaffand
thegoodimpressionmadebythewaythecom-
panyoutwardlypresentsitself.
Themostimportanttechnicalfeaturesin
Kölle’sviewincludethenowfully
digitalADVANCEPLUSCNC
controlandthenewIn-
telligentATauto-
matic
Baffleasafin-
ishedpartfora
customer
Walter Pottiez GmbH is one of the first users of the MV2400R Grand Tubular from Mitsubishi Electric. With its precision, the wire EDM system seamlessly continues the tradition of the broad range of machines that tool- and mouldmakers need for the effi-cient production of one-off parts.
A batch size of one – a concept that instils fear in many metalworkers – is the norm at Walter Pottiez GmbH in Sulzfeld. In its work, the family company bene-fits from its shallow hierarchy and the resultant flexibility.
» Since the MV2400R Grand
Tubular runs unmanned at night, we have to be able to depend on the wire-threading
system. «
WALTER POTTIEZ
Getting it right
first time
EDMandmoreEDMandmore
Profile08.2013 3130 WalterPottiezGmbH
impossibletocalculate,saysKölle,becausehe
onlymachinesone-offs.Itinevitablyreduceshis
energyconsumptionasthecontroldisablesun-
neededfunctionsandthemachineswitchesasre-
quiredfromsleepmodetostand-by.
Ifhewantstoworkoutwhetherhisoperating
costsarelowerthanwiththeoldmachine,
heagainrunsupagainsttheproblemofbatchsize.
Kölleshrugshisshoulders.“Althoughthere-
placementpartsfromMitsubishiElectricare
cheaperthanfromourformersupplier,whateffect
ithasonourmachinehourrateisdifficulttosay
becausewedon’tproduceanyseries.”
Glancebeyondtheimmediateregion
Whatisclear,however,isthatPottiezhasbroad-
eneditsbaseforsingle-unitproductionby
investingintheMV2400RGrandTubular.Kölle
stopsatanassemblytable.“Thisuniquepiece
ofequipmentisafineexampleofhowweconvert
evenourownideasintoone-offitems.This
assemblytable,whichisunavailableforpurchase
onthemarket,isaccessiblefromallsidesand
thusmakestoolassemblyeasier.”
Thecompanyalsodemonstratescreativityinthe
marketingsector,havingextendeditsfeelerswell
beyondtheimmediateregion.In2009,Pottiez
openedasalesofficeforNorthAmericainAtlanta,
Georgiaandhassincesetupajointventurethere
withapartnerfortheproductionofheatex-
changercomponents.
wire-threadingsystem.Asthewordsuggests,
thisisanintelligentsolutionbecauseitthreadsthe
wirereliablyandquicklyinanysituation–inthedi-
electric,inthekerforafterinterruptionsinstart-
holedrilling.Eventheheightoftheworkpieceisno
object.Kölleobservestheprocessinthedielectric
tank.“Althoughthemachinecontributesonly
abouttenpercentofourtooloutputonaverage,it
isinalmostconstantuse.Weoperatesevendays
aweek,aroundtheclock.SincetheMV2400R
GrandTubularrunsunmannedatnight,wehaveto
beabletodependonthewire-threading
system.”Inviewofthis,Pottiezhasalso
investedina20-kilowirestationand
theequallyoptionalmcAnywhereCon-
tactfunctionviawhichbriefstatus
messagesaresenttoselectedmobilephone
numbers.Tobeabletojudgethedriveconceptus-
ingTubularShaftmotors,itisstilltooearlyinthe
managingdirector’sview,havingonlycommis-
sionedthemachinelastautumn.Evenso,
Mitsubishi,hebelieves,hastakenanexcitingnew
approachinthatthewearassociatedwithcon-
ventionalmotorspindlesdoesnotariseonthelinear
motorsemployedwiththeTubularShaftdirect
drives.Anadditionaladvantageofthenewsolution
isthatthedrivetechnologyintheX,Y,UandVaxes
isresponsiblefortotallycogging-freeandextremely
smoothandhighlycontrollablemovements.
Fastertoanewlevel
Inthecontrolsector,MitsubishiElectric
isalsogoingnewways.WithintheOpti-
calDriveSystem,afibreopticnetwork
nowhandlesdatainterchange.This
communicatesconsiderablyfasterand
moreefficientlyviaopticalwaveguides
betweentheADVANCEPLUSCNC
control,servoamplifiersandTubular
Shaftdirectdrivesandthusfacilitates
evengreatermachiningprecision.Apart
fromthis,MitsubishiElectrichasimprovedthe
user-friendlinessovertheoldAdvanceCNCcon-
trol.
Köllegoestoanexternalworkstation.“Thisis
whereweprogramthecontrol.Thedataarethen
transmittedwiththeaidofapostprocessor.”He
pointsoutanotheradvantageoftheMV2400R
GrandTubularasfarasoperationisconcerned.
“AnyoneconfrontedwithwireEDMforthefirsttime
achievesahigherstandardofoperationonthis
newmachinefasterthansomeonewhoisusedto
adifferentmodelandfirsthastore-adjusttothe
newmachine.”
Ontopofallthis,theMV2400RGrandTubular
achieveshighenergyefficiencyasaresultofthe
OpticalDriveSystemcombinedwiththeTubular
Shaftmotors.Howmuchenergyhesavesis
Justifying his purchase of the MV2400R Grand Tubular and hence a change of supplier, Kölle stresses its attractive price/performance ratio and superior technical features.
LarsKölle,Managing
DirectorofWalter
PottiezGmbH,witha
gearingdiewhose
teethhavebeencuton
thewireEDMsystem.
Gearingpunch
withwire-
cutteeth
www.pottiez.de
EDMandmore EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 3332 WalterPottiezGmbH
Professionals in Profile: Lars Kölle
Nameandplaceofcompany:
WalterPottiezGmbH,
Sulzfeld,Germany
Foundingyear:
1963
Managers:
LarsKölleandKatjaPottiez-Kölle
Numberofemployees:
86
Corebusiness:
Toolmakingandjobshoppunching
How would you describe in a sentence
what your company does?
We design, build and test high-precision progressive
compound tools. This is joined by the punching of parts under subcon-
tract for a variety of sectors of industry.
How did you earn your first money?
In my parents’ repair shop for farming machinery and other items of
equipment.
What motivates you?
At work, my interest in technology.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We have a strong international presence and want to develop further in
this area.
What was your biggest business success?
Our foreign activities in the uSA. We had customers there before we
opened our sales office and were able to build on this foundation.
What’s your favourite way to relax?
Spending time with the family or playing a round of golf.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Honesty.
What faults in other people do you find easiest to forgive?
I can forgive anyone who is willing to honestly admit a mistake.
How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech-
nical knowledge?
We produce tools with which shapes are produced from flat materials.
www.pottiez.de
WalterPottiezGmbH
Mühlhohlstraße7
75056Sulzfeld
Germany
Tel +49.7269.91250
Fax +49.7269.912525
CBN and diamond grinding wheels can be profitably dressed to a high standard of quality with wire EDM and supplementary axes.
The carousel for precision grinding wheels
Peripheralwheel
MITSuBISHI ELECTRIC
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 35
EDMandmore
34 WalterPottiezGmbH
R 0.05 mm
13.0 mm
Wire EDM dressing of CBN and diamond grinding wheels with metallic binders: The key facts in brief
Precondition The grinding wheel’s binding material must be electrically
conductive.
Achievable today · Smallest inner radius for kerfs ≈ 0.05 mm
· Smallest outer radius ≈ 2 x grain size + binder material
· Multiple profiles on a grinding wheel = unlimited
Benefits
No special dressing tool
necessary
Outstanding grinding wheel
geometry and topography
Profile trueness in the
micrometre range
Intricate contours are
achievable
High concentricity
Rapid response
Simple programming with 2D
contouring: DXF, DWG, etc.
Process amenable to full
automation
Several times longer grinding
wheel service life
Feed rate in the grinding
process up to twice as high
Open-pored grinding
wheels – sufficient defined
swarf space
kNo break-out of binder
matrix components (broken-
off pieces)
Thedressing(=profilingandsharpening)ofgrindingdiscsbywireEDMisnotafunda-mentallynewtechnology.However,withthecurrentwire-cuttingmachinesfromMitsubishiElectric,thescopeformachininghasbecomebroaderthaneverbefore.
Unlikeconventionaldressingwith
fixedormovingdressingtools,thepro-
cesswithwire-cuttingiscontactless.
Althoughthisalsoappliesinprincipleto
die-sinkingdressingwithshape-impart-
ingelectrodes,thewireerosionprocess
ismuchkindertothegrindingwheel.
Precisionanddurablegrindingdiscsthankstocontactlessdressing
Letusstartwithabriefoverviewofthe
process.Thegrindingwheelundergoing
machiningisinitiallysetturningbya
specialspindlewithinthewireEDMma-
chine’sworkingrange.Inthecourseof
theprocess,thecuttingwirenegotiatesa
cuttingpathcorrespondingpreciselyto
thegrindingwheel’sfutureprofile.
Duringtheerosionprocess,theelectri-
callyconductivebinderis
erodedtoexposethe
abrasive(CBNordia-
mondparticles)on
thesurfaceofthe
grindingwheel.
Abrasiveoutside
thefinalgeome-
tryalsosimply
fallsfromthe
wheeltogether
withtheeroded
binder.
Whatisalsoworthnoting
isthatawire-dressedgrindingwheel
canbeusedinthegrindingmachineim-
mediatelyandwithoutfurthertreatment.
Itissharpanditsdirectionofrotationis
nolongerrelevant.Testshaveproven
thattheremovalrateofgrindingwheels
processedwithwireerosioncanbeas
muchastwiceashighasthatofcon-
ventionallydressedwheels.Another
positivefeatureisthat,despitethissu-
periorperformance,grindingwheel
servicelifecanbefivetimesaslong,as
itsstructureisnotdamagedduringwire
erosion.
Child’splaywiththewireerosionsystemsfromMitsubishiElectric
ThewireerosionsystemsfromMitsubishi
Electricmakethisprocesschild’splay.
Thebasisisthegrindingwheel’sgeome-
try–definedeitherinadrawingor,better
still,inageometryfile,e.g.inDXFformat.
Theprofileisprogrammedasacutting
path.IfaDXFisavailable,itcanberead
straightintothecontrolandprocessed
intoanNCprogram.Themachining
technologyisselectedfromthema-
chine’sdatabase,andthenthegrinding
wheelisclampedandworkcanstart.
Theprocesstakesplacefully
automatically,andtheonlythingleftto
doisremovetheready-profiledgrinding
wheelfromthechuck.Itcouldn’tbesim-
plerormoreflexible
IncooperationwithITS-Tech-
nologiesinOberndorfam
Neckar,variousrotat-
ingspindleshaveal-
readybeendevel-
opedwiththe
mostwidelyused
chuckseatsso
thatgrinding
wheelsofmanydifferentsizesandwith
conventionalchuckinterfacessuchas
HSK63-Fcanbeefficientlyprocessed.
MitsubishiElectricandITS-Technolo-
gieshavewide-rangingexpertiseand
plentyofexperienceinthissector.
Evenunmannedandfullyautomatedoperationifdesired
Theprocessassuchisdefinedand
takesplacedependablyonthe
unmannedwireEDMmachine.This
meansthatabasicpreconditionforthe
furtherautomationofthismachining
technologyhasbeensatisfied.Here,
again,MitsubishiElectrichastheasso-
ciatedexpertiseandalsotherequisite
productsofitsown,e.g.therobotsof
theMELFAseries.Manyfullyauto-
matedmachiningcellsthatalsodress
grindingdiscsinself-controlledopera-
tionarealreadyinoperation.
In2013,Hannoverwillagainbethe
focusofthemetalworkingworld’s
attentionfrom16to21September,
whenEMOHannover,theindustry’s
undisputedflagshipfair,istaking
place.
Afullyautomatedmachiningcellasde-
scribedabovewillbeonshowthereat
MitsubishiElectric’sStandC08inHall
25.Welookforwardtoseeingyou!
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
LeftGrindingwheelwithinnerradiiof0.05mm.
AboveExampleofanapplicationofwireEDM
dressing.
Discover the fully automated machining cell
at EMO in Hannover: Hall 25, Stand C08
AboveleftDiamond
grindingwheelD46
withmetallicbinder
BelowleftandrightMultipleprofile
D=150mminnerand
outerradius
r=0.12mm±30°
3,01 mm
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 37
EDMandmore
36 MitsubishiElectricEuropeB.V.
Huyghe Formenbau is synonymous with precision tech-nology and outstanding quality in mouldmaking. With its eight employees, the firm may not be one of the big-gest, but, as owner Eric Huyghe explains, it is one of the soundest financially: “For the banks, we rank among the Top Ten – sure proof of the quality and dependability of our work.”
“Asasmallcompany,wehavealways
concentratedintheregionaround
Lüdenscheidandsoughtourcustomers
here.Wesofarhaven’thadanyneed
foradvertisingcampaignsorforactive
effortstoattractbusiness,”saysEric
Huyghe.Hiscustomersappreciatequal-
ity,punctualdeliveryandflexibility–
valuesthatthecompanyhasbeencom-
mittedtosinceitsfoundingin1995.
Withamodernmachineparkandits
highlyskilledstaff,thecompanyhasa
broadbaseandisexcellentlyequipped
toproducetoolsandmouldsforthe
wholeofindustry.OneofHuyghe’sspe-
cialitiesistheproductionofmoulds
andtoolsforthelarge-seriesproduc-
tionofhigh-gradesystemcomponents
fortheautomotiveandelectricalindus-
tries.Inthelastfewyears,thecompany
hasfocusedstronglyontheconstruc-
tionoftwo-componentmouldsand
builtupitsspecialisedexpertiseinthis
area.
Anyonecanoptimise–you’vegottoknowwhere
Atthismoderntoolmakingcompany,
EDMandconventionalmachiningare
complementaryprocesses.“Eachma-
chiningmethodhasitsstrengths.We
combinethetwomethodssothatwecan
alwaysachievetheoptimumofquality
andmachiningspeedandrespondflex-
iblytocustomerrequests,”Huyghe
stresses.Thisadaptablewayofworking
isonlypossiblewithhighmanu-
facturingdepth–indis-
pensableforsuperlative
quality.
Toensurethatalltheworkintoolmaking
isdonewiththedemandedcare,the
companyhasdeliberatelydecided
againstfarmingoutwork.“Onlythen,”
saysHuyghe,“canwecomprehensively
plan,designandcontrolallworksteps.
Afterall,ourcustomershavetobeable
torelyongettingthequalitytheywant.”
Qualityisassuredinaccordancewith
DINISO9001andDIN2008.ForHuy-
ghe,however,thisisonlytheformalba-
sis.Thecompany’sspecialisedknowl-
edgeisthecrucialresourceforthepro-
ductionofmouldsandtoolsofthe
desiredquality.Thehighlytrainedand
skilledworkforceandtheadvanced
machineparkformasoundfoundation
forqualityandflexibility.Forinstance,
atHuygheFormenbau,alltoolmakers
areabletooperateanyofthemachines
andfullyprocessanyofthedemanded
workpieceswithmaximumprecision.
Eachemployeeissolelyresponsiblefor
hisjob.Thiscallsforgreattechnical
competenceandoffersplentyofscope
forworkingindependentlywhilealso
demandingahighdegreeofpersonal
accountability.
“Inthelastfewmonths,however,one
ofouremployeeshasbeenconcentrat-
ingmoreonwire-cuttingwiththenew
MitsubishiMV2400R“,thebosssays.
Oneindicatorofthequalityoftool-
andmouldmakingisthereworkrate.At
Huygheitispracticallyzero.Inthe
tooldesignsector,theLüdenscheid
companyhasbeenworkingforalong
timewithexperiencedspecialists.
In Lüdenscheid, Huyghe Formenbau finds itself in the very best company, as the region is home to a good 160 firms specialising in tool- and mouldmaking, a stronghold of the industry.
Inthelastfewyears,HuygheFormenbau
hasbuiltupspecialisedexpertiseinthepro-
ductionoftwo-componentmoulds.
HuYGHE FORMENBAu
Slashing machining time
by 20 hours
Profile08.2013 39
EDMandmoreEDMandmore
38 EricHuygheFormenbau
times,”Huyghecontinues.Foratruly
informativecomparison,theemploy-
eesmachinedalmostidenticaltoolssi-
multaneously.
30hoursinsteadof50
Thecomparisonwasperformedwith
complexworkpiecesofverysimilarde-
signproducedagainandagainfora
longstandingcustomer.Clampedon
theFA20,theworkpiecetookabout
50hourstoreachcompletion.Foritsal-
mostidenticalcounterpart,thenew
MV2400Rcompletedtheprocessafter
aboutonly30hours.“Thefirstmachine
presentationsbyMitsubishiElectric
yieldedverysimilarfigures.Butitwas
thepreciseconfirmationofthesedata
inoureverydayworkthatreallysur-
prisedus,”saysHuyghe.
Ineverydayoperationsinaproduction
shop,itisnoteasytoproduce
comparabledata.However,pricecalcu-
lationcallsforreliableandrealisticdata.
Thecompanygeneratesthedatawithits
ownmethods.Theeconomicalwire
consumptionoftheMV2400Risvery
noticeableoneachjob.Asfaras
consumablesareconcerned,Huyghe
estimatessavingsofabout40%over
theFA20.Itisalittlemoredifficultfor
Huyghetoestimatepowerconsump-
tion,asthemachinesdonothavetheir
ownelectricitymeters.
Paybacktime
“Ifwefinallylookattheissueofpay-
backsoimportantforbusinessowners
andfinanciers,we’renotyetableto
accuratelyquantifyaperiodonthe
strengthofjustsixmonths’practical
experience.Onthebasisofcautiouses-
timates,however,Iexpectthe
MV2400Rtohavepaidforitselfinour
productionshopaftertwotothree
years.”
Thecompanybelievesthatwire-cut-
tingwillcontinuetogrowinimportance
intheforeseeablefuture,asthetools
formanybranchesofindustrysuchas
theautomotiveandelectricalindustries
willbecomeincreasinglycomplex.The
demandformodulartoolswillthus
grow.ThisisataskinwhichEDMma-
chineswiththeirtechnologicaladvan-
tageswilltrulycomeintotheirown.Par-
ticularlywhenoneconsidersthatsuch
machinesarecapableofcuttingtools
directlyoutofhardenedmaterials.
Changeofgeneration
Foryears,thecompanywire-cutallits
high-gradetoolsonaMitsubishiFA20.
Bytakinggoodcareofthemachineand
havingitregularlyserviced,itsperform-
ancewasalwaysimpeccableandthere
wasneveranycauseforcomplaint.But
evengoodthingscanbeimprovedon.
Insummer2012,MitsubishiElectric
presentedthelatestgenerationofits
wireEDMmachines–thenewMV.Huy-
ghewasimmediatelyamazedbythe
machinesanditsoonbecameclearto
himthathisfirmwasonthevergeofa
changeofgenerationinwireEDM.An
investmentthatwouldsignificantly
boosttheproductivityofhisEDMde-
partmentandsoonpayforitself.
TheMVSeriesimmediatelyjustified
theinvestment,asitoffersmaximum
functionalism,significantlyshorter
throughputtimesthanitspredecessors
andhencelowerpiececostsaswell.
Thankstothenewgeneratortechnology,
energyandwireconsumptionissignifi-
cantlylower.Foramodestsum,the
newMVSeriesfromMitsubishiElectric
markstheentrylevelintothehigh-end
classofwire-cuttingmachines.
“Duringthepresentation,themarked
improvementinperformanceandthe
lowerwireconsumptionandenergy
savingswerethedecisivefactorsfor
me,”saysHuyghe.Otherpractical
considerations,likethelargermachin-
ingrangeandthespaceoccupiedby
themachine,werealsoimportant.
Thetestofeverydayuse
TheMV2400Rhasbeeninstalledinthe
Lüdenscheidfirmsinceautumn2012
andhassincebeenrunningin1.5shifts
perdaywithoutanynotablestoppages.
Staffwereinstantlyimpressedbythe
clearlayoutofthecontrolpanelandthe
machine’sintuitiveprogramstructure.
Duringthemachiningoftheveryfirst
workpiecesontheMV,thenewwire-
threadingsystemwasconspicuously
fast.WhiletheFA20tookanaverageof
20secondsforthreading,theMVis
backinoperationagainafter5.“Inrela-
tiontotheoverallmachiningtimelast-
ingseveralhours,”Huygheexplains,“the
timegainedduringthreadingis
negligible,butitisindicativeofthehuge
improvementinproductivityofthenew
machinegeneration.”Withitsmodern
generatorsystem,theMV2400R
operateswithgreatspeedandextreme
accuracy.
“Themostastonishingandforusthe
mostsatisfyingresultswereyieldedby
thedirectcomparisonofmachining
» The economical wire consumption of the MV 2400 R is very noticeable
on each job. «
www.huyghe-formenbau.de
Clamped on the FA 20, the workpiece took about 50 hours to reach com-pletion. For its almost identical counterpart, the new MV 2400 R completed the process after about only 30 hours.
HuygheFormenbau
produceshigh-tech
products,among
otherthingsforthe
automotiveindustry.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 41
EDMandmore
40 EricHuygheFormenbau
Professionals in Profile: Eric Huyghe
Nameandplaceofcompany:
EricHuygheFormenbau,
Lüdenscheid,Germany
Foundingyear:
1995
ManagingDirector:
EricHuyghe
Numberofemployees:
8
Corebusiness:
Injectionmouldsforautomotive
engineering,specialisingintwo-
componenttechnology
How would you describe in a sentence what your company does?
Huyghe produces high-grade tools and moulds.
How did you earn your first money?
During my training as a toolmaker.
What motivates you?
The fun and pleasure of tool- and mouldmaking. Creativity, new tasks and
the associated challenges.
What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five
years ago?
We’re more efficient.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We want to stay about the same size but produce faster and more effi-
ciently. Boosting not just sales, but also profits.
What was your biggest business success?
Continuous profit-oriented company growth.
What’s your favourite way to relax?
Cycling in the hills.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Honesty and standing up for what one believes in.
www.huyghe-formenbau.de
EricHuyghe-Formenbau
AltenaerStraße225b
58513Lüdenscheid
Germany
Tel +49.2351.952673
Fax +49.2351.952674
Profi l
Das clevere Magazin für Anwender
Ausgabe 02 · Dezember 2011
12Die Feuerwehr des PrototypenbausErodiertechnik Naumann
30 Siebe und Filter ganz schön auf DrahtKarl Küfner
36
Wann zeigen Sie Profil?
Möchten Sie und Ihr Unternehmen in der nächsten Ausgabe sein?
Dann schreiben Sie uns einfach an!
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
Niederlassung Deutschland
Mechatronics Machinery
Gothaer Straße 8
40880 Ratingen · Deutschland
Fon +49 . 2102 . 486 6120
Fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090
edm.sales @ meg.mee.com
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
PEFC / 04 - 31- 0830
Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig
bewirtschafteten Wäldern.
Service – von Ostwestfalen bis Mexiko Mitsubishi Electric und A. & H. Meyer
Profi l
Das clevere Magazin für Anwender
Ausgabe 01 · Juli 2011
10Mehr Biss braucht PassgenauigkeitWF Fottner GmbH
29 Full HD in 3D – Faszination Wohnzimmer Mitsubishi Electric Visual Information Systems
14 Innovative Ausbildung:
Sprungbrett in den Beruf
Wann zeigen Sie Profil?
Möchten Sie und Ihr Unternehmen in der nächsten Ausgabe sein?
Dann schreiben Sie uns einfach an!
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
Niederlassung Deutschland
Mechatronics Machinery
Gothaer Straße 8
40880 Ratingen · Deutschland
Fon +49 . 2102 . 486 6120
Fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090
edm.sales @ meg.mee.com
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
PEFC / 04 - 31- 0830
Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig
bewirtschafteten Wäldern.
Wenn Schweizer mehr als Qualität verlangenWenger S.A.
16
Der schnellste Drahterodierer der WeltRoman Weber GmbH
13
Wann zeigen Sie Pro� l?
Möchten Sie und Ihr Unternehmen
in der nächsten Ausgabe sein?
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.Niederlassung DeutschlandMechatronics EDM / Laser
Gothaer Straße 840880 Ratingen · DeutschlandTel.: +49 (0) 21 02 /4 86-6120Fax: +49 (0) 21 02 /4 86-7090
PEFC/04-31-0830
Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig
bewirtschafteten Wäldern.
Pro� l
Das clevere Magazin für Erodierer
Ausgabe 2 · Dezember 2010 Pro� l
Das clevere Magazin für Anwender
Ausgabe 01 · September 2012
27Einfach nurQualitätCaleffi
61 Leuchtturm im WerkzeugbauAWEBA Werkzeugbau
Wann zeigen Sie Profil?
Möchten Sie und Ihr Unternehmen in der nächsten Ausgabe sein?
Dann schreiben Sie uns einfach an!
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
Niederlassung Deutschland
Mechatronics Machinery
Gothaer Straße 8
40880 Ratingen · Deutschland
Fon +49 . 2102 . 486 6120
Fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090
edm.sales @ meg.mee.com
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
PEFC / 04 - 31- 0830
Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig
bewirtschafteten Wäldern.
Drahten für den KoboldVorwerk Elektrowerke
42
Pssst, ab September 2012
gibt’s neue Maschinen!
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 4342 EricHuygheFormenbau
Profil
Pro� le
The smart magazine for users
Issue 01 · July 2011
10A perfect fi t for a brighter smileWF Fottner GmbH
29 Full HD in 3D – The fascination of the big-screen at home Mitsubishi Electric Visual Information Systems
14 Innovative training:
The career springboard
Advertise your Profile!
Would you and your companylike to be in the next edition?
Then write to us!
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
German Branch
Mechatronics Machinery
Gothaer Strasse 8
40880 Ratingen · Germany
Tel: +49 . 2102 . 486 6120
Fax: +49 . 2102 . 486 7090
edm.sales @ meg.mee.com
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
PEFC / 04 - 31- 0830
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.German BranchMechatronics EDM
Gothaer Strasse 840880 Ratingen · GermanyTel: +49 (0) 21 02 /4 86-6120Fax: +49 (0) 21 02 /4 86-7090
PEFC/04-31-0830
8 Flex appeal Krüger Erodiertechnik GmbH & Co. KG
4 Sky-rocketing with high-end technologies MT Aerospace AG
The smart magazine for Eroding
Issue 1 · July 2010
Advertise your Pro� le!
Would you and your company
like to be in the next edition?
Pro� le
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.German BranchMechatronics EDM / Laser
Gothaer Strasse 840880 Ratingen · GermanyTel: +49 (0) 21 02 /4 86-6120Fax: +49 (0) 21 02 /4 86-7090
PEFC/04-31-0830
The smart magazine for Eroding
Issue 2 · December 2010
Advertise your Pro le!
Would you and your company
like to be in the next edition?
Pro� le
Cutting it � neWenger S.A.
16
The world’s fastest wire eroderRoman Weber GmbH
13
12The rapid response force for prototypesErodiertechnik Naumann
30 A star ofthe screenKarl Küfner
36
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
German Branch
Mechatronics Machinery
Gothaer Strasse 8
40880 Ratingen · Germany
Tel: +49 . 2102 . 486 6120
Fax: +49 . 2102 . 486 7090
edm.sales @ meg.mee.com
www.mitsubishi-edm.de
Service – from eastern Westphalia to MexicoMitsubishi Electric and A. & H. Meyer
Pro� le
The smart magazine for users
Issue 02 · December 2011
Advertise your Profile!
Would you and your companylike to be in the next edition?
Then write to us!
PEFC / 04 - 31- 0830
Ordering back issues and change of addressThis is where, among other things, you can order back issues of Profile. Order now as long as stocks last.
Back issues
Yes,I’dliketoorderbackissuesofthefollowing magazines(pleaseenterdesirednumber):
December2010 July2011 December2011 September2012 Currentissue
Address /Change of address
Orderbyfax+49 . 2102 . 486 7090
Simply cut out and send off the coupon!
MitsubishiElectric|MechatronicsMachinery|ProfileReaderService|GothaerStrasse8|40880Ratingen|Germany
Company
Surname Firstname
No.,road
Postcode Town,country Date,signature
Yes,IwouldlikeMitsubishiElectrictokeepmeinformedofitsspecialoffers
andcampaignsbyemail.
Note:Yourdatawillnotbepassedontoanythirdpartiesexceptcompaniesinvolvedintheprocessingofyourorder.Youcanterminatethestorageofyourpersonaldataatanytimebysimplysendingafaxto+49.2102.4867090
Emailaddress Phone
Clocksmadeoflocallysourcedwoodhavebeen
madeintheBlackForestfor300years.Sincethey
werecheapertobuildthantheirmorewide-
spreadcounterpartswithmetalmechanisms,they
becamesoaffordableforordinaryfolkthatabout
600,000clocksfromBlackForestclockmakerswere
soldinabout1850.Ataboutthesametime,the
firstGermanSchoolofClockmakerswasfounded
inFurtwangentotraincraftsmenandstandardise
clocksizesandforms.Thisencouragedquality
awarenessandexports.ClocksfromtheBlack
Forestbecameahallmark.Withtheonsetofthe
GreatDepressioninthelastcentury,many
companiesintheregionwereforcedtoclose.And
toolmakerKarlNeugartwasthusmaderedun-
dant.However,withenterpriseandenergyheand
afriendfoundedasmallbusinessin1928that
producedgearwheelsfortheclockmakingindustry
andtinycomponentsforfinetools.Thiswasthe
foundationstoneforasuccessfulandinnovative
companythattodayemploys380people,has
subsidiariesinItaly,Brazil,Turkey,theUSA,China
andFranceandachievesglobalsalesofroughly
EUR50million.
In1943,Neugartboughtaresidencewithasuita-
bleshopforproductionactivitiesinKippenheimin
Baden.Initiallyhemadevegetablegratersand
othereverydayitemsthatwereexchangedforfood
untilthecompanywasabletoreturnitsfocusto
gearwheels.
NEuGART
For wire-cutting, the gear manufacturer trusts in the new MV 2400 R Grand Tubular from Mitsubishi Electric. Tooth for tooth
geared for success
The proverbial precision of Black Forest clocks also applies to the products of Neugart in kippenheim in Baden.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 45
EDMandmore
44 NeugartGmbH
DuringtheperiodoftheEconomicMiracle,
Neugartproducedthemechanismformantleclocks
thatcouldbefoundinalmosteveryGermanliving
roomatthetime.
Theproductrangealsoincludedspring-drivendry
razorsandmechanicaloillevelindicatorsforoil
tanks.Thesewerelaterjoinedbythefirstgears
machinedtothecompany’sowndesigns.Atthe
endoftheSixties,Neugart’schildrenGeorgand
Erikatookoverthefamilybusiness.Inthemean-
time,therunningofthecompanyhasbeenpassed
onjointlytograndchildrenThomasHerrandBernd
Neugart.
Topsuppliertomachinemanufacturers
Contributinghisexperienceinmotormanufacture
tothecompany,Herrhassetthestandardisation
andqualityyardsticksbothforeconomygearsfor
simplehandlingtasksandforlow-playprecision
gears.Thishasgivenrisetotwelvestandardse-
riesofplanetarygearsformachinemanufacture,
automationandmedicaltechnology.Thecompany
hasdevelopedsosuccessfullythatit
currentlyseesitselfintheglobalTop
Fiveintermsofmarketshareandinnovationlead-
ership.“Qualityisouroverridingprinciple,coupled
withinnovativeproductsandoutstandingservice,”
saysMarketingManagerStefanFüllbrandt,add-
ing,“Asyoucansee,we’redoingverywellwith
thisapproach.”
Neugartproductsareknownfortheir‘fit&forget’
durabilityandquality.Costsduetoproduct
defectsarenegligible.Thecompanygenerates
twothirdsofitssaleswithstandardgearsin
differentclassesofprecisionandperformance,
whicharemarketleaders.Neugartbenefitshere
fromitshighmanufacturingdepth.Apartfrombear-
ings,gaskets,screwsandlubricants,allgearcom-
ponentscanbeproducedonsite,saysFüllbrandt.
Onthewallsofthefoyeroftheplantaredocu-
mentsshowingcertificationtoISO9001:2008and
BlueCompetenceenvironmentalmanagement
andanawardasaTop100small/medium-size
company.“Wehavejustbeencommendedby
Bosch-RexrothasaPreferredSup-
plier.That’sarealboost,”says
Füllbrandt.Severalstrategic
partnershipswithlargeauto-
mationspecialistslikeB&R,
Festo,Baumüller,Bosch-
RexrothandSchneider
Electriccompletethe
picture.
PrecisionfromtheBlackForest
Inadditiontoitsplanetarygears,Neugartproduces
variousspecialgearsandgearing.“Ifthecustomer
hasspecialrequestsintermsofthermalconduction,
precisionofmovementorinstallationspace,we’re
ableonthebasisofourhugewealthofexperience
todevelopthematchingspecialgears,”Füllbrandt
explains.Anditwasspecialgearsthatbrought
NeugartandMitsubishiElectrictogether.Somespe-
cialgearshaveatoothgeometrydeviatingfrom
thenorm.“WithwireEDM,wecanproducesmall
gearwheelsinexpensivelyandofferthecustomer
anytypeoftoothing,”saysOttoHebding,Training
andToolshopManageratNeugart.“Wire-cutting
hasnowbecomeanessentialprocessforusinpro-
duction.Wealsouseevenitforthebuildingofspe-
cialmachinesandinjectionmoulds,andparticularly
forsuchsmallgearmodulesas0.6and0.3.”
Themoduleisthemetricunitofgeartoothsizeand
expressesthequotientofthereferencediameter
andnumberofteeth.Thesmallerthemodule,the
smallerthetooth.“Whenourcustomerssawwhat
wewerecapableofproducing,theycamealong
withevenmoreexoticrequests,”saysHebding.
“ThisstretchedouroldCX20wire-cuttingma-
chinetothelimitsofitscapacityandprecision.”
Thetimewasripeforinvestmentinareplacement.
DelightedbythenewMV2400
“WewentstraightforthenewMV2400wire-cutting
machinefromMitsubishiElectricandwerede-
lightedbythefirstdemonstration,asthismachine
cutswithextra-fine0.1mmwire,”saysHebding.
» We’re extremely happy with the quality,
precision, flexibility and speed of
the machine. «
TrainingandToolshop
ManagerOtto
Hebdingdiscusses
thedetailsofagear-
wheelcontourwith
wire-cutterWilhelm
Michelis.
Thankstoitsglobal
partners,Neugartis
becomingahallmark
ofqualitybeyondthe
nationalborders.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 47
EDMandmore
46 NeugartGmbH
ThenewmachinehasbeeninstalledinKippen-
heimsinceNovember2012andcutsteethinform
ringsforinjectionmoulds.
“We’reextremelyhappywiththequality,precision,
flexibilityandspeedofthemachine.Automaticwire
threadingisout-
standing–evenI
wassurprised.You
onlyhavetosee
howa0.1mmwire
isthreadedbackin
thekerfafterwire
breakage–anab-
solutelytrouble-free
process”,saysHeb-
dingenthusiasti-
cally.“There’soften
tensioninthemate-
rial,whichiswhythewirebreaks.Butevensucha
wirebreakagedoesn’tholdupthemachine,be-
causewiththeautomaticwirethreaderitrunsforan
entireshiftpracticallyunmanned.”Particularly
worthmentioningarealsotheextendedabilitiesof
theMV2400:owingtorapidset-up,itisabletocut
prototypeswithhugelydifferentgeometriesina
veryshorttimesothattheycanundergoapplication
testing.
AlthoughtheleapfromtheoldCXtothenewMV
machinewashuge,Hebdingandhisstaffhave
alreadymadeanumberofadjustmentssothat
theyareagainproducingvariousfixturesfor
production,e.g.toothingstubs,tensiondevices,
drilljigs,andmeasuringandtestingjigs.Tothis
end,theMV2400EDMmachinehasbeenequipped
withanadditionalBaxis.“Thiswaywecanalso
producecircularpartslikecrowns,”saysHebding.
“Thisworksexcellently.”TheKippenheimcompany
usesthenewmachinenotonlyforthemanycus-
tom-machinedparts,butalsoforcurrentproduc-
tion.Forexample,couplingsandplanetarygears
formedicalproductsaremachinedontheMV
2400.Thesethin-walledpartsarehardlybigger
thana10centcoinandhavetobewire-cutas
theyareessentiallytoosmalltobemilled.
Goodstaffarethecompany’sbiggestasset
“Ourcompanyisbasedonimmaculateproducts.
Andthesecannotbeproducedwithouttheskillsof
ouremployees,”saysHebding.“Thisiswhywe
attachgreatimportancetotraining.Foryearsnow,
traineesaccountfor10percentofourworkforce
andweenjoyafinereputationinthetrainingsec-
tor.Ourskilledstaffmainlycomefromwithinour
ownranks.”Thisishardlysurprising,sincetraining
isalsoasubject
deartoseniorpart-
nerGeorg
Neugart’sheart.
The75-year-oldcan
stillbeseeninthe
toolshopandtrain-
ingworkshopal-
mosteveryweek.
“Theseniorpartner
knowsnearlyevery-
onepersonally,”
Hebdingexplains.
“Sinceeveryemployeewearsthecompany’sown
T-shirtwithhisnameacrossthechest,Georg
alwaysknowswhohe’stalkingto,”saysthehead
oftoolmakingandtraininginhisNeugartT-shirt
withalaugh.
www.neugart.de
TheMV2400Rwitha
Baxisintegratedin
thecontrol.
Professionals in Profile: Otto Hebding
Nameandplaceofcompany:
NeugartGmbH,Kippenheim,Germany
Foundingyear:
1928
Managers:
ThomasHerrandBerndNeugart
Numberofemployees:
380
Corebusiness:
Planetarygearsforeconomyand
precisionapplications;custom-
machinedgears
How did you earn your first money?
As a surveyor’s assistant involved in reparcelling and in a vineyard.
What motivates you?
As the Training Manager, I aim to stimulate the interest of many young
people in technology and machine tool manufacture and of course in our
company.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We wish to grow even more strongly internationally, strengthen our service
orientation, improve our position among the Top Three worldwide and stay
an independent company.
What was your company’s biggest business success?
Surviving the credit crunch in 2008 almost unscathed, having a bigger
workforce than ever today and being able to invest well over EuR 2 million
in machines and plant.
What’s your favourite way to relax?
Growing vines and mountain-biking.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Conscientiousness, honesty and ambition.
www.neugart.de
NeugartGmbH
Keltenstraße16
77971Kippenheim
Germany
Tel +49.7825.8470
Fax +49.7825.8472999
Neugart products are known for their ‘fit & forget’
durability and quality.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 49
EDMandmore
48 NeugartGmbH
Thewire-cutEDMma-
chineMV2400Stakes
overtwodaystoma-
chinethesmall
partsthatremotely
resembleChrist-
mastrees.These
aretheflagship
productsofBott
GmbHinWolfeggin
Baden-Württemberg.
Just10millimetreswide
and15millimetreslong,
theyhavetotakealotofpunish-
ment.
Sixsuchintricatepartsarefittedina
subassemblythatisinstalledinacus-
tomisedmachineandusedinproduc-
tionasastampingtool.Eachcompo-
nenthastowithstandextremelyhigh
pressuresandshowaslittlewearas
possible.Sothatthecuttingedgesaf-
ter150,000stampingoperationsarestill
assharpanddimensionallyaccurateas
onDayOne,theyarecutonthe
MV2400Swireerosionmachinefrom
MitsubishiElectric.Themachinetakes
almost100hourstocut30suchpartsfor
thestampingtooloutofablockofce-
mentedcarbide.“Ourcustomeruses
thistooltoproducelargenumbersof
partsandmarketsthemworldwide.For
himweproducethecomponentthatis
practicallythemachine’skeyelement,”
explainsAloisBott,ManagingDirector
ofBottGmbH.“Basically,partsareget-
tingmoreandmorecomplexanddiffi-
culttomachine,asdesignengineers
squeezemoreandmorefunctionsina
singlecomponent.Thisiswhytoolmak-
ingissuchadifficultfield.Everything
hastobeexactlyrighttothenearest
hundredth.“Inmostcasesit’sthetini-
estdeviationsthataccountformajor
differencesinquality,”explainsGeorg
Strobelpointingtothenewmachine.
“ButwiththeMV2400Swe’reexcel-
lentlyequipped.”
Asuccessstorytakesitscourse
“IoriginallysetupmyownbusinesssoI
wouldhavemoretimeformyleisure
pursuits,”sayscompanyfounderBott,
laughing.“Butnothingcameofthat.
Almond crescents launch bespoke machine building
BOTT
Today, Bott GmbH Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau in Wolfegg has over 40 people on its payroll and has just ordered its second wire EDM machine from Mitsubishi Electric.
A number of successful entrepreneurs started off small, working from their garage. And one such entrepreneur is Alois Bott who got his one-man show by the name of “Alois Bott Mechanische Bearbeitung” off the ground in a barn in 1979.
» In most cases it’s the tiniest
deviations that ac-count for major differences in
quality. But with the MV 2400 S
we’re excellently equipped.” «
GeorgStrobelinspectsthequalityofmouldsfor
pressingtoolsma-chinedwiththenew
MV2400SwireEDMmachine.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 51
EDMandmore
50 BottGmbH
Whathappenedisexactlytheoppo-
site.We’vegrownbecausewe’reeffi-
cientandgood,we’veboughtnewma-
chinesandtakenonnewstaff,proc-
essedourordersandinvestedfurther.”
Whatstartedlifeas“AloisBott
MechanischeBearbeitung”withapart-
timehelperinabarninBadWurzach
hasdevelopedovertheyearsintoasuc-
cessfulcompanythatnowproduces
technicallyelaboratemachinecompo-
nents,stamping,punchingandform-
ingtoolsandbespokemachinesfora
hugerangeofindustriesandapplica-
tions.InGrimmensteincommerciales-
tateinWolfegg,itnowemploysmore
than40people.Thecompanyhasfour
divisionsandover2,500squaremetres
ofproductionandofficespace.
BottGmbHstartedoffpurelyasajob-
shop.Thedevelopmentandproduction
ofhighlyaccuratesingle-andmulti-
componentscalesforpowdergoods
camelaterasasecondlineofbusi-
ness.“Todayit’salsoourbread-and-
butterbusinessthathasalways
helpedusthroughleantimes,”saysBott,
underliningtheclosenesstohiscustom-
ers.Manyhighlyreputedmechanicalen-
gineeringcompanies,nowregular
customersofBottGmbH,havesettled
inandaroundtheSwabianJura,Stutt-
gart,LakeConstanceandtheBlack
Forest.“Ifeelit’sessentialthatwe’renot
farfromourcustomers.Ifthereare
problems,wecanthensolvethemto-
gether.Thiswaywecantacklecom-
plicatedcomponentsthatmanyother
firmsareunableorreluctanttohandle,”
saysBottoutlininghisrecipeforsuccess.
Highmanufacturingdepthforqualityandpromptdelivery
Itsabove-averagemanufacturingdepth
of95%enablesthecompanytohandle
thelion’sshareofitsoutputin-house.
“Weturn,mill,grind,wire-cut,measure
andinspecteverythingonourownma-
chines.Ouremployeesworkonthevery
latestCAD/CAMsystemsandourpro-
ductionequipmentisgearedessentially
totheefficientfabricationofprototypes
andsmallseries,”saysBottwithrefer-
encetohismachiningcentresfrom
Herle,OkumaandDMG.“Thiswaywe
cancopewithanydesiredqualityor
deadlineandcanproduceanypart,how-
everextravagant,ourselves,”Bottex-
plains,holdingupacomplexstamped
part.
“Butultimatelyoursurvivaldependson
beingabletoproducesuchpartsneatly
andtoahighstandardofquality,”says
Bottandtellsusthestoryofhowhebe-
cameaspecialmachinemanufacturer
moreorlessbyaccident20yearsago:
“We’dbeenproducingvariousspare
partsasajobshopforTekrumin
Ravensburg.”Thefamilycompanythat
joinedGriesson–deBeukelaerGmbH&
Co.KGin2005isoneoftheleading
makersoffineconfectioneryandice
creamwafers.20yearsago,company
ownerKrummwaslookingforsomeone
whocouldbuild,atthedropofahat,a
machinetomass-producehisfamous
almondcrescentsandFlorentines.
“Wewereoutofourleague,tobehonest,
butmypresentCo-ManagingDirector
JörgOsterkampsaid,‘Let’sgoforit!’
Wesatdownanddesigned,builtand
set-upthemachinefromscratchin
2000Extensionofproductionspaceto2,800m²,
1,200m²ofwhichwasrentedfor7years
2012AppointmentoffellowManagingDirectorJörgOsterkamp
2001 Large-scaleinvestmentinthelatest
productionmachinery
Bott GmbH's progress
1979 Foundingof“Alois
BottMechanische
Bearbeitung”,
1employee
1981 Moveitothecompa-
ny’sfirstownandlarger
premisesinWeit-
prechts,5employees
1987 Renamed“Bott
GmbHWerkzeug-
undMaschinenbau”,
13employees
1994 Movetonewcom-
panysiteinWolfegg,
16employees
1999 Newdivisionforcom-
ponentdevelopment
andproduction,
21employees
2008 Investmentina
highlyefficient
computernetwork,
38employees
2009 Recession-related
consolidation,
34employees
2011 Extensionofthe
developmentdepart-
ment,37employees
2012 Extensionofoffice
spaceby300m²,
40employees
2013Workforce:43employees
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 53
EDMandmore
52 BottGmbH
eightweeks.MrKrummwasnoth-
inglessthanastonished,asalltheother
machinebuildershehadaskedsaidit
wouldtakeeighttotenmonths.Our
speedenabledTekrumtogointobusi-
nesswithAldiandlaunchedourcareer
asbespokemachinebuilders,”Bott
laughs.“Toolmakingwasthenadded
sevenyearsago.Thiswasthestartof
ourrelationswithMitsubishiElectric,
becauseitisessentialforourtoolmak-
ingactivitiestohaveourownwireEDM
capability.”
Goodemployeesarethebackboneofanycompany
Toolmakingisthetradethatcallsforthe
mostspecialisedknowledgeandthe
bestmachinery.Bottaddsthathiscom-
panyhasbeentrainingitsownappren-
ticesfor25years.
“Wenowtraintwotothreeapprentices
peryear.Thisisquitealotforacom-
panythissize,”saysBott,“butit’swhat
wedowellandmakesthecompany
strong.Wehaveaverylowaverageage.
Andyoungpeoplewanttobeableto
usethelatesttechnologiesandprove
themselves.
WhenIfoundedthebusinessin1979,all
myfriendsaskedmewhyonearthI
wasdoingit.Imeanwhileknowthatwe
areonlysogoodbecausetheright
peoplehavecometogetherintheright
placeattherighttime.I’mfirmlycon-
vincedthatwehavethuscoveredalarge
partofthebusinessrisk,”saysBott.
Asalogicalconsequence,thismeans
thatthecompanyhashighlymotivated
staffandahighlyprogressivemachine
park.AnexampleisthenewMV2400S
wireEDMmachinefromMitsubishi
Electric.
“Weboughtthepredecessor,theFA20,
sevenyearsago.KarlHaller,our
ToolshopManager,chosethemachine
andswearsbyit,”Bottproudlyexplains.
Originallyselectedsolelyfortoolmak-
ing,ithassubsequentlyalsobeenused
forcustomisedmachineconstruction
andjobshopwork.Somuchinfactthat
EDMbecameabottleneck.“Butbefore
wefarmedoutworkandgaveupcon-
troloverour
processes,we
decidedtobuy
asecondma-
chine,”says
Bott.“Thiswas
adecisiontaken
withintwodays,
becausepunc-
tualityandqual-
itycometopof
ourpriorities.
Ourcustomersreallyappreciateit.They
knowthatBottsuppliesthemwith
partsthatarealwaysdimensionallyac-
curateandthusimmediatelyreadyto
install.That’sourhallmark.”
www.bott-maschinenbau.de
Mouldsforpressing
toolsmachinedwith
thenewMV2400S
wireEDMmachineat
BottGmbHinWolfegg.
Twogenerationsof
wireEDMmachines
fromMitsubishiElec-
tric:intheforeground
thenewMV2400S
andinthebackground
theFA20.
Professionals in Profile: Alois Bott
Nameandplaceofcompany:
BottGmbHWerkzeugund
Maschinenbau,Wolfegg,Germany
Foundingyear:
1979,and1987asaGmbH
ManagingDirectors:
AloisBottandJörgOsterkamp
Numberofemployees:
43
Corebusiness:
Toolmaking,machinebuilding,jobbing How did you earn your first money?
Bolting cars together as a car mechanic.
What motivates you?
Maintaining and building on what has been achieved. It is motivation
enough to see that the company doing well economically.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We want to continue to expand the company and keep it stable in eco-
nomic crises.
What was your biggest business success?
Achieving things that others don’t achieve. You can then see that some-
thing develops out of it.
What’s your favourite way to relax?
In the garden or motorcycling.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Frankness, honesty and enthusiasm.
www.bott-maschinenbau.de
BottGmbH
Werkzeug-undMaschinenbau
Grimmstein9/6
88364Wolfegg
Germany
Tel +49.7527.96110
Fax +49.7527.961150
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 55
EDMandmore
54 BottGmbH
Pieperthumbsthroughalist
ofjobs.“Thehighmachining
speeddisplayedbyMitsubi-
shiElectric’swireerosion
systemisalsoimportantfor
us.Wedon’thavethe
comparisonwithanother
machine,butourjobshop
supplierconfirmswithhis
jobrecordsthathetakes
longerthanustowire-cut
similarparts.”Using0.25
millimetrewire,Empatakes
anythingfrom3minutes
to20hours.Thepri-
marymaterialisup
to210millimetres
high,500milli-
metreslongand
200millimetres
thick.Because
theworkshop
achievesrapid
throughput,towhich
aclampingsystemalso
contributes,itnowhasca-
pacityforextrajobs.
Inadditiontothesinglewire-cutting
machine,whichhasbeeninoperation
sinceJanuary2013,theworkshophas
fivemillingmachinesatitsdisposal.
EDMaccountsforacorrespondingly
smallproportionofmachiningvolume.
Allthesame,some
challengescan
onlybemastered
withwireEDM
technology.
Superioruser-friendliness
Pieperwatchestheoperatorinitiatea
wire-cuttingprocess.“Themachineof-
fersplentyofcomfort.Theoperatorgot
onwellwithitfromthebeginning.”One
contributoryfactoristhesuperior
user-friendlinessofthetotallydigital
ADVANCEPLUSCNCcontrolthat
communicatesappreciablyfasterand
moreefficientlywiththemachine’s
servoamplifiersandtubulardirectdrives
viatheopticalwaveguidesofthenew
OpticalDriveSystem.
Oneoftheresultantadvantagesofthis
isgreatermachiningprecision.Program-
ming,hesays,isnotperformedatthe
machine.Instead,Pieper’steamsends
entireprogramstotheMV1200STubu-
lar.
Pieperholdsawireguideinhishand.
“Thiswearingpartcanbeswiftlyand
easilyremovedandreplaced.Ataskthat
arisesonceaweekduringcleaning.It
isjustasimportantthatthemachinere-
threadsthewireintheeventofbreak-
ageautomatically,ashereatthework-
shopwesometimesrunthemachines
unmannedatnight.”Empathusbenefits
fromthenewIntelligentATwirethreader
thatre-threadsthewireinthedielectric,
afterinterruptions
instart-holedrill-
ingorinthekerf–
andevenonhigh
workpieces.
Whetherathread-
ingjetisusedor
ErwinPieper,aSwissdiploma’edmas-
termechanicandWorkshopManagerin
theDesignEngineering/Workshop
departmentatEmpa,laysathree-part
erodedstainlesssteelcomponenton
thetable.Itwouldbeidealasapaper-
weight.However,pulledapart,itbe-
comesanote-holderbearingtheword
“DANKE”.“Thispart,ofwhichwe’ve
producedseveral,isintendedasathank-
youfortheEmpamanagementand
departmentsinvolvedintheinvestment
intheMV1200STubular.We’reexpect-
ingittopayforitselfintwotothreeyears,
asthecostofjobshopEDMworkuntil
nowhasequalledthecostofthenew
machineoverthesameperiod.”
Empawasfoundedin1880asthe
InstituteforConstructionMaterials
TestinginthebasementofZurich’s
Polytechnikum(schoolofengineering),
today’sSwissFederalInstituteof
Technology(ETH).In1938theinstitute
wasre-namedtheSwissMaterials
TestingandExperimentalInstitutefor
Industry,BuildingConstructionand
Commerceandhadthereputationfor
destroyingallthematerialsittested.
Pieperlaughs:“Ourimagetodayisbet-
ter.Since1988,thenameEmpahas
stoodfor‘EidgenössischeMaterialprü-
fungs-undForschungsanstalt’”–or
‘MaterialsScienceandTechnology’in
English.AndthatiswhatEmpanow
is–aninterdisciplinaryresearchand
servicesinstitutionformaterials
scienceandtechnologydevelopment.
Empalaysthescientificfoundations
forthesustainabledevelopmentofso-
cietyand,togetherwithpartnersinin-
dustry,convertsresearchfindingsinto
marketableproducts.Tothisextent
theinstitutehasalargehandinstrength-
eningtheinternationalcompetitiveness
ofSwissindustry.
Cuttingmaterials
Thetasksoftheworkshopinclude
erodingmaterialsamplesthatareoften
composedofseveralmaterialsand
cannotbecutwithconventionalmeth-
odsbecauseofthematerial’shard-
ness.Examplesofthisincludenickel-
basedalloyswithstructuralsteel
andgold-germaniumbrazedontometal.
Empatakessamplesoftheseand
amongotherthingsexaminesthebe-
haviourofthematerialsintermsof
fatigueatdifferenthightemperatures.
OrEmpawire-cutscracksandin-
spectswhetherandhowtheypropa-
gateunderload.Therangeofwire-
cutmaterialsalsomainlyincludesalu-
minium,berylliumbronze,titanium
andstainlesssteelaswellascemented
carbideandstructuralsteel.
Pieperremovesatinymolybdenumpart
fromaglassshowcase:“Sincea
millingtoolmightbreaksuchahard
metalandprocesssecurityissoim-
portanttous,weoptedforwire-cutting
inthiscase.”Precisiontothenearest
hundredthofamillimetreisusuallysuf-
ficientforEmpa.Thedemanded
surfacequalitycomestoanaverage
roughnessof0.8to0.4micrometres.
By investing in an MV1200S Tubular, Empa Materials Science & Technology, Dübendorf (Switzerland), has ventured into uncharted territory. Instead of pay-ing jobshops for EDM work, the re-search institute is now itself an owner of a process-secure wire erosion machine – a machine that will probably soon pay for itself as well.
Uncharted territory
EMPA
FranzSteblerreplacesthewirespoolandcor-
rectlyfeedsthewirearoundseveralpulleys.
CoreholderofBöhler
V155temperingsteel
and1.6582,wire-cut
ontheinside,forthe
extrusionofceramic
filters.
» For the money that we were willing
to spend we’ve bought the best machine and the one with the best operating and main-
tenance charac-teristics. «
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 57
EDMandmore
56 Empa
not.Pieperisalsointerestedinthe
tubularshaftmotorsoftheMVthaten-
surecogging-freeandresponsivemove-
mentsinthemachine’sXandYaxes.
Hestressesthewear-freedomofthe
drivestrategythatdispenseswithspin-
dlesandballbearingsandthereforeen-
suressmoothandmaintenance-free
running.
Bestmachinefortheavailablemoney
“WeoptedfortheMV1200STubularbe-
causeitembodiesacombinationof
advancedtechnologyandaveryattrac-
tiveprice/performanceratio.Thelatter
referstoitshighprecisionanditscom-
parisonwithamillingmachine.”Pieper
opensuptheprojectfolder.“Welooked
atthreequotationsbeforehand.For
themoneythatwewerewillingtospend
we’veboughtthebestmachineand
theonewiththebestoperatingand
maintenancecharacteristics.”To
seereferenceerosionsystemsfrom
MitsubishiElectricinaction,says
Pieper,theywenttoracingcarbuilding
Sauber,whowire-cutsalmostthe
samespectrumofmaterialsasEmpa.
AnotherpointinMitsubishiElectric’s
favourisitsgoodservice,hesays,for
whichthecompany’sSwissdealerin
theneighbouringtownisresponsible.
www.empa.ch
Steblerclampsa
workpieceinthe
machine.
Professionals in Profile: Erwin Pieper
Nameandplaceofresearchinstitute:
EmpaMaterialsScience&Technology
inDübendorf,Switzerland
Foundingyear:
1880
ManagingDirector:
Prof.Dr.Gian-LucaBona
Corebusiness:
Research&development,materials
science&technology
How would you describe in a sentence what your company does?
Research, development, testing and teaching.
How did you earn your first money?
In my apprenticeship as a machine mechanic.
What motivates you?
Curiosity and the joy of technology.
What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five
years ago?
EDM, 5-axis machining in the milling sector, programming with a CAM sys-
tem and investment in clamping systems for faster set-up.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We want to continue to research and develop. As a workshop, we have to
keep up with new trends.
What’s your favourite way to relax?
In my free time with my model railway and walking and doing nothing.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Reliability and openness to different solutions.
What mistakes in others do you find easiest to forgive?
When someone tries something out and it goes wrong.
If you were asked what you do by a friend with no technical knowl-
edge, how would you explain your work in a single sentence?
That I cut metal with a wire and electricity.
www.empa.ch
Empa
Überlandstrasse129
8600Dübendorf
Switzerland
Tel +41.58.7651111
Fax +41.58.7651122
Another point in Mitsubishi Electric’s favour is its good service.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 59
EDMandmore
58 Empa
WhenJean-YvesPichereau,CEOoftheERMO
GROUP,Marcillé-La-Ville(France),welcomesvisi-
tors,youcansensesomethingofthecompany
philosophyinhishandshake.“Ishakethehandsof
allmyemployeeseverydayandwishthemagood
morning.Treatingeveryonelikemembersofthe
familyisimportantforme.Iknoweachofthem
personallyandwanttoshowthemthatIappreci-
atetheirefforts.”Pichereauhashigh
standards,hascomealongwaywith
hisbusinessandispassionate
abouthistrade.Hiscompany
philosophyisonekeytohis
success,hisconcentration
onmultiplemouldsthatheproducesfortheplas-
ticsindustrybeingtheother.Pichereauopens
hislaptopandpresentspicturesofinjectionmoulds
pastandpresent.“Initially,wemainlyworkedfor
manufacturersofcarsandtelevisionssets.Wethen
changedourtackandhavemadeanameforour-
selvesasworld-classmakersofmultiplemoulds.”
Superlativewire-cuttingprecision
Adevelopmentduemainlytotheprecisionof
ERMOinjectionmouldsandtheirsurfacequality.
Pichereautapsoneofthepictureswithhis
finger.“Lastyearwelargelywire-cutamouldcon-
sistingof16components.Ittook3,000working
hours.Theprecisionwaswithin5micrometres–
somethingthatnotmanycompetitorsarecapable
ofachieving.”Heselectsanotherpicture.“These
mouldsfortwo-componentinjectionmoulding
makeusunique.Theprocesscreatesinjection
mouldingsthathavetwocoloursorcombinetwo
materialsinasinglecycle.WearethefirstFrench
companytodesignandmakesuchmoulds.”
Pichereauknowsthathiscustomersattachimpor-
tancetoafastresponse,highdeliveryqualityand
rapidandcompetentservice.Thisiswhyheneeds
wireEDMmachinesthatdisplayimpressiveper-
formance,constantavailabilityandhighefficiency.
You’vegottosetoutwiththegoal,hesays,tobe
thebestineverydepartmentandofferyour
customersinnovationthatenablesthemtoboost
theirproductivity.ERMOhasalreadyproduced
mouldsthatnoonepreviouslythoughtwerepos-
sible.Sothatthecompanystaysontrackfor
success,headds,itoperatesaroundtheclock,at
nightand,asfaraspossible,withunmannedma-
chinesormachinesmonitoredbyasmallerteam.
Withwireerosion,ERMOmachinesinjectionmoulds
thatinsomecasesweighover10tonnes,consist
ofamaximumof96componentsandareworthas
muchasEUR1million.Asthematerial,the
companymainlyuseshardenedandstainlesssteel.
Pichereaushowsusacomplexwire-cutcom-
ponentanddisclosesitssecret:“Toproducethis
part,whichisamouldingelementandejectorin
one,wewerethefirstFrenchcompanytoinvestin
Inasinglecycle,two-componentinjectionmouldingcreates
mouldingsthathavetwocoloursorcombinetwomaterials(the
picturesshowcut-outsinthehalvesofthebi-injectionmould
withaninsertedfinishedproduct).
Moving up into the
world leagueERMO GROuP
If there were a world league for makers of multiple moulds, the ERMO Group would be up among the leaders. The mouldmaker has achieved this position among other things thanks to its high-precision injection moulds, delivery quality and service.
Multiplemouldsfor
two-componentinjec-
tionmouldingare
whatmakeERMO
unique.
» The precision was within
5 micrometres – something that
not many compe-titors are capable
of achieving. «
Initsentrancearea,ERMOdisplaysproductsfromthemedical,
packagingandcosmeticssectorsthatareproducedwiththe
aidofmultiplemoulds.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 61
EDMandmore
60 ERMOGROUP
operator’shelp.This,hebelieves,isadecisivead-
vantageinviewofthelengthofprocessing,
whichcantakeanythingfromafewhourstoa
matterofdays.Weoftenmakefulluseofthe
sizeofthemachinetableandclampseveralcom-
ponentsinparallel.Thesmallerones,hecontin-
ues,areerodedduringthedayandthelargerones
atnight.Moreover,thenewMitsubishiisconvenient
tooperate,evenforsomeonewhohasneverprevi-
ouslyworkedatsuchasystem.Evenatrainee
tooklittletimetomasterit,headds.
Ahighflyerprivatelyaswell
Pichereau,leisurepilotwithaplaneandheli-
copterlicence,willsoonbetakingpartinanair
rallyacrossSouthernEuropeforawholeweek.
Whetherhe’llfindtimetothinkaboutdevelopments
inmouldmaking,hedoesn’tknow.However,his
positioninthisrespectisveryclear.“Ifthemould-
makingdepartmentistostillexistinfiveyears’
time,innovationcoupledwithqualityandreliability
willberequired.Thisiswherewireerosionisof
specialimportancebecausewire-cuttingsystems
permitcontinuousproduction–aroundtheclock
ifneedbe.Unmannedofcourse.Fromaneconomic
pointofview,there’snoalternativetosuchanau-
tomatedsystemwhenoneconsidersthehighcost
oflabourinFrance.Ifacollisionoccursonamill-
ingmachine,itcomestoanabruptstopwiththerisk
ofdamagetoitscostlytools.Unlikeonawire
EDMmachinethatautomaticallyrethreadsthe
brokenwireandcarriesonworking.”
anMVSerieswire-cuttingsystemfrom
MitsubishiElectric.Themachinewentinto
operationinOctober2012.”
OnthetriptoTECHMO61inAlençon–aproduc-
tionlocationoftheERMOGROUPthatusesthe
MV2400RGrandTubular–Pichereauexpresses
hiswishforastrongerpresenceofFrenchcom-
paniesontheinternationalstage.AttheChinaplas
tradefairinGuangzhou,theFrenchindustryonly
participatedwithasmallstand,whiletheGermans
bookedanentirehall.Francewoulddobetter,he
feels,ifmorecompaniestookthesameapproach
astheERMOGroupwithitsglobalexportshare
ofover70percent.
Dropinwireconsumption
ClaudeLambert,WorkshopManager,leansagainst
theMV2400RGrandTubular.“Weusedtofarm
outtheEDMworkthatwenowdoonthenewma-
chinetojobshops.Thankstotheperformanceof
thismachine,we’venowgottheextracapacityto
wire-cutcomponentsforothercompanies.”Atan
externalPC,hisname-sakeDidierLambert,opera-
toroftheMV2400RGrandTubular,processesa
filereceivedfromtheproductionplanningsystem.
HethensendstheDXFdatatotheEDMmachine’s
digitalADVANCEPLUSCNCcontrolfullydesigned
byMitsubishiElectric.“Becauseofthesmooth
wirefeedandTubularShaftMotorsthatverysensi-
tivelycontrolthemachine’smovements,we
achievethedemandedprecisionevenonhigh
conicalcuts.”Alsocontributorytothisisthe
OpticalDriveSystemthat
communicatesconsiderably
fasterandmoreefficiently
byopticalwaveguide.Loïc
Drouet,Plant/LocationManageratTECHMO61,
stressesthat,intermsofparallelism,theyachieve
precisionoflessthan5micrometres,evenovera
heightof150millimetres.
Inadditiontothis,DidierLamberthasfoundthat
thewireconsumptionoftheMV2400RGrand
Tubularis37percentlowerthanonothermachines.
Avaluethatcanbeimprovedon,hebelieves,and
perhapsuptoashighasthe46percentreportedby
MitsubishiElectric.Thentherearesavingswith
theionexchangemedia.ClaudeLambertpatshis
namesakeapprovinglyontheshoulder,encoura-
ginghimtocarryonoptimisingtheprocess.“The
machineisonlyeverasgoodasitsoperator.”
Drouetincludesautomaticwirethreadingamong
theimportantfactorswhenchoosinganEDM
machine.ThankstothereliabilityoftheIntelligent
ATwirethreader,we’recapableofproducingex-
tracomponentsinagiventimeandthusboosting
ourproductivity.Furthermore,wire-threadingis
performedinthekerfandeventherewithoutthe
www.ermo-group.com
DidierLambertstart-
ingthewire-cutting
processontheMV
2400RGrandTubular.
With wire erosion, ERMO machines injection moulds that in some cases weigh over 10 tonnes, consist of a maximum of 96 components and are worth as much as EUR 1 million.
DidierLambertclamp-
ingaworkpiece.
Inhisplane,PichereauistakingpartinanairrallyacrossSouthernEurope.
EDMandmore
Profile08.2013 63
EDMandmore
62 ERMOGROUP
Professionals in Profile: Jean-Yves Pichereau
Nameandplaceofcompany:
ERMO,Marcillé-La-Ville,France
Foundingyear:
1981
ManagingDirector:
Jean-YvesPichereau
Numberofemployees:
181
Corebusiness:
Finemechanicalengineering
How would you describe in a sentence what your company does?
We develop, design and produce injection moulds for plastics.
What motivates you?
Innovative projects and research & development for the satisfaction of
customer needs.
What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five
years ago?
We have made the transition from traditional sectors such as the automo-
tive industry and television set manufacturers to high-tech markets, such
as medicine, packaging and cosmetics.
Where do you see your company in five years’ time?
We are positioning ourselves increasingly as a manufacturer of high-preci-
sion injection moulds.
What was your biggest business success?
The way the company has developed, starting out with 4 employees and
today, 34 years later, having grown into a group of international stature
that is recognised by major customers.
What attributes do you value most in other people?
Honesty, thoroughness and professionalism.
How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech-
nical knowledge?
We design and produce metal moulds that are required for the production
of plastic parts.
www.ermo-group.com
ERMOHeadOffice
ZoneArtisanale-BP15
53440Marcillé-La-Ville
France
Tel +33.243.007122
Fax +33.243.006520
Origami the art of mechanic and material Converting a simple sheet of paper into a scaly dragon is a severe test of the material and of the folder’s dexterity.
Profil08.2013 65
Origami
PaperwasalreadybeingfoldedinJapanwhentheEuropeans
werestillbuildingcastles.Inthelastcentury,AkiraYoshizawa,
thegrandmasteroforigami,popularisedthecraftanddevised
anotationtomakeitaccessibletoall.
Accordingtolegend,ifyouwantawishtocometrue,you
shouldfoldathousandcranes.Whetherthelegendisrightor
theendurancetherebyacquiredmakesthewishcometrue,
wecannotsay.
Whydrawsomethingwhenyoucanfoldit?Someofthese
Japaneseworksofartrepresentinganimalsandplantsconsist
ofasmanyas300folds.Inclassicalorigami,everythingis
producedfromasinglesquaresheet,withouthelpfromscis-
sorsorglue.Thegreatertheconstraints,thegreaterthe
chanceofovercomingone’sownlimits.
Everseenacranewithawingspanofasailingyacht?No?
Thenyoudidn’tgototheOdateJukaiDomewherethe
78metretallmarveloncesat.Ontheotherhand,youneed
goodeyestobeabletoseethesmallestcrane,asitisonly
1x1mminsize–which,ofcourse,isstillhugebyEDM
standards.
InJapan,foldedbutterfliesarepopularweddingpresents–
andareobviouslyamorepersonalexpressionofaffection
andskillthananyquicklypurchasedgift.
Ifyouwanttolearnorigami,youcanattendcoursesandfind
instructionsinbooksandontheInternet.Origamicallsfor
patienceandfinemotorskills.Ifyouworkatit,perhapsyou
willonedayemulateYoneyamaYuichi’sfeatoffolding100
cranesin40minutes.Byextrapolation,hiswishwouldcome
trueinonly400minutes.ComputerprogramslikeTreeMaker
andReferenceFindermayhelpyoualongtheway.Andwho
knows:perhapsyou’llbethefirsttofoldanorigamiscale
modelofawireEDMmachine?
EDMandmore
64 ERMOGROUP
This month’s horoscope
withease.Withsuchaplomb,youeven
achievethingsthatothersconsiderim-
possible.Sointhecomingweekstake
partinasmanyprizecompetitionsas
possible(startingonpage11ofthis
magazine).Andifyouwinsomething
big,rememberErodiawhogaveyou
thetip.
Scorpio(24.10.–22.11.)
Jupiter’smoonGanymedewillbecon-
trollingyourlifeinthenextfewweeks.
NotaspreciselyasaCNC,butyou’ll
besurprisedthatsomeofthefoodyou
eatsuddenlytastesentirelydifferent.
Ontheotherhand,youproduce
stampingdiesmuchfasterthanyou
expect–evenwhenyoudon’tneed
them.Seeforyourself!
Sagittarius(23.11.–21.12.)
Neptuneisresponsibleforsurfaces
thatfeelvelvetybecausethevibrations
penetratetothesubatomiclevel.
YouhaveaMidastouchwithyourlei-
sureactivities–domore,gooutand
beadventurous!Neptuneconjuresa
smileontoyourlipsandevenyour
EDMmachinegreetsyouwithextra
sparks.Allthesame,don’tforgetthe
backups!
Capricorn(22.12.–20.01.)
Saturn’smoonTelestoswervesauda-
ciouslyoutofitsusualorbit.Youap-
preciatetheseextraordinarycurvesnot
onlywhenwire-cutting,butalsoduring
yourbeerafterwork.Sothatthingsgo
faster,takeadeepbreath!Evenwhen
itgetsreallyhotinsummer,youknow
asanexperiencedEDMmachinistthat
youmustn’tdangleyourfeetinthedie-
lectrictank.
LIBRA (24.09.–23.10.)
Don’ttakeanyshortcutswhenroughingandsmoothing
inthecomingweeks.Proceedwithcaution,asthiswill
payoffinthelongrun.Wipethedisplayofyourwire-cut-
tingmachine–importantbecauseMarswithitsgravita-
tionalpullmaybeexercisingitsinfluence.
You’vealsonowgottheknackofinteriordecorating–this
isyourchancetoimpressyourpartner!
October2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
December2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Gooddayformakingmoney
Extra-luckydaysintherespectivecategories
Gooddayforventuresofallkinds
Luckatwork
Aquarius(21.01.–20.02.)
Yourbrightideascausethelightstogo
outamongyourrivals.Nowyoucanre-
allyletthecreativesparksflysothat
youcanswitchoffafterwards(your
MV2400Rdoesthislaterwithoutyour
help).
Howaboutsomethingnew?Takeup
origamiororchidgrowingoranything
thatbeginswithO!
Pisces(21.02.–20.03.)
YouseemtohaveaninbuiltFSgenera-
torforrelationships.Thisopensnew
doorsinareaswherealleffortsusedto
befutile.Steerclearoflegumesinthe
nextfewweeksandswapworkplaces
withoneofyourmates.Thechangein
perspectiveraisesyourspirits,andyou
cannoweffortlesslyaffordthenewma-
chine!
Aries(21.03.–20.04.)
Thankstothenewconstellationbetween
MarsandSaturn,younowmasterthe
mostintricateconicalcutsasifbymagic.
Theupperandlowercontourssimplyma-
terialisebeforeyourmind’seye.Thepeo-
plearoundyouareastonishedbyyour
output.Butyoumightliketoreadabook
forachange–it’llcalmyoudownand
giveyounewinspiration,andthenyou’ll
makeevenfasterprogress–almostlike
withanMV2400R.OnSundays,greentea
isthesolutionforextraget-up-and-go.
Taurus(21.04.–20.05.)
Whileotherscan’tputafootright,you
shinelikeafixedstarintheEDM
firmament.Treatyourselftoalittlewell-
ness–you’veearnedit.Yousoonbump
intoafriendfromyearsagoandyour
conversationturnsyourthoughtsto
suchtotallynewideasthatevenyouare
surprised.
Gemini(21.05.–21.06.)
Aftertryingoutdielectricsindifferent
ways,youhituponabrilliantideafora
newcocktail.Eventhebig-nameastro-
logicalexpertsareunabletoagreeon
thescaleofJupiter’sinfluence.
You’reinstorefordifficultdecisionsand
thisdoesn’tjustrefertogivingthe
cocktailaname.
Cancer(22.06.–22.07.)
Inthenightofthefullmoon,youdream
ofafloatingdriveforerosionmachines.
Thissenseoflightnesspervadesallar-
easofyourlifeinthecourseoftheweek
–evenyourshoppingbagsareonlya
fractionasheavyasusual.
Withthisextrabuoyancy,youmanage
tocompleteprojectsthatyou’vebeen
puttingoffforquiteawhile.Nowtake
theextratimeandstudytheunique
floatingtubularshaftmotors!
Leo(23.07.–23.08.)
Onholidayyoucontrolyourmachine
fromyouriPadanditworks!Giveyour-
selfandyourautomaticthreaderapat
ontheback!
Whendiesinking,youshouldpayspe-
cialattentiontotheelectrodes,asMars
currentlyholdsswayoverthem.
Virgo(24.08.–23.09.)
Yourhoroscopebenefitsfromyour
knowledgeofplanetaryprograms–
younegotiateyourcurvesandcorners
User horoscope
FunFun
66 Profile10.2012 Profile08.2013 67
AdvertiseyourProfile! Would you and your company like to be in the next edition?
Then write to us!
PEFC/04-31-0830
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
German Branch
Mechatronics Machinery
Gothaer Strasse 8
40880 Ratingen · Germany
Tel +49 . 2102 . 486 6120
Fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090
edm.sales @ meg.mee.com
www.mitsubishi-edm.de