The Carousel for Precision Grinding Wheels Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V

The smart magazine for users

Profile Issue 01 · October 2013

35 The carousel for precision grinding wheels Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.

38 Slashing machining time by 20 hours Eric Huyghe Formenbau

50 Almond crescents launch bespoke machine building Bott GmbH Contents Contents

Contents

50 Almond crescents launch bespoke machine building 60 Moving up into the world league The flavour of success Injection moulds with up to 96 components Bott GmbH ERMO GROUP

56 Uncharted territory Exploring materials right at the machine Empa

06 We are all members of the Möderer family 30 Getting it right first time 75 years, 34 employees and a simple explanation Leaving nothing to chance Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau GmbH Walter Pottiez GmbH

12 Intelligent clamping makes all the difference 35 The carousel for precision grinding wheels The key to success lies in good preparation Micrometre precision for the dressing of grinding wheels Aldrovandi AG Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.

18 Rust protection with water 38 Slashing machining time by 20 hours 04 Editorial 43 Profile magazine Banishing the risk of rust From 50 to 30 thanks to the MV2400R You’ve missed one of our issues? No problem! Chia-mo Srl Eric Huyghe Formenbau 05 Newsflash 65 Origami 24 Cutting diamonds with precision 44 Tooth for tooth – geared for success The art of mechanics and material Solutions for high-performance machining A Top 100 SME reports Lütticke GmbH Neugart GmbH 11 Competition 66 User horoscope

02 Profile 08.2013 Profile 08.2013 03 Editorial Latest developments

HANS-JÜRGEN PELZERS Newsflash Editorial

Only walking on air is better … Rapid relief for flood victims LED screens so large they can be measured Any customer who manages to cut machining time for a tool from 50 hours to in wingspans 30 will be walking on air (page 36). And this is pretty much the principle that the With the quick and unconventional donation of 25 dehu- unique Tubular Shaft Motors work on – available only at the top of the range midifiers, Mitsubishi Electric has responded to the To highlight the diversified product spectrum and out- from Mitsubishi Electric. By consistently eliminating friction, wear is excluded flood disaster in southern and eastern Germany. The standing pinnacle technologies of Mitsubishi Electric, from the outset. So it is hardly surprising that customers are increasingly tend- move was initiated by Christina Marx, Mitsubishi the online advertising campaign “You wouldn’t believe ing to ask for just a single quote – a quote from Mitsubishi Electric (page 06). Electric employee, who comes from the affected district the things we do” has been launched. It shows a selec- of Wurzen. Christina has also ensured locally that the tion of products and applications ranging from satellite There are many reasons why Mitsubishi Electric has become the world market dehumidifiers run reliably and safely in tough continu- communication and e&ecoF@ctory to power semicon- leader in the EDM sector. The exclusive Tubular Shaft Motor builds on this lead Legal notice ous operation. ductor modules. and helps many users to achieve better results in shorter job times. And when one considers that the whole system saves energy on a big scale, it becomes Published by: obvious that the current machine pays for itself through higher productivity and Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. energy savings alone. You can then enjoy the extra precision and comfort as a German Branch bonus. And, talking of bonuses, ask me about the special energy bonus – you’re Mechatronics Machinery sure to like it! 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

Down-to-earth regards from Ratingen Copyright: 20,000 Blu-ray discs per day on a footprint The new generation of Ecodan heat pump Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. of only 17 m² systems

Editorial board: Manufacturers of optical discs (DVDs and Blu-ray) have The new generation offers even higher efficiency and Hans-Jürgen Pelzers and Stephan Barg to temporarily produce large quantities of discs in further simplification of planning and installation. rapid cycles. Satisfying such tough requirements in pro- While the solution for indoor units is available with and Hans-Jürgen Pelzers Design and layout: duction, Mitsubishi Electric has been the automation without drinking/hot water storage, outdoor units can Distribution Manager Europe City Update Ltd., Düsseldorf supplier to Singulus Technologies (Singulus), a leading be employed with power inverter or new Zubadan maker of replication systems for CDs, DVDs and compressor technology. The hot water tank volume No responsibility is taken for the accu- Blu-ray discs, since 1999. has been increased to 200 litres net. racy of technical data and information in articles.

Profile 08.2013 05 EDM and more EDM and more

Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau ised before finally maturing with in some cases demands very high machine avail- massive investment in buildings, the machine park ability. A demand that culmi- » The first and CAD/CAM workstations into a high-tech sup- nated in the purchase of the machine from Mit- plier to specialised machine manufacturers and FA30-S Advance from Mit- subishi completely into a maker of top-class injection moulds. A major subishi Electric in Novem- satisfied our expecta- factor in this was the decision to build larger ber 2007 and hence in a tions, so we didn’t in- moulds and components under subcontract. As a change in supplier. Neu- result, Möderer built another shop in 2007 and pur- bauer: “We were happy vestigate other op- We are all members tions when it came to buying the second of the Möderer family one. «

Everyone at Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & A welcoming reception with sparkling wine and soft Formenbau GmbH, Leinburg, had good reason drinks. Followed by an opulent buffet of hot and cold dishes, arrayed around a suckling pig turning to celebrate. In October 2012, there was not on a spit. A mouth-watering sight for the guests, only the company’s 75th anniversary to com- be they friends of hearty Franconian cuisine or more partial to fish and other seafood, cheese, fruit or memorate, but also the change of genera- desserts. But not only the buffet was substantial, but tions at top management level. And, on top also the speeches in which company history was “served up” before the informal part of the evening. of this, the company that sees itself as a big family had just invested in a second wire From 1937 to the age of the Internet

EDM machine from Mitsubishi Electric. After the welcome address by Managing Partner Norbert Neubauer, politicians turned in their speeches to the company’s development and ac- complishments. The representative of Central chased for all production neither with the competition’s service nor with the Franconia’s Chamber of Trade also stressed that The FA30-S Advance processes machines wire-threading system. Without a reliable thread- the world in 1937, when Hans Möderer estab- was supplied on a equipped with larger ma- ing system and our extra 20-kilo wire station, truck and transported lished his business, was entirely different to to- chining ranges. An example continuous unmanned operation would be out of by a forklift into the day’s. There were neither smartphones nor the production shop. of this is the FA30-V wire the question.” Internet or email. A good deal has happened in the erosion machine from Mit- 75 years since its foundation, reported Norbert subishi Electric with a ma- In choosing the FA30-S Advance, the operator Neubauer in his illustrated talk. At the beginning, chining range of 700 × 500 × went for a wire-cut EDM machine whose machin- Möderer’s lines of business could not have been 350 millimetres (X/Y/Z). The ing range of 750 x 500 x 410 millimetres (X/Y/Z) more diverse. He produced turned parts to customer end of this phase of investment was marked by a matches his maximum workpiece dimensions per- drawings, sold bicycles, mo- FA30-S Advance as the second wire erosion ma- fectly. The new, high-precision erosion system peds, electrical appliances chine, which went into operation just two weeks equipped with an Advance CNC control also has a and sewing machines, drove before the anniversary celebration. greater cutting height than the FA30-V. Möderer workers from the surround- had the machine fitted with the optionally available ing villages to their work with Big extension to production capacity digital FS generator in order to achieve e ven bet- The guests of the anni- his own fleet of VW mini- ter surface quality. versary celebration buses, ran a petrol station Möderer has been working with wire EDM since Now that the company has significantly extended looked forward to an opulent buffet of hot and kept bees. Over the 1989. Sometimes in unmanned operation at night its production capacity by adding the second and cold dishes. years, the company special- and at weekends. This is why the company system, it has been able to reduce its production

06 Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau GmbH Profile 08.2013 07 EDM and more EDM and more

We are all members of the Möderer family and Möderer’s success is our collective success.

Since everything is developing promisingly, Neubauer views Georg and Ingrid Weinmann hand over the management ba- the future with optimism. tons to Norbert Neubauer and his wife Andrea.

bottlenecks appreciably and to free resources data – from design and mouldmaking through to simply laid on the magnetic clamping plate. Mö- views the future with optimism. “We’ve positioned for new customers. Neubauer celebrated the anni- piloting. EDM business also comes from the ma- derer mainly processes hardened mouldmaking ourselves well in the last few years, overtaken versary in an upbeat mood: “The firs EDM machine manufacture sector if these are elaborate steels as well as special materials that are difficult some of our competitors and increased our circle chine from Mitsubishi Electric completely satisfied parts that cannot be cost-effectively turned or to machine conventionally, such as those required of customers in the region. In view of this and our expectations, so we didn’t bother to investi- milled. An example of this is gripper components for medical technology machinery. Whatever the since 95 per cent of our customers are located in gate other options when it came to buying the sec- for injection moulding machines. Moreover, wire material, the company uses standard 0.25 millime- and around Nürnberg so that both sides benefit ond one.” EDM for Möderer is also an alternative to milling if tre wire. The workpiece sizes range from 30 x 30 from the short distances involved, I have no wor- unusual geometries are called for or the delicacy of to 700 x 800 millimetres. ries about the coming years. Our comprehensive With the aid of the wire erosion systems, the the workpiece necessitates an unconventional service and ability to deliver at short notice are Möderer team fabricates extremely precise clamping arrangement. For EDM, in which no pres- “You have reached your destination” much appreciated, as this makes our customers injection moulds from drawings and CAD sure is applied to the part, the workpiece can be aware of our determination to support them at all Before the buffet was opened, senior manager times.” Georg Weinmann, who has been managing the company since 1976 with his wife Ingrid and, since Neubauer asked his wife and parents-in-law over the mid-Nineties, additionally with their son-in- for a group snapshot. “The voice of a satellite law Norbert Neubauer, delivered his speech. To- navigation system would now say: ‘You have gether they have developed Möderer into one of reached your destination.’ But don’t worry, a the bigger mouldmakers in the Nürnberg region. new destination has been entered and the route is already being computed.” Georg Weinmann stressed the team spirit and Rake tooth of VA 1.4301, of which pointed out that his company is like a big family: the customer ordered several “We are all members of the Möderer family and parts. Möderer initially produced a Möderer’s success is our collective success.” And plate, then cut the slot through all the parts and finally wire-cut the then the big moment arrived: Georg and Ingrid exterior contour of all the parts at Weinmann handed over the management batons night during unmanned operation. to Norbert Neubauer and his wife Andrea.

Today, the company certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 sees itself as a specialist in the production of parts of any complexity. In the mouldmaking sector, the customers include the automotive and toy industries, manufacturers of cosmetic products and suppliers of automation solutions. With everything developing promisingly, Neubauer www.moederer.de

08 Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau GmbH Profile 08.2013 09 EDM and more Competition

Sauber F1 Win one of 10 www.moederer.de Professionals in places Profile: on the Norbert Neubauer Factory Tour F1 Factory Tour!

Name and place of company: Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau GmbH, Leinburg, Germany

Founding year: 1937

Managing Partner: How did you earn your first money? Norbert Neubauer As an electronics apprentice.

Number of employees: What motivates you? 34 permanent employees, 4 appren- I’m to some extent naturally ambitious. It’s from this that I derive my tices and temporary staff motivation to be successful at work and in my private life.

Core business: What’s different about how you do things now, compared to Tool- and mouldmaking five years ago? Five years ago, the company was in the middle of a phase of growth. The What floats on air and yet achieves high precision? 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. Shuttlecock Tubular Shaft Motor Where do you see your company in five years’ time? Hot-air balloon 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. Hans Möderer Werkzeug- Simply tick the right answer, fill in your address and send off by fax. The closing date is 30th September 2013. & Formenbau GmbH What attributes do you value most in other people? Kleeäckerstraße 2 Dependability and honesty. 91227 Leinburg-Diepersdorf Fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090 Germany How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no technical knowledge? Company Surname First name Tel +49 . 9120 . 18095 0 I cut contours in metal with wire in the same way as I cut wood with Fax +49 . 9120 . 18095 55 a fretsaw. No., road Tel. info @ moederer.de Post code Town Date, signature

Note: Only one prize can be awarded per person. There will be a draw for the winners. Employees of Mitsubishi Electric and sales partners are not eligible to compete. The judge’s decision is final. Payment of the prize in cash is not possible. Your data will not be passed on to third parties, except to companies involved in the handling of the processes mentioned. 10 Hans Möderer Werkzeug- & Formenbau GmbH You can object at any time to the storage of your data. To do so, simply send a fax to: +49 . 2102 . 486 7090. Profile 08.2013 11 EDM and more EDM and more

Aldrovandi

Intelligent clamping makes all the difference

Know-how-Austausch rund um EDM im Aldrovandi-Forum www.aldrovandi.ch/forum

Peter Aldrovandi, Managing Director of social evenings that I organise several In close and direct contact V-Zug AG that produces high-grade Aldrovandi AG in Baar, Switzerland, sits times a year, we share our worries and with customers devices for kitchens and washrooms – at his PC and pages through the latest ideas.” In the forum, he encounters one of our customers since the Outstanding results are only possible with a contributions to his discussion forum a user faced with the difficult task of In view of his openness, manifested by Seventies.” that he has set up at www.aldrovandi. choosing between three wire erosion the constant flow of information on V-Zug is thus one of the very first cus- tailor-made clamping fixture. Since Peter ch/forum. As an EDM specialist through machines from different manufacturers. technological developments and savings tomers of the mechanical and techni- Aldrovandi is convinced of this, he builds the and through, he has been running the Some advice sounds pretty flippant. opportunities, it is no surprise that cal firm that purchased its first wire EDM forum for several years so that he can For instance, “With Mitsubishi you get Peter Aldrovandi has regular customers machine back in 1974 and focuses on fixtures himself – including one for his new share his expertise with his fellows. “I the most for your money” or “The big- who have remained faithful to his firm wire and die-sinking EDM. wire EDM machine, an MV1200R Grand Tubular have no reservations about doing this. I gest cheek was once after wire breakage for 30 to 40 years. Through the window The company now uses six wire erosion regularly swap notes with colleagues when the machine rethreaded the kerf he greets a man who has just arrived to machines and one die-sinking machine, from Mitsubishi Electric. from all over the metalworking sector. At on the spot.” collect his parts. “That’s someone from all of them state-of-the-art, and can thus

12 Aldrovandi AG Profile 08.2013 13 EDM and more EDM and more

better alternative to wire EDM, we say so. The customer’s confidence is the most important thing.” “In the interests of our customers, we aim to clamp work-

Cultivating contacts with the customer pieces intelligently, so we build these fixtures ourselves.” also includes personally supplying key accounts with finished parts and collecting parts for machining from them. Within the sparsely populated firm, relations are no less personal. As fellow employees, the Managing Director has his wife Elisabeth and his sister Esther. And then, finally, there’s Daniel Melliger as the only non-family mem- ber whom Aldrovandi has known since childhood and who, like his sister, trained as a toolmaker at Aldrovandi AG.

Clamping fixtures can be seen on a cart. Aldrovandi picks one up. “In the interests of our customers, we aim to clamp workpieces intelligently, so we build these fixtures ourselves. For series parts, for example, so that several can be clamped together and wire-cut cost-effectively. Or for complex parts for which high positional accuracy is all-important so that we don’t have to additionally align them manually.

“I couldn’t say no.”

Aldrovandi replaced an old machine with his MV1200R Grand Tubular from Mit- » With Mitsubishi subishi Electric in you get the December 2012. Daniel Melliger benefits from the easy-to-operate new ADVANCE PLUS most for your He was curious The MV1200R Grand Tubular threads the wire in the kerf. CNC control about the latest money. « technologies, he says, including the very swiftly and flexibly respond and on the table. “In drive strategy of the motor during a presentation of the high- completely satisfies Aldrovandi’s require- VANCE PLUS CNC control. Completely ensure punctual delivery even where face-to-face meetings MV Series with its Tu- end NA Essence wire erosion system at ment profile. He expects a wire EDM digital, the latter communicates much more elaborate jobs are concerned. with customers – and ibular Shaft motors that the Sauber racing car production shop. system to be compact, precise, mainte- faster and more efficiently with the aid Also available is a machining centre that over a cup of coffee – we’ve of- permits a high quality of surface “I told Hans-Peter Barth, the Swiss nance-friendly, dependable and cost- of the Optical Drive System and thus enables him to offer the full range of ten found surprising and simpler solu- finish even with standard settings. Mitsubishi regional rep, that if he were effective and offer a high machining enhances component precision. machining inclusive of grinding. tions. We’re in close and direct contact. These drives in the X, Y, U and V axes to offer me an FA-S Advance with speed. An integrated B axis is an abso- Our customers expect quick, inexpen- prevent cogging and ensure smooth Tubular Shaft motors, I’d buy it. And lute must for him. The MV1200R picks However, Aldrovandi doesn’t program The smell of freshly brewed coffee sive and competently performed work and highly controllable movements. In when I finally saw the MV1200R up further points with its price/perform- at the machine, which he has equipped wafts through Aldrovandi’s office as he within the tolerances.” But Aldrovandi the workshop, Aldrovandi tells us that Grand Tubular at the 2012 Prodex trade ance ratio, low servicing and operating with a 20-kilo wire station for longer in- places cups and a plate of croissants knows where his limits are. “If there’s a he became aware of the Tubular Shaft fair, I couldn’t say no.” The machine costs and its easy-to-operate new AD- terruption-free assignments, but at a

14 Aldrovandi AG Profile 08.2013 15 EDM and more EDM and more

“I had no idea that it worked.”

Because data have to be kept confi- dential, Aldrovandi applies high secu- www.aldrovandi.ch Professionals in rity standards to his IT infrastructure. Profile: “I’ve built my own server so that my Peter Aldrovandi data and those of 3D CAD drawing of my customers the plate of a die cannot wander (eroded cuts are marked with orange off into the Web. lines) My customers appreciate this data security.” Name and place of company: How would you describe in a sentence He opens the door to a store room. “I Aldrovandi AG, Baar, Switzerland what your company does? keep at least six months’ stock of all We’ve been wire-cutting everything conceivable for cus- the consumables that I need for EDM. Founding year: tomers at home and abroad for 40 years now. Wire and filters, for example. As long 1965, converted into a Swiss as power comes out of the socket, I Aktiengesellschaft in 1976 How did you earn your first money? can do the jobs for my customers.” While still at school and in the holidays, I wrote programs for my father for Geschäftsführer: his very first wire EDM machines. The “Intelligent AT” automatic wire- Peter Aldrovandi threading system developed by Mitsubi- What motivates you? shi Electric has also stimulated his inter- Number of employees: Curiosity, because I’m very interested in new technologies. I want to keep est. He demonstrates how it works. “I 4 up with the state of technology in all areas of my life. was recently standing at the machine and glanced into the dielectric bath, Core business: What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five when the wire suddenly broke and the Wire-cut and die-sink EDM, precision years ago? machine threaded the kerf on the spot. machining I drink less coffee and more wine. And on an 80 millimetre high workpiece. Until this morning, I had no idea that it Where do you see your company in five years’ time? worked so perfectly. ” He also stresses We want to continue to make use of the latest technologies so that we can the energy efficiency of the MV1200R offer our customers the best-possible results. Grand Tubular. “I benefit firstly from the lower piece costs. And secondly, as the What was your biggest business success? father of a nine-year-old daughter, I have Keeping our family business on course in good times and bad. an obvious interest in protecting the environment and conserving resources.” 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 exploring 3D printing.

Aldrovandi’s product What attributes do you value most in other people? range also includes specially cre- data. “We produce components for sen- Honesty and keeping a sense of humour. medical technology ated program- sors, medical technology parts, punch- Aldrovandi AG components. ming station. He ing tools and general machine compo- Laettichstraße 8 How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech- is able to adopt nents. The main materials we use are 6340 Baar nical knowledge? the most com- hardened tool steel and stainless steel Switzerland Using a fine wire and electricity, I cut the most incredible shapes out of a monly used CAD as well as cemented carbide and tita- Tel +41 . 41 . 763 0333 piece of metal. data straight from the customer and nium in dimensions ranging from 10 x Fax +41 . 41 . 763 0331 process them. With reference to prod- 20 to 200 x 250 millimetres.” ucts, he can show what he does with the www.aldrovandi.ch mail2006 @ aldrovandi.ch

16 Aldrovandi AG Profile 08.2013 17 EDM and more EDM and more

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 accessories 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 Thanks to its many years of market presence, Chia- mo Srl has acquired a wealth of experience in this field, enabling it to provide planning and design services for bespoke components that have to meet the customer’s specific requirements.

The company has been quality-certified for ten years and meticulously monitors the entire production process – from the materials and certified and tested heat treatments through to the application Rust protection of SIT-certified measuring instruments for final control. All phases in planning, machining and Chia-mo Srl’s exten- requirements of customers testing are carried out internally, thus facilitating sive range of compo- who for the most part act as nents for lathes and continuous control of all production processes. subcontractors and ap- loaders includes col- with water Chia-mo is also committed to the environment, lets, chucks, groove proach us with all kinds of in- having installed at its site a photovoltaic system nuts, tool holders, quiries calling for a high level that covers 50 per cent of the company’s energy sleeves, tailstocks of flexibility. This is a real test and many other prod- needs. ucts. for us, as we are faced with every problem that can arise The other strengths of the company in Bologna in- during machining. This expe- clude rapid order processing, as Fabio Chiari, in rience is reflected in everything we produce.” charge of production, confirms: “We are constantly increasingly our product range. 95 per cent of our A reliable and high-performance standard products are now stocked and we can machine send out the items on the same day as we receive the order. We design and machine many products. Most of Chia-mo’s customers are Italian, although This applies, for example, to drilling tools that fea- the company has representatives and distributors ture a special system making it easier to work with for the most important European markets: Germany, the tool and thus eliminate the strength- and France and Spain. Chia-mo has always attached centring-related problems that can occur on the huge importance to quality, which is reflected in its machines. This product was the result of the sales. Tested and certified raw materials, reputable

The Mitsubishi Electric machine was chosen to ensure a high degree of precision, quality, reliability and above all productivity.

18 Chia-mo Srl Profile 08.2013 19 EDM and more EDM and more

and dependable suppliers, meticulous proc- by purchasing it without having seen it in opera- esses, and the application of the latest technol- tion. We had clearly defined our requirements.” ogy – all this contributes to the achievement of uncompromising quality. One of the most recent All work performed underwater investments has been in an EDM machine, the new Mitsubishi Electric MV 2400 R. The Bologna-based company has to machine nu- merous small-size workpieces and had long been Even if the lion’s share of work is performed on considering benefiting from unmanned operation lathes and milling machines at the Bologna at night. This would mean that the machine is plant, a not inconsiderable proportion calls for loaded in the evening and the workpieces are fin- EDM. Particularly if subtractive machining is ished by the following morning. not possible – not least because they have to be However, for this to be possible, it was necessary carried out on already hardened material in order above all that the wire-cutting machine was able to ensure a high degree of precision. to thread the wire automatically: “This feature has been available on the market for some time, but It is a question of special shapes (square, hexago- none of the machines we had previously tested nal), geometrical sections with an extremely small proved to be absolutely reliable. The results radius, and interior areas that are inaccessible: were acceptable, as long as high “The Mitsubishi Electric machine was chosen to standards of cleanliness were ensure a high degree of precision, quality, reliabil- maintained. ity and above all productivity. All this was guaran- However, it just took the ti- » The new teed by our supplier Tecnomach. We trusted him – niest contamination on MV 2400 R has not least because of the many years of profitable the wire or a little dust, demonstrated cooperation that unites us – and took the plunge and there were exceptional dependability – threading has been flawless without exception. «

Semi-finished collet problems. After a certain number of workpieces, immersed until the very last moment and thus pre- with a wire-cut pilot rethreading failed to work properly, so the proc- vent their coming into contact with the air. Then bore and overmeas- ess had to be stopped.” they are all dried collectively.” ure for skim cutting. In addition, after the finished workpiece was removed from the water, rust developed on it after Mitsubishi has designed an extremely efficient, in- exposure to the air for just a few hours – only su- novative and revolutionary wire threading system. perficially and locally, but it was unacceptable for The wire is heated and stretched, which yields aesthetic reasons. It had to find an EDM machine a barely perceptible but sufficient reduction in the that would solve all these problems: “At Mitsubishi diameter. Then a water jet is directed at the lower Electric, we’ve found it. The new MV 2400 R has machine head (30 cm further down), which is only demonstrated exceptional dependability in the last a few millimetres larger than the diameter of the few months – threading has been flawless without wire and threads the wire. Digital motors feed the exception. Whenever I come into the workshop wire, with continuous monitoring of the process. The wire threader of in the morning, all the work has been correctly per- the new Mitsubishi Electric MV 2400 R formed – and with the previously set precision. Optimised parameters operates not only fully Tecnomach also assured us that threading under- automatically, but also water would be performed with the same dependa- As for the programming of the machine, the Chai- ensures a high degree of reliability and uni- bility. And so it was. This way we are able to solve mo technicians stress that the system for the sim- form results. the problem of rust, as we keep the workpieces ple and intuitive organisation of work processes,

20 Chia-mo Srl Profile 08.2013 21 EDM and more EDM and more

however complex, is mature and extremely immediately to dry the components (before rust user-friendly. “An external camera is practically can form) and finally start the cycle from the begin- unnecessary. The video graphics are self-explan- ning with a new workpiece. This resulted in waiting atory. Communication with the machine takes time that we wanted to eliminate at all costs. Now www.chiamo.it place via masks and symbols that make program- we can do all the work unmanned – the machine ming much more straightforward. Many parame- operates entirely by itself.” ters are automatically calculated by the machine. Other manufacturers adopt the same procedures, but in terms of precision we have found that this new model from Mitsubishi Electric sets the Wire-cut series parts: hexagonal tool holders standard.” for reamers. www.chiamo.it The solution for the adapted movement of the axes is based on reluctance motors (tubular motors), which is why no further mechanical components are needed. Further advantages include energy Name and place of company: savings and the optimisation of all operating pa- Chia-mo Srl, Bologna, Italy rameters, starting with the speed of wire running Founding year: 1972

Since the installation of the Managing Director: Did you know …? Adalberto Chiari new machine from Mitsubishi Bologna Electric, the productivity of Number of employees: 30 Chia-mo Srl has improved Core business: considerably without compro- Production of components for Welcome to the home of tortellini, mortadella and other culinary de- mising on quality. machine tools 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. through to the values for electrical discharge. The outcome is a considerable reduction in cycle time. Bologna is the home of tortellini – ring-shaped pasta filled with minced Unlike other machines on which the number of meat that is usually served in a meat broth (“brodo”) or with “sugo bolog- successively settable operating coordinates is lim- nese” (made from minced meat and tomatoes), which is usually simply ited, the user is granted more freedom: “We can called “ragù”. In Bologna, the “sugo” is made not only with minced meat, place a large number of workpieces on the table, but sometimes also with the addition of “salsiccia” (coarse raw Italian fry- each of which is accessible via its coordinates. ing sausage). According to legend, tortellini are modelled on the navel of The work program is capable of precisely position- Venus, the Roman goddess of love. ing the machine head in the various positions and Chia-mo Srl thus working automatically without the need for Via Caduti di Sabbiuno Another speciality of Bologna is mortadella, a cooked pork sausage that is manual intervention.” 40011 Anzola dell'Emilia eaten cold, usually diced or finely sliced. Bologna Conclusions Italy 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 Since the installation of the new machine from Tel +39 . 051 . 734 153 cook who was ordered to create a dish for the wedding of Lucrezia Borgia Mitsubishi Electric, the productivity of Chia-mo Srl Fax +39 . 051 . 734 958 to Alfonso I. d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, and found inspiration in the bride’s has improved considerably without compromis- golden hair. ing on quality: “We used to have to machine the info @ chiamo.it workpieces one after another, empty the tank www.chiamo.it

22 Chia-mo Srl Profile 08.2013 23 EDM and more EDM and more

Karl J. Lütticke stepped down in 2005 and his daughter Britta Weinberger and his son-in-law Stephan Weinberger took over the company Cutting diamonds together. with precision

When it comes to high-performance machining in what they both have in common is their industry, tools with cutting edges of PCD (poly very high strength, although the two types of diamond differ greatly in their crystalline diamond) and CBN (cubic crystalline bo- amenability to machining. Whereas a ron nitride) have become firmly established – natural gem can often only be ground in a single direction, a PCD can be ground, among other things in the automotive sector and in eroded and lasered. the machining of graphite and of carbon-fibre- and What steps have to be taken to make glass-fibre-reinforced plastics. PROFILE magazine a high-performance tool out of PCD? spoke to Stephan Weinberger, Management Direc- Weinberger: We use PCD for the cut- tor of innovative tool specialist Lütticke GmbH, ting edge. For this, we first produce a about the production and machining of such tools. tool carrier. We usually buy the PCD in 70 mm round blanks. We cut them by wire erosion, and braze the matching blade into the carrier and then finish it. This can be by grinding it or wire-cutting it with the aid of the fine finishing generator. Mr Weinberger, some women’s eyes facets. PCDs, on the other hand, con- light up when they hear the word “dia- sist of polycrystalline, synthetically pro- For your EDM work, you have been monds”. How do the polycrystalline duced diamond grains that are bonded using Mitsubishi machines like the diamonds that you process differ from together in a matrix usually consisting MV1200, FA20 VS and BA 8 for almost the decorative variety? of cobalt and other substances. 30 years. What do you like about the machines? Weinberger: Diamonds for jewellery “True” diamonds can be immediately are usually natural polycrystalline distinguished from PCDs by their out- Weinberger: There are a number of gemstones. They are bright, and they ward appearance. A PCD is usually points. We’re very happy with the after- Lütticke The future belongs to automated toolmaking gleam and refract the light in its many black and not very attractive. However, sales service. Operation is intuitive and

24 Lütticke GmbH Profile 08.2013 25 EDM and more EDM and more

the programming system neatly Last year you invested in two new Mit- with flexitime shifts from 5 am to 7 pm. which in our case is a maximum of 0.25 structured, and our staff are immedi- subishi MV1200S wire EDM machines. After this, we let most of the machines mm wide – and at high speed. And ately able to handle it reliably. We have Are these additions to your machine work into the night. Our automation cell thirdly, there’s the generator output that of course tried out a number of rival park or replacements for older models. runs 24/7. makes much faster cutting possible. Companies in Profile products over the years, but we weren’t impressed by the trials. Weinberger: The new MV machines are What are the advantages of the MV Mr Weinberger, let’s talk about your extensions to our range of machining system in your view? fully automatic tool changer. What is Since its founding in 1979, Lütticke GmbH has been concerned with ma- In which production areas do you options. For the Scandinavian market, it for and how does it work? chining solutions for industry. While the company initially served exclu- used EDM machines? we have reorganised our field service, Weinberger: Allow me to concentrate sively the regional market, it now has its sights on Europe. With its innova- and this has yielded a good number of on the points that matter to us. First of Weinberger: I have to admit that getting tive products for machining, it has developed into a dependable supplier Weinberger: We use them for the pre- wire-cutting jobs. One of the machines is all, there’s the fine finishing generator. started was difficult. For Lütticke and our to the automotive industry and automotive parts suppliers. Other focuses liminary machining of tools, which working to a high level of capacity. Unlike the slightly older machines, it de- partner Mitsubishi, it was the first system can be found in the machining of CRP, GRP and graphite and abrasion means cutting the blanks. We grind the We’ve equipped the second machine livers significantly better surfaces when of this kind. In its current, initial state, a protection. In the last 10 years alone, the product range has grown to insert seats with the required precision. with a clocked axis. It is a redundant cutting PCD. It also achieves a more pre- robot aided by a tool changer loads a FA about 10,000 tools, machined typically in batch sizes of 3 to 5 pieces as If the customer wants particularly high system that steps in to handle the exist- cise cut. Secondly, there’s the automatic 20 VS with new tools for wire-cutting well as 100 to 500 pieces. One of its specialities is high-grade special precision, we wire-cut the recesses for ing workload in the event of a machine wire threader. We cut all tools with a around the clock. The system is specifi- tools with cutting edges of PCD (polycrystalline diamond) and CBN (cubic the PCD blades. With this form of failure or maintenance. This sounds clearance angle of under 7, 11 or 15 cally intended for the fabrication of rotary boron nitride). tools that have more than two cutting edges. For the extensions planned for In the last few years, Lütticke has invested about EUR 4 million in its 2014 and 2016, we intend to integrate an- modern machine park and in efficient automation solutions. Together with other wire-cutting machine in the system. reputed partners, the company researches and develops, among other At present, the tool changer can be things, blade geometries for the machining of CRP materials and the high- loaded with a maximum of 15 tools. With precision profiling of diamond grinding discs with wire EDM. interim extension, we plan to increase this figure to 30 and, in its final state, to The company’s backbone is its 16 highly skilled employees who, 50. together with the committed managers Britta and Stephan Weinberger, stand for punctual delivery, precision and innovation. So that it can What are the difficulties involved? continue to meet its high standards of quality in the future, Lütticke successfully trains machinists. Weinberger: When we order a new wire-cutting machine – say from Mit- In the coming years, the company aims to increase its market shares, subishi – we get a complete system expand its foreign business and grow at its current site with further auto- with tested software. In this case, the mation and innovative further development in the special tool sector. tried-and-tested software wasn’t available. The software for the control of the cell comes from GTR and the machine from Mitsubishi. Problems at the interfaces are practically inevitable. But we’ve got to give credit to Mitsubishi. Almost every tool is unique and produced in small batch sizes. Each one has to be designed, computed Lütticke produces rotating tools with more than Their staff always came round straight and programmed from scratch. We’ve adapted our structure to this. two cutting edges on the new system with its au- away to track down the error source tomatic tool changer. and remedy it. We’ve now overcome all the teething troubles. The system has been running totally smoothly for the last three and a half months and we machining, we work with a tolerance costly, and it is. But we work for the au- degrees. In the event of wire breakage, haven’t had any system-related failure. range of 5 µm when preparing the tool tomotive industry and if we can’t meet the older machines first run the system Self-critically, I have to admit that we carrier. We basically produce small se- our deadlines, we lose the customer. back into its zero position. But not the underestimated the problems before- ries, although we also have products in Also, we’ve just reached the limits of our MV. It automatically re-threads the wire hand and didn’t do all our homework. our portfolio machined in numbers of capacity again. All our machines are in in the position where the wire has bro- Not all the tool dimensions were pre- up to 200. The average batch size with operation. We have very little downtime. ken. In doing so, it feeds the wire diago- cisely logged and the zero points were PCD is 3 to 5. Our production department operates nally, at the given angle, through the kerf, not all clearly defined.

26 Lütticke GmbH Profile 08.2013 27 EDM and more EDM and more

This system makes it possible to produce many different tools in small numbers.

optimisation of the subtractive ma- A big advantage of the chining of CRP materials. What’s the system is its intuitive idea behind this? operation.

Weinberger: Together with SGL Car- bon and the Fraunhofer Institute, we want to develop an entirely new cutting material. With Mitsubishi’s support, we want to determine the optimum production parameters and cutting geometries for the machining of CRP materials and wood with the aid of all- ceramic tools. Our goal is to develop a tool that at top speed during high- speed cutting is able to absorb the process heat well while also permitting higher feed rates. We thus wish to reduce the burns that often arise during the machining of wood to a minimum.

Are there any other projects?

Weinberger: In another project, we are working together with Mitsubishi on » We have the EDM profiling of diamond grinding of course tried wheels. This project has already reached the industrial testing stage. out a number We see applications in the glass of rival products over industry and in the precision grinding of the years, but we mills with knurled toothing. weren’t impressed We are currently working here with by the trials. « metal grinding wheels. But the first at- tempts to produce grinding wheels bonded in a synthetic resin matrix with Mr Weinberger, how did you solve customers expect delivery speed and precision. We conductive filler have gone well. shank tools for CRP and GRP machin- these problems before the installa- to deadline. With the new au- believe that we can only hold ing will be published in May 2014. tion of the robot cell? tomation strategy, we’ve been able to our own as a German-based company if When will you be publishing the significantly boost our sales, and we can produced high-precision and findings? Mr Weinberger, thank you for the Weinberger: Basically we didn’t. We they’ve risen by about 30 %. high-grade tools with an attractive interview. had the ideas and got the machine sys- price/performance ratio. Weinberger: The initial findings on tem going before we got the first job. For the first time we’ve been able to the profiling of grinding wheels are al- Only afterwards did we take on work. adopt totally new tooling strategies and Mr Weinberger, you’ve been conduct- ready available. The final report on the This way we didn’t get under too much machine rotary tools with even greater ing research together with the Fraun- research project devoted to the devel- pressure. As I mentioned earlier, our precision, as it is our aim to improve hofer Institute in Berlin into the opment of technology for all-ceramic www.luetticke.biz

28 Lütticke GmbH Profile 08.2013 29 EDM and more EDM and more

A batch size of one – a concept that instils fear in many metalworkers – is the Walter Pottiez norm at Walter Pottiez GmbH in Sulzfeld. In its work, the family company benefits from its shallow hierarchy and the resultant flexibility.

» Since the

Qualified engineer Lars Kölle, who runs the busi- the finished parts that cus- MV2400R Grand ness together with his wife Katja Pottiez-Kölle, tomers make with our prod- Tubular runs places a gearing die on the table whose teeth have ucts. Thanks to the special unmanned at night, been cut on the MV2400R Grand Tubular. “Since punches that we develop we have to be able we only produce one-offs, we have to be sure of for this purpose, we have to depend on the getting it right first time when wire-cutting, as with achieved a unique position all our other processes. At the same time, it’s a for ourselves on the German wire-threading question of mastering this challenge at acceptable market.” The materials that system. « cost. This is why precision, for example, is more Pottiez mainly processes are Getting it right important than a high machining speed. Speed is steel, metal-ceramic steels of course also appreciated, but before we produce and cemented carbide. The dimen- scrap, we prefer the machine to run a little longer sions range from tiny to the size of the entire instead.” Precision doesn’t of course exclude clamping space. The machining times, he says, speed, as the Grand Tubular is renowned as much run from a few minutes to several days. for its speed as for the precision of its corners and first time curves. Non-stop EDM Unique position in Germany AJustifying his purchase of the MV2400R Grand Tubular and hence a change of supplier, Kölle Lars Kölle points to the operator who has just stresses its attractive price/performance ratio and clamped a workpiece. “To create the conditions for superior technical features. Also noteworthy were precise cuts, we have additionally opted for 3D the competence of the Mitsubishi Electric staff and machine set-up, enabling us to measure the posi- the good impression made by the way the com- tion of the clamped component.” Apart from pany outwardly presents itself. precision, Pottiez, who sees himself as a high-performance supplier of precision punching tools The most important technical features in and precision punched parts and subcontracting Kölle’s view include the now fully work, demands high standards of the surface digital ADVANCE PLUS CNC quality, reproducibility, parallelism and the contour control and the new In- accuracy of his products. telligent AT automatic Do we detect a whiff of aerospace, cars and food in the air of the production shop, or it just our im- agination? After all, the customers of the company that calls toolmaking its core competence come from these branches of industry along with the Walter Pottiez GmbH is one of the first users of the MV2400R electrical, electronics and consumer durables in- Grand Tubular from Mitsubishi Electric. With its precision, the dustry. Pottiez mainly erodes ram and die sets as well as guide plates for tools. These are required wire EDM system seamlessly continues the tradition of the broad for shaping stainless steel, aluminium and steel. Kölle takes another component out of a glass cab- range of machines that tool- and mouldmakers need for the effi- Baffle as a fin- inet. “Along with heat exchangers and corrugated ished part for a cient production of one-off parts. and tubular fins, this baffle, for instance, is one of customer

30 Walter Pottiez GmbH Profile 08.2013 31 EDM and more EDM and more

Justifying his purchase of the MV2400R Grand Tubular and hence a change impossible to calculate, says Kölle, because he even our own ideas into one-off items. This only machines one-offs. It inevitably reduces his assembly table, which is unavailable for purchase of supplier, Kölle stresses its attractive price/performance ratio and superior energy consumption as the control disables un- on the market, is accessible from all sides and technical features. needed functions and the machine switches as re- thus makes tool assembly easier.” quired from sleep mode to stand-by. The company also demonstrates creativity in the If he wants to work out whether his operating marketing sector, having extended its feelers well costs are lower than with the old machine, beyond the immediate region. In 2009, Pottiez he again runs up against the problem of batch size. opened a sales office for North America in Atlanta, messages are sent to selected mobile phone Kölle shrugs his shoulders. “Although the re Georgia and has since set up a joint venture there numbers. To be able to judge the drive concept us- placement parts from Mitsubishi Electric are with a partner for the production of heat ex- ing Tubular Shaft motors, it is still too early in the cheaper than from our former supplier, what effect changer components. managing director’s view, having only commis- it has on our machine hour rate is difficult to say sioned the machine last autumn. Even so, because we don’t produce any series.” Mitsubishi, he believes, has taken an exciting new approach in that the wear associated with con Glance beyond the immediate region ventional motor spindles does not arise on the linear motors employed with the Tubular Shaft direct What is clear, however, is that Pottiez has broad- drives. An additional advantage of the new solution ened its base for single-unit production by is that the drive technology in the X, Y, U and V axes investing in the MV2400R Grand Tubular. Kölle is responsible for totally cogging-free and extremely stops at an assembly table. “This unique piece smooth and highly controllable movements. of equipment is a fine example of how we convert www.pottiez.de

Faster to a new level

In the control sector, Mitsubishi Electric is also going new ways. Within the Opti-

Lars Kölle, Managing cal Drive System, a fibre optic network Director of Walter now handles data interchange. This Pottiez GmbH, with a communicates considerably faster and gearing die whose teeth have been cut on more efficiently via optical waveguides the wire EDM system. between the ADVANCE PLUS CNC control, servo amplifiers and Tubular Shaft direct drives and thus facilitates even greater machining precision. Apart from this, Mitsubishi Electric has improved the user-friendliness over the old Advance CNC con- wire-threading system. As the word suggests, trol. this is an intelligent solution because it threads the Kölle goes to an external workstation. “This is wire reliably and quickly in any situation – in the di- where we program the control. The data are then electric, in the kerf or after interruptions in start- transmitted with the aid of a postprocessor.” He hole drilling. Even the height of the workpiece is no points out another advantage of the MV2400R object. Kölle observes the process in the dielectric Grand Tubular as far as operation is concerned. tank. “Although the machine contributes only “Anyone confronted with wire EDM for the first time about ten per cent of our tool output on average, it achieves a higher standard of operation on this is in almost constant use. We operate seven days new machine faster than someone who is used to a week, around the clock. Since the MV2400R a different model and first has to re-adjust to the Grand Tubular runs unmanned at night, we have to new machine.” Gearing punch with wire- be able to depend on the wire-threading cut teeth system.” In view of this, Pottiez has also On top of all this, the MV2400R Grand Tubular invested in a 20-kilo wire station and achieves high energy efficiency as a result of the the equally optional mcAnywhere Con- Optical Drive System combined with the Tubular tact function via which brief status Shaft motors. How much energy he saves is

32 Walter Pottiez GmbH Profile 08.2013 33 EDM and more EDM and more

Mitsubishi Electric www.pottiez.de Professionals in Profile: Lars Kölle The carousel for precision grinding wheels

Name and place of company: How would you describe in a sentence Walter Pottiez GmbH, what your company does? Sulzfeld, Germany We design, build and test high-precision progressive compound tools. This is joined by the punching of parts under subcon- CBN and diamond grinding wheels can be profitably dressed to a high standard Founding year: tract for a variety of sectors of industry. of quality with wire EDM and supplementary axes. 1963 How did you earn your first money? Managers: In my parents’ repair shop for farming machinery and other items of Lars Kölle and Katja Pottiez-Kölle equipment.

Number of employees: What motivates you? 86 At work, my interest in technology.

Core business: Where do you see your company in five years’ time? Toolmaking and jobshop punching 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.

Walter Pottiez GmbH How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech- Mühlhohlstraße 7 nical knowledge? 75056 Sulzfeld We produce tools with which shapes are produced from flat materials. Germany

Tel +49 . 7269 . 9125 0 Fax +49 . 7269 . 9125 25 Peripheral wheel info @ pottiez.de

34 Walter Pottiez GmbH Profile 08.2013 35 EDM and more EDM and more

Above left Diamond The dressing (= profiling and Although this also applies in principle to the process, the cutting wire negotiates a automatically, and the only thing left to unmanned wire EDM machine. This grinding wheel D46 sharpening) of grinding discs die-sinking dressing with shape-impart- cutting path corresponding precisely to do is remove the ready-profiled grinding means that a basic precondition for the with metallic binder by wire EDM is not a funda- ing electrodes, the wire erosion process the grinding wheel’s future profile. wheel from the chuck. It couldn’t be sim- further automation of this machining mentally new technology. is much kinder to the grinding wheel. pler or more flexible technology has been satisfied. Here, Below left and right During the erosion process, the electri- again, Mitsubishi Electric has the asso- However, with the current Multiple profile Precision and durable grinding cally conductive binder is In cooperation with ITS-Tech- ciated expertise and also the requisite D = 150 mm inner and wire-cutting machines from discs thanks to contactless eroded to expose the nologies in Oberndorf am products of its own, e.g. the robots of outer radius Mitsubishi Electric, the scope r = 0.12 mm ± 30° dressing abrasive (CBN or dia- Neckar, various rotat- the MELFA series. Many fully auto- for machining has become mond particles) on ing spindles have al- mated machining cells that also dress broader than ever before. Let us start with a brief overview of the the surface of the Discover the ready been devel- grinding discs in self-controlled opera- 3,01 mm process. The grinding wheel undergoing grinding wheel. fully automated oped with the tion are already in operation. Unlike conventional dressing with machining is initially set turning by a Abrasive outside machining cell most widely used fixed or moving dressing tools, the pro special spindle within the wire EDM ma- the final geome- chuck seats so In 2013, Hannover will again be the cess with wire-cutting is contactless. chine’s working range. In the course of try also simply at EMO in Hannover: that grinding focus of the metalworking world’s falls from the Hall 25, Stand C08 wheel together with the eroded binder.

Wire EDM dressing of CBN and diamond What is also worth noting grinding wheels with metallic binders: is that a wire-dressed grinding wheel can be used in the grinding machine im- The key facts in brief mediately and without further treatment. It is sharp and its direction of rotation is no longer relevant. Tests have proven Precondition Benefits that the removal rate of grinding wheels The grinding wheel’s binding material must be electrically processed with wire erosion can be as conductive. No special dressing tool much as twice as high as that of con- necessary ventionally dressed wheels. Another Achievable today Outstanding grinding wheel positive feature is that, despite this su- ·· Smallest inner radius for kerfs ≈ 0.05 mm geometry and topography perior performance, grinding wheel 13.0 mm

·· Smallest outer radius ≈ 2 x grain size + binder material Profile trueness in the service life can be five times as long, as R 0.05 mm ·· Multiple profiles on a grinding wheel = unlimited micrometre range its structure is not damaged during wire Intricate contours are erosion. Left Grinding wheel with inner radii of 0.05 mm.

achievable Above Example of an application of wire EDM High concentricity Child’s play with the wire dressing. Rapid response erosion systems from Simple programming with 2D Mitsubishi Electric contouring: DXF, DWG, etc. Process amenable to full The wire erosion systems from Mitsubishi wheels of many different sizes and with attention from 16 to 21 September, automation Electric make this process child’s play. conventional chuck interfaces such as when EMO Hannover, the industry’s Several times longer grinding The basis is the grinding wheel’s geome- HSK63-F can be efficiently processed. undisputed flagship fair, is taking wheel service life try – defined either in a drawing or, better Mitsubishi Electric and ITS-Technolo- place. Feed rate in the grinding still, in a geometry file, e.g. in DXF format. gies have wide-ranging expertise and process up to twice as high The profile is programmed as a cutting plenty of experience in this sector. A fully automated machining cell as de- Open-pored grinding path. If a DXF is available, it can be read scribed above will be on show there at wheels – sufficient defined straight into the control and processed Even unmanned and fully Mitsubishi Electric’s Stand C08 in Hall swarf space into an NC program. The machining automated operation if 25. We look forward to seeing you! KNo break-out of binder technology is selected from the ma- desired matrix components (broken- chine’s database, and then the grinding off pieces) wheel is clamped and work can start. The process as such is defined and The process takes place fully takes place dependably on the www.mitsubishi-edm.de

36 Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Profile 08.2013 37 EDM and more EDM and more

Huyghe Formenbau To ensure that all the work in toolmaking is done with the demanded care, the company has deliberately decided against farming out work. “Only then,” says Huyghe, “can we comprehensively In Lüdenscheid, Huyghe Formenbau finds itself in the plan, design and control all work steps. very best company, as the region is home to a good After all, our customers have to be able to rely on getting the quality they want.” 160 firms specialising in tool- and mouldmaking, a Quality is assured in accordance with stronghold of the industry. DIN ISO 9001 and DIN 2008. For Huy- ghe, however, this is only the formal basis. The company’s specialised knowl- Slashing machining time edge is the crucial resource for the production of moulds and tools of the desired quality. The highly trained and skilled workforce and the advanced machine park form a sound foundation for quality and flexibility. For instance, by 20 hours at Huyghe Formenbau, all toolmakers are able to operate any of the machines and fully process any of the demanded workpieces with maximum precision. Each employee is solely responsible for “As a small company, we have always Anyone can optimise – you’ve his job. This calls for great technical concentrated in the region around got to know where competence and offers plenty of scope Lüdenscheid and sought our customers for working independently while also here. We so far haven’t had any need At this modern toolmaking company, demanding a high degree of personal for advertising campaigns or for active EDM and conventional machining are accountability. efforts to attract business,” says Eric complementary processes. “Each ma- Huyghe. His customers appreciate qual- chining method has its strengths. We “In the last few months, however, one ity, punctual delivery and flexibility – combine the two methods so that we can of our employees has been concentrat- values that the company has been com- always achieve the optimum of quality ing more on wire-cutting with the new mitted to since its founding in 1995. and machining speed and respond flex- Mitsubishi MV 2400 R“, the boss says. With a modern machine park and its ibly to customer requests,” Huyghe One indicator of the quality of tool- highly skilled staff, the company has a stresses. This adaptable way of working and mouldmaking is the rework rate. At broad base and is excellently equipped is only possible with high manu Huyghe it is practically zero. In the Huyghe Formenbau is synonymous with precision tech- to produce tools and moulds for the facturing depth – indis- tool design sector, the Lüdenscheid whole of industry. One of Huyghe’s spe- pensable for superlative company has been working for a long nology and outstanding quality in mouldmaking. With cialities is the production of moulds quality. time with experienced specialists. and tools for the large-series produc- its eight employees, the firm may not be one of the big- tion of high-grade system components gest, but, as owner Eric Huyghe explains, it is one of for the automotive and electrical industries. In the last few years, the company the soundest financially: “For the banks, we rank among has focused strongly on the construction of two-component moulds and the Top Ten – sure proof of the quality and dependability In the last few years, Huyghe Formenbau built up its specialised expertise in this has built up specialised expertise in the proof our work.” area. duction of two-component moulds.

38 Eric Huyghe Formenbau Profile 08.2013 39 EDM and more EDM and more

» The economical wire consumption of the MV 2400 R is very noticeable on each job. « Huyghe Formenbau produces high-tech products, among other things for the automotive industry.

Clamped on the FA 20, the workpiece took about 50 hours to reach completion. For its almost identical counterpart, the new MV 2400 R completed the process after about only 30 hours.

Change of generation throughput times than its predecessors per day without any notable stoppages. times,” Huyghe continues. For a truly comparable data. However, price calcu- production shop after two to three and hence lower piece costs as well. Staff were instantly impressed by the informative comparison, the employ- lation calls for reliable and realistic data. years.” For years, the company wire-cut all its Thanks to the new generator technology, clear layout of the control panel and the ees machined almost identical tools si- The company generates the data with its The company believes that wire-cut- high-grade tools on a Mitsubishi FA 20. energy and wire consumption is signifi- machine’s intuitive program structure. multaneously. own methods. The economical wire ting will continue to grow in importance By taking good care of the machine and cantly lower. For a modest sum, the During the machining of the very first consumption of the MV 2400 R is very in the foreseeable future, as the tools having it regularly serviced, its perform- new MV Series from Mitsubishi Electric workpieces on the MV, the new wire- 30 hours instead of 50 noticeable on each job. As far as for many branches of industry such as ance was always impeccable and there marks the entry level into the high-end threading system was conspicuously consumables are concerned, Huyghe the automotive and electrical industries was never any cause for complaint. But class of wire-cutting machines. fast. While the FA 20 took an average of The comparison was performed with estimates savings of about 40% over will become increasingly complex. The even good things can be improved on. 20 seconds for threading, the MV is complex workpieces of very similar de- the FA 20. It is a little more difficult for demand for modular tools will thus In summer 2012, Mitsubishi Electric “During the presentation, the marked back in operation again after 5. “In rela- sign produced again and again for a Huyghe to estimate power consump- grow. This is a task in which EDM ma- presented the latest generation of its improvement in performance and the tion to the overall machining time last- longstanding customer. Clamped on tion, as the machines do not have their chines with their technological advan- wire EDM machines – the new MV. Huy- lower wire consumption and energy ing several hours,” Huyghe explains, “the the FA 20, the workpiece took about own electricity meters. tages will truly come into their own. Par- ghe was immediately amazed by the savings were the decisive factors for time gained during threading is 50 hours to reach completion. For its al- ticularly when one considers that such machines and it soon became clear to me,” says Huyghe. Other practical negligible, but it is indicative of the huge most identical counterpart, the new Payback time machines are capable of cutting tools him that his firm was on the verge of a considerations, like the larger machin- improvement in productivity of the new MV 2400 R completed the process after directly out of hardened materials. change of generation in wire EDM. An ing range and the space occupied by machine generation.” With its modern about only 30 hours. “The first machine “If we finally look at the issue of pay- investment that would significantly the machine, were also important. generator system, the MV 2400 R presentations by Mitsubishi Electric back so important for business owners boost the productivity of his EDM de- operates with great speed and extreme yielded very similar figures. But it was and financiers, we’re not yet able to partment and soon pay for itself. The test of everyday use accuracy. the precise confirmation of these data accurately quantify a period on the in our everyday work that really sur- strength of just six months’ practical The MV Series immediately justified The MV 2400 R has been installed in the “The most astonishing and for us the prised us,” says Huyghe. experience. On the basis of cautious es- the investment, as it offers maximum Lüdenscheid firm since autumn 2012 most satisfying results were yielded by In everyday operations in a production timates, however, I expect the functionalism, significantly shorter and has since been running in 1.5 shifts the direct comparison of machining shop, it is not easy to produce MV 2400 R to have paid for itself in our www.huyghe-formenbau.de

40 Eric Huyghe Formenbau Profile 08.2013 41 EDM and more Profil

Ordering back issues www.huyghe-formenbau.de Professionals in Profile: Eric Huyghe and change of address

This is where, among other things, you can order back issues of Profile. Order now as long as stocks last.

Name and place of company: Eric Huyghe Formenbau, Lüdenscheid, Germany DasThe clevere smart Magazinmagazine für for Erodierer Eroding The smart magazine for Eroding Das clevere Magazin für Anwender Das clevereThe smart Magazin magazine für Anwender for users Das clevereThe smart Magazin magazine für Anwender for users

Founding year: 1995 ProPro lel Ausgabe Issue· Dezember July ProﬁPro lle AusgabeIssue 01December · Juli 2011 ProProﬁ lel Ausgabe 02Issue · Dezember 01 · July 2011 ProPro lel AusgabeIssue 01 02 · ·September December 2012 2011

Sky-rocketing with high-end technologiesDer schnellste Drahterodierer der Welt The world’s fastest wire eroder 36 36 Managing Director: MT Aerospace AG Roman Weber GmbH 14 Roman Weber GmbH 14 42 Innovative Ausbildung: Innovative training: Flex appeal Wenn Schweizer mehr als Qualität verlangen Cutting it ne S ervice – S ervice – Pssst, Krüger Erodiertechnik GmbH & Co. KG Wenger S.A. Wenger S.A. D rahten Eric Huyghe Sprungbrett Thevon Ostwestfalen career from für den eastern Kobold Westphalia ab September 2012 gibt’s neue bis Mexiko toVorwerk Mexico Elektrowerke in den Beruf springboard Maschinen! Mitsubishi Electric und A. & H. Meyer Mitsubishi Electric and A. & H. Meyer Wann zeigen Sie Profil? Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. AdvertiseWann zeigen your Sie Profile! Profil? MitsubishiMitsubishi Electric Electric Europe Europe B.V. B.V. WannAdvertise zeigen your Sie Profile! Profil? MitsubishiMitsubishi ElectricElectric EuropeEurope B.V.B.V. How would you describe in a sentence what your company does? Niederlassung Deutschland GermanNiederlassung Branch Deutschland NiederlassungGerman Branch Deutschland Möchten Sie und Ihr Unternehmen Mechatronics Machinery WouldMöchten you Sie and und your Ihr company Unternehmen MechatronicsMechatronics Machinery Machinery Möchten Sie und Ihr Unternehmen MechatronicsMechatronics Machinery Machinery Would you and your company 27 WannAdvertise zeigen your Sie Pro Pro le! l? Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. in der nächsten Ausgabe sein? Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. like in der to benächsten in the next Ausgabe edition? sein? inlike der to nächsten be in the nextAusgabe edition? sein? Advertise your Pro le! Gothaer Straße 8 10 GothaerGothaer Strasse Straße 8 12 Gothaer Straße 8 NiederlassungGerman Branch Deutschland German Branch 10 Gothaer Strasse 8 12 Einfach nur Dann schreiben Sie uns einfach an! 40880 Ratingen · Deutschland Dann schreiben Sie uns einfach an! 40880 Ratingen · Deutschland Dann schreiben Sie uns einfach an! 40880 Ratingen · Deutschland MöchtenWould you Sie and und your Ihr Unternehmencompany Mechatronics EDM / Laser Would you and your company Mechatronics EDM / Laser Mehr BissThen writebraucht to us! 40880 Ratingen · Germany ADie perfect FeuerwehrThen fi write t for to us!des a 40880 Ratingen · Germany TheQualität rapid response Number of employees: Huyghe produces high-grade tools and moulds. Fon +49 . 2102 . 486 6120 Tel:Fon +49+49 . 2102 . 2102 . 486 . 486 6120 6120 Prototypenbaus FonTel: +49 +49 . .2102 2102 . .486 486 6120 6120 likein der to benächsten in the next Ausgabe edition? sein? Gothaer StraßeStrasse like to be in the next edition? FaxGothaer +49 Strasse . 2102 . 486 7090 Passgenauigkeit Fax:Fax +49 +49 . 2102 . 2102 . 486 . 486 7090 7090 brighter smile FaxFax: +49+49 . .2102 2102 . .486 486 7090 7090 forceCaleffi for prototypes Ratingen · Deutschland Ratingen · Germany Ratingen · Germany WF Fottner GmbH WFErodiertechnik Fottner GmbH Naumann Erodiertechnik Naumann Tel.:Tel: + + ()() // -- Tel: + () / - edm.sales @ meg.mee.com edm.sales @ meg.mee.com edm.sales @ meg.mee.com Fax: + + ()() // - - Fax: + () / - edm.sales @ meg.mee.com edm.sales @ meg.mee.com www.mitsubishi-edm.de www.mitsubishi-edm.dewww.mitsubishi-edm.de www.mitsubishi-edm.dewww.mitsubishi-edm.de 8 [email protected] [email protected] www.mitsubishi-edm.de www.mitsubishi-edm.de 29 2930 30 61 Full HD in 3D – Faszination FullSiebe HD und in 3DFilter – The ganz fascination ALeuchtturm star of im

PEFC / 04 - 31- 0830 WohnzimmerPEFC / 04 - 31- 0830 ofschön the big-screenaufPEFC / 04 - 31- 0830 Draht at home theWerkzeugbau screen Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig bewirtschafteten Wäldern. Mitsubishi PEFCElectricbewirtschafteten / 04 - 31- 0830 VisualWäldern. Information Systems Karl Küfnerbewirtschafteten Wäldern. AWEBA Werkzeugbau Mitsubishi PEFCElectric / 04 - 31- 0830 Visual Information Systems Karl Küfner How did you earn your first money? PEFC/04-31-0830 PEFC/04-31-0830 PEFC/04-31-0830 Gedruckt auf Papier aus nachhaltig bewirtschafteten Wäldern. Core business: During my training as a toolmaker. Injection moulds for automotive engineering, specialising in two- What motivates you? component technology The fun and pleasure of tool- and mouldmaking. Creativity, new tasks and the associated challenges.

Where do you see your company in five years’ time? Order by fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090 We want to stay about the same size but produce faster and more efficiently. Boosting not just sales, but also profits. Back issues Yes, I’d like to order back issues of the following magazines (please enter desired number): What was your biggest business success? December 2010 July 2011 December 2011 September 2012 Current issue Eric Huyghe - Formenbau Continuous profit-oriented company growth. Altenaer Straße 225 b Address /Change of address 58513 Lüdenscheid What’s your favourite way to relax? Germany Cycling in the hills. Company Email address Phone

Tel +49 . 2351 . 9526 73 What attributes do you value most in other people? Surname First name Fax +49 . 2351 . 9526 74 Honesty and standing up for what one believes in. Yes, I would like Mitsubishi Electric to keep me informed of its special offers and campaigns by email. No., road info @ huyghe-formenbau.de

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Note: Your data will not be passed on to any third parties except companies involved in the processing of your order. You can terminate the storage of your personal data at any time 42 Eric Huyghe Formenbau by simply sending a fax to +49 . 2102 . 486 7090 Profile 08.2013 43 EDM and more EDM and more

Neugart

For wire-cutting, the gear manufacturer trusts in the new MV 2400 R Grand Tubular from Tooth for tooth Mitsubishi Electric. geared for success

Clocks made of locally sourced wood have been made in the Black Forest for 300 years. Since they were cheaper to build than their more wide- spread counterparts with metal mechanisms, they became so affordable for ordinary folk that about 600,000 clocks from Black Forest clockmakers were sold in about 1850. At about the same time, the first German School of Clockmakers was founded in Furtwangen to train craftsmen and standardise clock sizes and forms. This encouraged quality awareness and exports. Clocks from the Black Forest became a hallmark. With the onset of the Great Depression in the last century, many companies in the region were forced to close. And toolmaker Karl Neugart was thus made redundant. However, with enterprise and energy he and a friend founded a small business in 1928 that produced gearwheels for the clockmaking industry and tiny components for fine tools. This was the foundation stone for a successful and innovative company that today employs 380 people, has subsidiaries in Italy, Brazil, Turkey, the USA, China and France and achieves global sales of roughly EUR 50 million.

In 1943, Neugart bought a residence with a suita- The proverbial precision of Black Forest clocks also applies to ble shop for production activities in Kippenheim in Baden. Initially he made vegetable graters and the products of Neugart in Kippenheim in Baden. other everyday items that were exchanged for food until the company was able to return its focus to gearwheels.

44 Neugart GmbH Profile 08.2013 45 EDM and more EDM and more

Training and Toolshop Bosch-Rexroth as a Preferred Sup- gearwheels inexpensively and offer the customer Manager Otto plier. That’s a real boost,” says any type of toothing,” says Otto Hebding, Training Hebding discusses Füllbrandt. Several strategic and Toolshop Manager at Neugart. “Wire-cutting the details of a gear- » We’re wheel contour with extremely happy partnerships with large auto- has now become an essential process for us in pro- wire-cutter Wilhelm with the quality, mation specialists like B&R, duction. We also use even it for the building of spe- Michelis. Festo, Baumüller, Bosch- cial machines and injection moulds, and particularly precision, flexibility Rexroth and Schneider for such small gear modules as 0.6 and 0.3.” and speed of Electric complete the the machine. « picture. The module is the metric unit of gear tooth size and expresses the quotient of the reference diameter and number of teeth. The smaller the module, the Precision from the smaller the tooth. “When our customers saw what Black Forest we were capable of producing, they came along with even more exotic requests,” says Hebding. In addition to its planetary gears, Neugart produces “This stretched our old CX 20 wire-cutting ma- various special gears and gearing. “If the customer chine to the limits of its capacity and precision.” has special requests in terms of thermal conduction, The time was ripe for investment in a replacement. precision of movement or installation space, we’re able on the basis of our huge wealth of experience Delighted by the new MV 2400 to develop the matching special gears,” Füllbrandt explains. And it was special gears that brought “We went straight for the new MV 2400 wire-cutting Neugart and Mitsubishi Electric together. Some spe- machine from Mitsubishi Electric and were de- cial gears have a tooth geometry deviating from lighted by the first demonstration, as this machine the norm. “With wire EDM, we can produce small cuts with extra-fine 0.1 mm wire,” says Hebding.

During the period of the Economic Miracle, has developed so successfully that it Neugart produced the mechanism for mantle clocks currently sees itself in the global Top that could be found in almost every German living Five in terms of market share and innovation lead- room at the time. ership. “Quality is our overriding principle, coupled with innovative products and outstanding service,” The product range also included spring-driven dry says Marketing Manager Stefan Füllbrandt, add- razors and mechanical oil level indicators for oil ing, “As you can see, we’re doing very well with tanks. These were later joined by the first gears this approach.” machined to the company’s own designs. At the end of the Sixties, Neugart’s children Georg and Neugart products are known for their ‘fit & forget’ Erika took over the family business. In the mean- durability and quality. Costs due to product time, the running of the company has been passed defects are negligible. The company generates on jointly to grandchildren Thomas Herr and Bernd two thirds of its sales with standard gears in Neugart. different classes of precision and performance, which are market leaders. Neugart benefits here Top supplier to machine manufacturers from its high manufacturing depth. Apart from bearings, gaskets, screws and lubricants, all gear com- Contributing his experience in motor manufacture ponents can be produced on site, says Füllbrandt. to the company, Herr has set the standardisation and quality yardsticks both for economy gears for On the walls of the foyer of the plant are docu- simple handling tasks and for low-play precision ments showing certification to ISO 9001:2008 and Thanks to its global gears. This has given rise to twelve standard se- Blue Competence environmental management partners, Neugart is becoming a hallmark ries of planetary gears for machine manufacture, and an award as a Top 100 small/medium-size of quality beyond the automation and medical technology. The company company. “We have just been commended by national borders.

46 Neugart GmbH Profile 08.2013 47 EDM and more EDM and more

The new machine has been installed in Kippen- our employees,” says Hebding. “This is why we heim since November 2012 and cuts teeth in form attach great importance to training. For years now, rings for injection moulds. trainees account for 10 per cent of our workforce and we enjoy a fine reputation in the training sec- www.neugart.de Professionals in “We’re extremely happy with the quality, precision, tor. Our skilled staff mainly come from within our Profile: flexibility and speed of the machine. Automatic wire own ranks.” This is hardly surprising, since training threading is out- is also a subject Otto Hebding standing – even I dear to senior part- was surprised. You ner Georg only have to see Neugart’s heart. how a 0.1 mm wire Neugart products are The 75-year-old can is threaded back in still be seen in the the kerf after wire known for their ‘fit & forget’ toolshop and train- breakage – an ab- durability and quality. ing workshop al- solutely trouble-free most every week. process”, says Heb- “The senior partner ding enthusiasti- knows nearly every- Name and place of company: cally. “There’s often one personally,” Neugart GmbH, Kippenheim, Germany tension in the mate- Hebding explains. rial, which is why the wire breaks. But even such a “Since every employee wears the company’s own Founding year: wire breakage doesn’t hold up the machine, be- T-shirt with his name across the chest, Georg 1928 The MV2400R with a cause with the automatic wire threader it runs for an B axis integrated in entire shift practically unmanned.” Particularly the control. Managers: worth mentioning are also the extended abilities of Thomas Herr and Bernd Neugart the MV 2400: owing to rapid set-up, it is able to cut prototypes with hugely different geometries in a Number of employees: very short time so that they can undergo application 380 testing. How did you earn your first money? Core business: As a surveyor’s assistant involved in reparcelling and in a vineyard. Although the leap from the old CX to the new MV Planetary gears for economy and machine was huge, Hebding and his staff have precision applications; custom- What motivates you? already made a number of adjustments so that machined gears As the Training Manager, I aim to stimulate the interest of many young they are again producing various fixtures for people in technology and machine tool manufacture and of course in our production, e.g. toothing stubs, tension devices, company. drill jigs, and measuring and testing jigs. To this end, the MV 2400 EDM machine has been equipped Where do you see your company in five years’ time? with an additional B axis. “This way we can also We wish to grow even more strongly internationally, strengthen our service produce circular parts like crowns,” says Hebding. orientation, improve our position among the Top Three worldwide and stay “This works excellently.” The Kippenheim company an independent company. uses the new machine not only for the many custom-machined parts, but also for current produc- What was your company’s biggest business success? tion. For example, couplings and planetary gears Surviving the credit crunch in 2008 almost unscathed, having a bigger for medical products are machined on the MV always knows who he’s talking to,” says the head workforce than ever today and being able to invest well over EUR 2 million 2400. These thin-walled parts are hardly bigger of toolmaking and training in his Neugart T-shirt Neugart GmbH in machines and plant. than a 10 cent coin and have to be wire-cut as with a laugh. Keltenstraße 16 they are essentially too small to be milled. 77971 Kippenheim What’s your favourite way to relax? Germany Growing vines and mountain-biking. Good staff are the company’s biggest asset Tel +49 . 7825 . 847 0 What attributes do you value most in other people? Fax +49 . 7825 . 847 2999 Conscientiousness, honesty and ambition. “Our company is based on immaculate products. And these cannot be produced without the skills of www.neugart.de sales @ neugart.de

48 Neugart GmbH Profile 08.2013 49 EDM and more EDM and more

Bott single component. This is why toolmaking is such a difficult field. Everything has to be exactly right to the nearest Today, Bott GmbH Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau hundredth. “In most cases it’s the tini- in Wolfegg has over 40 people on its payroll and has est deviations that account for major differences in quality,” explains Georg Almond crescents Strobel pointing to the new machine. just ordered its second wire EDM machine from Mitsubishi Electric. “But with the MV 2400 S we’re excel- launch bespoke machine building lently equipped.” A success story takes its A number of successful entrepreneurs started off small, working from course their garage. And one such entrepreneur is Alois Bott who got his one- The wire-cut EDM ma- Georg Strobel inspects chine MV 2400 S takes » In most cases the quality of moulds for “I originally set up my own business so I pressing tools ma- over two days to ma- would have more time for my leisure man show by the name of “Alois Bott Mechanische Bearbeitung” off it’s the tiniest chined with the new chine the small deviations that ac- MV 2400 S wire pursuits,” says company founder Bott, the ground in a barn in 1979. parts that remotely EDM machine. laughing. “But nothing came of that. resemble Christ- count for major mas trees. These differences in are the flagship quality. But with products of Bott the MV 2400 S GmbH in Wolfegg in we’re excellently Baden-Württemberg. Just 10 millimetres wide equipped.” « and 15 millimetres long, they have to take a lot of punish- ment.

Six such intricate parts are fitted in a subassembly that is installed in a customised machine and used in production as a stamping tool. Each component has to withstand extremely high pressures and show as little wear as possible. So that the cutting edges after 150,000 stamping operations are still as sharp and dimensionally accurate as on Day One, they are cut on the MV 2400 S wire erosion machine from Mitsubishi Electric. The machine takes almost 100 hours to cut 30 such parts for the stamping tool out of a block of cemented carbide. “Our customer uses this tool to produce large numbers of parts and markets them worldwide. For him we produce the component that is practically the machine’s key element,” explains Alois Bott, Managing Director of Bott GmbH. “Basically, parts are getting more and more complex and difficult to machine, as design engineers squeeze more and more functions in a

50 Bott GmbH Profile 08.2013 51 EDM and more EDM and more

What happened is exactly the oppo- huge range of industries and applica- helped us through lean times,” says Bott, High manufacturing depth for Herle, Okuma and DMG. “This way we Ravensburg.” The family company that site. We’ve grown because we’re effi- tions. In Grimmenstein commercial es- underlining the closeness to his custom- quality and prompt delivery can cope with any desired quality or joined Griesson – de Beukelaer GmbH & cient and good, we’ve bought new ma- tate in Wolfegg, it now employs more ers. Many highly reputed mechanical en- deadline and can produce any part, how- Co. KG in 2005 is one of the leading chines and taken on new staff, proc- than 40 people. The company has four gineering companies, now regular Its above-average manufacturing depth ever extravagant, ourselves,” Bott ex- makers of fine confectionery and ice essed our orders and invested further.” divisions and over 2,500 square metres customers of Bott GmbH, have settled of 95% enables the company to handle plains, holding up a complex stamped cream wafers. 20 years ago, company of production and office space. in and around the Swabian Jura, Stutt- the lion’s share of its output in-house. part. owner Krumm was looking for someone What started life as “Alois Bott gart, Lake Constance and the Black “We turn, mill, grind, wire-cut, measure “But ultimately our survival depends on who could build, at the drop of a hat, a Mechanische Bearbeitung” with a part- Bott GmbH started off purely as a job- Forest. “I feel it’s essential that we’re not and inspect everything on our own ma- being able to produce such parts neatly machine to mass-produce his famous time helper in a barn in Bad Wurzach shop. The development and production far from our customers. If there are chines. Our employees work on the very and to a high standard of quality,” says almond crescents and Florentines. has developed over the years into a suc- of highly accurate single- and multi- problems, we can then solve them to- latest CAD/CAM systems and our pro- Bott and tells us the story of how he be- “We were out of our league, to be honest, cessful company that now produces component scales for powder goods gether. This way we can tackle com duction equipment is geared essentially came a special machine manufacturer but my present Co-Managing Director technically elaborate machine compo- came later as a second line of busi- plicated components that many other to the efficient fabrication of prototypes more or less by accident 20 years ago: Jörg Osterkamp said, ‘Let’s go for it!’ nents, stamping, punching and form- ness. “Today it’s also our bread-and- firms are unable or reluctant to handle,” and small series,” says Bott with refer- “We’d been producing various spare We sat down and designed, built and ing tools and bespoke machines for a butter business that has always says Bott outlining his recipe for success. ence to his machining centres from parts as a jobshop for Tekrum in set-up the machine from scratch in

2000 2001 2012 Bott GmbH's Extension of production space to 2,800 m², Large-scale investment in the latest Appointment of fellow Managing Director progress 1,200 m² of which was rented for 7 years production machinery Jörg Osterkamp

1979 1981 1987 1994 1999 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 Founding of “Alois Move ito the compa- Renamed “Bott Move to new com- New division for com- Investment in a Recession-related Extension of the Extension of office Workforce: Bott Mechanische ny’s first own and larger GmbH Werkzeug- pany site in Wolfegg, ponent development highly efficient consolidation, development depart- space by 300 m², 43 employees Bearbeitung”, premises in Weit- und Maschinenbau”, 16 employees and production, computer network, 34 employees ment, 37 employees 40 employees 1 employee prechts, 5 employees 13 employees 21 employees 38 employees

52 Bott GmbH Profile 08.2013 53 EDM and more EDM and more

eight weeks. Mr Krumm was noth- Moulds for pressing ing less than astonished, as all the other tools machined with the new MV 2400 S machine builders he had asked said it wire EDM machine at would take eight to ten months. Our Bott GmbH in Wolfegg. www.bott-maschinenbau.de Professionals in speed enabled Tekrum to go into busi- Profile: ness with Aldi and launched our career as bespoke machine builders,” Bott Alois Bott laughs. “Toolmaking was then added seven years ago. This was the start of our relations with Mitsubishi Electric, because it is essential for our toolmaking activities to have our own wire EDM capability.” strong. We have a very low average age. staff and a highly progressive machine And young people want to be able to park. An example is the new MV 2400 S Good employees are the use the latest technologies and prove wire EDM machine from Mitsubishi backbone of any company themselves. Electric. Name and place of company: Toolmaking is the trade that calls for the When I founded the business in 1979, all “We bought the predecessor, the FA 20, Bott GmbH Werkzeug und most specialised knowledge and the my friends asked me why on earth I seven years ago. Karl Haller, our Maschinenbau, Wolfegg, Germany best machinery. Bott adds that his com- was doing it. I meanwhile know that we Toolshop Manager, chose the machine pany has been training its own appren- are only so good because the right and swears by it,” Bott proudly explains. Founding year: tices for 25 years. people have come together in the right Originally selected solely for toolmak- 1979, and 1987 as a GmbH place at the right time. I’m firmly con- ing, it has subsequently also been used “We now train two to three apprentices vinced that we have thus covered a large for customised machine construction Managing Directors: per year. This is quite a lot for a com- part of the business risk,” says Bott. and jobshop work. So much in fact that Alois Bott and Jörg Osterkamp pany this size,” says Bott, “but it’s what As a logical consequence, this means EDM became a bottleneck. “But before we do well and makes the company that the company has highly motivated we farmed out work and gave up con- Number of employees: trol over our 43 processes, we decided to buy Core business: a second ma- Toolmaking, machine building, jobbing How did you earn your first money? Two generations of wire EDM machines chine,” says Bolting cars together as a car mechanic. from Mitsubishi Elec- Bott. “This was tric: in the foreground a decision taken What motivates you? the new MV 2400 S and in the background within two days, Maintaining and building on what has been achieved. It is motivation the FA 20. because punc- enough to see that the company doing well economically. tuality and quality come top of Where do you see your company in five years’ time? our priorities. We want to continue to expand the company and keep it stable in eco- Our customers really appreciate it. They nomic crises. know that Bott supplies them with parts that are always dimensionally ac- What was your biggest business success? curate and thus immediately ready to Bott GmbH Achieving things that others don’t achieve. You can then see that some- install. That’s our hallmark.” Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau thing develops out of it. Grimmstein 9/6 88364 Wolfegg What’s your favourite way to relax? Germany In the garden or motorcycling.

Tel +49 . 7527 . 9611 0 What attributes do you value most in other people? Fax +49 . 7527 . 9611 50 Frankness, honesty and enthusiasm.

www.bott-maschinenbau.de info @ bott-maschinenbau.de

54 Bott GmbH Profile 08.2013 55 EDM and more EDM and more

Pieper thumbs through a list Empa By investing in an MV1200S Tubular, of jobs. “The high machining Empa Materials Science & Technology, speed displayed by Mitsubi- shi Electric’s wire erosion Dübendorf (Switzerland), has ventured system is also important for into uncharted territory. Instead of pay- us. We don’t have the comparison with another ing jobshops for EDM work, the re- machine, but our jobshop search institute is now itself an owner of supplier confirms with his Uncharted job records that he takes a process-secure wire erosion machine longer than us to wire-cut – a machine that will probably soon pay similar parts.” Using 0.25 millimetre wire, Empa takes territory for itself as well. anything from 3 minutes to 20 hours. The pri- mary material is up » For the money to 210 millimetres that we were willing high, 500 milli- to spend we’ve bought metres long and Franz Stebler replaces the wire spool and cor- 200 millimetres the best machine and rectly feeds the wire around several pulleys. thick. Because the one with the best Erwin Pieper, a Swiss diploma’ed mas- stood for ‘Eidgenössische Materialprü- Cutting materials the workshop operating and main All the same, some user-friendliness of the totally digital ter mechanic and Workshop Manager in fungs- und Forschungsanstalt’” – or achieves rapid tenance charac challenges can ADVANCE PLUS CNC control that the Design Engineering/Workshop ‘Materials Science and Technology’ in The tasks of the workshop include throughput, to which teristics. « only be mastered communicates appreciably faster and department at Empa, lays a three-part English. And that is what Empa now eroding material samples that are often a clamping system also with wire EDM more efficiently with the machine’s eroded stainless steel component on is – an interdisciplinary research and composed of several materials and contributes, it now has ca- technology. servo amplifiers and tubular direct drives the table. It would be ideal as a paper- services institution for materials cannot be cut with conventional meth- pacity for extra jobs. via the optical waveguides of the new weight. However, pulled apart, it be- science and technology development. ods because of the material’s hard- Superior user-friendliness Optical Drive System. comes a note-holder bearing the word Empa lays the scientific foundations ness. Examples of this include nickel- In addition to the single wire-cutting One of the resultant advantages of this “DANKE”. “This part, of which we’ve for the sustainable development of so- based alloys with structural steel machine, which has been in operation Pieper watches the operator initiate a is greater machining precision. Program- produced several, is intended as a thank- ciety and, together with partners in in- and gold-germanium brazed onto metal. since January 2013, the workshop has wire-cutting process. “The machine of- ming, he says, is not performed at the you for the Empa management and dustry, converts research findings into Empa takes samples of these and five milling machines at its disposal. fers plenty of comfort. The operator got machine. Instead, Pieper’s team sends departments involved in the investment marketable products. To this extent among other things examines the be- EDM accounts for a correspondingly on well with it from the beginning.” One entire programs to the MV1200S Tubu- in the MV1200S Tubular. We’re expect- the institute has a large hand in strength- haviour of the materials in terms of small proportion of machining volume. contributory factor is the superior lar. ing it to pay for itself in two to three years, ening the international competitiveness fatigue at different high temperatures. Pieper holds a wire guide in his hand. as the cost of jobshop EDM work until of Swiss industry. Or Empa wire-cuts cracks and in- “This wearing part can be swiftly and now has equalled the cost of the new spects whether and how they propa- easily removed and replaced. A task that machine over the same period.” gate under load. The range of wire- arises once a week during cleaning. It cut materials also mainly includes alu- is just as important that the machine re- Empa was founded in 1880 as the minium, beryllium bronze, titanium threads the wire in the event of break- Institute for Construction Materials and stainless steel as well as cemented age automatically, as here at the work- Testing in the basement of Zurich’s carbide and structural steel. shop we sometimes run the machines Polytechnikum (school of engineering), Pieper removes a tiny molybdenum part unmanned at night.” Empa thus benefits today’s Swiss Federal Institute of from a glass showcase: “Since a from the new Intelligent AT wire threader Technology (ETH). In 1938 the institute milling tool might break such a hard that re-threads the wire in the dielectric, was re-named the Swiss Materials metal and process security is so im after interruptions Testing and Experimental Institute for portant to us, we opted for wire-cutting in start-hole drill-

Industry, Building Construction and in this case.” Precision to the nearest Core holder of Böhler ing or in the kerf – Commerce and had the reputation for hundredth of a millimetre is usually suf- V155 tempering steel and even on high destroying all the materials it tested. ficient for Empa. The demanded and 1.6582, wire-cut workpieces. on the inside, for the Pieper laughs: “Our image today is bet- surface quality comes to an average extrusion of ceramic Whether a thread- ter. Since 1988, the name Empa has roughness of 0.8 to 0.4 micrometres. filters. ing jet is used or

56 Empa Profile 08.2013 57 EDM and more EDM and more

www.empa.ch Professionals in Profile: Erwin Pieper Another point in Mitsubishi Electric’s favour is its good service.

not. Pieper is also interested in the tubular shaft motors of the MV that ensure cogging-free and responsive move- Stebler clamps a ments in the machine’s X and Y axes. workpiece in the machine. He stresses the wear-freedom of the drive strategy that dispenses with spin- Name and place of research institute: dles and ball bearings and therefore en- Empa Materials Science & Technology How would you describe in a sentence what your company does? sures smooth and maintenance-free in Dübendorf, Switzerland Research, development, testing and teaching. running. Founding year: How did you earn your first money? Best machine for the 1880 In my apprenticeship as a machine mechanic. available money Managing Director: What motivates you? “We opted for the MV1200S Tubular be- Prof. Dr. Gian-Luca Bona Curiosity and the joy of technology. cause it embodies a combination of advanced technology and a very attrac- Core business: What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five tive price/performance ratio. The latter Research & development, materials years ago? refers to its high precision and its com- science & technology EDM, 5-axis machining in the milling sector, programming with a CAM sys- parison with a milling machine.” Pieper tem and investment in clamping systems for faster set-up. opens up the project folder. “We looked at three quotations beforehand. For Where do you see your company in five years’ time? the money that we were willing to spend We want to continue to research and develop. As a workshop, we have to we’ve bought the best machine and keep up with new trends. the one with the best operating and maintenance characteristics.” To What’s your favourite way to relax? see reference erosion systems from In my free time with my model railway and walking and doing nothing. Mitsubishi Electric in action, says Pieper, they went to racing car building What attributes do you value most in other people? Sauber, who wire-cuts almost the Reliability and openness to different solutions. same spectrum of materials as Empa. Empa Another point in Mitsubishi Electric’s Überlandstrasse 129 What mistakes in others do you find easiest to forgive? favour is its good service, he says, for 8600 Dübendorf When someone tries something out and it goes wrong. which the company’s Swiss dealer in Switzerland the neighbouring town is responsible. If you were asked what you do by a friend with no technical knowl- Tel +41 . 58 . 765 1111 edge, how would you explain your work in a single sentence? Fax +41 . 58 . 765 1122 That I cut metal with a wire and electricity.

www.empa.ch contact @ empa.ch

58 Empa Profile 08.2013 59 EDM and more EDM and more

When Jean-Yves Pichereau, CEO of the ERMO of achieving.” He selects another picture. “These GROUP, Marcillé-La-Ville (France), welcomes visi- moulds for two-component injection moulding tors, you can sense something of the company make us unique. The process creates injection Moving up into the ERMO GROUP philosophy in his handshake. “I shake the hands of mouldings that have two colours or combine two all my employees every day and wish them a good materials in a single cycle. We are the first French morning. Treating everyone like members of the company to design and make such moulds.” family is important for me. I know each of them personally and want to show them that I appreci- Pichereau knows that his customers attach impor- ate their efforts.” Pichereau has high tance to a fast response, high delivery quality and world league standards, has come a long way with rapid and competent service. This is why he needs his business and is passionate wire EDM machines that display impressive per- » The precision about his trade. His company formance, constant availability and high efficiency. philosophy is one key to his You’ve got to set out with the goal, he says, to be was within success, his concentration the best in every department and offer your 5 micrometres – something that not many compe titors are capable of achieving. «

In its entrance area, ERMO displays products from the medical, In a single cycle, two-component injection moulding creates packaging and cosmetics sectors that are produced with the mouldings that have two colours or combine two materials (the aid of multiple moulds. pictures show cut-outs in the halves of the bi-injection mould Multiple moulds for with an inserted finished product). two-component injection moulding are what make ERMO unique. on multiple moulds that he produces for the plas- customers innovation that enables them to boost tics industry being the other. Pichereau opens their productivity. ERMO has already produced his laptop and presents pictures of injection moulds moulds that no one previously thought were pos- past and present. “Initially, we mainly worked for sible. So that the company stays on track for manufacturers of cars and televisions sets. We then success, he adds, it operates around the clock, at changed our tack and have made a name for our- night and, as far as possible, with unmanned ma- selves as world-class makers of multiple moulds.” chines or machines monitored by a smaller team.

Superlative wire-cutting precision With wire erosion, ERMO machines injection moulds that in some cases weigh over 10 tonnes, consist A development due mainly to the precision of of a maximum of 96 components and are worth as If there were a world league for makers of multiple moulds, the ERMO Group ERMO injection moulds and their surface quality. much as EUR 1 million. As the material, the Pichereau taps one of the pictures with his company mainly uses hardened and stainless steel. would be up among the leaders. The mouldmaker has achieved this position finger. “Last year we largely wire-cut a mould con- Pichereau shows us a complex wire-cut com among other things thanks to its high-precision injection moulds, delivery sisting of 16 components. It took 3,000 working ponent and discloses its secret: “To produce this hours. The precision was within 5 micrometres – part, which is a moulding element and ejector in quality and service. something that not many competitors are capable one, we were the first French company to invest in

60 ERMO GROUP Profile 08.2013 61 EDM and more EDM and more

Didier Lambert clamp- Optical Drive System that ing a workpiece. communicates considerably faster and more efficiently by optical waveguide. Loïc Drouet, Plant/Location Manager at TECHMO 61, stresses that, in terms of parallelism, they achieve precision of less than 5 micrometres, even over a height of 150 millimetres.

In addition to this, Didier Lambert has found that the wire consumption of the MV 2400 R Grand Tubular is 37 per cent lower than on other machines. A value that can be improved on, he believes, and perhaps up to as high as the 46 per cent reported by Mitsubishi Electric. Then there are savings with the ion exchange media. Claude Lambert pats his In his plane, Pichereau is taking part in an air rally across Southern Europe. namesake approvingly on the shoulder, encoura ging him to carry on optimising the process. “The an MV Series wire-cutting system from machine is only ever as good as its operator.” Mitsubishi Electric. The machine went into operator’s help. This, he believes, is a decisive ad- position in this respect is very clear. “If the mould- operation in October 2012.” Drouet includes automatic wire threading among vantage in view of the length of processing, making department is to still exist in five years’ the important factors when choosing an EDM which can take anything from a few hours to a time, innovation coupled with quality and reliability On the trip to TECHMO 61 in Alençon – a produc- machine. Thanks to the reliability of the Intelligent matter of days. We often make full use of the will be required. This is where wire erosion is of tion location of the ERMO GROUP that uses the AT wire threader, we’re capable of producing ex- size of the machine table and clamp several com- special importance because wire-cutting systems MV 2400 R Grand Tubular – Pichereau expresses tra components in a given time and thus boosting Didier Lambert start- ponents in parallel. The smaller ones, he contin- permit continuous production – around the clock ing the wire-cutting his wish for a stronger presence of French com our productivity. Furthermore, wire-threading is process on the MV ues, are eroded during the day and the larger ones if need be. Unmanned of course. From an economic panies on the international stage. At the Chinaplas performed in the kerf and even there without the 2400 R Grand Tubular. at night. Moreover, the new Mitsubishi is convenient point of view, there’s no alternative to such an au- trade fair in Guangzhou, the French industry only tomated system when one considers the high cost participated with a small stand, while the Germans of labour in France. If a collision occurs on a mill- booked an entire hall. France would do better, he ing machine, it comes to an abrupt stop with the risk feels, if more companies took the same approach of damage to its costly tools. Unlike on a wire as the ERMO Group with its global export share EDM machine that automatically rethreads the of over 70 per cent. With wire erosion, ERMO machines broken wire and carries on working.” injection moulds that in some Drop in wire consumption cases weigh over 10 tonnes, consist of Claude Lambert, Workshop Manager, leans against a maximum of 96 components and the MV 2400 R Grand Tubular. “We used to farm out the EDM work that we now do on the new ma- are worth as much as EUR 1 million. chine to jobshops. Thanks to the performance of this machine, we’ve now got the extra capacity to wire-cut components for other companies.” At an to operate, even for someone who has never previ- external PC, his name-sake Didier Lambert, opera- ously worked at such a system. Even a trainee tor of the MV 2400 R Grand Tubular, processes a took little time to master it, he adds. file received from the production planning system. He then sends the DXF data to the EDM machine’s A high flyer privately as well digital ADVANCE PLUS CNC control fully designed by Mitsubishi Electric. “Because of the smooth Pichereau, leisure pilot with a plane and heli wire feed and Tubular Shaft Motors that very sensi- copter licence, will soon be taking part in an air tively control the machine’s movements, we rally across Southern Europe for a whole week. achieve the demanded precision even on high Whether he’ll find time to think about developments conical cuts.” Also contributory to this is the in mouldmaking, he doesn’t know. However, his www.ermo-group.com

62 ERMO GROUP Profile 08.2013 63 EDM and more Origami

www.ermo-group.com Professionals in Origami Profile: Jean-Yves Pichereau 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.

Name and place of company: ERMO, Marcillé-La-Ville, France Paper was already being folded in Japan when the Europeans 78 metre tall marvel once sat. On the other hand, you need were still building castles. In the last century, Akira Yoshizawa, good eyes to be able to see the smallest crane, as it is only Founding year: the grandmaster of origami, popularised the craft and devised 1 x 1 mm in size – which, of course, is still huge by EDM 1981 a notation to make it accessible to all. standards. According to legend, if you want a wish to come true, you Managing Director: should fold a thousand cranes. Whether the legend is right or In Japan, folded butterflies are popular wedding presents – Jean-Yves Pichereau the endurance thereby acquired makes the wish come true, and are obviously a more personal expression of affection How would you describe in a sentence what your company does? we cannot say. and skill than any quickly purchased gift. Number of employees: We develop, design and produce injection moulds for plastics. 181 Why draw something when you can fold it? Some of these If you want to learn origami, you can attend courses and find What motivates you? Japanese works of art representing animals and plants consist instructions in books and on the Internet. Origami calls for Core business: Innovative projects and research & development for the satisfaction of of as many as 300 folds. In classical origami, everything is patience and fine motor skills. If you work at it, perhaps you Fine mechanical engineering customer needs. produced from a single square sheet, without help from scis- will one day emulate Yoneyama Yuichi’s feat of folding 100 sors or glue. The greater the constraints, the greater the cranes in 40 minutes. By extrapolation, his wish would come What’s different about how you do things now, compared to five chance of overcoming one’s own limits. true in only 400 minutes. Computer programs like TreeMaker years ago? and ReferenceFinder may help you along the way. And who We have made the transition from traditional sectors such as the automo- Ever seen a crane with a wingspan of a sailing yacht? No? knows: perhaps you’ll be the first to fold an origami scale tive industry and television set manufacturers to high-tech markets, such Then you didn’t go to the Odate Jukai Dome where the model of a wire EDM machine? 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-precision 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. ERMO Head Office Zone Artisanale - BP 15 How would you briefly describe your work to someone with no tech- 53440 Marcillé-La-Ville nical knowledge? France We design and produce metal moulds that are required for the production of plastic parts. Tel +33 . 243 . 00 7122 Fax +33 . 243 . 00 6520

64 ERMO GROUP Profil 08.2013 65 Fun Fun

This month’s horoscope

with ease. With such aplomb, you even User achieve things that others consider impossible. So in the coming weeks take part in as many prize competitions as possible (starting on page 11 of this horoscope magazine). And if you win something L ibra big, remember Erodia who gave you the tip. (24.09.–23.10.) Gemini (21.05.–21.06.)

After trying out dielectrics in different Scorpio (24.10.–22.11.) ways, you hit upon a brilliant idea for a new cocktail. Even the big-name astro- Jupiter’s moon Ganymede will be con- logical experts are unable to agree on trolling your life in the next few weeks. the scale of Jupiter’s influence. Not as precisely as a CNC, but you’ll Don’t take any short cuts when roughing and smoothing You’re in store for difficult decisions and be surprised that some of the food you in the coming weeks. Proceed with caution, as this will this doesn’t just refer to giving the eat suddenly tastes entirely different. cocktail a name. On the other hand, you produce pay off in the long run. Wipe the display of your wire-cut- stamping dies much faster than you ting machine – important because Mars with its gravita- expect – even when you don’t need Cancer (22.06.–22.07.) them. See for yourself! tional pull may be exercising its influence.

In the night of the full moon, you dream of a floating drive for erosion machines. Aquarius (21.01.–20.02.) Aries (21.03.–20.04.) This sense of lightness pervades all ar- Sagittarius (23.11.–21.12.) You’ve also now got the knack of interior decorating – this eas of your life in the course of the week is your chance to impress your partner! Your bright ideas cause the lights to go Thanks to the new constellation between – even your shopping bags are only a Neptune is responsible for surfaces out among your rivals. Now you can re- Mars and Saturn, you now master the fraction as heavy as usual. that feel velvety because the vibrations ally let the creative sparks fly so that most intricate conical cuts as if by magic. With this extra buoyancy, you manage penetrate to the subatomic level. you can switch off afterwards (your The upper and lower contours simply ma- to complete projects that you’ve been You have a Midas touch with your lei- MV2400R does this later without your terialise before your mind’s eye. The peo- putting off for quite a while. Now take sure activities – do more, go out and help). ple around you are astonished by your the extra time and study the unique be adventurous! Neptune conjures a How about something new? Take up output. But you might like to read a book floating tubular shaft motors! smile onto your lips and even your October 2013 origami or orchid growing or anything for a change – it’ll calm you down and EDM machine greets you with extra 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 that begins with O! give you new inspiration, and then you’ll sparks. All the same, don’t forget the make even faster progress – almost like Leo (23.07.–23.08.) backups! with an MV2400R. On Sundays, green tea November 2013 is the solution for extra get-up-and-go. On holiday you control your machine 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 Pisces (21.02.–20.03.) from your iPad and it works! Give your- Capricorn (22.12.–20.01.) self and your automatic threader a pat You seem to have an inbuilt FS genera- Taurus (21.04.–20.05.) on the back! Saturn’s moon Telesto swerves auda- December 2013 tor for relationships. This opens new When die sinking, you should pay spe- ciously out of its usual orbit. You ap- 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 doors in areas where all efforts used to While others can’t put a foot right, you cial attention to the electrodes, as Mars preciate these extraordinary curves not be futile. Steer clear of legumes in the shine like a fixed star in the EDM currently holds sway over them. only when wire-cutting, but also during next few weeks and swap workplaces firmament. Treat yourself to a little well- your beer after work. So that things go with one of your mates. The change in ness – you’ve earned it. You soon bump faster, take a deep breath! Even when Luck at work Good day for making money perspective raises your spirits, and you into a friend from years ago and your Virgo (24.08.–23.09.) it gets really hot in summer, you know Good day for ventures of all kinds can now effortlessly afford the new ma- conversation turns your thoughts to as an experienced EDM machinist that Extra-lucky days in the respective categories chine! such totally new ideas that even you are Your horoscope benefits from your you mustn’t dangle your feet in the die- surprised. knowledge of planetary programs – lectric tank. you negotiate your curves and corners

66 Profile 10.2012 Profile 08.2013 67 Advertise your Profile! Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. German Branch Would you and your company Mechatronics Machinery like to be in the next edition? Gothaer Strasse 8 Then write to us! 40880 Ratingen · Germany Tel +49 . 2102 . 486 6120 Fax +49 . 2102 . 486 7090

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