Rotary Specialist's Return
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SAME COMPANY BUT DIFFERENT ETHOS Rotary specialist’s return In 2003, Mikron of Agno, Switzerland, the specialist rotary transfer machine maker was on its uppers. Now at EMO in Hanover, it is launching a revolutionary new machine. Andrew Allcock reports ales plummeted to a record low in benchmark for rotary transfer precision technological evolution requiring short S2003. H aving been put up for sale, and flexibility, an accuracy of ± 4 microns time-to-market. Mikron could find few customers willing and repeatability of ± 2 microns are Watch plates and bridges, hydraulic to place an order while its future was so claimed for the 1,400 mm diameter table and pneumatic control components, high- uncertain. Rescued by a group of three machine. tech connectors and medical parts, are all Swiss investors, and with new potential areas. management in place (see box item), CLEAN TECHNOLOGY In addition to meeting the demand orders returned for existing machines. But With 60 per cent of the company’s sales to for high accuracy, the ability to combine a new machine development was needed the automotive market and with almost operations into a single machine is and needed by EMO 2005 (Hanover, Sept 30 per cent in fuel and diesel injection, the another strong attraction – one-hit 14 to 21). The company last launched a new machine’s accuracy will be machining comes to the transfer machine new type of machine in 1998, the particularly relevant to the latest market. Larger sizes of NRG machines are Multifast. generation of ‘EU4’ regulation-compliant expected in the future and these could It has met the EMO deadline, diesel systems. challenge the Multifast CNC machine. compressing its usual three-year Growth in the US market for diesel The NRG-50 is a 12-station machine, development time into not more than a vehicles will also demand large increases can boast up to 140 CNC axes, carry up to year to realise the revolutionary NRG-50. in production and, in turn, the need for 30 NC controlled unit heads, make use of a The development has been driven by production equipment. But any high- total of 96 tools and can produce up to 30 recently installed vice president precision, complex component with parts/minute – but flexibility and engineering and development Giordano machined features falling within a scalability are watchwords and the Gaboardi who hails from an Italian rotary 50 mm3 envelope is NRG-50’s target, company offers various configuration transfer machine maker. Setting a new especially where there is constant examples by way of demonstration (see The change makers Weaknesses of the previous completely – they waited, thinking that management boiled down to a few key the market couldn’t keep going down and Mikron, Agno, is now headed up by joint problems: the managing director did not down. It’s impossible.” So a combination managing directors Franz Wyss and understand the technology; he could not of over-confidence, unusual market Markus Schnyder. Mr Wyss hails from communicate with the workforce at a conditions, and a management group Mikron’s German operation in Rottweil, technical level, nor, indeed, in their first (not team) unable to act or to lead the where Multistep machines are made, languages (German, French and Italian workforce, saw the company’s business and Mr Schnyder was previously are spoken variously in this south- crumble. managing director of Mikron Tool. How eastern part of Switzerland); he was an It took two years to overhaul have they changed the company? analyst and strategist but not a ‘doer’ or management practices and develop a In 2003, the first tasks, says Mr Wyss, team leader, which meant that the team approach. No external consultants was to reassure the workforce who were managers around him did not act as a were brought in, everything was done in “disorientated”; second, management team, but rather as individuals. house. A number of individual had to be united to get them working In addition, in 2000, as markets improvement projects in numerous together for the company as a whole, turned down, says Mr Wyss: “The departments were set up and their while management reaction time from company felt that it was the best. And as progress was measured against decision to action had to be speeded up. business fell, management didn’t realise associated sets of Key Performance Training addressed these issues. that the situation had changed Indicators (KPIs). September 2005 ● www.machinery.co.uk 20 SUPPLY SIDE Mikron NRG-50 modularity Productivity B C Price level "1" Mikron NRG-50 modularity: Configuration A Price level "2" A Price level "3" 1 Productivity 212 311 A Flexibility 3-axis + ATC 410CNC CNC Flexibility diagrams). The NRG-50 is “is a unique 59CNC proposal that will give us a lead for at least Family four to five years,” says Laurent Vuille, vice 6 8 of pieces 7 president sales. Batch size The essential features delivering precision are symmetry, rigidity, and Productivity control of heat-generation. No detail Investment photos or diagrams of the construction are % 0 50 100 150 200 250 available, as yet. The machine base is a symmetrical annular casting. Resting on top of this is Mikron NRG-50 modularity: Configuration B effectively a circular steel cage around the outside of which are the tool stations – B vertical top and bottom plus a horizontal 1 - axis unit Productivity 1 position at each station. All spindle motors 212 etc are located outside the working area 311 and avoid contamination – a problem CNC 3 - axis unit CNC with previous transfer machines. CNC 410CNC CNC Through the centre of the steel cage, CNC Flexibility CNC and located in it, runs the torque motor CNC 59CNC spindle which drives the indexing table Family which is suspended over the hollow centre 6 8 of pieces 7 of the annular base casting such that swarf Batch size Illustrations: Phil Holmes falls to the bottom of the machine, out of Productivity Investment “Once we started measuring, we % 0 50 100 150 200 250 began to see the problems – for example, in the service department it might take two months for a quote to be supplied concepts. By May 2004, it was clear that elements that are the key, together with and so customers complained.” a rotary concept should be pursued, but novel in-house developments like the Progress against KPIs is ongoing: the company hints at “good ideas in the toolchanging spindles. “We are perhaps 80-90 per cent where drawer” for the future. In that month, Dr Having assembled a good we want to be,” says Mr Wyss. Giordini Gaboardi joined the company, development team, the new The idea for the new machine came bringing some design concepts he had management is alive to the fact that out of one of the management team had in his mind for some time, but had technical people need to be kept meetings – each manager pitched in with been unable to realise. interested with projects and is making the concerns and demands he was Regular review meetings made sure sure that they are – this did not happen hearing. The base requirements were that pace was maintained and problems before and Mikron lost key people, their born. At the end of 2003, two flagged. Apart from the Bosch control, experience, with continuity, was lost. development teams were put together – there are no new technological elements As for compressed development one with a linear machine bias and that deliver the machine’s overall times, these will be the norm from now another with the rotary design bias – and capability. It is the concept and on: 12-18 months, like the NRG-50 – “or they were tasked to look at new manufacture/assembly of the different even faster”. www.machinery.co.uk ● September 2005 21 SUPPLY SIDE SAME COMPANY BUT DIFFERENT ETHOS Mikron NRG-50 modularity: Configuration C C Mikron range 1 Productivity 212 The company’s existing range includes the 25-year-old concept 311 CNC Multifactor; the cam-driven CNC CNC Multistar, launched in 1991 – a more 410CNC CNC CNC Flexibility flexible and more productive version CNC CNC of the earlier machine; the CNC 59CNC Family linear transfer Multistep – unveiled 6 8 of pieces in the mid-90s; and the CNC 7 Batch size Multifast launched in 1998. Each product sits in a different Productivity position in terms of productivity Investment versus flexibility, with Multistar offering the highest productivity and % 0 50 100 150 200 250 Multi-step offering the highest flexibility. The NRG-50 challenges Modularity: Machine upgrade following the market needs existing barriers, however. Mikron Configuration A (Intermediate configuration Configuration C has delivered over 7,000 machines not shown) and claims 1,000 customers. Productivity Productivity Productivity slider frame which gives another controlled CNC axis – a vertical-to- Flexibility Flexibility Flexibility horizontal translation. Combined with a Initial configuration First upgrade Next upgrades rotary axis in the table fixture, this means Working tools 9 Working tools ÷15 Working tools ÷30 that 5-axis machining is possible – another Tools on board 27 Tools on board ÷45 Tools on board ÷96 capability claimed to be unique. The close Stations 4 Stations 6 Stations 12 proximity of the tool spindles to the table with their secure location in the cage and limited spindle overhang from the unit body makes for a very rigid set-up. Along with the vertical despatch of swarf away from the machine’s frame, other features counteract thermal effects. Time Coolant controlled to ± 0.5° C is pumped inside and around the machine frame and spindle units, while the machining area is the working area, and along with it the and swivel is also a possibility for totally air conditioned .