The Merits of Multifunctional Machining Flexibility and Productivity Make Solid Case for Machine Tool Integration

Matthew Jaster, Associate Editor

The design of EMAG’s VSC 400 DUO WF multifunctional machine is based on the pick-up principle of the EMAG single-spindle turning machine and features both gear turning and gear hobbing operations (courtesy of EMAG).

Increased business in the aerospace, once again matched the same level as investing in the latest technology is the power generation, shipbuilding, auto- that seen at AMB 2008 when the econ- key to being competitive,” says Peter motive and alternative energy indus- omy was still booming,” says Ulrich Eelman, IMTS vice president of exhi- tries has led many manufacturers to Kromer, managing director of Messe bition and communications. believe that 2011 might be as good a Stuttgart. Higher productivity, faster setup time as any to invest in new machine Machine tool investments were times and single unattended operations tools. This was certainly the case last also a hot topic at IMTS in Chicago are just a few of the capabilities gear fall at AMB 2010 in Germany, where as “sold” signs popped up through the manufacturers seek in the multifunc- 60 percent of attendees planned to duration of the show. “Those searching tional machine tool market. make machine investments in the next for confirmation that manufacturing in Though more expensive and robust six months and 30 percent in the next the United States is not dying or dead than dedicated machine tools, many twelve. “According to the results of our found that it is robust and poised for believe these machines represent the survey, visitors’ propensity to invest growth. They clearly understand that continued

www.geartechnology.com January/February 2011 GEARTECHNOLOGY 27 ments in gear hobbing have been in the areas of high-speed, dry and hard machining. “The driving force behind such innovations is usually the desire for cost reduction or product qual- ity improvement without attendant cost escalation. These new areas of application for gear hobbing operations have depended—to a large degree— on developments and innovations in machine design, tooling materials and tool coating technologies,” Loeztner says. The design of EMAG’s VSC 400 DUO WF multifunctional machine is based on the pick-up principle of the EMAG single-spindle turning machine. Both turning and gear hobbing opera- tions are of equal status. The VSC 400 The multifunctional capabilities of the SAMP HG 1200 Invento was on display at allows for the second operation in the IMTS 2010 in Chicago (courtesy of MAG). same set-up. “Spline and some gear cutting are By utilizing the VSC 400, Agco already done using Tsugami screw Fendt, a manufacturer and distribu- machines, Mazak Integrex, Bonfiglio tor of farm equipment, has brought an lathes and other turning centers,” Cluff overall cost savings of 18.5 percent adds. “This has been going on for some compared to the previous manufac- time, but in the 500 mm and above, turing process that used individual combo machines for turning, milling machines. The cost of machining an and hobbing are not yet a large influ- internal clutch plate carrier on the VSC ence in the technology of gear manu- 400 is only 71.5 percent of what it was facturing. Combination machines one when the component was made on a meter and above will have the greatest number of different machines. impact in large gear manufacturing in Loetzner believes that the benefits the next few years.” and limitations of process integration The Art of Integration are workpiece- and company-specif- Combination machines. Inte- ic. “This calls for close scrutiny of all grating a number of different manu- advantages and disadvantages with Gleason’s Agilus features a high- facturing technologies into a sin- individual processes on one hand and speed tool turret to locate fixed or gle machine tool is a growing trend multifunctional processes or machines driven tools for the complete range of at EMAG LLC. “Multifunctional on the other.” turning, drilling and milling operations (courtesy of Gleason). machine tools make an important con- Machine tool integration in both tribution to the consolidation of pro- large and small gears is definitely cess streams in both soft and hard becoming more feasible in today’s future of gear manufacturing altogeth- machining, as they combine turning, manufacturing environment, according er. milling, gear cutting and grinding oper- to Johannes Brogni, technical director Brian Cluff, vice president at Star- ations,” says Peter Loetzner, CEO of at Gleason Pfauter Maschinenfabrik in SU, thinks they will be most relevant EMAG. Studen, Switzerland. In early 2010, in the big gear industry. “The people Apart from eliminating transport Gleason unveiled the Agilus 180TH, a we talk with in the large gear market and wait-times, they also shorten inci- combination of a lathe and a hobbing are looking to combine operations into dental set-up and non-productive times. machine that accommodates shaft-type a single unit to minimize capital invest- When optimally equipped, they can be parts and is capable of producing disc- ment, maximize machine utilization used as full-fledged turning machines type parts as well. and reduce space and energy costs for or full-fledged gear hobbing machines. “The biggest advantage of this manufacturing very large gearing,” “The machines can be tailored to suit type of machine is that you can load Cluff says. “In the medium size gear the application, offering the optimal a forged blank that has been cut to market users are arranging machines to solution for a large variety of manufac- length and centered, and you get a fin- be automatically loaded (pallet loaders, turing requirements,” Loetzner says. ished part ready for heat treatment,” gantry loaders) to reduce changeover In the case of multifunctional tech- Brogni says. “This concept reduces the and idle times. nology, the most important develop- throughput time tremendously, provid-

28 GEARTECHNOLOGY January/February 2011 www.geartechnology.com ing the gear producer with a significant hobbing, chamfering and deburring the the soft blank to the finished gear. This cost reduction, especially when he is part, and then finish hobbing so that puts the company in the unique posi- producing smaller lot sizes of 50 to 500 the deburred flank is still large enough. tion to offer a wide array of multifunc- pieces.” When we are looking to machining tional equipment. With a long track record in gear centers for rotary symmetrical parts we The SAMP HG 1200 Invento, for processes, Gleason developed the can see that lathes today are capable example, addresses the requirements of Agilus for the single setup of all shaft- of performing many more processes large gears with diameters up to 1,200 and disc-type cylindrical gears up to beyond turning, like drilling, milling, mm and module 35.0 (40.0) in the 180 mm in diameter with shaft lengths rolling, etc. I think it is logical that this energy, transport and construction sec- up to 500 mm. It features a high-speed will also be the case with gears.” tors. It features a twin-table concept, tool turret to locate fixed or driven With the acquisition of SAMP’s enabling the operator to execute the tools for the complete range of turning, gear hobbing line, MAG IAS is able to complete setup and centering process drilling and milling operations. provide solutions for all processes from continued “One customer running an Agilus machine recently reported that the throughput time of his parts has been reduced from five days to one day, and that he was able to reduce the manufac- turing time by 45–50 percent, depend- ing on the parts,” Brogni says. “This reduction came primarily from the fact that the operator was able to optimize the process sequence very easily, with- out the need to consult others.” Additionally, the company has developed the ability to combine the Agilus cell with other manufacturing cells. “This means that we can place other machines like long hole drilling machines, dedicated turning machines, etc., enabling the manufacture of a part from the blank stage until the part is complete and ready to be hardened,” Brogni says. One key to making this technol- ogy work is the software. Brogni says the software is one of the major components to the success of the machine—it’s also a key challenge. “Two approaches were considered at Gleason; using turning software as the base and adding hobbing software or using Gleason-Pfauter hobbing soft- ware as the base and adding turning features. Either approach can work but we chose the latter so that the gear- related technology data and corrections can be handled easily and the hob man- agement is integrated into the software. This has the advantage that the turning programs, which are becoming very simple, can be created on external ISO program generators.” Brogni believes the benefits of multifunctional machines will drive a significant change in manufacturing thinking in the future. “It is possible to integrate processes that could not have been done before, like rough-cut

www.geartechnology.com January/February 2011 GEARTECHNOLOGY 29 in masked time while the manufactur- cessing speed and higher throughput. 1,000 mm machines and are expanding ing process proceeds on the second In addition, part accuracy benefits from the technology to larger machines and work table. Reduction of setup time is the one setup process since you don’t gears.” not only possible for mass production have the errors inherent in multiple set- The company has an extremely but also for the manufacturing of small ups. There’s also a lower initial invest- wide range of products including ver- lots. ment since one machine can do both tical and horizontal lathes, machining MAG’s own range of vertical turn- turning and cutting. This also saves centers, boring mills, agile powertrain ing centers (VTCs) can process the valuable manufacturing floor space,” machines, profilers, composite process- gear in one setup, both the turning and says Helene Nimmer, global product ing, software, automation and compo- gear cutting. The part setup time and leader at MAG IAS. “We see multi- nent production, according to Nimmer. workpiece handling are reduced, which functional machine demand growing, “Relative to gear production, we have is particularly important for large gears. especially in the industries that pro- turret and ram head vertical turning “The advantages include faster pro- duce large gears. We’ve applied the centers that start at 250 mm and extend to eight meter tables. For the VTC series, one tooling advantage we offer is the ability to use standard modular tools such as KM 80 and Capto.” Multitasking machines. Cutting gears on non-gear machinery is a trend that continues to grow as software pro- grams and machine tool upgrades give users the versatility, functionality and customization to do jobs both in and outside the gear industry. “Multitasking machine tools can compress the manufacturing cycle by performing a variety of operations without manual intervention,” says Mike Finn, development engineer at the Mazak Corporation. “Combining operations such as turning, milling and, now, some forms of gear cutting on a single platform not only minimiz- Various gear operations can be performed on MAG’s line of vertical turning cen- ters (courtesy of MAG). es setup time, but also reduces floor space. Plus, the customer gets the ser- vice and support benefits that come with a standardized machine tool, as opposed to the challenge of maintain- ing a special-purpose machine tool, which can become very expensive, especially if not fully utilized.” Mazak, for instance, has a broad range of machine tool experience beyond gears. “We have been creat- ing processes on multitasking machine tools for our customers, and in our own factories, for many years. Adding gear cutting capabilities onto existing multi- tasking machine platforms and working with customers and suppliers to refine this are in a growing trend,” Finn says. One of the keys to Mazak’s success in this market is repeat business. “Our customers who have maintained their competitiveness with multitasking are collaborating with us and our supplier Through simultaneous five-axis machining, Mazak’s Integrex e-670H II can pro- partners to add additional capabilities. duce complex shaft workpieces containing tapered holes, blisks and spiral bevel They want the benefits of standardized gears in a single setup (courtesy of Mazak). Mazak multitasking machine tools,

30 GEARTECHNOLOGY January/February 2011 www.geartechnology.com but with ultra-tasking capabilities. productivity of pre-milling and gear Gear milling has recently been an They’re pushing us to add capabili- milling operations performed on a sin- interest of some machine tool builders ties such as gear cutting, so that they gle five-axis machining center. Both as it is more efficient to use the exist- can do that one additional operation companies have applied for a patent on ing capability of a five-axis machin- while keeping the part on the machine, the jointly developed process. ing center for new applications beyond rather than moving it off to special- The process is aimed at manufacturers those typical for machining centers. ized equipment. Exceptional accuracy of vehicles, machines or machine compo- According to Ellis, gear milling pro- and ultra-fine synchronization of rotary nents that can use the machining center vides an opportunity to use the full and linear axes allow quality levels in for lower volume production of larger potential of its five-axis machining the AGMA class 8 to class 10 range gears as well as other machining tasks, centers from its new F series machines in certain applications, without adding according to Tracy Ellis, sales manager, to its heavy-duty MCH-C series. to the overall cycle time of the work- machines at Heller Machine Tools. continued piece. Combining subsequent process into one, along with additional metal cutting time, increases utilization of the machine tool, thus reducing over- all cost per hour to provide additional profits.” The Integrex j-series offers four- axis simultaneous machining with five-axis tip positioning. It features large Y-axis strokes and offers a mill- ing spindle that can be indexed in five degree (one degree optional) incre- ments over a total range from -30 degrees to 190 degrees, allowing outer diameter machining and facing with the same tool. The Integrex e-series is suitable for the production of large parts and performs various gear cutting processes. “The Mazak e-650H II is available with a unique tool holder that can be automatically loaded onto the mill- ing spindle offering deep-hole drilling operations,” Finn says. “It offers 191 Nm of maximum torque and a maxi- mum spindle speed of 400 rpm. It can perform hole-drilling to a maximum depth of 800 mm.” In cooperation with Voith, a major transmission manufacturer in Germany, Heller Machine Tools has developed a process that significantly enhances the

Mazak categorizes its multitasking machines into five levels, allowing cus- tomers to navigate the product lines and select the best machine for specific applications (courtesy of Mazak).

www.geartechnology.com January/February 2011 GEARTECHNOLOGY 31 mm. “It features six fully independent Inspect—are all integrated with its liquid-cooled, hollow shaft CNC spin- machine tool line and high-end tooling dle drives each capable of 7,000 rpm.” solutions, to produce the gears. Without fixed tool assignments, Additionally, the system can do any tool can be used in any posi- lifting and mounting holes as well as tion in most scenarios, according to gearboxes. “It’s often overlooked that Economan. “The machines have an we’re selling a machining center that innovative guide way design that pro- can do much more than dedicated gear vides high stiffness and dampening, cutting machines,” Nowicki adds. this is very important when machining He warns that customers should do high precision parts.” some research before making a deci- Index also includes a simulating sion on machine tool purchases of this For the machining of gears, a module and optimizing software system called nature. “Everything is about integration two or smaller fits the capabilities at Virtual Machine. This software is a today. It’s about providing the cus- Index and Traub (courtesy of Index). simulation tool for Index machines that tomer with a complete turnkey pro- Ellis pointed out that traditional features Siemens 840D controls. Users cess. If you don’t have the software or gear-making machine manufacturers can operate various functions from the expertise to back up your equip- continue to concentrate on special-pur- their offices just like they would at the ment, you’re going to play catch-up. pose machines and tools dedicated to machine itself. Depo’s ability to simplify the manu- gear machining, but that manufactur- “With technology continually facturing process is one of our greatest ers of machining centers can provide evolving in the gear industry, Index strengths.” complete machining for a wide range of and Traub are continually design- He adds that there are three impor- applications as well as solutions for gear ing and offering new machines,” tant factors to take into consideration modeling using special software. The Economan says. “Gear machining as when shopping for multifunctional software permits the user to generate an integrated process can be advanta- machines, “The quality of the gear, the an ideal gear geometry from which the geous when the relationships of certain quality of the machine itself and the gear-making process can be developed. features on the part to the gear form rotary table. Accuracy plays a major A global turning machine manu- are critical. When it comes to machin- role in what you can or cannot do. If facturer, Index products include CNC ing gears, a module two or smaller is a you don’t have the sales and support lathes from single-spindle to multi- good fit for our capabilities.” staff that understands gear geometry, spindle machines as well as fixed and Brian Nowicki, sales agent for you’re not going to be happy with the sliding headstock machines.Tyler North American Machine, the Depo product. The industry is trying to piece Economan, proposal engineering man- importer, sees machining centers as a together the technology and get the ager at Index Corporation, says, “When key advantage for the large gears found most out of their machines and tools, a part can be machined in a single-step in the oil/gas, mining and wind energy but you must have experience and process, the accuracy is much greater. industries. “While cycle times are not knowledge to do it right.” The result is fewer scrap parts because as quick as conventional methods on The All for One Philosophy less handling is required. In addition smaller gears, the benefits come as you Multifunctional technology has multifunctional machines can offer get into the larger sizes,” Nowicki says. certainly created a buzz on the trade lower cost per piece.” “In the traditional gear cutting world, show circuit recently as more compa- The machines at Index are designed each of the gear families requires a dif- nies come together to share knowledge to have extreme thermal and dynamic ferent type of machine. With this new in their respective areas of expertise. stability, and the engineers are atten- technology, one machine is equally Companies are aggressively expanding tive to today’s technology demands. effective for all gear types within its product lines to capture new markets— “Machining all of the features is much given diameter range.” chalk up gear manufacturing as one simpler than using fixtures or compli- Nowicki says a Depo machine was area of interest. cated workholding as in a traditional able to perform a project involving The impact of MAG’s acquisition gear making machine. Another benefit double helical gears in 45 hours instead of SAMP’s hobbing machinery line, is that this process allows for optimal of 150 from a dedicated machine. “The for example, clearly points to a future run-out between the bearing diameter accuracy of the machine, the function- where more companies may bring a and the gear profile,” Economan says. ality of the software and the support variety of expertise to a specific indus- The Index MultiLine multispindle and knowledge of the engineers are the try. Combining MAG’s complete range CNC machines combine the benefits keys to our success.” of multifunctional turning products of traditional high production multi Depo’s five-and seven-axis verti- with SAMP’s gear cutting products spindle automatics with the benefits of cal and horizontal machining centers opens an entirely new customer base. modern CNC technology. The MS40 include thermal compensation, broken “The marriage of the two technolo- is a new machine that offers multiple tool detection and workpiece inspec- gies and the opportunity for our prod- operations on small workpieces from tion. Depo’s unique software pack- uct leaders to work together will pro- bar up to 40 mm or chucking up to 120 age—Gear Engineer, DepoCam and duce new technology for markets that

32 GEARTECHNOLOGY January/February 2011 www.geartechnology.com demand that their machines do more,” equipment and dedicated machine tools manufacturing environments. Nimmer at MAG says. “Since partner- is not easily answered, according to “We have seen some customers that ships are the quickest way to bring new Brogni at Gleason. “It is dependent are not yet ready for this idea. They technology to the market, we may still upon a wide range of different factors, have existing equipment or organiza- see additional joint ventures.” and can even be different from one tional issues that prevent them from The Mazak Corporation is also cur- manufacturing plant to another that is taking this approach at the moment. rently working with other companies producing the same part.” It has to do with the education of the on future business in the gear indus- In talking with many machine machine operators,” Brogni says. try. “We’re working with another com- tool users, it’s going to take educa- “Some are skeptical that such a concept pany to develop optimized models of tion, awareness and a little faith in new will improve their productivity while the spiral bevel gear. Like many in the technology for some to incorporate others understand the benefits when industry, we’re working on a long-term multifunctional machines into existing continued partnership that can only increase the productivity of our machine tools,” Finn says. “When we put all of our heads together, it’s interesting to see the kind of impact you can have on the engineering side. This seems to be a popular trend at the moment in gear manufacturing.” “With more products to offer and additional knowledge from these merg- ers, these companies will have more opportunities for new customers and a great customer base,” Economan at Index says. “With the current economic climate, it may also be true that some financially weaker companies will con- sider merging.” More important than what com- panies are saying about mergers and acquisitions are what they’re not say- ing. Many of the companies inter- viewed for this article chose not to comment at all on the subject, though a select few hinted at new developments happening in 2011 and 2012. Future Considerations While sales agents and engineers are quick to point out why their com- pany’s machine tools are the best, customers must look at their current machine capacity and determine what upgrades they can afford and what logistically makes sense. “Bottom line, traditional gear makers use dedicated machine tools because individually they are the best at whatever it is they do,” Nowicki says. “In high production scenarios, the machining centers are not nearly as competitive with cycle times. The dedi- cated equipment can machine the gears faster, but when you’re dealing with critical parts, there are machining cen- ters that can do things that have never been done before.” Any debate on the advantages/dis- advantages between multifunctional

www.geartechnology.com January/February 2011 GEARTECHNOLOGY 33 they see the machine in operation and For more information: Gleason Corporation enthusiastically begin to create ideas Cimtek LLC (Representing Depo) 1000 University Avenue for what additional processes might be 7561 Tyler Blvd. Ste. 6 Rochester, NY 14692 integrated.” Mentor, OH 44060 Phone: (585) 473-1000 Adds Nowicki at Depo, “Multi- Phone: (847) 628-9942 Fax: (585) 461-4348 functional is the direction this industry Fax: (847) 628-1987 www.gleason.com is going. It’s been a frequent topic of www.cimtekllc.com Heller Machine Tools conversation at trade shows and AGMA EMAG LLC 1225 Equity Drive meetings. Big gears are coming into play 38800 Grand River Avenue Troy, MI 48084 in a variety of industries and the market Farmington Hills, MI 48335 Phone: (248) 288-5000 is hot right now. Maybe you’re not con- Phone: (248) 477-7440 Fax: (248) 288-9560 sidering this technology, but there’s a Fax: (248) 477-7784 www.heller-us.com very good chance your competition is.” www.emag.com Index Corp. 14700 North Point Boulevard Noblesville, IN 46060 Phone: (317) 770-6300 Fax: (317) 770-3166 www.index-usa.com

MAG IAS 142 Doty Street Fond du Lac, WI 54935 Phone: (920) 921-9400 Fax: (920) 906-2522 www.mag-ias.com

Mazak Corporation 8025 Production Drive Florence, KY 41042 Phone: (859) 342-1700 Fax: (859) 342-1865 www.mazakusa.com

Star SU LLC 5200 Prairie Stone Parkway Hoffman Estates, IL 60192 Phone: (847) 649-1450 Fax: (847) 649-0112 www.star-su.com

34 GEARTECHNOLOGY January/February 2011 www.geartechnology.com