The KASTOlogic warehouse management system (WMS) and the KASTOlogic mobile intelligent app – two software solutions from industrial warehouse system manufacturer Kasto – are helping to streamline the operation of automated and manual storage areas at Schwarzwald-Eisenhandel GmbH & Co.KG (SchwarzwaldEisen). These advanced software solutions are allowing the steel stockholder to accelerate its processes, minimise error rate and track orders seamlessly.

SchwarzwaldEisen has become a leading steel distributor in the Baden-Württemberg state of southwest Germany, delivering approximately 120,000 tonnes of material per year. This fourth-generation, family-run company dates back to 1870. Since 1966, the headquarters has been located in Lahr and the company has since opened other facilities in Freiburg im Breisgau, Bad Säckingen and Karlsruhe. There are also subsidiaries at Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany, as well as in Switzerland.

Dr Steffen Marco Auer, who is joint managing director together with his brother Ingo Auer and Alexander Hatt, says: “We focus on organic growth and running a decentralised organisation. Instead of operating one major facility, we have several regional sites that are close to the customer, enabling fast and flexible deliveries. Efficient communication between the individual locations and well-organised logistics are essential for such an operation. That is why we structure all subsidiaries according to a similar principle and utilise proven and standardised technologies and processes across the sites.”

SchwarzwaldEisen uses Kasto as its preferred supplier of storage systems. For about eight years, an automated storage system from the UNICOMPACT 3.0 series has been providing the quick and efficient storage and retrieval of solid bar, tube and section up to 6 m in length at the company’s Lahr facility. The stockholder offers a range of materials consisting of around 10,000 products, mainly construction steel, stainless steel and aluminium.
Around 70-80% of orders for steel section are semi-processed to customers’ specifications using machine tools in Freiburg. For long stock, the Kasto system supplies material to two removal stations via an operating gantry crane offering short access times based on a material-to-operator principle. Sheet material is stored in a separate, manually operated area.

Auer outlines the challenges: “Our customers expect us to provide fast, error-free and trackable deliveries. To ensure this, we depend on a simple, clear and reliable control system for our entire material flow.”

SchwarzwaldEisen uses the eNVenta inventory management system (IMS) across all of its sites. The storage system in Lahr links to it via an interface created specifically for the purpose, as is the case for two other automated Kasto storage systems at Karlsruhe and Westerwald in Rhineland-Palatinate. This system ensures standardised order management and a high level of inventory transparency. The IMS transfers order data electronically to the KASTOlogic WMS, which in turn triggers the call up of required materials at the respective site. It is possible to track all processes seamlessly, virtually eliminating operational errors.

“In the past, our manually operated metal sheet warehouses required paper-based management,” says Auer. “It was not always easy to locate the required material in the long rows of shelves. Due to the broad product range, staff sometimes removed the wrong sheets or incorrect quantities and the customer did not always receive what was ordered.”

To integrate these storage areas into the intelligent electronic control system, Kasto engineers assessed the problem and developed a solution to display all storage areas in a standardised and consistent control format. One of the tools used was KASTOlogic mobile, a platform-independent, mobile version of KASTOlogic. This software makes it possible to use the essential functions of the WMS on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, independently from the UNICOMPACT’s operator panels.

The mobile facility is able to manage the UNICOMPACT automated storage system for long stock and, just as easily and flexibly, the manually operated metal sheet storage area. Warehouse staff have access to order and product data at any time. When removing sheets, the system directs the operator to the respective storage location and specifies the required quantity.

Each shelf has QR and bar codes. When an operator scans one with the mobile device, he or she receives confirmation of the material’s removal and a replenishment order is triggered if inventory is running low. All information is available both in the WMS and IMS via customised interfaces. The software system is scalable to include other sites as required.

Both the storage system and the control system can be serviced remotely. Kasto is able to access the software and clear malfunctions quickly and easily at any time. If necessary, a service engineer can be on-site from the supplier’s Achern headquarters at short notice.

“The concept is impressive in every aspect and we want to implement it at our other locations to help us become even more efficient across all of our sites,” concludes Auer. “If an ordered product is not in stock at a specific facility, it can be found in the system quickly and delivered from another site.”

For further information
www.kasto.com

”We believe that investment in the latest technology is the key to quality, reliability and competitiveness,” says Dave Zollo, joint owner of contract machinist IML (UK). He and Jerry Way started the business in 1995 and moved into the current 14,000 sq ft premises in Weymouth in 2011. One year later, the first sliding-head lathe arrived, a Citizen Cincom A32-VII with 32 mm bar capacity, followed in 2013 by a 16 mm bar model, a Cincom C16-VI.

These early investments were triggered by an increase in contracts from the medical industry and a desire to manufacture components in one hit, such as endoscope cleaning equipment parts. To cope with an ever increasing level of work, including for the high-end automotive sector which has grown over the past couple of years to represent more than 50% of turnover, there are now four different models of sliding-head lathe on site from the same supplier.

The latest two, designated L20-XLFV and L32-XLFV, were installed in 2018 and 2020. Unlike the first two Cincoms, they offer the flexibility to allow removal of the guide bush, as well as having the notable benefit of low-frequency vibration (LFV) software built into the operating system of the control. Zollo notes that the more modern machines are also more user-friendly, allow better access and are quicker and easier to set.

He explains: “These advanced, twin-spindle, sliding-head lathes are helping to keep us competitive on the world stage, as is automation throughout the factory. All of our lathes, including the four fixed-head models, are bar-fed and work 24/7, with the sliders able to accommodate a wide range of batch sizes from typically 50- to 30,000-off. The machines can easily hold dimensional tolerances of less than ± 10 µm.

“Even smaller quantities are economical to produce, partly because we have adopted a policy of standardising on one size of stock on each of the Cincoms, so we do not have to waste time changing over bar sets,” he continues. “We’ve also invested in automation on the milling side of our business, which accounts for more than half of turnover. Our four vertical machining centres are equipped with robotic loading and remote monitoring, while two horizontal machining centres on the shop floor have a twin automatic pallet changer to minimise idle times. It all helps to keep costs down and allows us to quote prices that are very similar to those we were charging two decades ago.”

Aluminium bar, which accounts for a significant proportion of the throughput of turn-milled parts, is the villain of the piece as regards sliding-head turning in the Weymouth factory. This material is often of variable quality in terms of straightness and diameter variation, so can jam in the guide bush of sliders and requires frequent supervision by the operator to adjust the collet.

The ability to remove the guide bush on the L20 and L32 in less than half an hour allows the subcontractor to turn aluminium bar into shorter components in fixed-head mode without problems. It also has the advantage of reducing the remnant length from typically 275 mm to 100 mm. The completion of one recent IML (UK) contract consumed 300 bars, so it is clear that a lot of material and money can be saved.

When turning difficult-to-chip materials, Citizen’s LFV software, which is part of the control’s operating system, breaks swarf into manageable chip sizes, whereas normally it would be stringy and entangle itself around the tool and component. This capability to manage the size of swarf is in addition to any chip-breaking features that may be ground into an indexable insert. Zollo singles out aluminium as well as stainless steel bar to be particularly problematic in terms of ‘bird’s nesting’.

To alleviate it, the LFV function can be switched on and off via G-codes in the part program, enabling optimal use of the feature during different parts of a cycle. It is, however, not a pecking macro in the CNC program itself. As one operator looks after the four sliding-head lathes, LFV is helpful in minimising periodic attendance at the machines to disentangle clogged swarf. It is notable that the eight-axis L32 has LFV on both the main and counter spindles, allowing the oscillations that produce the chip-breaking action to assist in the production of both front- and reverse-end turned, milled and drilled features.

LFV oscillation lifts the tool tip clear of the component surface by tens of microns for ultra-brief periods to allow coolant to penetrate the cut more efficiently. It reduces heat and prolongs cutter life, while at the same time enabling machinists to increase depth of cut, even when processing tough materials. LFV often eliminates the need for a roughing pass and significantly shortens cycle times. Zollo advises that it is of major benefit during attended day and night shifts, and especially so during the weekend when staff are not present.

He concludes: “Swarf build-up is really the only thing that stops modern bar-fed CNC lathes, which are inherently very reliable. LFV on the Citizen sliders virtually eliminates the hassle of clearing away swarf and consequent loss of production, especially during minimally attended operation. Even when we are running them unattended at the weekend, it is unusual for them to stop before the bar runs out. Should there be a problem, however, the on-board cameras allow us to monitor production and come into the factory if necessary to take remedial action.”

For further information
www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Automated machining cells are the route to high production output in a small footprint with minimum operator attendance, and in hot pursuit of this goal is Alford, Lincolnshire-based Drury Precision Engineering. Although the firm carries out a small amount of subcontract machining, its main business is the production of its own globally-recognised motorcycle accessories for road and racing bikes, which it markets under the Evotech Performance brand name.

Between March 2020 and February 2021, the company installed three automated, Japanese-built Brother machining centres from sole UK and Ireland agent Whitehouse Machine Tools. Supplied with two of the machines were the same manufacturer’s Feedio vision-based, robotic systems for component load/unload, while the other machining centre integrates a System 3R WorkPartner pallet storage and handling system.

In the area of turn-milling, Drury has long used a bar-fed, single-turret lathe, and there has been a succession of different makes on the shop floor. In place of this lathe today is a more efficient Biglia B438-Y2 twin-spindle turn-mill centre with two Y-axis turrets, also supplied by Whitehouse Machine Tools.

The company decided in early 2015 to transition from conventional 40-taper machining centres to 30-taper models to raise production efficiency in line with rapidly increasing demand for its Evotech products, which are mainly produced by taking light cuts from aluminium billets of rectangular cross section.

First to be delivered was a Brother Speedio R450X1 twin-pallet, 22-tool, 30-taper machine for three-axis work. Output from the machine equalled that of two 40-taper machining centres. A typical crash protector, for example, took 20 minutes to machine instead of 40 minutes. This dramatic improvement was due to the minimisation of idle times through linear rapids, tool change and pallet change all taking place simultaneously, coupled with fast ATC and APC, a 16,000 rpm spindle and 200-block look-ahead in the Brother control.

The tool change in particular is so fast, delivering a chip-to-chip time of typically 2 seconds, that Drury has not only boosted production output but additionally been able to allow its designers more flexibility in SolidWorks. A couple of extra tools are introduced into a cycle, for instance, to add cosmetic features with very little time penalty. To do this on a 40-taper VMC would have unacceptably impacted productivity.

The doubling of throughput and the extra design flexibility were a revelation for Drury. Unsurprisingly, there are no longer any 40-taper machines on site and four further 30-taper Speedios followed the R450X1. The company’s first R650X1 arrived soon after, equipped with a Nikken two-axis table to provide five-axis machining capability.

Next to take its place on the shop floor was another three-axis R450X2, a three-axis R650X1 and, at the end of 2019, a five-axis S700X1 with Nikken table to provide a larger working volume. This machine was originally reserved for prototyping but was diverted into production due to ever increasing demand. All five machines sit in a line on the shop floor and are manually operated.

In early 2020 the three engineers who jointly run the company, Dan Rack, Chris Vines and Nick Cooper, recognised that prismatic machining capacity needed to be increased further, but space on the shop floor was tight. So in March that year, having had good experience with the other Brother machines, they purchased a Speedio M140X2, another five-axis machine, and decided to automate it with a Feedio component storage and robotic handling system developed jointly by Brother and ABB.

The Feedio is designed specifically for Brother machines, rather than being a generic solution provided by a third party, although a couple of other potential automation suppliers were briefly considered at the outset. The unit communicates with the machining centre control via a Profibus interface, while a smart ABB teach pendant incorporating a customised Speedio page is available for programming the six-axis robot.

Notably, the Feedio version supplied with this machine at the outset had a pair of standard, 2 m long conveyors, which are positioned one above the other. However, Drury soon realised that insufficient components could be accommodated to last for the whole of the ghost shift. So to avoid losing night-time hours, the company asked Whitehouse to extend the conveyors to 4 m in a simple exercise that took less than a day. The extra capacity also had the effect of allowing the entire weekend to be utilised for production. In fact, when machining certain parts, up to three days’ uninterrupted production is possible without manual intervention.

A camera and PC built into the Feedio unit allow the robot to detect the position of billets on the upper input conveyor. After machining, components return to the output conveyor below. This particular cell is for Op 1 work on parts weighing up to 10 kg in batches from 100- to 2,000-off; the completion of Op 2 taking place on the manually-loaded Speedios. To ensure system reliability, the M140X2 has been equipped with two Blum probes, one to check the tool and the other to confirm the correct loading of each billet before machining commences.

Careful attention is paid at the component design stage to maximise Op 1 time and thereby minimise the amount of Op 2 metal cutting. In one instance, Cooper, who manages the machining department at Alford, achieved a 9.5-minute Op 1 and a 22-second Op 2. So far, the company has produced around 50 different component types in the cell.

Nearly one year later, the two other automated Speedio cells arrived. One was a larger three-axis S700X2 with a 700 x 400 x 300 mm working volume, a Schunk pneumatic centric vice and a 4 m Feedio system capable of handling heavier components up to 20 kg, again for Op 1 work. The other was an additional five-axis M140X2, but this time fitted with a System 3R WorkPartner 108-pallet storage and handling system. Supplied as a turnkey installation by Whitehouse, the latter is a closed cell to target Op 2 inefficiencies within the factory. Six motorbike parts required in left- and right-hand versions were identified as ideal for production in this cell. They are set up permanently so that both Op 1 and Op 2 are completed automatically, unattended for up to 20 hours.

The former turning machine at Drury, which dated back to 2016, was capable of turning components up to 65 mm diameter from bar. However, its single turret meant that productivity was low and the machine was inefficient at producing small turned parts. So the decision was taken to concentrate on the in-house turn-milling of sub-38 mm diameter components, which accounts for around one-third of throughput, and outsource the remainder of turned parts production.

Drury considered two alternatives but decided in favour of the Biglia B438-Y2 due to the high level of service it receives from Whitehouse on the prismatic machining side. Other points in favour of the Biglia were the ready availability of a post processor and the machine’s ability in its standard configuration to extract up to 150 mm long components without the need for special handling equipment, which would have introduced delay at the end of some cycles.

The machine is the most recent to be installed by Whitehouse at the Alford factory. It has proved to be highly efficient at producing spacers for bar ends and crash protection brackets, for example, in a cycle time of around 1 minute compared with 3 minutes previously. Rack advises that every turned and turn-milled part seems to be produced in around one-third of the time it took before on the single-turret lathe.

Although turning in Drury’s factory has always been automated by a bar feeder, the inception of automatic loading and unloading of prismatic machined parts has seen a step-change in production efficiency. Six years ago the company employed 22 staff, yet today with only three extra operators and in the same shop floor area, turnover has more than doubled.

For further information
www.wmtcnc.com

Mills CNC, the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland, has recently supplied leading precision subcontract specialist, SRD Engineering, with three new Doosan machining centres. The machines, two DNM 4500 three-axis vertical machining centres supplied with Nikken 4th-axis units, and a DVF 5000 simultaneous five-axis machining centre, were installed at the company’s 18,000 sq ft facility in June 2021.

SRD Engineering’s new machines are now busy producing a range of high-precision and often complex components for customers operating in the motorsport, automotive, electronics, medical, power generation and aerospace sectors. The parts are machined in small-to-medium batches from a diverse range of materials that include inconel, titanium, stainless, steels, aluminium and plastics.

Typical components machined by SRD Engineering are characterised by their tight tolerances (8-10 µm) and exacting surface requirements (Ra 0.8 µm or better). Part cycle times vary considerably, from a few minutes at one end of the spectrum, through to over nine hours at the other end.

The parts machined by SRD Engineering are also required, in many instances, in double-quick time, especially where the motorsport sector is concerned. This helps explain why the company operates 24/5, and why it is committed to investing in technologies that improve productivity and efficiency levels.

Says Mark Bonham who, along with brother Paul, is a director of the company: “We operate in demanding and competitive sectors where quality, lead-time fulfilment and cost competitiveness are the panacea. If you are weak in any of these areas, you’ll be found out quickly and won’t last long.”

SRD Engineering was established in 1989 by Steve Bonham (Mark and Paul’s father) and two business partners. Over the last 32 years the company has changed dramatically and grown exponentially. SRD has expanded its operations considerably and relocated twice. The company now employs 85 members of staff and has, just shy, of 40 CNC machine tools at its disposal.

A constant and recurring theme throughout the company’s history is its commitment to continuous improvement and the regular and strategic investments it has made in its people, plant and equipment, as well as its processes and systems.

“To ensure that you are meeting, and hopefully exceeding, customer expectations you need to monitor and benchmark your business performance and address any weaknesses or concerns before they can impact on your ability to meet quality, lead-time and cost-down requirements,” says Bonham. “We have systems in place to ensure that this is a priority and our latest continuous improvement programme, Project 24, is a company-wide initiative that focuses on restructuring, redeployment, training and investment. It has provided the catalyst and rationale for the recent Doosan machine tool investments.”

Project 24 helped identify a ‘weakness’ in SRD Engineering’s milling section – specifically with three older vertical machining centres which, owing to their age and through constant use, were becoming more unreliable, required consistent and costly maintenance intervention and, if left unchecked, would create production bottlenecks.

To avoid production pinch points, the company decided to replace the three older machines with more advanced machine tools and approached the market to identify suitable replacements.

Says Bonham: “We are always looking to increase our machining capabilities and not just our capacity. Multi-tasking and multi-axis machine tools help increase our productivity and operational efficiencies. Being able to machine components in one hit and reduce part cycle times enables us to better meet customer deadlines. Furthermore, reducing the number of job set ups and avoiding the need to transfer jobs from one machine to another ensures that part accuracy and repeatability are not compromised.

“We approached Mills CNC with our requirements,” he continues. “We had previously invested in Doosan DNM machining centres with 4th-axis units some years earlier and, owing to the machines’ reliability and performance, decided to replace two of our older milling machines with two new DNM 4500 machining centres.”

The two DNM 4500 machines supplied to SRD Engineering are equipped with the latest Fanuc 0iMP control, 12,000 rpm directly coupled spindles, integrated thermal compensation, LM roller guideways, 30-station quick-change ATCs and Filtermist extraction systems. To increase the productivity of the machines, both were supplied with Nikken CNC202 rotary tables.

SRD Engineering is no stranger to five-axis machining and has a dedicated five-axis milling section.

Explains Bonham: “In discussing our future milling requirements and production strategies with Mills CNC’s sales and application engineers, we decided that the third machine would be a high-performance, simultaneous five-axis machining centre capable of processing a range of parts.”

The machine identified was the Doosan DVF 5000 – a compact machining centre equipped with a 12,000 rpm direct-drive spindle, 60-station ATC, linear guides, an efficient swarf conveyor system, Filtermist extraction and the Fanuc 31iB5 control.

“We negotiated a great deal with Mills and part-exchanged our three older machines for the three new ones,” says Bonham.

Key strengths and market differentiators that help separate SRD Engineering from other precision subcontractors are its commitment and ability to go the extra mile for customers, as well as its focus on growth and improvement. In recent years the application of both have seen the company invest in sliding-head lathe technology, enabling it to machine high-precision, complex components in large volumes.

From a standing start, the company now has four sliding-head lathes at its disposal. Indeed, SRD has brought many machining processes in house. To ensure quality, cost competitiveness and lead time fulfilment, the company has lessened its reliance on outside subcontractors – preferring to bring several secondary services and specialisms in-house.

SRD has also made significant improvements to its inspection and measurement capabilities. The recently implemented Project 24 initiative identified the need to further upgrade its capabilities by investing in another CMM and making its inspection room fully air conditioned.

Notably, the company stocks heat-treated materials at its facility just in case a specific Formula One customer needs components immediately.

Concludes Bonham: “Although SRD Engineering is a very different company to the one that was established 32 years ago – not everything has changed. We still operate on the same quality, lead-time fulfilment and cost-down principles that we did when first established, and our commitment to continuous improvement, as evidenced by our recent investment in three new Doosan machining centres, remains a priority.”

For further information www.millscnc.co.uk

Globally renowned as a leading designer and manufacturer of high-fidelity sound system equipment, such as turntables, streaming systems, amps and speakers, Linn Products employs approximately 160 people at the company’s impressive Glasgow headquarters. Rather than pursue a business model of planned obsolescence, due to the modular nature of Linn Products’ hardware and software, all of the company’s systems are upgradeable. In addition to the ability to evolve, the enduring quality and longevity of the company’s systems ensures the best sound possible for the lifetime of each product.

Quality permeates every aspect of Linn’s activities. To ensure the build quality of the company’s products – and to guarantee their sound reproduction and clarity – in addition to long lasting performance, the company’s staff perform painstaking inspection routines throughout all stages of manufacture.

In order to reduce the company’s reliance on subcontractors, further increase the autonomous nature of its manufacturing operation and provide even greater control over the quality of its components, Linn Products recently made several investments in advanced machine tools.

These investments included the purchase of a bespoke manufacturing cell from Mills CNC. The fully automated system includes a Doosan DVF 5000 five-axis machine tool and a Fanuc six-axis industrial robot. The impressive new cell now runs unattended overnight and at weekends, and has provided significant productivity gains.

Due to the enhanced accuracy capabilities and the high-yield nature of Linn Products’ new manufacturing plant, Chris O’Brien, director of operations, searched for an advanced CMM that had the ability to keep pace with the company’s increased production of precise components. Following a successful and practical demonstration at Mitutoyo’s East Kilbride showroom, an order was placed for a recently launched Crysta-Apex S series CNC CMM.

Explaining Linn Products’ passionate quality philosophy and the purchase of the Crysta-Apex S, O’Brien says: “Ever since Linn Products was stablished in 1973, we have constantly pushed technology forwards in the pursuit of perfect sound. From our very first product, the iconic Sondek LP12 turntable, we have been at the forefront of audio technology.

“All of our high-fidelity sound systems are assembled by hand at our Glasgow factory, and each one bears the name of the person who made it,” he continues. “Our systems are engineered to extraordinarily tight tolerances. To help ensure the continuing quality of our products and guarantee their prolonged performance, all systems are subject to painstaking inspection and testing at each stage of manufacture. Then, prior to despatch, we thoroughly test every product to ensure that it delivers outstanding performance.

After bringing the machining of many of its previously outsourced components in-house, Linn Products needed to source a highly efficient and accurate means of providing inspection.

“Having considered other options, a demonstration of a Crysta-Apex S at our local Mitutoyo showroom proved that it was the ideal advanced CMM for our demanding needs,” says O’Brien. “As it had the ideal size to accommodate our components, we ordered a Crysta-Apex S544 model with a capacity of 500 x 400 x 400 mm.

“Following our new Mitutoyo CMM’s trouble-free installation, our engineering staff were trained in its operation,” continues O’Brien. “As the CMM’s operating system and software are so logical and intuitive, our staff could soon perform a range of inspection routines. Although, when needed they can request help over the telephone from Mitutoyo’s technical staff. Our Crysta-Apex S series machine is now making a significant contribution to Linn Products’ quality management systems.”

Mitutoyo CMMs come in a wide range of sizes and accuracy classes, enabling them to cover practically all precision 3D measuring applications. A large variety of contact and non-contact probes are available, allowing users to perform a wide range of different measurement routines. Complementing Mitutoyo’s CMM hardware, the company’s powerful, yet easy-to-use analysis software allows the interpretation of all measurement results in the timely manner that is so essential for keeping pace with today’s fast-paced production speeds.

The Crysta-Apex S series of high-accuracy CNC CMMs guarantee a maximum permissible length measurement error of E0,MPE = (1.7+3L/1000) μm [500/700/900 series]. In addition, the CMMs deliver a maximum drive speed of 519 mm/s and a maximum acceleration of 2309 mm/s2, resulting in an increase of almost 100 mm in drive distance per second when compared with general-purpose CNC CMMs.

Designed to deliver high rigidity, Mitutoyo’s Crysta-Apex S series CMMs feature unyielding structures. The Y-axis guide rails, which are attached to one side of the granite surface plates, help the machines to maintain high levels of accuracy over years of use. The CMM’s air bearings are located on the bottom faces of the guide rails; also on the front, rear and upper surfaces of the X-axis slider unit. This arrangement helps to minimise vibration, even during high-speed, high-acceleration movements, and ensure stable linear motion. The high-speed and high-acceleration qualities of Crysta-Apex S CMMs dramatically reduces measuring times, says Mitutoyo.

In addition to being a CMM suitable for use in pristine quality departments, thanks to the use of a temperature compensation system, Crysta-Apex S CMMs are able to guarantee the accuracy of measurement under temperature conditions of 16 to 26°C. The temperature compensation system is based on permanently installed temperature sensors located on each scale, working together with sensors placed on the workpiece.

For further information
www.mitutoyo.co.uk