‘Factory Within a Factory’ Combines Automated Production and Metrology
Schwanog, one of the leading international manufacturers of profile tools, relies on a “factory within a factory” for its cutting insert production. Fully automated production cells enable reliable 24/7 production with continuous quality monitoring.
Schwanog
relies on state-of-the-art automation to combine cost-effectiveness and the highest quality in the production of inserts. Thanks to the close networking of automation and grinding technology from Adelbert Haas GmbH and robust and accurate measuring machines from Werth Messtechnik GmbH in automated production cells, the company is able to make its production processes not only more economical, but also more reliable – around the clock.
Schwanog, headquartered in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany was founded back in 1946. Today, with its self-developed grooving tools and tool changing systems, the company is one of the leading international manufacturers of profile tools in this market segment. Application-specific tools are also produced in small batch sizes at several production sites around the world.
Fully Automated Production Cells
In industrial tool production, it is not only precision that counts, but also the reliable quality of each individual workpiece. At the same time, many companies are faced with the challenge of organising their production efficiently and economically despite a shortage of skilled workers – traditional shift models are increasingly reaching their limits. Schwanog meets these challenges with fully automated production cells. The entire production and testing process, from ordering to dispatch, runs out within a cell without any human intervention – a ‘factory within a factory’.
Closed Loop Process
In the production cell, a robot feeds the grinding machine with tool blanks. A large parts warehouse allows for a wide variety of production without retooling. According to the grinding process, the first insert is cleaned and measured. If the profile is within the required tolerances, series production starts. If not, the grinding process is corrected fully automatically – usually, a single iteration is enough to grind a perfect profile. This closed-loop process achieves maximum accuracy and cost-effectiveness from a batch size of just one. The inspected panels are then automatically packed and dispatched. At the same time, the system documents all relevant data – including a test report of each panel for the customer.
“Thanks to the closed-loop process, we ensure consistently high production quality – and do so completely autonomously,” says Clemens Güntert, President of Schwanog Siegfried Güntert GmbH. “Fully automated production enables us to optimise the use of our resources and significantly increase productivity.”
Automated Quality Control Guarantees Consistent High Precision
The measurement of each part on the Werth ScopeCheck S also ensures continuous quality control during series production. Each part is tested without interrupting the production flow. In addition to short cycle times of just a few seconds, the special feature is the required measuring accuracy. According to the golden rule of metrology, the measurement uncertainty must be less than the tolerance by a factor of 10 in order to utilise the tolerance band for production and avoid unnecessary rejects. For the profile, the measurement errors must therefore not exceed a few micrometres. This is made possible by Werth’s contour image processing in combination with the patented HD raster scanning process; the entire cutting edge is captured precisely and with high resolution in just a few seconds and the profile accuracy is analysed. The rigid hard stone base of the ScopeCheck S and workpiece temperature compensation are the technical prerequisites for this.
The close co-operation between Schwanog, Haas and Werth ensures smooth processes and high productivity. Thanks to the fully automated processes, workpieces can be manufactured around the clock without interruption. This not only reduces throughput times, but also cuts costs, especially for small quantities. At the same time, seamless quality control guarantees consistently high precision. This allows Schwanog to respond quickly and reliably to customer requests – a decisive benefit in a demanding market.
For more information: www.werth-metrology.com
