DMG MORI: FIT FOR THE FUTURE WITH TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

A combination of aspiration and enthusiasm
“Joy in perfection” is a guiding principle practiced by Meindl-Köhle and is also an incentive for producing the best possible products. “We maintain very close partnerships with our customers and are involved early on in complex projects,” explains Matthias Müller, the authorized company representative. With many years of experience and specialist expertise, the team implements reliable processes and a zero-error strategy. While partners placing orders profit from this customer-oriented philosophy, Meindl-Köhle has long since used its know-how and the possibilities offered by DMG MORI to implement its own ideas.

Innovative solutions for charging technology
“We would like to contribute by expanding the charging infrastructure in the strongly growing market of electromobility,” Matthias Müller makes reference to their MEVOLT electric charging system, which was developed in-house. The special feature of the premium charging stations is a patented motorized cable extension and retraction system. “This means it is protected from the weather and remains clean. Nobody has to dirty their hands these days. The latest development is the MEVOLT MK4 ROOF CHARGER, a roof charging system with a 13-meter-long cable, which is ideal for car-ports or underground car parks, for example.

Toolmaking for electromobility
The order situation at Meindl-Köhle is proof of the major importance of electromobility. The company produces molds for the production of plastic conduits, for example. “Amongst other things, these are used as cable ducts in cars – and naturally increasingly in electric vehicles too,” says Matthias Müller. The conduits are extremely individual in design and different for almost every vehicle. “A complete set of these molds comprises 200 pairs.” For months, Meindl-Köhle has been producing these components almost 24/7.

“The challenge associated with these molds is that they need to be ground on all sides after being milled,” Matthias Müller describes the process that he would like to make more efficient. “In DMG MORI, we have found a partner that can offer all the machining technologies we need in one working area.” The machine tool manufacturer offers grinding integrated into its duoBLOCK series. “The DMC 80 FDS duoBLOCK with its integral grinding function was the perfect solution for us as it allows the throughput time per component to be reduced significantly compared with production on several machines.”




Joint process optimization for 3-shift operation
The development of the machining concept took place in close cooperation right from the beginning says Matthias Müller looking back: “For example, we built the devices for the two process steps ourselves in such a way that the grinding wheel was able to rotate all around twelve clamped workpieces.” For their part, DMG MORI selected special tools such as a gear cutter. “The success of this cooperation is demons-trated by the fact that the machines were able to be put into operation after just nine months and have been working without any problems since then – and this in 3-shift operation. The internal measurements are the reason why the grinding process is so reliable. “The machine analyses the measurement data and calibrates the tools automatically,” Matthias Müller explains. In addition, there is always a sister tool in the tool magazine, which has 123 positions. Another feature is setup in parallel with production by means of a pallet changer. To all intents and purposes, idle times are a thing of the past.”

Flexibly and securely into the future with DMG MORI technology cycles
Meindl-Köhle purchased the DMC 80 FDS duoBLOCK fully equipped to enable them to react flexibly for future orders. “We will soon be machining larger mold and will be able to make use of the turning function,” says Matthias Müller looking to the future. The same applies to the more complicated grinding operation. “We will be able to rely on DMG MORI technology cycles for this.”

Countering the lack of skilled staff with technology integration
The decision to invest in process integration for the DMC 80 FDS duoBLOCK quickly proved to be the right path for Meindl-Köhle – for capacity reasons, but also when it came to the lack of skilled staff, as Matthias Müller explains: “We are able to deploy our personnel more flexibly, as the machines can work autonomously for long periods.

www.dmgmori.com