Efficient process chain boosts productivity in metal-working.
At this year’s Metav trade show in February, the Siemens Division Drive Technologies exhibited products, applications and services aimed at improving productivity and efficiency in all sectors of the metal-working industry. The new Sinumerik Operate programming interface simplifies CNC programming, while the newly-launched Sinumerik MDynamics technology package boosts precision and thus the efficiency in milling. On a special ‘Metal meets Medical’ exhibition stand, Siemens joined forces with its partners to demonstrate an efficient process chain for the creation and processing of medical components.
Siemens presented new products for its Sinumerik CNC system platform, demonstrating the functionalities for milling and turning operations based on a specimen work piece from the aerospace industry. Product highlights included the new Compact-CNC Sinumerik 828D, the Premium-CNC Sinumerik 840D sl system and the Sinumerik MDynamics technology package for milling applications. The new, easy-to-operate Sinumerik Operate interface simplifies and speeds up CNC programming. The new models illustrated how energy-efficient solutions can be put together around the CNC platform with drives and motors for all technologies and sectors. The Sinumerik Manufacturing Excellence service portfolio offers greater productivity for machine tools, with the focus ‘Machine Retrofit’ and ‘Manufacturing IT’.
In conjunction with its partners from the machine tool sector DMG, Index, Iscar, Renishaw, Schütte, Star and Zoller, Siemens put on a special show ‘Metal meets Medical’, which presented the entire production process for medical components. There, visitors were able to see how medical engineering products are processed using machine tools equipped with the Sinumerik 840D sl CNC. By examining processing technologies such as 5-axis grinding, rotary milling, HSC milling and swiss turning, attendees had the opportunity to find out about the use of machining technology in the medical engineering field. The Sinumerik 840D sl CNC enables precise and rapid processing, even of complex implants. Because of the high machining speeds involved, the oil cooling methods employed and owing to particularly hard materials, fire protection plays a major role in medical engineering. On show was the Sinorix al-deco STD local application extinguishing system, featuring a fire sensor which is actuated as soon as its ambient temperature exceeds 110°C.
A digital factory was used as an example to demonstrate the entire process chain for the manufacture of medical engineering products. The focus here was on the integrated planning and realisation of the major production steps in association with the work piece, the efficient use of resources, as well as standardisation of the process and its continuous improvement. The process chain was demonstrated with the Siemens software products Teamcenter and NX CAM. The sample object, which was design-engineered using NX CAM, was then milled on a tool machine.
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