Creating added value with close partnerships
Walter, Blessing and gemineers - DMG MORI gains new DMQP partners for holistic tool solutions, innovative clamping devices and data-based quality prediction.
The constantly growing range of DMG MORI Qualified Products includes machine components, peripherals and accessories such as tools, clamping devices and cooling lubricants. In addition, there are more and more digital offerings for specialization or optimization of the machine and machining process. DMG MORI regularly expands this portfolio to meet the requirements for technological diversification and innovation. For example, three new partner companies were presented at EMO that make a decisive contribution to productive manufacturing. Wilhelm Blessing GmbH & Co. KG specializes in the design and manufacture of special clamping tools, while Walter AG develops and produces high-performance and durable tools for machining. In the field of digitalization, gemineers GmbH from Aachen completes the trio. The start-up has developed a digital twin platform that creates a digital twin of the workpiece during machining and enables data-based quality prediction.
Walter AG: Holistic tool solutions for demanding applications
The collaboration between DMG MORI and Walter stretches back decades. The tool manufacturer has been using DMG MORI machining centers and lathes in its technology centers for some time. DMG MORI, in turn, relies on integrated tool solutions from Walter for demanding technology projects. Their expertise is the product of over 100 years of company history. Walter employs around 4,400 people in over 80 countries and is now one of the world's leading manufacturers of cutting tools. The product range includes around 45,000 standard products for turning, milling, drilling and threading as well as individual special tools and technology solutions along the process chain. "In addition to the development and manufacture of innovative tools, Walter has proven itself time and again as a provider of customized solutions for the complete machining of components and as a process partner for efficient digital solutions," says Alfred Geißler, CEO of DMG MORI AG, welcoming the good cooperation with the tool manufacturer. "Against this background, the DMQP partnership is a logical step from which our joint customers will benefit even more in the future."
Wilhelm Blessing GmbH & Co. KG: Universal chuck solution for individual applications
Blessing strengthens DMG MORI as a DMQP partner in the field of special chucks. For more than 80 years, over 60 specialists at the company from Ostfildern near Stuttgart have been developing and manufacturing a wide variety of chucks, mandrels and collets. The portfolio includes chucks with an outer diameter of up to 800 mm, power chucks and hydraulically actuated chucks. "We have selected Blessing's clamping tools in particular for special clamping requirements that require frequent retooling. We see added value for our customers in the new EVOFLEX3 clamping solution," says Ralf Riedemann, Director and CTO at DMG MORI EMEA GmbH, assessing the long-standing cooperation. The EVOFLEX3 clamping solution is based on a standard 3-jaw chuck configuration. The EVOFLEX3 can be equipped with a collet chuck, a mandrel or a high-performance rolling center in under a minute. "This enables our customers to significantly reduce set-up times and sustainably increase their productivity."
Gemineers GmbH: Data-based quality forecasting as a contribution to end-to-end digitalization
Digitalization plays a key role in the development of integrated manufacturing processes at DMG MORI. It is one of the four pillars of the Machining Transformation (MX) concept with which the machine tool manufacturer is shaping the future of manufacturing. Through optimal synergies from process integration, automation and digitalization, MX supports users in unleashing the greatest possible potential for sustainability and innovative growth. "The holistic view of the processes includes the entire machine environment, so that DMG MORI Qualified Products are also increasingly being expanded to include digital solutions," says Christoph Grosch, Executive Director DMQP. "In gemineers, we have gained a new partner that makes use of the diverse live data from machining on modern CNC machines.
The gemineers Digital Twin platform is revolutionizing the way turning and milling processes are optimized and managed. By combining real-time data, technology know-how and advanced analytics, the platform creates precise virtual replicas of the real workpieces. These digital twins provide valuable insights into machining operations, optimize efficiency, reduce waste and improve overall productivity. The gemineers technology comprises three core elements: machine and sensor data acquisition, fully automated digital twinning of the workpiece and the user-friendly Quality Dashboard. Sophisticated technology models process the captured machine and sensor data during the process to create a complete digital twin of the manufactured component. Based on this, algorithms developed by gemineers predict the geometric component quality with an accuracy of up to +/- 10 µm. This forecast is graphically visualized in the browser-based Quality Dashboard so that users can easily evaluate it. gemineers uses color zones to illustrate the accuracy of the component. "This location-based visualization of process-relevant data on the virtual component makes weak points immediately visible," explains Vincent Gerretz, one of the founders of gemineers. This, combined with the technical experience, allows quick conclusions to be drawn about the causes. Michael Kirbach, Head of Aerospace Excellence Center, sees the added value in the time savings: "This enables targeted process optimization in just a few iterative steps."
Quality forecasting with gemineers offers several advantages in practice: The gemineers Digital Twin platform is tailor-made to support process monitoring and optimization tasks in machining, such as those that occur in the prototype or ramp-up phase of new products. The time savings here are up to 50 percent. The precise digital twins of the workpieces also enable a 100% data-based quality assurance solution in real time. This reduces conventional tactile or optical measuring efforts by up to 80 percent. The documentation of component quality - an increasingly important area - is also perfectly covered on the basis of the digital twin. Christoph Grosch is certain: "Many DMG MORI customers will benefit from these added values in the long term on their way to end-to-end digitalization."