Focusing on customer needs | #MadeForYOU
Bimatec Soraluce remains in close touch with the industry in 2020. The company has set its sights on the current requirements in terms of precision, technology and service. With its philosophy #MadeForYOU, the company demonstrates that it understands customer needs. Consequently, Bimatec Soraluce offers tailor-made solutions for the challenges of the future strengthening its range of services and innovative technologies.
High-tech machines and first-class service go hand in hand at Bimatec Soraluce. From the first inquiry Bimatec Soraluce supports its customers with detailed analyses, assists them in the commissioning of their machines, holds practical trainings and offers long-term service.
“Not just on the long term, but throughout the whole life of the machine”, explains Thilo Borbonus, one of the Managing Directors of Bimatec Soraluce. “Because even for our first ever produced machine, we still have spare parts in stock. We continue to do the same for all machine series, in order to offer our customers a fast and reliable service in manufacturer quality”.
Always on the job thanks to an excellent service
Bimatec Soraluce keeps pushing forward to execute better services reaching higher levels of quality and customer attendance. Last year the service area was already expanded by 50 % with 21 new employees. At the beginning of 2020, the company also enlarged its existing training centre in order to offer customers a perfectly tailored platform for their technical training. And there’s still more to it, because this year Bimatec Soraluce is hiring another 17 employees for the service department. The company thus defies the situation on the market and positions itself as a permanently reliable partner for manufacturing companies.
The unique customer attendance of Bimatec Soraluce includes a large team at the companies’ service hotline, which is available in shifts all year round – even on weekends and holidays. The company is also offering a new service: In order to improve the coordination of technical details, customers can send photos of their machine to the service hotline via WhatsApp. The nationwide fleet of service busses was also increased last year. The busses are quickly on site thanks to regional distribution and a total number of 12 vehicles. Therefore, Bimatec Soraluce is able to carry out around 60 % of repairs on the same day contributing to shorter downtimes and continuous production. Retrofits and modernization are also part of the company’s portfolio.
The customer-oriented service represents one of four supporting pillars of the corporate philosophy #MadeForYOU, which also includes precision, multitask functions and the innovative technologies of the intelligent machinePlus concept.
Multitasking combines precision and efficiency
“Our customers are at the heart of the philosophy #MadeForYOU. We listen to them carefully and know their specific requirements”, says Andreas Lindner, also Managing Director of Bimatec Soraluce. “By working closely with our long-standing technology partners and suppliers, we bring forward new, powerful innovations for our customers. With multitask functions and the technologies of the intelligent machinePlus, we achieve highest precision for them in order to make their workpiece a masterpiece”.
The technological features of Bimatec Soraluce machines meet exactly these requirements. Thanks to modern linear guiding systems they achieve consistently high precision. They reduce significantly the maintenance costs over the whole life of each machine. The high dynamics in the axes and the basic stability of the machines themselves provide the right parameters to guarantee the consistently precise processing of demanding workpieces. Under real-life workshop conditions, a solid cast construction and unique milling head technology also ensure the highest accuracy in production. Consistent precision is therefore the basis of all machines at Bimatec Soraluce and convinces its customers: „With our FR 12000 we machine high-precision large parts. With over 500 measurements on a component with 3500 x 1500 mm, we achieve form and position tolerances of 0.02 mm”, says for example Patrick Becker, Production Manager of NCB Lohmann GmbH.
With the TA-M bed type milling, turning and grinding machine, it is also possible to perform several machining processes on a single production component. This allows operators to achieve maximum precision and workpiece quality. Inaccuracies caused by multiple machine changes are simply eliminated. As production continues, the necessary set-up times are reduced as well saving a great amount of time.
Thanks to its compact design, this all-rounder can be set up without a separate foundation, while a table load of 7,800 kg allows to process large workpieces as well. The TA-M achieves travel ranges of 3,500 mm (X) in longitudinal direction, 1,200 mm (Y) crosswise and up to 1,500 mm (Z) in vertical direction. In addition, a vertical rotary table with Ø 1,250 mm can be integrated into the machine table. This allows the multifunctional machine to perform milling and turning operations. Upon request, this machine can also be equipped with a grinding function, which allows the performance of external and internal cylindrical grinding as well as surface grinding. In addition, the universal milling head allows machining at any angle – even when turning and grinding. Precise round and flatness accuracies of less than 0.005 and 0.010 mm, respectively, and a surface roughness of less than 0.4 can be achieved with TA-M.
The FLP floor type milling, turning and boring centre is suitable for machining large parts in pendulum mode and thus offers a distinct potential of efficiency. Thanks to its modular machine concept, this series offers exceptional flexibility and can be configured exactly to the customer’s requirements. This makes FLP the ideal machine for various operations in different industries.
The main spindle motor of this modern machine has a capacity of 43 kW and is directly integrated inside the ram. In contrast to conventional gearboxes, this eliminates cost-intensive maintenance. In addition, the direct power transmission without belts is particularly powerful. The drive shaft of the water-cooled inline main spindle motor is also shorter to prevent imbalance and makes the machining process much more accurate. FLP uses water cooling to ensure consistently high precision and reliability. The machine also stands out due to its size. The longitudinal travel range (X) is unlimited and FLP reaches up to 2,200 mm (Y) vertically and 1,500 mm (Z) crosswise. In the working area, individual clamping tables, NC rotary and travelling tables as well as clamping devices of any kind can be applied according to the customer requirements.
Thanks to multitasking, not only milling and turning but also cylindrical and surface grinding are possible. These features can be retrofitted to older machines as well. Roland Haas, Director of Framag Industrieanlagen GmbH, confirms that the cooperation with Bimatec Soraluce works perfectly and that his company has achieved the desired results. “We wanted to use our machine for grinding guideways as well and contacted Bimatec Soraluce with complete confidence. The results are very positive, and we are planning to include this new service in our portfolio very soon”.
Modern technologies for intelligent production
The intelligent machinePlus of Bimatec Soraluce is another important part of the philosophy of #MadeForYOU. It strengthens the focus on the customer or rather on the machine operator. This modern machine concept actively supports the operators in their daily work. The intelligent technologies increase user-friendliness and efficiency both noticeably and measurably.
For example, the machines from Bimatec Soraluce can be equipped with the award-winning DAS+ dynamic active stabilizer. The system detects vibrations in the machine at the outset and uses counter-frequencies in real time to eliminate them. The classic chattering and the corresponding unrest of machining processes are now a thing of the past. DAS+ reduces tool wear by 25 % and production time by as much as 45 %, so that customers can actually make 100 % use of the performance of their machine.
On the other hand, the new, mobile DWS damping system eliminates vibrations when machining unstable workpieces. This patented innovation ensures high stability, especially for thin workpieces. DWS is not machine-dependant, but light and mobile, so that it can be quickly used on different workpieces. It enables faster feed rates during machining and therefore an increased productivity. At the same time, users benefit from significant improvement of their workpiece surface finish.
The Adaptive Control System is another example for the efficiency of the intelligent machinePlus. It effectively adapts the feed rate to the amount of material stock removal. If the workpiece increases in size, the feed rate is reduced. If the system detects a reduction of material, it increases the speed. This makes machining faster without any manual intervention. By reducing speed, this system also reduces the risk of tool breakage, resulting in 30 % longer tool life.
These and many other intelligent solutions can be discovered at the Bimatec Soraluce Technology Center in Limburg, Germany. From the dynamic ram balance compensation to a visual, automated system for measuring and aligning raw parts, there are numerous technologies and new potentials to show.