igus develops energy supply solution for rotational and linear motion for DMG Mori.
After only two years of development time, DMG Mori ushers in a new era of automatic turning machines with the release of the Multisprint series, which support multiple spindles. But, behind its development is igus, which provided a special energy supply solution for both rotational and linear motion.
The readychain
The ‘readychain’ harnessed energy supply system from igus and the spindle drum were first brought together in April 2017, when many processes and manual procedures were not yet routine and demanded maximum attention from the people involved. Does the 750 kg and almost 2 m wide energy chain system from igus fit into the housing of the machine? Everything was put together in a way that is an absolute innovation in production technology for DMG Mori subsidiary, Gildemeister Italiana.
Upon installation of the readychain and its connection to the spindle drum, the engineers and technicians continued working for a further three months until midsummer 2017 to assemble the machine completely, test it and send it on its travels. Destination: EMO Hannover. Here, the Multisprint was presented as a revolution in mechanical engineering. After all, it is the first machine to combine a multi-spindle automatic lathe with SWISSTYPE technology. And all this with a Y-axis on each spindle position.
Maximum Flexibility Due to New Technology
Due to globalisation and market dynamics, customer requirements for modern turning machines have changed and now demand the following: shortened processing and tooling times, reduced amount of effort needed for process development and integration, and the ability to handle the increasing degree of complexity. Multisprint meets all these challenging requirements. Nozzles for fluid power equipment, implants for dentistry, and shafts for motor vehicle manufacturing are just three examples of complex components that can be made on the high-tech machine. The result is a manufacturing solution for scalable requirements from initial series production to the high-volume production of complex workpieces.
The combination of three types of machine technology enables the customer to engage in completely new forms of production, providing them maximum flexibility for the mass production of components with diameters up to 50 mm.
Heavy Drum Turns with Extreme Precision and Maximum Speed
The heart of the machine is the spindle drum with six spindles for simultaneous machining of several workpieces. The main spindles in the drum have a travel of up to 180 millimetres. The drum moves the workpieces to the tools quickly and very precisely—taking only 0.65 seconds for one of the six spindles to travel to the next position.
For spindles to return to the starting position after machining has been completed in the six stations, the drum must turn 300 deg in reverse. For this, the unit, which weighs over three metric tons, only needs one second. The rods are pushed out of the loader through the drum to get into position for machining.
In the new production hall of DMG MORI in Brembate di Sopra, up to twelve MULTISPRINT machines can be produced simultaneously. (Source: igus GmbH)