Mannstaedt from Troisdorf is one of the world's leading manufacturers of hot-rolled special steel profiles - individually shaped steel bars that are used in a wide range of industries. Its core competencies include heavy-duty profiles with narrower tolerance limits and improved surfaces compared to standard profiles. The portfolio includes special profiles for the automotive industry, commercial vehicles, industrial trucks (lift mast profiles, fork carriage profiles, sideshift profiles, etc.), storage and conveyor technology, the construction industry, agricultural machinery, shipbuilding, railroad and rail technology and many other sectors. The support often does not end with the delivery of the customized component. Instead, the experts work together with the customer to improve their products and processes.

Customized solutions

"As a specialist profile manufacturer, we are able to produce customer-specific products on our two rolling mills and also process them on a customized basis - and our customers are increasingly asking for solutions like this," explains Björn Wieschendorf, Processing Manager. These services include the processes of cold drawing, fixed dimension sawing, welding, blasting and milling. In the latter manufacturing process, milling machines from various suppliers are used, although the high demands in terms of vibration and dimensional accuracy were not always met.

As a result, those responsible looked around for a sustainable long-term solution. Several providers were examined, but the decision was ultimately made in favor of Röhm. "We were put in touch by a machine tool manufacturer," reports Wieschendorf. "However, Röhm was ultimately recommended in particular because of its product itself. Many other manufacturers were unable to offer us a suitable solution." The accompanying service support was also convincing, including the provision of documentation (drawings, 3D models, operating instructions, maintenance plans), training by the machine manufacturer and the verification of the technical data offered and sold (clamping force and accuracy) by the Röhm field service.

Thorsten Nolte played a key role in finding the right clamping device. "We are able to develop solutions for the customer and optimize processes accordingly," says the technical sales consultant at Röhm. "In addition to our extensive standard range, customer-specific developments account for around 40 percent of our business. In this case, we found the right solution with the HZS-798x180 high-pressure clamp as a special version including an integrated measuring system. The active pull-down can be controlled, we can achieve up to 60 kN per clamping jaw and the positions of the jaws can be queried accordingly."

Secure processes

The high-pressure clamps have been used in duplicate for around three years on a machine with a working area of around one meter. "We can now safely control the vibrations and also achieve the high dimensional accuracy we require," confirms Björn Wie-schendorf. Based on this experience, Röhm was again the first choice as a clamping device supplier when it came to replacing an older system with a milling machine from Matec in Köngen in 2018/2019. This has a working area of three meters, is suitable for automated processes and is equipped with a total of four HZS-798x180 due to the larger space. The machine can be loaded from above for heavy workpieces using a crane; lateral feeding is also possible for automated processes, for example. Once the workpiece has been loaded and aligned, the robust milling process begins, often accompanied by drilling and tapping of the sturdy steel profiles. After machining and stress-relieving, the workpiece is measured, then packaged, stored or shipped directly.

It took around six months from the initial contact request to the final delivery. Project managers Nils Solscheid and Björn Wieschendorf from Mannstaedt realized the implementation in close cooperation with Thorsten Nolte (Röhm) and Norbert Tiede, Project Manager Sales from Matec. The main motivation of the West German manufacturing specialists from Troisdorf was to automate the machining of the steel profiles produced for the lifting masts of industrial trucks and to increase production capacity at the same time. The main advantages of the new clamping technology solution compared to the previous product are better repeat accuracy, higher clamping forces and greater rigidity within the clamp. "The previous clamping technology provider did not perform as well as it should. We have the challenges of vibrations and dimensional accuracy under control with the new clamping technology solution," says Björn Wieschendorf. "Röhm has also repeatedly provided suggestions that have improved the process." Talks are currently underway to replace a manual clamping technology solution with an automated system.

According to documents from Röhm / ag