Flexibility is the credo of ASP Automation GmbH in Treuchtlingen, based on highly creative complete solutions in production and assembly automation as well as in special machine construction. Furthermore, the company's own products ASP aluminum profile construction kit and Vario buffer conveyor belts are characterized by application and usage flexibility. The Treuchtlingen-based company also flexibly organizes parts production on behalf of customers and for its own products, which of course includes efficient multi-machine operation by qualified specialist personnel.

Founded in 2000 by the current owner and managing director Werner Schramm, the company has evolved from small beginnings into a strictly technology-driven company that is involved in the development and construction of automation solutions and special machines on behalf of customers, as well as the development, construction and sale of the aforementioned in-house products. ASP now has 18 employees, including 10 specialists in the mechanical production department alone.

Contrary to the frequently observed trend towards pure system integrators, who primarily rely on components available on the market, Werner Schramm relies on a high degree of in-house production, which currently stands at around 90 percent. And there is a good reason for this: "As a special machine builder and manufacturer of our own products, we have to react very flexibly to customer requests and are dependent on both the best quality and a high degree of reliability in terms of deadlines for problem-free assembly of components and devices. In order to guarantee this and to be able to act flexibly and quickly, we decided early on to manufacture construction parts ourselves whenever possible and sensible and to commission efficient partners to supply us with standard components," says Schramm.

New CNC machining center versus existing workpiece clamping technology

The CNC rotary/swivel table mounted on the machine table with four flush-mounted mechanical Gressel Gredoc round zero-point clamping systems. The workpiece block on the right is clamped directly on the Gredoc zero-point clamping systems of the swivel table base plate via two Gredoc bolts. © Gressel AG

With increasing business volumes and growing order volumes, especially for the company's own product Vario buffer conveyor belts, capacity problems soon arose, which the company addressed with another new 3-axis CNC machining center. The planned solution of upgrading a 3-axis CNC machining center with a large working range (X-axis travel = 1,000 mm) with a CNC rotary or swivel table as the 4th axis instead of procuring an expensive 4- or 5-axis machining center proved to be the right one in retrospect, based on the range of parts to be machined. Schramm had already foreseen at the time of purchase that the performance of the CNC machining center would reach its limits with the conventional workpiece clamping devices and therefore contacted the Swiss specialist for workpiece clamping technology, Gressel AG from Aadorf, among others. After a visit from Günther Hirschburger, Sales Technician Germany South at Gressel AG, a solution was proposed, which then resulted in the order for the delivery of various components from the Gressel clamping technology modular system. Specifically, these are several Gredoc mechanical zero-point clamping systems in square and round versions, several C2 125 centric clamping systems and finally several Gripos single clamps.

Modular system for individual, cost-efficient solutions

With these clamping technology components, APS realized a flexibly usable universal clamping system. Depending on the setup, configuration and equipment, this allows both efficient 3-axis machining on the machine table equipped with an adapter plate and, after mounting the CNC rotary or swivel table, 4-axis (complete) machining. However, Schramm and the machine operators came up with even more ideas to keep the set-up/changeover and assembly work as well as the unproductive non-productive time caused by machine downtime as low as possible. Namely by creating the aforementioned machine table adapter plate and placing five Gredoc square mechanical zero-point clamping systems on it.

The swivel table base plate can be equipped in different ways, for example with three Gressel C2 125 centric clamps; this means that short or long workpieces can be clamped and completely machined with 4 axes. © Gressel AG

These five zero-point clamping systems can accommodate either the CNC rotary/swivel table mounted on a base plate or, if required, one to five Gripos single clamps or up to five C2 125 centric clamps. It is also possible to fit large workpieces with gredoc bolts and thus clamp them directly onto the adapter plate. But that's not all when it comes to flexibility of use and application, because four gredoc square mechanical zero-point clamping systems are embedded in the swivel axis base plate of the CNC rotary/swivel rotary table and, depending on requirements or machining requirements, these can also accommodate one or up to four C2 125 centric clamps as well as blocks of raw parts fitted with gredoc bolts so that they can then be (completely) machined in 4 axes.

One clamping technology, many possibilities

In conclusion, Schramm commented on the possible applications and uses of the Gressel clamping technology modular system in his company: "With the support of Gressel and Günther Hirschburger, we have found optimum clamping technology solutions to be able to machine a very wide range of parts very flexibly and with increased productivity. Depending on the quantity, workpiece requirements and running time, we can machine small to medium-sized individual parts, small and medium-sized series or even large frames and base plates on 3 or 4 axes. And we do this on the basis of one and the same compatible workpiece clamping technology in single or multiple clamping, which in many cases makes multi-machine operation and use possible. We hardly need any special clamping devices any more and, thanks to the universal installation of Gressel's zero-point clamping systems, we are always equipped to react quickly to part requirements. We will continue to follow this path in the future, because we want to make maximum and flexible use of the existing performance of the machines."

By Edgar Grundler, freelance journalist