From left: Benjamin Finck, Product Manager, Swen Emde, Managing Director, and tool technician Benjamin Paulus from Recyclinghof-Diemelsee Emde. © Hermle

In addition to three CAD/CAM workstations, Emde has built up a machine park that includes two machining centers from Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle as well as a wire eroding and turning machine. The highlight is the C 400 U 5-axis system. He uses it to produce molds for the plastics industry as well as prototypes for furniture and automotive construction. A year later, he invested in another milling center from Gosheim: He uses the C 400 V in a 3-axis version primarily to quickly and effectively prepare workpieces for precision machining on the 5-axis machine.

Thanks to its precision, the C 400 U achieves the high repeat accuracy required by Emde. © Hermle

The basis for the precision of the C 400 U is the machining table, which is supported on both sides in the machine bed made of mineral casting. In order to be able to machine workpieces weighing up to 600 kg, Emde chose the swivel rotary table with a clamping area of 650 × 540 mm in diameter. The drive concept of the A-axis is also crucial for the high positioning accuracy: by engaging the mechanical drive directly in the gear wheel on the table housing, Hermle reliably prevents shaft torsion on the swivel rotary table. "It therefore meets our requirements for dimensional accuracy and tolerance," confirms Emde.

Benjamin Paulus checks the injection molds after processing. © Hermle

Emde first contacted Hermle via the company website. Six months after the order was placed, the C 400 U was commissioned within three days. The man from Adorf invested four days in training. However, the actual programming takes place on the computer via HSM Works or SolidCAM. "We don't actually program anything directly on the machine," explains Finck. The subsequent machining time for the individual workpieces is between two and 80 hours - including re-clamping time. This means that while toolmaking is a purely single-shift operation with five employees, the 5-axis machining center runs into the night. This significantly increases the productivity of the small company. "Of course, this requires confidence in the machine that it will also work smoothly in the unmanned shift," emphasizes Emde. And in the worst-case scenario, there is a collision protection system for the tool spindle. If a collision does occur, several compression sleeves absorb the collision energy and prevent serious damage to the system. But it has never come to that yet. "Even when the machine was in emergency stop, we were able to quickly free it again. This also demonstrates the user-friendliness of the system - it doesn't take any time and doesn't cost any nerves," praises Finck.

Fast service

Swen Emde shows what the machine and operator are capable of with the World Cup trophy that he milled for the last World Cup. © Hermle

"If we ever have a problem that we can't solve on our own, Hermle Service helps us quickly and competently, and the machine is back in operation quickly," explains the Managing Director. Fast means that he usually receives a callback within two hours and, if necessary, the service technician is on site within 20 hours. The machine tool manufacturer was also a crucial point of contact when it came to a specific production problem. "For a small series, we were faced with the requirement to produce a turned surface inside the component," recalls Finck. After some research, they contacted their consultant, who introduced them to interpolation turning. "By updating the control system with the additional program, we were able to produce the rotationally symmetrical contours in the desired surface quality using a milling tool," adds the project manager. For Emde, this option is an absolute benefit: "We are one of the few companies in the North Hessian district that can offer interpolation turning," emphasizes Swen Emde.
"Everything is going just as we imagined," summarizes Emde. However, he would do one thing differently in view of the high capacity utilization: "From today's perspective, we would also invest in an automation solution."

According to documents from Hermle / ag