{"id":6729,"date":"2015-09-15T10:40:55","date_gmt":"2015-09-15T10:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mfgtechupdate.com\/?p=6729"},"modified":"2015-09-15T10:40:55","modified_gmt":"2015-09-15T10:40:55","slug":"job-shop-owner-lives-his-dream-thanks-to-haas-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mtuupdate.in\/mtu\/2015\/09\/15\/job-shop-owner-lives-his-dream-thanks-to-haas-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"Job shop owner lives his dream, thanks to HAAS machine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Based in the south of Germany, Metallmanufaktur GmbH has come a long way in a short time. From a standing start in 2013, when the company found early business by simply cold-calling potential customers, Metallmanufaktur now serves a variety of different industries. Investing only in Haas CNC machine tools, including automated five-axis and high-speed models, the firm has thrived, and has recently entered an agreement with local Haas Factory Outlet (HFO) Katzenmeier to be a regional Haas showroom.
\nSmall, lean, and very keen<\/strong>
\nIn 2013, Jochen Schumacher\u2019s dream of running his own business became reality with the establishment of Metallmanufaktur GmbH in\u00a0Orsingen-Nenzingen, Germany, 130 kilometers south of Stuttgart, close to the Swiss border. Although not an obvious location for a machine shop, the company has been able to fill a small but lucrative niche for a reliable, fast, cost-effective subcontract machine shop that the area was lacking.
\n

\"Pictured<\/a>

Pictured on the left is Stefano Ceccato, CEO at Alluminio Sammarinese, whose father started the company.<\/p><\/div>\n\u201cWe started\u00a0in\u00a02013\u00a0with a\u00a0Haas\u00a0VF-2SS Super-Speed CNC vertical machining centre, and\u00a0a Haas\u00a0UMC-750\u00a0five-axis universal machining centre,\u201d explains Mr. Schumacher, who first heard about Haas in his previous role as head of the mechanical production department at medical technology specialists, Leica Biosystems, near Heidelberg.
\n\u201cAlthough I never had the\u00a0opportunity\u00a0to buy\u00a0Haas\u00a0technology\u00a0during my\u00a0time at Leica,\u00a0I\u00a0always said\u00a0that\u00a0if I were to ever start my own business,\u00a0I\u00a0was going to do it\u00a0with\u00a0Haas\u00a0machines.\u201d
\nIn the very beginning, Mr. Schumacher had to cold-call potential customers to secure business for\u00a0Metallmanufaktur. He would use the Internet to research trade fair exhibitors whose products and parts might be a good match for his capabilities.\u00a0Happily, cold-calling is no longer required \u2013 new customers now find him, typically through word-of-mouth recommendations. Fresh contacts are added almost every week, which has allowed Metallmanufaktur to expand into a neighbouring building.
\n

\"The<\/a>

The two Haas UMC-750 five-axis universal machining centres recently at Alluminio Sammarinese are configured in a two-machine cell with one operator attending to both, working 21 hours a day across three, 7-hour shifts.<\/p><\/div>\nIn early 2015, Metallmanufaktur agreed to become a Haas Factory Outlet (HFO) showroom for regional Haas distributor, Katzenmeier.
\n\u201cThere was nowhere south\u00a0of\u00a0Stuttgart\u00a0where it was possible to demonstrate the potential of Haas machines,\u201d says Mr. Schumacher. \u201cSo, after discussions with Bernd Katzenmeier, CEO of Haas Factory Outlet Sueddeutschland, and Jens Thing, managing director of Haas Automation Europe, it\u00a0was decided that here would be a good\u00a0location.\u00a0We had around 220 people attend the grand opening of the showroom earlier this year: a mixture of existing and potential Haas customers. Of course, having all of those engineering companies come and see the Haas machines on our premises is also good for us. It\u2019s great networking!\u201d
\nA short time before the grand opening, a second Haas UMC-750 five-axis universal machining centre was acquired by\u00a0Metallmanufaktur in March 2015, this time fitted with an automated loading system.
\n\u201cThe idea was to purchase a machine that could run unsupervised the whole day, through the night or at weekends. It\u2019s difficult\u00a0to find fully trained and\u00a0qualified personnel\u00a0in this area,\u201d explains Mr. Schumacher.
\nParts produced on this machine include 200-off batches of industrial metrology components, and similar quantities of parts used on garbage collection trucks \u2013 all loaded automatically and completed on the Haas UMC five-axis machine in a single setup. When a part is finished, the door opens and a robot arm extends inside the working envelope before lifting the part from its fixture. The gripping device then rotates 180\u00b0\u00a0and deposits a fresh blank in its place, before exiting. Chip-to-chip time is around 30 seconds.
\nAs an HFO regional showroom,\u00a0Metallmanufaktur keeps demonstration machines on-site, including a Haas Super Mini Mill and an ST-20Y CNC turning centre with Y-axis capability.
\nAlthough the company currently out-sources any turning operations, the plan is to bring turning in-house. For now, however, Metallmanufaktur is focussed on prismatic parts, machined from all types of metals and plastics. For instance, the company produces around 180 different components (from various materials) for special hospital beds designed for overweight patients.
\n

\"The<\/a>

The business was founded in 1981, and has grown steadily, thanks in part to a planned programme of investment in the latest manufacturing technologies, which includes two Haas UMC-750 five-axis universal machining centres.<\/p><\/div>\nThe Haas\u00a0VF-2SS Super-Speed CNC vertical machining centre owned by\u00a0Metallmanufaktur also plays an important role. The machine\u2019s 12,000-rpm spindle and rapid travels ensure Metallmanufaktur can be competitive on all job types. For example, in early 2015, the VF-2SS was used to successfully complete a series of 30,000 relatively simple parts featuring a large number of holes.
\nAnything complex is, of course, assigned to one of the UMC-750 five-axis machines. A case-in-point are batches of 60 aluminium chassis parts for a German manufacturer of workholding and gripping systems.\u00a0 Machined from solid to tight tolerances, each component demands around 3\u00bd hours of machining time.
\nTo simplify job scheduling and programming, the Haas machining centres at Metallmanufaktur are configured identically, using zero-point workholding systems, and the same type of cutting tools in corresponding stations in the toolchanger. On average, changeover times at Metallmanufaktur are just 5 to 10 minutes, with parts fully interchangeable between machines.
\n\u201cThe moment\u00a0I\u00a0differentiate\u00a0between\u00a0machines,\u00a0I lose\u00a0flexibility,\u201d concludes Mr. Schumacher. \u201cFrom a process and technical perspective, our operation is nearly perfect now. This is important because, aside from price and delivery, we need to show customers that we have the best offer for all industries; an offer that is based on Haas technology. And just because we are relatively small, doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t compete. We\u2019re as lean and competitive as any company.\u201d
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Based in the south of Germany, Metallmanufaktur GmbH has come a long way in a short time. From a standing start in 2013, when the company found early business by simply cold-calling potential customers, Metallmanufaktur now serves a variety of different industries. Investing only in Haas CNC machine tools, including automated five-axis and high-speed models,<\/p>\n

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