RIVAL’s new 17 tons DMG MORI NTX 2500 machine works with extreme stability and precision. It works around the clock unmanned with the KUKA robot from QRS.
RIVAL’s customers in the defence industry place great demands on RIVAL’s employees and machines. Just now, RIVAL has signed a multi-year contract with a customer to produce components to the armoured Stryker vehicle at the U.S. Army.
After several weeks of implementation, the DMG MORI machine and the KUKA robot from Quality Robot Systems (QRS) are now ready to produce critical and costly components with particularly high tolerances to the armoured Stryker vehicle. It happens during evenings and nights only monitored by one employee.
Four parts invent a new production set up
The preparatory work to the production of the components to the Stryker vehicle was initiated several month ago in an innovative collaboration between RIVAL, DMG MORI, the tool manufacturer Seco Tools and QRS. Previously, the components had to go through two turning and milling operations. Now, in the new setup with the DMG MORI machine and the KUKA robot, the entire production is carried out in one fixing. This reduces the time spent as well as the risk of errors.
Valuable collaborating with DMG
“We have initiated an exceptional collaboration with DMG, in which they take the responsibility for the entire instillation and guarantee to comply with the estimated production time on the components,” RIVAL’s CEO Henrik Holvad says. “RIVAL has then used this estimate in the pricing of the deal to the customer. At the same time, we have purchased the entire package from DMG; the DMG MORI NTX 2500 and the KUKA robot including tools, installation and implementation, safety barriers and training of our employees. We have been very pleased with that,” he says.
Reduces the need of quality control
The DMG MORI machine is very special. Due to its weight and size as well as its build-in cooling system, the machine operates with extreme precision – even at many repetitions.
“Extreme precision is an essential element when we have to comply with demanding tolerances over a long production period,” Glenn Scharling says. “Thus, it provides a great advantage in serial productions of complex components to the armoured Stryker and is supported by the machine’s ability to both turn and mill in one fixing.”
It is appreciated by many customers as it minimises the need for subsequent quality control. In order to increase the machine’s flexibility, we have also purchased the large tool magazine with a total of 114 different tools and the expensive SMW cartridges, which allow us to quickly change from one component to another.
Significant streamlining of the production
With the new set-up, both RIVAL and DMG expect to be able to reduce the production time by half. “Since we can avoid having components waiting on pallets before the next operation, the production process is streamlined significantly,” Henrik Holvad says. “It also reduces the risk of errors and streamlines the process of control measuring tolerances in our Zeiss measurement machine. So, we can offer our customers in the defense industry a really good deal, which is also the reason why, we entered into this new agreement.”
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