5-Axis Machining Diversity to µm Precision
Voigt Systemtechnik GmbH from Großbreitenbach in Thuringia was founded by brothers Jens and Eckhard Voigt in 1990 shortly after reunification. This was the continuation of a family tradition, which was started by their great-grandfather at the end of the 19th century. With the new foundation after reunification, the range of services was quickly expanded to include industrial parts and assembly manufacturing.
There are now around 140 specialists working at the location. They manufacture complex and precise workpieces as well as entire assemblies for a range of industries, including medical technology, analytics, the optical industry, and electrotechnology. The machinery comprises approximately 40 machines, 15 of which are from DMG MORI, and some of which are also automated. The latest addition is a DMU 40, which has been tried and tested by Voigt Systemtechnik as a field test customer.
Flexible parts manufacturing for the most diverse industrial applications
Managing Director Jens Voigt knows that the experienced specialists and the diverse machinery are the basis of their sustained success: “Parts manufacturing in particular requires us to react flexibly to the different workpieces and batch sizes.” Series of up to 3,000 parts are just as likely to be on the daily schedule as medium-sized series production. “We have also used our expertise to develop our own products, including an adaptive jet cleaner that cleans the interior of demand-based and highly efficient tanks, and a gripper for sensitive products, controlled by compressed air,” Jens Voigt says, pleased with the innovative developments.
5-axis machining with DMG MORI
Complex components are typical for these products and customer orders. Modern manufacturing solutions are needed to machine them, ideally 5-axis machines, which Voigt Systemtechnik has been purchasing from DMG MORI for many years. 5-axis machining centers in a wide range of sizes have long had a fixed place in production, including a DMU 50 eVo linear, two DMU 50s, a DMU 70, a DMU 100 and a range of DMC machines. In addition there are other centers – an NLX 2000, for example. The high value of 5-axis technology and their longstanding good and cooperative relationship with DMG MORI has now led to the use of a field test machine from DMG MORI. The new DMU 40 was installed in 2022. The tool machine manufacturer designed the compact universal machine as an introduction to 5-axis simultaneous machining on the basis of the DMU 50 3rd Generation. Even more compact than the DMU 50 and with a machine width of just two meters, the DMU 40 offers a travel distance of 550 × 450 × 420 mm. At the same time, it enables 5-axis simultaneous machining of workpieces up to ø 500 × 445 mm and up to 300 kg. High-quality components such as the one-piece machine bed made of cast iron, the geometry-optimized Y- and Z-slides, as well as the speedMASTER spindle from DMG MORI ensure complex parts can be machined precisely.
5-axis precision machining with up to 5 μm tolerance
“The installed machine was designed specifically to machine aluminum and stainless steel, which makes it perfect for our manufacturing,” explains Michael Weyrauch, Process Manager at Voigt Systemtechnik and responsible for the project involving the DMU 40. The speedMASTER spindle with 20,000 rpm was selected for just this purpose. “It had already proven itself to be very reliable in other machining centers. We use it to machine complex workpieces productively as well as precisely and can even achieve accuracies of up to 5 μm under optimal conditions. We are currently running the machine in two-shift operation. However, with the appropriate automation, its high reliability and dimensional stability would also make it suitable for unmanned production during night shifts. Of course, the range of parts always needs to fit,” adds Michael Weyrauch.
„The DMU 40 has absolutely proven itself in our multishift operation. Its stability and accuracy mean we can achieve accuracies up to 5 μm.“
Jens Voigt, Managing Director Voigt Systemtechnik GmbH
Automated series production for small parts
According to Jens Voigt, Voigt Systemtechnik already achieves increased productivity with automated machining centers even in unmanned night shifts: “We have been using three MILLTAP 700s and a DMP 70 for manufacturing medium and large series since 2016 – all with the WH 3 Cell workpiece handling system.” Voigt Systemtechnik considers automated manufacturing to be an important pillar for the future: “If the range of parts is suitable for the machine, we will continue the automation process. We have already ordered a DMP 70 with WH 3 Cell.”
DMU 40 and Robo2Go Milling
When it comes to smaller batch sizes, Voigt Systemtechnik is also moving towards automation. As the next step, DMG MORI will install another DMU 40, this time with Robo2Go Milling. “This easy-to-operate robotic automation system has a workpiece magazine with a flexible grid that allows us to customize it to fit our parts.” The Robo2Go Milling has a load capacity of 25 or 35 kg transfer weight, depending on the version.
Voigt Systemtechnik GmbH
Ilmenauer Straße 4
98701 Großbreitenbach
Germany
www.voigt-systemtechnik.de