which was manual and led to rather low hourly output – especially compared to the rates of “normal” screws – and the very long setup times on the older machines. At the same time challenges for more efficient production increased in 2008. “So far, we did not have a machine manufacturer who could offer solutions for us.”
Challenges for production technology The very length of SWG’s parts presents specific challenges. Plant manager Mathias Blinzinger explains: “Starting at 200mm in length screws cannot be handled as bulk material anymore. They require quite different logistics compared to standard screws.” What he means becomes apparent, for example, in the heat treatment facility: “While parts with up to 200mm in length can be sent through the furnace on standard belts long parts require being transported hanging in special racks. The furnaces in turn need to be equipped to handle these racks. In addition, these racks can (almost) only be filled and later emptied manually.” But it is not only heat treatment that requires special handling.
Finding an efficient production machine had been a task that was taken on by Günter Stiebitz, design and development manager, and his team. Their demand to the machine manufacturer EWMenn was: “Can you build us a machine that has the outstanding output rates, the short changeover times and the reliability and precision of an EWMenn machine for standard screws and can run parts starting at 200mm and going up to 1,000mm in length?”
Unique in its class EWMenn´s technical
director, Eberhard Roth took on the challenge. Almost two years of design and development work resulted in the Flat-Die Thread Rolling Machine now called the Model GW 161-HX together with its unique capabilities. It is able to roll parts having up to 1,000mm in shank length and 350mm in thread length in diameters ranging from 7mm to 16mm. The 42 tonne machine averages 60 to 70 parts per minute running these kinds of products. It also has
the familiar features that have come to characterise machines built by EWMenn over the years. For example, the Hydraulic Die Carrier Clamping System and the diameter settings can easily be controlled from the touch screen operator console. The same is true for the height adjustment of feeder and feed rails. And even this 95kW high powered drive allows adjustment of die match while the machine is in production. A special highlight is a newly developed function of the GW
161-HX. Should it happen that, for example due to bent blanks or die wear, a parts gets stuck in between the dies, it usually was quite a bit of work getting the stuck part out and restarting
production. Frequently this operation caused damage to the dies and sometimes even to the machine. Not so on the GW 161-HX. Here, it is enough to push a button to “free” the part. Another button resets the machine and allows return to production. Ernst W. Menn, president of EWMenn comments: “Our Mr. Roth has thought of and realised a truly unique solution.”
The new GW 161-HX Flat Die Thread Rolling Machine is EWMenn’s largest machine. It produces extra long parts at SWG Production in Waldenburg in the German Hohenlohe area.
Long parts at considerably higher rates Looking back at the first 9 months of production with the new
GW 161-HX Flat Die Thread Rolling Machine at SWG Production Mathias Blinzinger and Günter Stiebitz have commented that: “The new machine has increased our output quite a bit*. We are happy about the extremely easy setup.” Their conclusion: “With the new GW 161-HX we will be able to produce considerably higher volumes in a much more efficient manner – this strengthens our competitive position.”
*”quite a bit” is quite a compliment in the German Hohenlohe area.
www.ewmenn.de
Günter Stiebitz, design and development manager at SWG Production feels confident about the operator friendliness of the new GW 161-HX from EWMenn.
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