Reducing staff requirements and increasing machine availability with the GROB G520F – a dream come true for Druckguss Westfalen
As a specialist in aluminium die-casting, the company primarily manufactures components for the automotive industry, for both electric vehicles and internal combustion engines. Following a new customer order involving component sizes on an unprecedented scale, Druckguss Westfalen faced the challenge in 2022 of acquiring a new, suitable machine. And this is where GROB-WERKE came into the picture.
The G520F demonstrates that the Bavarian machine manufacturer can more than satisfy not only automotive customers but also those in the die-casting industry; to this day, it continues to deliver outstanding performance in production, much to the complete satisfaction of Druckguss Westfalen.
AMB 2022 – the springboard for the start of a new partnership
Martin Simon, Production Manager at Druckguss Westfalen, was introduced to the G520F at AMB 2022. His very first impression of the machine was extremely positive. But it wasn’t just the machine that impressed him from the outset; the GROB staff also made a strong impression with their expertise right from the start. “Based on my personal experience at the trade fair around 20 years ago, I approached the stand with a degree of caution. Back then, I was told that GROB’s main customers were exclusively OEMs. However, things were very different in 2022, and from the very first minute of our conversation, we gained an insight into the technical expertise of the GROB staff and felt that our questions and concerns were being taken seriously,” says Martin Simon, recounting his first encounter with GROB and the G520F at AMB 2022. “I was particularly impressed by the size and dynamism of the machine even at AMB,” Martin Simon continues.
A range of factors influenced the decision to purchase
A new order from a major German car manufacturer presented Druckguss Westfalen with new challenges that could not be met with its existing machinery. The components specified in the order were larger than any parts the company had previously manufactured. Furthermore, the machinery market was severely overheated at that time, in 2022.
Following the pandemic, demand for production equipment skyrocketed. The enormous demand for machinery, combined with global supply chain issues, meant that some suppliers who had made it onto the shortlist were categorically ruled out by Druckguss Westfalen due to their delivery times. Not so with GROB, however; the machine manufacturer stood out from all other suppliers and distinguished itself above all through its immediate response on the very same day. Just one day later came the invitation to Mindelheim, to the manufacturer’s main plant, to clarify all further details. “And two days later, we were actually already at GROB in Mindelheim,” says Martin Simon, still marvelling today when he thinks back on how quickly everything happened back then. And the visit to Mindelheim proved a success.
Following in-depth discussions, the decision was finally made in favour of the G520F. But it wasn’t just the machine’s outstanding features that won them over. As had been the case at the AMB, the expert support and advice provided by GROB’s sales team also made a strong impression. Of course, the extremely short delivery time for the machine was also a decisive factor in the purchase. Within three months, the G520F was installed in the hall at Druckguss Westfalen, commissioned and production was able to commence.
A production dream comes true
The G520F was integrated into the existing production environment at Druckguss Westfalen within a production cell. Within the production cell, milling and washing take place, and a differential pressure test is carried out.
“The delivery and integration of the machine went smoothly and without any complications,” says Martin Simon, still delighted to this day.
The system is used to manufacture aluminium housings for a car manufacturer, which house the power electronics. Due to the component dimensions of 280 mm by 800 mm, Druckguss Westfalen ultimately decided to integrate a swivel changer. On the one hand, to reduce the ergonomic strain on staff; on the other hand, of course, to increase productivity many-fold.
By integrating the G520F, Druckguss Westfalen was able to reduce staffing levels by one person per three-shift cycle. By reducing staffing levels and increasing the running time and availability of the plant, overall equipment effectiveness was boosted to 90 per cent. Furthermore, GROB’s service and technical support teams were always on hand and provided Druckguss Westfalen with comprehensive support. “During production, we actually had two instances where we needed GROB’s full support. Their swift and expert assistance was a huge help to us, and everything was resolved immediately,” said Martin Simon.
The G520F in detail
The G520F was developed specifically for machining lightweight components such as frame structures and chassis parts, as well as battery housings, making it ideally suited for Druckguss Westfalen’s applications. The G520F is a twin-spindle machine for the parallel machining of two workpieces. It has a clearance diameter of up to 1,200 mm on the B-axis and 1,200 mm on the A-axis (without restriction), with a maximum workpiece length of up to 1,500 mm (with restricted axis swivel range).
The A/B-axis combination in the table ensures unobstructed chip removal and optimum heat dissipation, making it ideally suited for MMS machining. The axis arrangement corresponds to the tried-and-tested GROB machine concept of the G series. Modular and standardised GROB machine components ensure the highest product quality, very high dynamics and short chip-to-chip times. Furthermore, the machine can be flexibly automated, as was the case at Druckguss Westfalen. In principle, the G520F offers a choice between two types of workpiece loading: either top loading via a GROB linear gantry, or front loading via a GROB pallet changer, a swivel or slide changer, a robot, or manually by an operator.
Still completely satisfied, even two years on
“I would always recommend GROB. It’s the best machine I’ve ever bought. Precise, dynamic and reliable. The additional purchase costs are easily recouped over the machine’s service life,” emphasises Martin Simon.
Druckguss Westfalen has not regretted its decision to opt for the GROB G520F for a single minute to this day. On the contrary: the company plans to further expand its machine fleet with GROB machines and is increasingly basing its calculations for new enquiries on GROB machines. “Thanks to our rapid availability and our specialists in the field of machining, we can offer our customers a wide range of solutions. Naturally, we are all the more delighted when such collaborations lead to further projects,” says Frank Uelwer, Sales Manager at Produktionstechnik NRW, an official GROB sales agency.