upgrade no. 09 - December 2002

INNOVATION AND PROGRESS IN METAL FORMING
Journal of
LASCO UMFORMTECHNIK
WERKZEUGMASCHINENFABRIK
for customers, employees and
business partners.
5th Year, issue no. 9, December 2002
Trends + Markets
Smooth conversion
in CAD
Page 2
News
Page 3
Jung Boucke orders
the 16th LASCO hammer
Know-how
Page 4
The more efficient
way to the forming process
Forming simulations shorten
the way to the optimum forging
process and reduce costs.
Lasco applies them.
In-house
Page 7
New standards in
quality management
In practice
GRÜNES HERZ
quickens heartbeat
Page 8
Editorial
Trends+ Markets
By Friedrich Herdan,
President
Meet the
challenge
Times really change quickly: while the German industry was glad to see a
clear improvement in
orders received at the end
of the summer, meanwhile
disillusionment has
returned. Even more so
following the first decisions made by the new
Federal Government.
While we are well aware of
the fact that the realisation of these decisions will
again result in an increase
in ancillary costs in
Germany, we consider it
futile to discuss whether
they are adequate, useful
or even unavoidable. They
exist – and the companies, as well as their
employees, will have to
live with them.
The challenge inherent in
this situation can be
accentuated by one single
question: How can we
remain competitive internationally in spite of the
increasing load of taxes
and levies? The answer is
as simple in theory as it is
difficult in practical realisation: We have to become even more efficient
in all sectors – and at the
same time we have to be
more creative than ever
before in developing new,
innovative and unique products and services.
Without disregarding the
dimensions of this task, I
am optimistic, as the people and companies in
Germany have always
excelled in overcoming
difficult situations handson. In which way LASCO,
as a supplier of technologies to its customers,
meets the challenge, is
reflected by a series of
articles in this edition of
UpGrade. With my best
wishes to you and your
employees for a beneficial
reading, a merry
Christmas and a good
start into the new year.
2
UPGRADE
Progressive technology.
Having completed the conversion to HICAD in design software, LASCO now
possesses a uniform 2D/3D-system (left picture). The core feature of the required migration was the conversion of the
archives of about 40 000 2D-drawings including the corresponding meta data.
LASCO installs 30 HiCAD-licences
Change in record time
Coburg. LASCO Umformtechnik GmbH has performed
the conversion from a 2DCAD-system into the uniform
2D/3D-system HiCAD from
the company ISD Software
und Systeme GmbH within a
very short period
The core feature of this
migration was the conversion of the existing archives of about 40 000 2Ddrawings including the corresponding meta data. A
total of 30 CAD worksta-
tions have been changed to
HiCAD.
Convincing
testing phase
After the start of the project in November 2001,
there was an initial 90-day
testing phase with four
HiCAD
workstations,
during which 1 500 drawings were converted by the
ISD as a first step and a
specification for a MRP
coupling was established.
This testing phase was so
convincing that already at
that time the decision was
made to install further
HiCAD
workstations.
Another 90 days were
intended for the realisation
of this objective. During
this time the entire existing
2D-data of 40 000 drawings including all database
entries were converted. In
parallel, 32 employees
were trained and a network
was installed. Moreover,
the hardware supplied by
ISD and a bootable MRP
coupling were installed.
Smooth conversion
In retrospect Günter
Hofmann, head of the
design department and
Prokurist (authorised signatory), states: "We have
suffered no losses at all in
the design department
during the conversion.”
Mobile communication
Help to help yourself
Coburg. New technologies
permit mobile solutions for
communication that take
information and applications
to the place where they are
really needed: to the machine user on site. LASCO
has recognised this tendency at an early stage and profited from it.
Upon the request of the
customers LASCO forming
units have been equipped
with tele-service systems
for several years now. Their
advantages are evident: the
transfer of data about the
control system and about
the condition of the machine to the manufacturer
Cover picture:
LASCO SPR 315 at GRÜNES
HERZ in Thuringia.
by LASCO - December 2002
enables the latter to get a
comprehensive picture and
to provide useful assistance to the service personnel at site regarding
maintenance, conversion
and repair work. New
standards in wireless communication and picture
transfer permit this even in
real time, i.e. directly from
the expert to the technician
at the machine.
Mobile solutions for
communication increase
the availability of the production line, improve the
quality of services, speed
up the commissioning and
provide a greater flexibility
of manufacturing lines.
Here, the use of standard
technology assures the efficiency of these systems.
On-line competence.
Modern mobile communication units permit direct assistance for the maintenance personnel from the manufacturer – at site and in
real time.
News
Stamperia di
Menzago
wants to grow
Menzago. The mediumsized forging company
Stamperia di Menzago with
its seat in Menzago di
Sumirago (in Central Italy)
is pleased to do good business. Now, the company
invests into a hydraulic
LASCO double-acting hammer type HO-U 200 in
order to improve the quality
of its products even further
and to expand its range of
products. Founded in 1967,
Stamperia with its 40
employees manufactures
predominantly components
for the automobile, motorcycle and mineral oil industry. The order is the first one
for a machine placed with
LASCO by Stamperia di
Menzago.
Special shifts in the manufacturing
department
Hot autumn
for fitters
Coburg. From September to
November LASCO delivered
machines having a total
value of close to ten million
Euro.
The employees in the fitting department were faced
with a proverbial "hot
autumn”. They had to work
special shifts to assure the
timely delivery and commissioning of a total of
seven forming units to
Germany, Eastern Europe
and overseas countries.
A deep-drawing press
type TZP 800 for sheetmetal forming was delivered to Paderborn and a
hydraulic
double-acting
hammer type HO-U 630 in
special design to Plettenberg. Screw presses of
types SPR 315, SPR 800
and two SPP 630 were
expected by customers in
Thuringia and in the USA.
Also a Russian customer,
who had manufacturermodernised a LASCO hammer KH 100 with long
merits, was able to start
production on time.
Heavy load.
The machine seeming to be as light
as a feather is by no means suitable for air freight. The
SPR 315 that was loaded onto an articulated lorry in
November for delivery to a customer in Thuringia weighs
almost 18 tonnes.
Products from Waltec Forgings in great demand
Jung Boucke orders forging line
New Pacemaker
16th Unit from LASCO
Wallaceburg.
Waltec
Forgings of Wallaceburg,
Ontario (Canada), is preparing to install a new LASCO
SPR 1600 direct drive
screw press with frequency
converter. Thus, the com-
pany wants to keep up with
demand for its high-quality, highly engineered nonferrous forged products.
The industrial group founded in 1954 is considered
the leading Canadian
source for forgings, machined forgings and screw
machined components in a
variety of non-ferrous
alloys.
Halver. The high-tech-forger
Jung Boucke in North RhineWestphalia has ordered one
more forging line from
LASCO - its 16th forming unit.
The company has now
projected together with
LASCO a forging line consisting of a hydraulic
double-acting hammer HOU 250, automation equipment and a master control
system for the production of
valve rockers and towing
hooks. The 16th LASCO
machine is due for production in Halver in April 2003.
At Jung Boucke GmbH &
Co. already 15 LASCO
double-acting hammers between 125 and 200 kJ, as
well as a 1000 t forging
press, are in operation.
Looking back at a history
of more than 100 years, the
company with its more than
300 employees in two locations, as well as its 100 %
subsidiary Flockenhaus at
Gevelsberg, manufactures
among other things towing
systems, motor-, gear-,
steering- and brake components, hinges, seat- and
restraining systems, flanges,
spring shackles, valve flaps,
clamp connections and
systems for the fixing of axles.
Convincing solution for sheet-metal forming
Most rapid start
Coburg. Fully automatic
manufacturing
solutions
developed by LASCO for the
production of structural parts
from
sheet-metal
for
vehicles convince the automobile suppliers.
Good stress-relief ensures longer life.
The massive
U-frames for LASCO forging hammers are stress-relieved. This process
ensures material properties needed in view of the enormous blow forces of up
to 100 MN.
Recently, a renowned
German supplier of the
automobile industry has
been honoured by the respective automobile group
for the most rapid start of
serial production of the
products ordered by him.
Since March 2001, the
parts in question have been
produced on a fully automatic LASCO deep-drawing
press TZP 1000. The
customer had decided on a
co-operation with LASCO
owing to the quality of project management and to
the know-how. In November
he installed an additional
TZP 800 including LASCO
automation
technology
(walking-beam transfer).
UPGRADE
by LASCO - December 2002
3
Know-how
Possibilities of simulation
1. degree of
deformation
2. temperature
3. yield stress
4. forming speed
5. flow lines
6. tooling
a) stresses
b) deformation
The computerised process simulation safes time and costs
A more efficient way to find the optimum
forming process
Fixing a pre-form for a screw press with a fl
Coburg. For a long time, the computer-aided simulation of forming processes had been disparaged by the production companies as an engineer’s toy. Meanwhile, more and more forming companies have detected the tangible advantages they
get from using this innovative technology. To find the optimum
forming process for the component to be manufactured more
quickly and at more favourable costs – often, this is one of the
keys for a decisive head start over one’s competitors.
For about half a year
LASCO has been using the
simulation technology in
customer-orientated project management. This had
been preceded by an intensive testing phase with
various software solutions,
as well as by the co-operation with a chosen manufacturer in optimising his
EDV-tools. "Based on our
longstanding
know-how
regarding forming processes we have had an
intensive exchange of
views with the software
supplier. Moreover, we
have made suggestions to
improve the functionality
of the software,” explain
Manfred Baudler, Dipl.Ing. (FH), head of department in the section of process technology and projecting, and his assistant
Adrian Wien, Dipl.-Ing.
(FH), who intensively deals
with the application of
simulation software to the
areas of projecting and process technology.
In the meantime, more
than a dozen actual studies
have been carried out for
our customers. The results
of these simulations have
convinced everybody.
4
UPGRADE
Magic Triangle
The simulation technology is used at the beginning
of the projecting phase for
a forming unit. The determination of the optimum
forming machine, the
examination of the flow of
material and the fixing of
the individual stages of the
process for the component
to be produced form the
magic triangle being the
aim of such a study. Here,
the focus is on the force
and energy calculations
when choosing the machine, on the determination of the degree of filling
and of folding when examining the flow of material,
and on the selection of the
optimum billet and of the
number and kind of preforming operations when
fixing the stages.
CAD and
simulation software
1. Study:
applications and stp for 3D
applications. Moreover, all
process data, such as
material, component temperature, lubrication, etc.
are required for a simulation.
If no design data for the
component and for the
tools exist and can be
made available by the
customer, they will be
established by LASCO at
the CAD (2D or 3D) based
on customer drawings and
Pre-form 1
2. Study:
Forming target: flange
(cross-section)
Pre-form 2
Machine selection with a ring as an example
(Hammer)
Forming target:
ring
(cross-section)
billet
1. blow - 193 kJ
2. blow - 178 kJ
3. blow - 173 kJ
4. blow - 161 kJ
5. blow - 152 kJ
6. blow - 95 kJ
7. blow - 79 kJ
=> HO-U 2000
(blow energy = 200 kJ)
Usually, you start a
simulation from the geometric data of the tools and
of the billet or from the
components to be formed
in the required interface
format, i.e. dxf for 2D
by LASCO - December 2002
8. blow - 75 kJ
9. blow - 77 kJ
Most economic process.
10. blow - 58 kJ
In this example the most
economic way is established by simulation to forge a billet into the desired ring
using a hydraulic double-acting hammer. The calculation shows that
a unit having a blow energy of more than 193 kJ can perform this task
by ten blows.
Know-how
Virtual profiling.
The numeric characterisation of all properties of forming units relevant to the process is the pre-condition for fixing the
optimum machine for the component to be produced during a simulation. At LASCO, all types of their own (from the left) screw presses, hydraulic
presses, electric up-setters and forging hammers are covered by the software.
will be converted to the
respective format. Then,
the model will be built up
in the simulation software,
the necessary parameters
will be entered and the calculation will be started.
ange as an example
-> Flaws
Testing alternatives
The pre-condition for the
expressiveness of the simulation are databases where
the parameters relevant for
the processes of the forming machines and the
materials of component
and tool are stored. Those
"virtual profiles” stored will
always have to be updated
and adapted to technical
progress.
Finisher 1
-> No flaws!
Finisher 2
Machine selection with a steering knuckle as an example
(Hydraulic press)
At LASCO we can perform calculations for all our
own types of screw presses,
hydraulic presses, hydraulic double-acting hammers
and electric up-setters
linked with a multitude of
materials and alloys used
internationally.
Exact FE calculation
The design data entered
are first covered by a network using finite elements.
Adaptive self-controlling
algorithms will generate a
non-uniform optimum knot
density in the tetrahedron
networks – in 2D (rotation
symmetrical components)
and 3D designs (complex,
non-symmetrical components). This provides the
key for an exact calculation
of critical spots and for a
reduction in calculation
time. The preparation of
the simulation process will
be completed essentially
by the definition of the
component, of the top and
bottom tool, as well as by
the allocation of the material and machine parameters.
Reliable findings
Forming target:
steering knuckle
(cross-section)
The right design.
Billet
Pre-form
Finisher
In the example both operations are to be effected
at the same time (one descent of the press). Here, the required total force adds
up from the force required for the pre-form and for the finisher. This results in a
calculated value of approx. 19.000 kN. Thus, the optimum machine for the
operation from the LASCO programme is a VPE 2000 with a Fmax of 20.000 kN.
Six different effects of
the forming process can be
simulated and effectively
evaluated in graphs and
tables: degree of deformation, temperature,
yield
stress,
forming speed,
flow lines and tooling.
Moreover, the process can
also be shown as an animation. The calculation time
required for an animation
is – depending on the complexity of the geometry of
the component and on the
number of process parame-
Summary:
The advantages
of simulating
forming processes
.
.
.
.
Clear cost savings in
tool making, as forging
tests are largely eliminated.
Material and energy
savings owing to an
optimum design of the
pre-form for complicated components.
Early recognition and
elimination of problems (e.g. overlapping, faulty material
flow).
Longer tool life owing
to the optimum configuration based on
comprehensive stress
analysis.
ters fixed – between one
hour and several days.
The expressiveness and
the reliability of the calculations likewise convince
experienced designers and
practical users. Undesirable forming effects for
reasons of wrong billets,
tools or stages – such as
flaws or buckling, etc. – are
detected by the computer
without remorse. Already at
the end of the study the
optimum process will have
been defined. The investor
can renounce to expensive
test forging with sample
tools. Compared with traditional methods, the cost
advantage resulting from
this alone will quickly amount to five or six digit Euro
sums.
UPGRADE
by LASCO - December 2002
5
In-house
Share of trainees
increased again
Honours in connection with jubilees
Competence,
readiness for duty
and efficiency
Coburg. Even companies
looking back at a long tradition don’t have an occasion
to honour longstanding and
meritorious employees every
day. On the same day LASCO
was able to thank a total of
four men for their 40 or 25
year commitment.
During a ceremony,
President Friedrich Herdan
paid tribute to the achievements of Chief Engineer
Günter Hofmann (see
report on page 7), Kurt Fey,
as well as Matthias Löffler
and Ulrich Hofmann, over
the years in various fields
of activity and areas of responsibility for the company. When handing over
the diplomas of the
Chamber of Industry and
Commerce and the decorations of the Kuratorium der
Bayerischen
Wirtschaft
(Board of Trustees of the
Bavarian Economy), Mr.
Herdan said that LASCO
holds them in high esteem
and thanks them.
Günter Hofmann can
look back at 40 years in
our company. After he joined the company in August
1962 he was trained as a
machinist for three and a
half years. Having passed
his final exams successfully, he was accepted as a
mechanic for machining
and soon qualified as the
operator of a boring mill.
Kurt Fey joined LASCO
in September 1977 as a
sales and project engineer.
After he had initially been
responsible for the inner
German markets and for
Eastern Europe, he was
entrusted with the management of the sales department in 1980. His task has
consisted and consists of
organising
international
sales. The expansion of
business activities brought
along a re-organisation of
LASCO. As of 2000 Kurt
Fey has become department manager with Prokura
(authorised signature) in
the sales department.
Also in 1977 Matthias
Löffler started his career as
a trainee for technical
draftsman. After successful final exams, he was entrusted with demanding
tasks in designing automation systems for forging
machines already at an
early stage. In parallel with
his work, Löffler qualified
further as a technician for
mechanical engineering
and passed his exams very
successfully in 1993. In
1998 he was appointed the
assistant manager of the
design areas automation
and forging technology.
Intensive training. For three days these four
trainees from Leuwico, a manufacturer of office furniture,
intensively tackled the programming and maintenance of
programmable controllers at LASCO.
Training co-operation
Curious guests
Coburg. LASCO has for the
first time supported intercompany training courses
with the aim of providing
young people with the best
professional training possible.
had an intensive training in
the programming and maintenance of programmable
controllers at the modern
equipment available in the
LASCO training section.
Four trainees as industrial mechanic with the
specialisation on production technology from the
renowned manufacturer of
office and CAD furniture
Leuwico (Meeder-Wiesenfeld)
were our guests for three
days. During this time they
A company which trains
people is obliged by the
training regulations to provide its trainees with the
expert knowledge in this
field in the fourth year of
training. However, Leuwico
lacks the technical facilities to do so.
Personnel
In
July
Emile Fortanier
(46) has come
in as a reinforcement for
the team of
sales
engiFortanier
neers.
The
Dutchman studied commercial engineering sciences at the advanced techni-
Reliable force. In autumn, LASCO was in a position to honour the performance
of employees with long-year commitment. This picture shows (from the left) Matthias
Löffler, President Friedrich Herdan, Kurt Fey, Ulrich Hofmann and the chairman of the
works council Giancarlo Azzali during the handing over of the diplomas and decoration.
6
UPGRADE
by LASCO - December 2002
cal college of Eindhoven
and gathered practical
experience at home and
abroad while working for
the Philips group. Before
joining LASCO he had been
successful in the management of a retailer for home
entertainment products for
18 years.
As of July 1,
2002, Jürgen
Ströbele is in
charge of the
quality assurance department. StröbeStröbele
le was trained
as a machinist at LASCO.
Afterwards he worked in
the quality assurance
department and externally
qualified as an industrial
master at the beginning of
the 90ies. Having rejoined
the company in 1995, he
worked as quality tester at
the beginning and later on
as assistant manager for
the quality assurance
department.
Coburg. Against the background
of
growing
demands to the spectre of
competence in mechanical
engineering (see article
page 2) LASCO has once
again increased the investments in training efforts –
in particular in the industrial and technical section. After leaving school,
ten young people started
their professional training
at LASCO in September.
More than two thirds of the
new trainees are trained
for industrial and technical
occupations: three mechatronics, three industrial
mechanics with the specialisation on machine and
system technology and one
machining mechanic with
a specialisation on milling
technology. The commercial trainees are trained as
female white-collar workers (2) and as white-collar
worker for computer sciences (1).
With the new ones, the
number of trainees at
LASCO has reached 41.
This corresponds to a
share of 14 per cent. For
years this share has been
clearly above average in
the industry. Our company
understands the training
efforts as an investment in
safe-guarding its future.
10 years with LASCO
Dr. Hans Kühnlenz,
Quality Management
01.07.2002
Mario Sollmann, Varnishing Dept. 16.07.2002
Stefan Fink, Electrical
Fitting Dept. 01.09.2002
Recently retired
Peter Reißenberger,
Fitting Dept.
30.09.2002
Bernhard Ströhlein,
Purchasing Dept.
30.11.2002
Sadly mourned
Helmut Dumdey,
Pensioner † 17.08.2002
Reinhold Schilling,
Pensioner † 23.10.2002
In-house
House magazine
FH-Web-Site with LMS assistance
The advanced technical college at Coburg (FH) has
completely reviewed its web-site with the assistance of
the LASCO branch Multimedia Services (LMS). For the
first time, several thousand details about the educational institution are presented within a uniform framework and including all faculties. A content management
system facilitates the continued up-dating of this internet application aiming at international objectives.
New standard: DIN EN ISO 9001:2000
Significant expansion of
quality management
Coburg. One year earlier
than necessary LASCO has
again been successfully certified per the expanded
standard DIN EN ISO
9001:2000. This certification had been preceded by a
comprehensive revision of
the quality management
system with the objective of
increasing customer satisfaction further.
Already at the end of a
two month testing phase it
had become obvious that
the objectives related to
the reformation of the quality management system
Congratulations. Chief Engineer Günter
Hofmann (left, with congratulator Friedrich Herdan) has
devoted almost his entire professional life to LASCO.
A guarantor for efficiency
Untiring for 40 years
Coburg. On the occasion of
the jubilee of Prokurist (authorised signatory) and Chief
Engineer Günter Hofmann,
President Friedrich Herdan
attested him "commitment
above average and outstanding capabilities”.
Messe 2003
40 years ago – on 1st of
August 1962 – the present
head of all design departments joined LASCO as a
designer. As the head of
the department hydraulic
presses (1970-80), the
head of the design department with overall Prokura
(authorised signature) for
the technical section of
mechanical engineering
(1980-99) and in addition
as head of the special
branch of research/development/production planning he has rendered outstanding services to the
company. In recognition of
his merits he was appointed Chief Engineer. At the
end of the 80ies he
developed the technical
basis for the success of the
new section mechanical
engineering/building material industry.
have been reached in full,
said President Friedrich
Herdan. However, he conceded that the lasting
effects of these changes
could be assessed only at a
later date. For the time
being, the successful certification by the Deutsche
Gesellschaft zur Qualitätssicherung (Frankfurt/Main)
in November were a confirmation of the fact that the
company is on the right
track. The potential for
improvements recognised
during the several-day
audit would be integrated
into the system. In compa-
rison with the old edition of
1994, the revised DIN EN
ISO mainly tightens the criteria for the measurability
of the obtaining of quality
objectives, for the proof of
customer satisfaction, for
the proof of training efficiency and for the proof as
to product and process
capacity.
In 1993, LASCO had
had certified its quality
management as one of the
first mechanical engineering companies in Germany
according to this standard.
LASCO at the High-Tech-day of the FH Coburg
A high-light on
technological transfer
Coburg. Technological transfer in practical application
was high-lighted by the
second High-Tech-day of the
FH Coburg.
This event – last year
initiated by the Bavarian
Government - took place
again for reasons of the
great public interest. In
contrast to the first event,
this time the group of exhibitors from our region was
a more intimate one. The
intention was to demonstrate how closely the
advanced technical college
(FH) and the economy cooperate under practical conditions. Special, however,
not exclusive interest was
placed in the engineering
faculties.
In view of these objectives it wasn’t astonishing
that LASCO was near the
top of the list of companies
invited by the advanced
technical college (FH). For
many years the advanced
technical college (FH) and
LASCO have been closely
linked. LASCO does not
only support the engineering education by technical appliances, traineeships and dissertations
submitted for diplomas.
Often, the FH graduates
are first choice when experts
and managers are recruited
by LASCO.
We exhibite:
March
Metalworking
2003
Belarus, Russia
25.-28.03.2003
April
Forge Fair
Cincinnati/Ohio, USA
08.-10.04.2003
May
Metal Tech
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In the centre of interest.
On the occasion of the Second High-Tech-Day
at the Advanced Technical College Coburg, LASCO explained, how the exchange between
industry and college works in practice.
UPGRADE
by LASCO - December 2002
7
Interview
In practice
Producers’ co-operative invests in LASCO screw press
GRÜNES HERZ in Thuringia
quickens its heartbeat
SIGMAR RECKNAGEL
Head of the
Technical Department,
metal processing company
GRÜNES HERZ eG
Unterschönau
Not imaginable
being better
UPGRADE: Mr. Recknagel,
how did GRÜNES HERZ
find LASCO as a partner?
Sigmar Recknagel: We had
inspected the possible
suppliers very well before
making an investment.
LASCO had always caught
our attention owing to the
consistently positive evaluation in the trade press.
When making contact
initially, we noted with
pleasure the enormous
spectre offered for hot forming and the uncompromising commitment to
customer requirements.
UPGRADE: Although your
company ordered a
LASCO unit for the first
time, you agreed to provide a reference for the
recently developed or
improved control system
with frequency converter.
Recknagel: This is true.
During the testing phase
we were sceptical for two
days, as then our expectations were not met.
However, already on the
third day we saw the
break-through. Now, we
are absolutely delighted
with this technology.
Unterschönau. A person wandering through the romantic landscapes of the Thuringian Forest between Oberhof and
Steinbach-Hallenberg will hardly assume that productive
hearts exist in those green valleys. Perhaps it’s also for this
reason that the co-operative GRÜNES HERZ (engl.: Green
Heart) in Unterschönau choose this name.
Not only its name is an
extraordinary feature of
GRÜNES HERZ. Its legal
form of a registered co-operative society is an exception among the production
companies in Germany, too.
In the same way as the
location this is linked to tradition, which, with justification, is held high in
Thuringia. Metal exploitation and machining has a
long history in and around
Steinbach-Hallenberg. As
early as in the 14th century
they started to mine for ore
there. The utilisation of
water power brought about
small workshops causing a
rapid industrialisation of
this region.
In 1958, seven longstanding craftsman companies
combined to form the metal
processing
company
GRÜNES HERZ. Following
its nationalisation by the
government of the GDR in
1972, in the context of the
reunification in 1990 on
this basis 67 share-holders
(members) founded the
company anew as a producers’ co-operative.
The centre of the production
programme
form
connecting parts (bolts) for
roadand
rail-bound
vehicles and for machine
tool construction. They are
manufactured by about 50
employees in small, medium and large series according to the specific
requests of the customers.
The materials used are lowalloy and high-allow quality
steel, fine steel and special
materials. The spectre is
complemented by a galvanising section with washing
and draining unit and a section for plastic mould injection. The hardening, tempering and hot galvanising of
the products is carried out
by certified partners.
Innovative
special design
Within the framework of
the comprehensive moder-
UPGRADE: Why is this so?
Recknagel: We can control
the energy of the ram between 1 and 100 per cent
with an accuracy of one
per cent. This permits a
really universal utilisation
of the screw press for our
production requirements
determined by small
series. We never had imagined such a gigantic
performance of the press.
UPGRADE: And the supplier’s performance?
Recknagel: A perfect one.
8
UPGRADE
Recently acquired. GRÜNES HERZ started
production on a LASCO SPR 315 in December.
by LASCO - December 2002
First-class connections. Typical examples
from the range of products of the producers’ co-operative
GRÜNES HERZ in Thuringia.
nisation programme started by GRÜNES HERZ in
the 90ies, they have invested in a LASCO screw
press type SPP 315 with
hydraulic drive. This special design for the production of bolt-shaped parts
with a length of 450 mm is
the first unit equipped by
LASCO with a newly developed converter. This electronic component controlling the motor by impulses
permits a more sensitive
adjustment of the energy
of the ram and of the press
force of the machine. This
is essential for the forming
of very precise contours
and, in comparison to traditional solutions, considerably reduces energy
consumption and tool
wear. The screw press has
been designed with a special stroke of 450 mm to
account for the long components. An additional
ejector, which carefully
removes the components
from the tool after the forming process, is an other
extra of this press providing a press force of up to
6.300 kN.
While this recent acquisition has just been put
into operation, in view of
the good order situation
further investments are
planned by the management. It’s not only in
Thuringia that one notes
with
pleasure
that
GRÜNES HERZ quickens
its heartbeat.
Journal of
LASCO UMFORMTECHNIK
WERKZEUGMASCHINENFABRIK
for customers, employees and
business partners
5th year, issue no. 9; December 2002
Editorial staff:
Dr.-Ing. Stefan Erxleben (Senior
Editor), Ralph Müller, Georg Weber
Editorial address:
Lasco Umformtechnik GmbH,
Hahnweg 139, D-96450 Coburg
Tel. ++ 49 (0) 95 61/ 6 42-0
Fax. ++ 49 (0) 95 61 / 6 42-3 33
eMail: lasco@lasco.de
Internet: www.lasco.de
Photos:
LASCO, Hans-Joachim Pfadenhauer
(Coburg), Klaus Wöhner (Coburg),
VDMA (Frankfurt/M.),
Grünes Herz eG (Unterschönau).
Layout and lithografy:
w e b e r - kommunikation, Neustadt.
Printing:
Fiedler Druck & Co. KG, Coburg.