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With the updates to the milling machine fleet at STIHL,
the number of single components and assembled tools
is increasing sharply. This makes keeping a central
overview of all of the components and data involved
in the milling process a challenge. As an established
manufacturer of presetting devices, ZOLLER offered the
company a “digital outlook” and expandable solution
right from the start with its tool management software.
Today, centralized tool data management is a reality in
test part service at STIHL, and digital process chains in
tool handling have been completed — a path that has
paid off.
Development-oriented Process Chain —
High Manufacturing Flexibility
The spectrum of components involved in the STIHL test
part service is highly diverse, encompassing almost all
components that later make up the finished product. Be
sides all of the rapid prototyping technologies, shaping
and machining processes are also used to quickly and
efficiently supply prototypes to development. These
processes require short lead and reaction times, a
broad variety of materials, and widely varying parts
quantities between 1 and 100 in internal NC process
ing. Because of this, the entire process chain uses high
employee and machine flexibility to quickly manufacture
individual prototypes at a high level of quality.
Starting Point: Machine Fleet Updates Put Tool
Management in Focus
Updates to the milling machine fleet in test part service
at STIHL, which involved moving from 3 to 5-axis simul
taneous processing, have facilitated a considerable in
crease in milling efficiency and a significant expansion
of the component portfolio. An increase in the number
of milling tools accompanied the update. Suddenly, 30
to 60 magazine locations were available, putting extra
focus on tool management. “With the 3-axis machines,
the diversity of tools was still easy to manage, and
operators could quickly ask one another which one of
them was working with which tool.
With the new machine capacities and stronger focus on
CAM programming, tools needed to be clearly defined,
digitally recorded, and locally assigned,” Patrick Pfeffer,
STIHL Project Manager for the introduction of the tool ma
nagement system, says in describing the initial situation.
In Focus: Digital Networking Capabilities
With the investment in presetting and measuring
machines from ZOLLER, questions about the system’s
capabilities for integration and expansion were in
focus. How can measuring devices and software be
optimally integrated into existing NC manufacturing
at STIHL, and which interfaces to machines, CAM, or
simulation systems are required? “Here, ZOLLER sim
ply performed the best for our shop floor environment,
impressing us with flexible software customizing,”
says Christoph von Hiller, Group Leader in Prototype
Construction at STIHL. “With a central tool database,
software interfaces, and modular software, ZOLLER of
fered a digital outlook and clear opportunities for de
velopment, including with regard to tool management.”
Consistent data transfer to the machine.
ST I HL
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Z.magazine 2017