Produktivitätsanbieter mit komplettem Serviceangebot

Mit der Prozessauslegung wird der Grundstein dafür gelegt, welche Kosten für ein Bauteil entstehen. Entscheidende Rahmenbedingungen sind dabei Taktzeit und Prozessstabilität. MAPAL verfügt zwar seit langem über das erforderliche Werkzeug-Knowhow, doch für komplette Serviceangebote fehlten noch Elemente: Bei den Themen Spannvorrichtungen, Programmieren und Prozessabnahme konnte MAPAL bislang nicht in die Tiefe gehen. 

Mit der Übernahme der italienischen Firma X-Pro ist im vergangenen Jahr eine Lücke geschlossen worden. MAPAL ist nun in der Lage, mit Machbarkeitsanalysen und der optimalen Planung der Bearbeitungsschritte Kunden bereits frühzeitig bei der Bauteilindustrialisierung zu unterstützen und so die geforderten Taktzeiten und Qualitätsvorgaben sicher zu erreichen. 
„Ziel ist ein effizienter und stabiler Fertigungsprozess“, so Stephan Köstler, Global Head of Machines and Services bei MAPAL. Er ergänzt: „Bereits in der Konzeptphase werden Spannvorrichtungen so ausgelegt, dass sie den Anforderungen an Qualität und Prozesssicherheit gerecht werden – abgestimmt auf die Belastungen des Zerspanungsprozesses. Ein simuliertes und optimiertes NC-Programm sorgt dafür, dass alle Bearbeitungsschritte kollisionsfrei ablaufen, noch bevor das erste Teil gefertigt wird. Die Installation und das Einfahren des Prozesses unter realen Bedingungen auf der Fertigungslinie mit dem Nachweis der Prozessfähigkeit ist dabei der letzte Schritt.“ 

Unter Einbeziehung der neuen Möglichkeiten wurden bereits Projekte erfolgreich umgesetzt, in denen MAPAL die Komplettverantwortung übernommen hat und die Kundenerwartung innerhalb von acht bis zwölf Wochen komplett bedienen konnte.
 

This holistic approach also shapes tool management – a service concept that goes far beyond the mere supply of tools. At its heart is the continuous optimisation of machining processes and the entire tool cycle, from procurement, storage and pre-setting all the way through to reconditioning. In the machining processes themselves, the use of the latest tool technology ensures gains in productivity. MAPAL focuses on digital processes, standardised workflows and close collaboration with production here. The full integration of the cloud-based platform c-Com into the MAPAL Group in 2025 underlines this approach: data, tools and processes are brought together in one system – transparent, secure and available worldwide. Customers benefit from permanently high tool availability, optimised inventories and inhouse logistics that are vastly more efficient. At the same time, the central database enables a sound analysis of consumption, costs and performance – in real time and across production facilities.

MAPAL sees tool management not as an additional service, but as an integral aspect of modern manufacturing. With over 100 ongoing projects worldwide, a main centre of competence in Aalen and decades of machining experience, MAPAL is a strong partner for companies looking to boost their productivity beyond the start of production.
 

Productivity as a Service (PRODaaS) enables even greater digital integration into customers’ processes, which includes connecting to live data from the machine tool. An initial research project was successfully completed last year, and now there is an even further-reaching sequel. “With PRODaaS, the aim was to allow the experiences with productivity gains made in ongoing series production to flow back in a structured way, in order to get much closer to the ideal point in the initial component design”, reflects Stephan Köstler. To achieve this, a digital assistant continuously evaluated data from the machine environment and made specific suggestions for potential optimisations. 

The new PRODaaS@SCALE project goes a step further into a more automated future. Köstler: “With PRODaaS@SCALE, the assistant becomes a self-regulating system. It incorporates experience gained in application directly into the process design.” In this research project, the use of AI is meant to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Even during the planning stage, significantly better settings for the machining processes are expected with AI systems with individual customer-specific training than would be the case without this feedback curve. 
 

Implementation is guided by the “Manufacturing-X” initiative that was launched and is coordinated by players from German politics, business, politics and research and the initiative’s flagship projects. “Many digitalisation projects in the past ten years haven’t got past the pilot phase”, says Köstler. “The challenge lay in scaling the shared use of data.” 

For PRODaaS@SCALE, setting up new data infrastructure is the key to shared data use without risking data sovereignty. Partners on the project are the company Zoller, which is making a major contribution with measurement technology and tool diagnostics, Walter Formenbau as the pilot customer as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation and the VDMA. New is the approach of envisaging the application and use of this system in the woodworking industry with the woodworking machine manufacturer Weinig as a further project partner. As was the case in the PRODaaS research project, MAPAL is also assuming the role of consortium leader in the scaled version.

With its expanded offering, MAPAL is positioning itself as a leading provider of pioneering manufacturing solutions. Future themes such as artificial intelligence and digital integration boost productivity and efficiency for customers. With turnkey solutions and c-Com integration, production processes are optimised and continuous gains in productivity are achieved. As a result, MAPAL is ideally equipped to meet the challenges of the modern manufacturing industry and offer its customers tailored and innovative solutions.