02.03.2023

The overall process makes the difference

Comparative test at Umformtechnik Radebeul with resounding success

In the die & mould sector, it’s usually difficult to directly compare precision tools from different manufacturers because there are always different parts with different requirements to be produced. When MAPAL was given the opportunity to take over the complete machining of a die at Umformtechnik Radebeul GmbH, the manufacturers were amazed at how much time could be saved.

The picture shows the OptiMill-3D-CR corner radius milling cutter from MAPAL during machining.
  • The picture shows the OptiMill-3D-CR corner radius milling cutter from MAPAL during machining.
  • The picture shows Felix Wendler (MAPAL) and Steffen Albrecht (UFT Radebeul).
  • The picture shows a close-up of a mould insert from Umformtechnik Radebeul.
  • Steffen Albrecht from Umformtechnik Radebeul in the forging tools warehouse.
  • Felix Wendler (MAPAL) and Steffen Albrecht (UFT Radebeul) in discussion.
  • A NeoMill-4-HiFeed-90 pre-machines the mould insert.

Die Umformtechnik Radebeul (UFT) ist Spezialist für geschmiedetes Aluminium. Eine besondere Stärke des Unternehmens sind dünnwandige Gesenkschmiedeteile mit verzwickter Geometrie, die gefragt sind, wenn hochwertige Produkte mehr Stabilität benötigen als gegossenes Aluminium bieten kann.

Alles in allem besteht die Fabrik in Radebeul seit 120 Jahren, in denen sich Besitzverhältnisse und Geschäftsfelder wiederholt veränderten. Die neuere Geschichte beginnt 1957 mit der Erbauung einer Gesenkschmiede, aus der die heutige Umformtechnik Radebeul GmbH entstand. 2001 wurde die Produktionsstruktur auf Aluminiumschmiedeteile umgestellt. Seine heutige Form bekam das Unternehmen, das zwischenzeitlich in Teilen als „Aluminiumtechnik Radebeul GmbH“ firmierte, 2006 mit den Bereichen Werkzeugbau, Prototypenfertigung, Teilebearbeitung und Montage. 

2017 wurde der Radebeuler Hersteller von der UKM Fahrzeugteile GmbH aus Reinsberg übernommen. Die Geschäftsfelder der Firmen ergänzen sich. Die UKM Gruppe ist Zulieferer der Automobilindustrie mit Fokus auf der Hochpräzisionsbearbeitung von Metallbauteilen. Die UFT fertigt komplexe Aluminium-Schmiedeteile für viele unterschiedliche Anwendungsbereiche. Mit rund 60 Prozent machen dabei Bauteile für Motorräder den größten Anteil aus.
 

Motorrad-Schmiede mit großer Fertigungstiefe

Für Motorräder großer Hersteller stellt die UFT unter anderem Gabelbrücken, Fußbrems- und Fußschalthebel, Seitenstützen und Fußrastenplatten her. Neben den teilweise feinen Formen und komplizierten Geometrien ist bei der Bearbeitung das anspruchsvolle Oberflächendesign eine Herausforderung. Außer den Zweiradteilen entstehen in Radebeul auch Gelenke und Anschlussstücke für Markisen, Skibindungen sowie Kupplungen für Schläuche und andere Teile für Feuerwehrfahrzeuge. Dazu konnte das Unternehmen unter anderem Kunden aus der Luftfahrt- und Elektroindustrie gewinnen. 

Typische Stückzahlen liegen zwischen 10.000 und 100.000 Bauteilen. Eine besondere Stärke des Werks in Radebeul sind allerdings Kleinserien und Prototypen in hoher Qualität. Dabei zeichnet sich die UFT durch kurze Lieferzeiten aus. 

Beim Rundgang durch die Produktionshallen fällt die extrem große Fertigungstiefe auf. Für die Schmiede der UFT stellt der eigene Werkzeugbau Schmiedewerkzeuge, Abkantwerkzeuge, Fräsvorrichtungen sowie Mess- und Prüfvorrichtungen her. Prototypen werden aus dem Vollen gefräst. Eine Härterei ist ebenso im Haus angesiedelt wie eine mechanische Fertigung, wo die Bauteile ihr endgültiges Aussehen bekommen und teilweise auch montiert werden. Lediglich die Oberflächenbehandlung übernehmen Partnerunternehmen in der unmittelbaren Umgebung.
 

Steffen Albrecht von der Umformtechnik Radebeul im Lager der Schmiedewerkzeuge.
Als Leiter der Werkzeugfertigung kann Steffen Albrecht auf rund 500 Schmiedewerkzeuge zugreifen, die für die Produktion der UFT in Radebeul eingelagert sind.   ©MAPAL

At UFT, 15 of the total 170 employees work in toolmaking. “They are all trained cutting machine operators”, says Steffen Albrecht, Head of Tool Production at UFT, explaining the efficiency of this area. Occasionally, tools are also produced for external customers, but the majority are intended for internal use. UFT has around 500 finished forging tools in stock at any given time, and with every new part more are being added. For the spare parts market of some customers, the tools have to be kept in stock for up to 15 years.

The toolmakers mill the forging tools out of blocks of tool steel. Felix Wendler, Product Specialist Die & Mould at MAPAL, used his many years of personal contact with the manufacturers to encourage them to try out new tools for their machining. Because at UFT, they were quite satisfied with the existing cutting tools.

This did not immediately change, even when a ball nose milling cutter from MAPAL was tested. “The milling cutter from MAPAL was no worse, but also no better than the one we already had”, states Albrecht. Even an improved version of the milling cutter from MAPAL could not persuade the toolmakers to jump ships. “That was certainly also due to the fact that we are already working at a very high level”, explains Albrecht.
 

The picture shows Felix Wendler (MAPAL) and Steffen Albrecht (UFT Radebeul).
Felix Wendler (MAPAL, left) and Steffen Albrecht (Umformtechnik Radebeul), who has found his new favourite tool with the OptiMill-3D-HF-Hardened.   ©MAPAL
Felix Wendler knows all too well that exact comparisons are difficult in the die & mould sector: “Normally, only one part is made at a time. The same part isn’t made again immediately, so it cannot be tested by machining it on another manufacturer’s tools.” Only comparisons of particularly critical work steps can provide clues, where the experience of the manufacturers is also taken into account.

Comparative test under identical conditions

However, MAPAL was still to be given a real chance to prove itself. According to Albrecht, it is very rare for UFT to produce two identical parts, but when it came to forging tools for the manufacture of footrests for a large motorbike manufacturer, two dies had to be produced at the same time. In the case of very sensitive orders, production uses exchangeable inserts to be able to run the process without major disruptions. UFT produces 20,000 footrests per year. A die can handle about 10,000 parts before it needs to be replaced.

This provided the perfect opportunity to test the tools of two manufacturers against each other under identical conditions – with the same connections and on the same machine, a Hermle C40. In addition, it was a demanding part with complex machining. When the die is machined, less than half of the material remains at the end. To produce all the contours, relatively small tools sometimes plunge deep into the material.
 

A NeoMill-4-HiFeed-90 pre-machines the mould insert.
Good preparatory work in the roughing stage: The 35 mm high-feed milling cutter NeoMill-4-HiFeed-90.   ©MAPAL

“We decided to let MAPAL machine a part completely from start to finish in order to determine what the tool manufacturer is actually capable of”, says Albrecht. “In terms of testing conditions, it couldn’t have been better.” Wendler took advantage of the freedom granted and worked out a machining strategy. In order to match geometries and avoid problems with tolerances and tool restrictions, he oriented himself to the tools previously used and selected 18 suitable tools from the MAPAL portfolio to compete against them. 

MAPAL sent its high-feed milling cutter NeoMill-4-HiFeed-90 into the race against the proven classic round-insert milling cutter. The result amazed the manufacturers in Radebeul: The machining time could be reduced by 28 percent. “It was a big wake-up call when we realised that we could save so much working time and, consequently, money on a single part”, admits Albrecht.

It all depends on the right preparatory work

Felix Wendler explains why it is so important to be able to machine on a part right from the start: “If the customer roughs with the existing tool and only allows us to take over afterwards, the conditions that a competitor’s tool has created prevail from the get-go. But if we start machining with our tool and our strategy from the beginning, we may already have completely different conditions to build upon with our finishing tool. This makes a completely different approach possible. Seeing the whole process from the raw block to the finished part is more expedient.”
The picture shows a close-up of a mould insert from Umformtechnik Radebeul.
Close-up on a mould insert from Umformtechnik Radebeul.   ©UFT

In order to create the best conditions for the subsequent machining steps, Wendler used a 35 mm milling cutter instead of the previous 52 mm cutter. Production Manager Albrecht was very surprised about this: “I was sceptical because with that size difference I didn’t think the small tool could work faster.” But Wendler had his reasons. The 52 mm milling cutter is simply too large for the existing SK40 machines, and the potential of the larger tool cannot be fully exploited. The smaller NeoMill-4-HiFeed-90 high-feed milling cutter he chose, on the other hand, was able to run exactly the cutting data needed. With less cutting width and cutting depth, work was faster in the end.

There was also another factor that contributed to the time savings in the process. The smaller diameter of the milling cutter allows for closer contour machining, leaving less residual material in the corners. This reduces the effort required for further machining. According to Wendler, this is crucial: “Shorter times can hardly be achieved in finishing alone, because the machine is the limiting factor for most users. So I try to create the best conditions already during roughing to gain time overall.”

Thanks to the extremely positive outcome of the project, UFT wants to expand cooperation with MAPAL and tackle further machining work together. “With MAPAL, we have a partner who knows what it is doing. Unfortunately, that’s becoming rarer and rarer”, Albrecht praises. “Having a permanent contact person who can help or give tips if we ever have a problem is a good basis for cooperation.”
 

Felix Wendler (MAPAL) and Steffen Albrecht (UFT Radebeul) in discussion.
Steffen Albrecht, Head of Tool Production at Umformtechnik Radebeul (right), and MAPAL Product Specialist Felix Wendler with the mould insert.   ©MAPAL
Based on a list of the tools used to date, the die and mould making specialists from MAPAL have drawn up a standard portfolio consisting of 60 tools with which UFT can handle practically all tasks that arise. MAPAL can deliver the majority of tools for the die & mould sector to the customer within 24 hours. Custom tools are manufactured upon request. Wendler has calculated that there are savings with MAPAL tools, even if the previous tool consumption is assumed. However, the aim is to further reduce costs by reducing consumption with the new tools.

The workers have their favourite tool

One milling cutter from MAPAL has become the favourite of machine operators within a short space of time: the OptiMill-3D-HF-Hardened, an extremely powerful solid carbide roughing tool that can be used from soft mild steel to 68 HRC hard powder metallurgical tool steel. “If a tool can actually make the operator beg to be allowed to use it, then we’re really on to something”, Albrecht comments. There are reasons why the tool is so well received: It’s quieter than its predecessor, cuts more smoothly and is therefore more pleasant in terms of volume alone. Operators know up to which tool life they can work with the tool without hesitation before they have to listen more closely during machining.

Another joint project under discussion is the introduction of the UNIBASE-M tool dispensing system, which could be used not only by the UFT tool shop but also by the mechanical finishing department right next door. Tools from MAPAL are also used there, but it is also possible to store third-party tools in the system. The tool stock can be monitored and kept in line with requirements via the digital tool management system c-Com. The adaptive system ensures that as few tools as possible are stored, but that the customer is always fully capable of action – after all, production should run smoothly.
 


Kathrin Rehor, PR Project Manager bei MAPAL

Kontakt

Kathrin Rehor Public Relations Kathrin.Rehor@mapal.com Tel.: +49 7361 585 3342


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