With the Vector 1300 M machining center from KNUTH, Lütgert & Co. GmbH is investing in precision and competitive advantages for itself and its customers.
With the Vector 1300 M machining center from KNUTH, Lütgert & Co. GmbH is investing in precision and competitive advantages for itself and its customers.
What convinced them to turn to KNUTH?
Enticing technology: state-of-the-art Siemens CNC control and drive system,
Renishaw workpiece measurement and tool measuring system
Shorter production processes: Siemens Advanced Surface, optimal hoist loading
Great service: individualized on-site integration of the machining system, hands-on employee training, digital remote maintenance right on the machine, 24-month KNUTH Protect warranty
Lütgert & Co. GmbH in Gütersloh has been producing cast-iron drive elements for 110 years and has made a name for itself in the German and international machine and factory sectors. The company has its own foundry, allowing it to achieve high vertical integration and respond well to individual customer requests. For both its own products and in production runs for customers, this manufacturer uses cast-iron drive elements (EN-GJL-200 to -300) with the highest precision.
The company invests regularly in its machine fleet and in 2021 was looking for both a robust, universally usable conventional lathe for the training area and a machining center for the production area. “To make our production processes faster and more efficient, the new CNC milling center needed to run parallel to our existing facilities and above all be able to machine smaller components,” explains Alexander Litau, Director of Mechanical Manufacturing. Production of flywheels and washers weighing up to 700 kilograms required easy hoist loading and efficient drilling of exceptionally deep holes.
With its wide range of products, KNUTH Machine Tools was able to address both of these issues. For the lathe, Lütgert selected the Turnado 230/1000 PRO, which now has already been in use for 1.5 years. For the machining center, the choice was the compactly built Vector 1300 M. “Because the 1400 mm x 700 mm machining table has optimal room to move in the machining area, even large workpieces can safely be placed and clamped,” explains KNUTH sales associate Christoph Ziebarth concerning one advantage. The Vector M series’ standard 30-bar spindle interior cooling (SIC) and double filter, as well as the chain-type conveyor with chip container, allow deep hole boring adapted to the individual workpiece and with optimal cutting data. Also standard on the Vector 1300 M are a state-of-the-art Siemens 828D CNC control unit with Shopmill and a 24-station tool changer with dual-arm gripper.
For Lütgert’s purposes, the machining center was also equipped with a Renishaw OMP 40-2 for workpiece measurement and the Renishaw TS27R tool measuring system. The compact system minimizes possible machine adjustment errors and maintains consistent precision within a workpiece series. Tools are automatically measured and can be targeted and corrected by the system. “We configured the Vector 1300 M precisely to suit the customer’s requirements, with the optimal door opening for hoist loading, for example. That resulted in shorter, standardized tooling times, optimizing the overall workflow,” explains KNUTH Applications Technician Markus Jankowiak.
“Lütgert and Co. received our complete service package, from delivery to training and after-sale, all from one source working together with our regional partners,” adds Ziebarth. During the on-site hands-on employee training, future operators configured all of the machining center’s machining options for customer workpieces, so that the machine could be rapidly integrated into the production process. Lütgert chose the twenty-year maintenance package in addition to the 24-month KNUTH Protect warranty, which applies even to damage caused by operator error. In addition, the Vector 1300 M was equipped with a KNUTH ET Box. The state-of-the-art remote maintenance tool provides rapid support for questions and problems, in which KNUTH technicians can control the machining center in real time and provide immediate assistance.
Manufacturing Director Alexander Litau is very happy with the choice. “Our expectations were entirely met. The machine has been running eight hours a day for a year. The Vector precisely mills and drills workpieces weighing up to 700 kg, and we were able to increase our performance levels sustainably once again, especially in the middle range of our mechanical manufacturing,” he says, describing the positive results. When it is time to invest in additional machines, KNUTH Machine Tools will be called upon again.
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