Stonemason Aluminum Machining: Optimization through digitalization and 4-axis machining centers

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The aluminum machinist Steinmetzer not only managed to drastically reduce its delivery times but also to halve its inventory and administrative effort. This was achieved through the use of 4-axis machining centers from Heller as well as extensive digitalization.

Peter Klingauf is a freelance writer

The machining service provider specializing in aluminum, with 35 employees, attributes this to its efficient fleet of machines with seven Heller 4-axis machining centers H 2000 and the extensive digitalization, which took place in close coordination with the software manufacturer EVO Informationssysteme. A special highlight are the two H 2000s of the latest generation purchased in 2023, which are not only highly productive but also integrate perfectly into modern MES and ERP systems.

Keynote speakers Martin Echtler from DMG Mori Digital GmbH and Dr. Thomas Mücke from Siemens Industry Software demonstrate how energy efficiency is increased through closed-loop processes from engineering to the machine with the latest control generation from Siemens on DMG Mori machining centers, while simultaneously reducing setup time through collision-free machining. Setup time is reduced, and flexibility is increased by considering the order process. This considers the current situations in manufacturing in the order process, which encompasses the entire shop floor with adjacent services, such as tool provisioning, etc. More info and registration

Steinmetzer GmbH has been focused on highly productive aluminum machining for 35 years. "Through our manufacturing expertise, which includes constant process optimization, and our modern machinery, we are a reliable and innovative high-performance partner for mechanical engineering," says company founder Andreas Steinmetzer.

Andreas Steinmetzer, Company Founder Steinmetzer GmbH

The success of the medium-sized company with its 35 employees is based on short delivery times, top quality, and competitive prices. This is due to a qualified workforce, a high-quality machinery fleet, and an efficient, largely digitalized organization. Ermir Steinmetzer, son-in-law of the company founder and his deputy as managing director, explains: "Our employees are not only well-trained but also highly motivated. They are involved in shaping our processes and continually find solutions that make us progressively better."

However, they can only meet the high quality standards and desired delivery performance with a reliable machinery fleet. "In this respect, we are also well positioned," says Ermir Steinmetzer, who also acts as the operations manager. "In milling, we have been relying primarily on Heller machining centers for 20 years." Managing Director Andreas Steinmetzer looks back to a time before this when machining capacities were very quickly exhausted. Series parts often had to be manufactured in multiple setups, which meant a high setup effort. "Back then, we decided to invest in four-axis Heller machining centers because they allowed us to completely machine many parts in just one setup and ultimately increase the output quantity by many times."

Not only the bosses are convinced of the performance of the Heller machining centers, but the entire milling team as well. "These are excellent machines that we can rely on completely. They allow us to perform reliable, productive precision machining,” summarizes team leader Manuel Schroff. Ermir Steinmetzer adds, “We also value our partnership with Heller and maintain very close contact with the sales staff, application specialists, and service technicians, who always provide us with competent and quick support.”

Currently, seven horizontal Heller machining centers of type H 2000 are in the production hall. Industrial master Ermir Steinmetzer praises not only the technical characteristics but especially the high reliability of the machines:

Ermir Steinmetzer, Deputy Managing Director/Operations Manager, Steinmetzer GmbH

A good example are the two Heller H 2000s that were replaced last year with new models of the latest generation H 2000. According to Steinmetzer, they ran for twelve years in a three-shift operation and actually never failed during this time.

Even if a problem should occur with the machining centers, help is close by. Then a call is made to Heller in Nürtingen, just about 70 kilometers away, "and if we can't be helped immediately over the phone, a service technician comes by with spare parts a few hours later and takes care of the machine," says Steinmetzer.

He also points out Heller's openness when it comes to integrating the machines into new concepts. The success of the machining service provider is based, among other things, on another component: the digitized organization, which essentially started ten years ago. "We had already implemented an ERP system at that time. It covered the commercial area and production planning but offered no possibility to extend digitalization into manufacturing and down to the machines. Such further development on the part of the ERP software used was not in sight," laments the operations manager. A deal-breaker, as he says:

Ermir Steinmetzer, Deputy Managing Director/Operations Manager, Steinmetzer GmbH

Andreas Steinmetzer thus searched for new solutions and found Jürgen Widmann, the managing partner of EVO Informationssysteme GmbH, a German software manufacturer and digitalization partner for the machining industry. His company offered a digitalization platform with software modules that cover everything already in the software standard and exactly match Steinmetzer's ideas.

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After intensive preliminary discussions and planning, the participants managed to make all necessary preparations and carry out the system conversion within just four weeks. Then it happened quickly—all data were transferred within a few hours from the old system to the new EVO competition ERP system without interrupting the day-to-day business. This laid the foundation for a comprehensive digitalization platform that was gradually implemented over the following weeks, months, and years. EVO Managing Director Widmann explains, "Our EVO software is a modular system that allows step-by-step construction of a customized digital solution and integration of further processes. At Steinmetzer, several modules have been added gradually to this day." To be successful, he believes that it is not enough just to buy a software product: "It is important to recognize challenges and trends early and to be able to provide the right turnkey solution for the companies."

At Steinmetzer, this looked as follows: After the general system change, the mobile recording of goods received with handheld devices was implemented, as well as the operational data collection at the tool machines using mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. Steinmetzer installed another software module with EVO jetstream for centralized data and document management, which also enables paperless manufacturing and DNC machine communication with revision-proof program storage. Today, detailed production scheduling is managed through an automatically updating EVO scheduling board. Previous Excel evaluations have been replaced by a management reporting system, and the prerequisites for tool analysis and generic setup planning generation from NC programs are in place.

Particularly noteworthy is the quality documentation and planning in the shop floor, for which Steinmetzer received the Industry 4.0 Award from the Alliance for Industry 4.0 Baden-Württemberg in 2023.

Ermir Steinmetzer, Deputy Managing Director/Operations Manager, Steinmetzer GmbH

After the measurement is completed, the measurement protocol is automatically archived in the ERP system. Furthermore, there is the option to display the measurement results directly on the screen at the worker's machine workstation, allowing him to adjust the manufacturing dimensions if necessary.

While the digital information exchange with the somewhat older Heller machining centers still runs via separate terminals, the two new H 2000 models are fully equipped with a variety of Industry 4.0 features for digitalization. For example, they include the new Heller Operation Interface with a 24” touchscreen. "This allows Steinmetzer to have the ERP directly on the machine," explains Heller Area Sales Manager Christopher Weber. "The production staff can open and work within the EVO app on the control screen, view all manufacturing documents, report back on orders, etc."

The Heller Services Interface (HSI), a web browser solution that provides secure access to production and maintenance data from anywhere, is already installed. Ermir Steinmetzer is convinced: "With the two new Heller H 2000, we are well-prepared for the future. We had both equipped with the Speed package, which includes, among other things, a spindle with 18,000 revolutions per minute, enhancing productivity especially in aluminum machining. One of the machining centers is primarily used for smaller batch sizes from 1 to 10. This one has a 160-tool magazine instead of the usual 80-tool magazine to save on setup times."

Ermir Steinmetzer is very satisfied with the optimization measures of recent years: "The combination of our modern machinery and the implemented digitalization has led to significant improvements on several levels." As a successful example, he cites the streamlined administration:

Ermir Steinmetzer, Deputy Managing Director/Operations Manager, Steinmetzer GmbH

In terms of lead times, many positive changes have occurred. Each order is planned from the start according to specific requirements. The material arrives on time, and at that moment, the order is assigned to a machine via the EVO scheduling board. This lets the production staff know when and where to process the order. "At the scheduling board, we can always see the current production status and capacities," explains Ermir Steinmetzer. This transparency is extremely important and maintains flexibility. This way, short-term orders or process optimizations can be manually altered. "As a result, our delivery times for repeat parts have been reduced from 20 days from order to five days, and for new orders from 30 to 10 days." Ermir Steinmetzer concludes, "Overall, we have become much more productive."