The
United Grinding Group launched a new automation solution for tool machining at this year’s
GrindingHub which took place earlier this month. The company’s trade show appearance was held under the theme ‘Stay Connected’ and focused on connectivity solutions.
Visitors were attracted to the United Grinding Group’s stand on the first day for the launch of the latest
Walter innovation. At 10am, the covers came off, revealing a mobile transport robot that moved autonomously between the Helitronic Vision 400 L high-end tool grinding machine and the fully automatic Helicheck Plus measuring machine.
This innovative automation solution under the name ‘Automated Tool Production’ (ATP) enables the automatic loading and unloading of cylindrical precision tools. The system consists of at least one robot cell accessible from the front and a mobile transport robot that transports workpiece pallets and individual parts between the storage and processing stations. The new system can be integrated easily into existing installations, not only to Walter machines but also to machines from third-party suppliers.
In addition, Walter surprised visitors with the debut of its new laser technology based on its new Vision Laser machine. The main application area for the new machine is manufacturing cutting tools with inserts. Using an innovative, highly reliable, and industry-proven laser system paired with encapsulated optical modules enables very high machine availability in everyday operation.
Visitors were also able to see first-hand the Group’s latest grinding, eroding, lasering, measuring, and additive manufacturing technologies demonstrated on 12 machines. In the area of surface and profile grinding,
Blohm presented a tool changer for the Planomat XT, a unique and cost-effective solution for the automatic changing of grinding wheels.
Meanwhile,
Studer exhibited its new insertLoad automation system which combines the advantages of standardisation and great flexibility and enables automatic loading and unloading of the S31 and S33 cylindrical grinding machines. Adjacent to this,
IRPD presented its revolutionary Impact 4530, the first industrial additive machine tool ‘Made in Switzerland’ which is characterised in particular by a high repetition accuracy and user-friendliness for the manufacturing of metal parts. The machine also sets new standards in its market segment in accuracy, quality, and scalability.
As part of the stand’s ‘Stay Connected’ theme, trade visitors were able to find out about numerous connectivity solutions, including various digital customer care solutions, the digital assistance systems from United Grinding Digital Solutions, and the universal manufacturer-independent
umati data interface, which can be used to connect all the Group’s machines, and third-party machines within their production environments.
The United Grinding Group also held a press conference at
GrindingHub, at which CEO Stephan Nell provided insights into the state of business. He said: “The past year was one of the three best in the history of our Group”, surprising the audience, consisting of invited representatives of the international trade press. Despite the challenging economic and geopolitical climate, the Group not only maintained its market-leading position in 2023 but also expanded it.
However, the outlook for 2024 is less rosy for the industry. Mr Nell continued: “Like the entire machine tool industry, we also have to expect a decline in sales in the current year.” However, forecasts are difficult due to the unpredictability of global events. Giving a cautiously optimistic outlook for the future, Mr Nell added: “We have little or no influence on the external factors that are currently shaping the market. Different dynamics within the regions and industries are making forecasting even more difficult. Overall, we are hoping for an increase in incoming orders towards the end of the year.”
He also mentioned, based on external market analysis, a regional shift in the market volumes in machine tools. From a global perspective, a decline can be observed in China, while the proportionate volume in North America is growing. In Asia, excluding China and Europe, the relative market volume is currently changing only slightly. Within Europe, on the other hand, there is a clear shift from the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region to Eastern Europe. Central Europe is only losing a little in terms of relative market volume.
Nr Nell added: “As a Group, we are also very aware of these shifts in volume and demand. In addition to our traditional home markets of Europe, particularly the DACH region, North America, and China, we are intensifying our activities in South East Asia and have established a group branch office in Singapore.
He concluded: “Eastern Europe has also moved into our strategic focus. We already intensified our sales activities there some time ago, but we will now gradually expand the regional diversity of the Group, which has always been one of our great strengths, to remain close to our customers in the future and maintain the Group’s stable base. I am optimistic about the future.”