New Grob machine — precise, dynamic and reliable

From left to right: Frank Uelwer, sales manager at Produktionstechnik NRW, with Druckguss Westfalen’s Andreas Kräntzer David Halekoh and Martin Simon. Photos: Grob-Werke

Germany-based Druckguss Westfalen, established over 50 years ago, is a specialist in aluminum die casting. From its facility in North Rhine-Westphalia, the company mainly manufactures components for the automotive industry, both for electromobility and for internal combustion engines.

In 2022, following a new customer order which required unprecedented component sizes, Druckguss Westfalen faced the challenge of buying a new machine for its needs — and this is where Grob-Werke came into its own. The G520F shows that the Bavarian machine manufacturer can more than satisfy not only automotive customers with its machines, but also customers operating in the die-casting industry.

Martin Simon, head of production at Druckguss Westfalen, first came across the G520F at AMB 2022. But it was not just the machine that turned his head, as Grob engineers also impressed with their expertise from the outset. He said: “Based on my personal experience at the trade fair around 20 years ago, I approached the stand rather hesitantly. At the time, I was told that only OEMs are Grob’s main customers.

Technical expertise
However, things were very different in 2022 and from the very first minute of the meeting, we were given an insight into the technical expertise of Grob employees and the feeling that our questions and concerns were being taken seriously. I was also particularly impressed with the size and dynamics of the machine on show at AMB.”

Pictured right: the G520F — in use at Druckguss Westfalen for machining aluminum housings for the automotive industry

A recent new order from a major German car manufacturer presented Druckguss Westfalen with new challenges that could not be met with its existing machines, as the components were larger than any parts previously madnufactured by the company. Furthermore, after the Covid-19 pandemic, demand for equipment soared, and this combined with global supply chain issues, meant that some shortlisted suppliers were excluded from Druckguss Westfalen due to long delivery times.

However, Grob impressed Druckguss Westfalen with its immediate same day response after the initial inquiry which was followed up just one day later with an invitation to the machine manufacturer’s main plant in Mindelheim to discuss requirements in more detail.

Mr Simon says it is still hard to believe how quickly everything happened. He said: “After intense talks, the buying decision finally fell to the G520F. But it was not only the machine that impressed with its outstanding qualities — within just three months, it had been installed by Grob, commissioned, and had commenced production.

Boosting productivity
The G520F was integrated into the existing production environment at Druckguss Westfalen within a production island which is used for milling, washing and differential pressure testing. The system will produce aluminum cases for a car manufacturer that will house the power electronics. Due to the component size of 280 x 800mm, Druckguss Westfalen ultimately decided to integrate a swivel changer which reduced the need for manual intervention and significantly boosted productivity. In fact, by integrating the G520F, Druckguss Westfalen was able to reduce the number of staff by one person per three-shift period. Grob service and technical support were also on hand at all times and provided Druckguss Westfalen with full support.

Pictured left: always present and always available: Grob service and technical support

The G520F has been specially designed for machining light components such as frame structure and chassis parts, and can also for used for battery housings, which was ideal for Druckguss Westfalen. Furthermore, it is a two-spindle machine for parallel machining of two parts. It has an interference diameter of up to 1,200mm in the B-axis and 1,200mm in the A-axis (without restriction), with a maximum part length of up to 1,500mm (with restricted axis swivel range). The A-axis/B-axis combination in the table guarantees free chip fall and optimal heat dissipation, ideal for MQL machining operations.

The axis arrangement of the F-series corresponds to the tried and proven Grob machine concept of the G-series. Modular and standardised Grob machine components guarantee the best possible product quality, an extremely high dynamic and short chip-to-chip times. The machine can also be flexibly automated as is the case at Druckguss Westfalen. In principle, the G520F offers a choice between two types of part loading — either top loading by a Grob linear gantry or front loading by a Grob pallet changer, a swivel or sliding changer as well as by a robot or manually by a member of staff.

Mr Simon said: “I would always recommend Grob as this is the best machine I have ever bought — precise, dynamic and reliable.” Druckguss Westfalen plans to further expand its shopfloor with more Grob machines in the future.

Frank Uelwer, head of sales at Produktionstechnik NRW, an official commercial agency of Grob, concluded: “Thanks to our rapid availability and our machining specialists, we are in a position to offer our customers a wide range of solutions.”