Machining innovations for the future

At an open house in Tuttlingen, Germany, The CHIRON Group welcomed more than 1,200 visitors, offering them new ideas to improve their manufacturing practice – in the Chiron spirit of “Performance meets Precision.”

“We received much positive feedback from customers, partners and suppliers on the many new innovations and experiences at OPEN HOUSE, indicating that the CHIRON Group and the product portfolio has the right answers to current and future questions and demands,” says Carsten Liske, CEO of the CHIRON Group.

Visitors saw live demonstrations of combined friction stir welding (FSW) and machining processes; scalable manufacturing system for microtechnology; high-productivity twin-spindle machining – three new product innovations by the CHIRON Group, focus on productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

High dynamics plus high stability plus large working chamber plus a twin-spindle machining center with a spindle distance of up to 1,200mm: The 22, 25, and 28 Series machines from the CHIRON Group set a new benchmark in terms of productivity and precision in this. As an example in practice, a DZ 25 P that has been in use for two years improved the manufacturing of automotive structural components. All in all, this turnkey solution has provided, according to the customer: "A stable and high-precision process with greatly increased output in comparison to the previous system."

“In addition to other double-spindle applications such as battery and e-motor housing manufacturing, these new series are also fully capable of massive machining applications starting with solid material,” says a Chiron spokesperson. “The extremely stable portal design forms the basis for high precision, while an efficient work area and user ergonomics enable flexible integration of a wide range of automation solutions for ideal productivity and process reliability.”

Scalable manufacturing system for microtechnology sector
The CHIRON Group also demonstrated a groundbreaking manufacturing system for the microtechnology sector – a high-precision automated machining of workpieces with maximum dimensions of 50mm x 50mm x 50mm. It is based on the Micro5 from the Chiron FACTORY5 brand – a high-speed milling center with the power consumption of a coffee machine and the size of a refrigerator.

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As a stand-alone solution, it is ideal for manufacturing smaller batch sizes in the medical technology sector. With to its six-pallet capacity, the Micro5 also supports production with minimal personnel.

The combination of a Micro5 with a Feed5 handling system will form an ideal plug-and-play solution once it enters series production.

“Feed5 offers increased autonomy for automated workpiece handling with a six-axis robot. Capacities for Micro5 and Feed5 projects are currently being expanded further,” the spokesperson says.

Combining FSW and machining – new innovation for sustainable mobility

One process that may not be particularly well known is Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a reliable, efficient, and sustainable manufacturing technology for creating pressure-tight and media-tight connections between two materials.

FSW is fundamentally suitable for applications involving joining aluminum or unrelated materials. The target workpieces for FSW currently include, in particular, battery trays and inverter housings as well as all electronic components that require heat dissipation alongside high requirements for leak-tightness. Friction stir welding technology also enables car manufacturers to relocate electrical modules to the wet areas of vehicles. 

“The CHIRON Group boasts comprehensive expertise and practical user experience for machining these target workpieces,” the spokesman said. “By combining FSW and machining, the CHIRON Group is developing a forward-thinking innovation to provide benefits for users similar to those offered by other process combinations: Reduced space requirements, shorter cycle times and higher quality and productivity. The first projects using this combination are already underway at a technology partner company, resulting in the first turnkey machining centers such as the MILL 2000 machining center, offering combined FSW and milling technology.”