WHITE, a leading global manufacturer of track motors and steering solutions, has recently been using a STUDER S110 internal cylindrical grinding machine to help streamline production at its Polish plant.
In April, the truck set off on a journey of around 1,000 kilometers north from the STUDER factory in Biel, Switzerland. Its destination was the Polish production plant in Wrocław of WHITE, a leading global manufacturer of track motors and steering solutions. The truck was carrying precious cargo: a state-of-the-art S110 high-precision internal cylindrical grinding machine. “It’s always a great moment when a new machine is delivered,” said Paweł Soćko, Senior Process Engineer at WHITE, after arriving in Wrocław.
“We chose the S110 because it exactly met our high requirements in terms of performance and quality in production. Thanks to our cooperation with STUDER, we can grind our components with the highest precision and at relatively low costs, and STUDER contributes to our success,” he explains. The modern workshop with around 600 employees currently uses several STUDER machines, including the new S110, as well as other machines from sister companies in the UNITED GRINDING group. Among other things, these enable the production of innovative electrohydraulic high-performance solutions, such as steering systems for agricultural and construction machinery. WHITE has more than 50 years of experience in the sector and is now part of the internationally established Interpump group.
Optimization benefits customers.
“Our relationship with WHITE spans decades and we are pleased that our grinding machines will continue to contribute to the company’s success,” says Adrian Schürch, Regional Sales Manager for Poland at STUDER. As STUDER has a local representative in Poland, communication was very good from the start. However, before deciding on a specific machine model, the requirements for the components that the machine would manufacture had to be determined. “As always, we discussed it in detail with our expert team and found the optimal solution for the customer,” reports Schürch.
Specifically, the internal grinding of hardened steel sleeves for hydraulic steering systems. It quickly became clear that from STUDER’s wide range of models, the S110 was the perfect fit for the component geometry and production requirements. “The internal cylindrical grinding machine offers high precision, reliability and compactness as well as an excellent price-performance ratio,” says Schürch. But that was just the beginning: the STUDER team configured and adapted the S110 specifically for WHITE, ensuring that the machine could be optimally integrated into the production process.
The perfect combination of short cycle times and high quality
The process is under the responsibility of Cesare Mastroianni, who is responsible for project management at STUDER’s Internal Milling Competence Center in Biel. “The optimization is specification-based, where all the technical specifications, the geometry of the components to be manufactured and the operation plan are defined,” he explains. His team worked closely with the experts from WHITE. “We were very impressed by their technical expertise, professionalism and constructive attitude. It was a very pleasant collaboration that enabled us to find the perfect solution between the customer’s requirements and the technical implementation,” Mastroianni emphasizes.
One of the challenges was to find the optimal combination of short cycle times and high part quality in series production. Thanks to the optimization, the S110 is able to grind around 350,000 high-quality sleeves per year at the Wrocław plant. WHITE is also pleased with the results: “We produce large volumes and need the best solutions in the world for this, as we cannot afford losses due to insufficient precision or fluctuating capacities”, emphasizes Paweł Soćko, adding: “The STUDER S110 meets our requirements perfectly – it is stable and reliable.”
Automation improves production efficiency
Sochko cites the S110’s automation capabilities as another reason for choosing it. In an optional loading and unloading cell, a robot picks up raw parts from a pallet, fixes them in the machine, and places the finished, polished sleeves on another pallet. The process takes just a few seconds per sleeve. The S110 can therefore operate autonomously without human intervention for at least an hour, and internal features make quality control easy.
“In practice, we also have almost two hours of autonomy, which allows us to reduce labor costs considerably,” reports Sochko. This also brings significant benefits to production efficiency: employees can focus on other tasks, and the robot ensures a speed and consistency that would not have been possible otherwise.
Overhauling gives second life to aging machinery
Although the new S110 boosts productivity with high-tech features, WHITE continues to rely on proven technology. “The oldest of our eight STUDER machines is still in good working order after 30 years,” Soćko emphasizes. One reason for this is the machine overhaul service that STUDER offers its customers, which restores ageing machines to the same like-new condition as when they were delivered. Steven Thiel, STUDER Customer Care Consultant for Eastern Europe and Northern Germany, explains the advantages: “Customers who are familiar with their machines and do not need new technology to grind their parts benefit greatly from this service, as the cost of a machine overhaul is a fraction of the price of a new system and customers can continue to use their familiar machines with the same precision and quality as new.”
For WHITE, environmental factors are also important, and the company has already carried out several machine overhauls. “The environmental aspect has always played an important role for us. That’s why STUDER’s machines with their energy-saving solutions fit into our company values,” explains Soćko. This is because, instead of replacing outdated models that once required a lot of energy and resources to manufacture, they can be reused for decades. Overhauling a machine in Thun, Switzerland, takes about three months, and STUDER takes care of all aspects of logistics. “During this time, we provide the machine for loan so that there are no production stops,” says Thiel, WHITE’s daily contact. A combination of proven processes and the latest technology. WHITE believes it is well-positioned for the future. “Well-implemented processes guarantee success,” says Soćko, adding: “STUDER has proven itself to be the ideal company to accompany us on this journey.
Overview of S110:
• Compact and flexible internal cylindrical grinding machine for machining medium-sized workpieces
• Center height 102 mm (4 in), maximum grinding length 120 mm (4.72 in)
• Optional loader for loading and unloading
• Up to three grinding spindles arranged in a line allow external and internal grinding in one clamping operation
• The StuderSIM and StuderWIN operating systems allow safe programming of all basic cycles for grinding, dressing and process support measurements.
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