european report
Kugel Präzisions-Drehteile GmbH, based in
Wiernsheim, originally operated out of founder
Richard Kugel’s parents’ house. Established in
1962, its development into one of the most
modern businesses of its kind in Europe owes
much to partnership and collaboration with Tornos.
High-technology concentration
FOUNDER’S son and Chief Executive
Jochen Kugel states: ‘A turned component
manufacturer can only survive in Germany if he
commits firmly to high-tech and highly
complex parts in an almost entirely automated
manner.’ The philosophy follows that of his
father. A salaried employee in a watchmaking
factory earning DM150 a week, in 1962 Richard
Kugel borrowed DM 40,000 to buy two turning
machines - to supply a turning shop with parts
for the watchmaking industry.
Tornos Bechler had believed in him enough to
supply the machines on favourable credit terms,
and their trust was vindicated in 1974 when
Kugel saw the first Tornos automatic turning
machines with loading magazine, the
Industriemesse in Basle. He purchased ten of
these before leaving the trade fair, doubling
production capacity and setting his course to
further growth.
Jochen Kugel joined the company in 1984,
having acquired experience in the applications
technology sector with Traub. He has taken the
company forward to the point where it now has
over seventy machines, including 25 CNC units,
of which six are multi-spindle machines. Most
are from Tornos, and Jochen Kugel emphasises
the importance of support as well as precision,
performance, cost-effectiveness and availability.
‘Given our massive volumes and tight delivery
lead times, it is of course absolutely
indispensable for us to receive swift support,’ he
says.
Kugel’s customer base is mainly within the
automotive sector. Quality standards are high,
components are increasingly complex because a
many functions must be integrated in ever
smaller parts - and there’s pressure on suppliers
to contain machining costs and respond to
component modifications. Jochen Kugel
therefore places emphasis on his company’s
inherent expertise, innovation and efficiency,
and this is the basis for equipment purchasing
decisions.
For example, on a current project for the
automotive industry, the company invested in
four MultiDeco CNC multi-spindle automatic
turning machines. These include an integrated
robot cell capable of machining complete
transmission components in a single fixture
setting. This dispensed with the need for
subsequent machining on a single-spindle
machine, thereby eliminating the losses in time
and precision and the attendant risk of damage
during the changeover. Through the use of CNC
multi-spindle automatic turning machines from
the MultiDeco range, it has been possible to
achieve significant reductions in production
times. The machines are equipped with power
spindles to deliver optimum cutting speeds in
every working position; spindles can be oriented
and stopped very precisely. Tornos employed this
technology for the first time on a MultiDeco
20/8d, the power spindle of which is said to
Peter and Jurgen Kugel in their company’s
Tornos-dominated machine shop
What could you make with this TL-1 Lathe
for less than £73 per week? *
*All offers are subject to status. Delivery is not included. The above example is hire purchase fixed rate based on a VAT only deposit and a cost price of £14,995 + VAT.
60 equal payments of £312.90. A documentation fee of £100 will be collected with the first payment. Total amount payable is £18,774. Typical APR 9.9%.
For details, or to view this machine locally call 01603 760539 or visit www.haas.co.uk
14 MWP january 2008
outperfomr conventional motors. The integrated
drive concept makes the machine fast and
flexible, and enables maximum use to be made
of all market-standard tools.
With the ability to machine the reverse side of
a component in mind, Tornos adopted two
counter-spindles as standard on the MultiDeco
MD20/8b 2x4, each mounted on a separate axis.
These grip the components as they leave the
previous process and then machine their reverse
sides. For turning, drilling, milling and similar
operations, each unit has a separate 2-part set of
tools that can be used on either the X and/or the
Z axis. This twin-track solution has yet another
benefit, says Jochen Kugel: ‘On less complex
workpieces, ones for which four stations are
sufficient, the two gripper spindles can enable
two workpieces to be machined simultaneously,
thus doubling production output.’
Another special feature is the integrated robot
cell manufactured by Handling Tech,
employing robots from Fanuc. The complex
geometry of these transmission components
makes them very prone to surface damage. Thus
a zero-defect strategy in production operations
requires reliable, precise machines with
corresponding standards of component
handling.
A small Fanuc robot takes finished parts from
the spindle on the Tornos CNC multi-spindle
units and places each one in a shaped receptacle,
which then proceeds automatically to the
washing machine. The measuring machine takes
charge of the parts and here, an internal check is
performed using compressed air, accompanied
by a visual check of the bore. The length and
other relevant dimensions are also checked
before another robot packs verified ‘good’ parts
in customer-specific containers.
www.kugel-gmbh.de www. tornos.ch
£73 pw*
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