The introduction of the high-precision universal measuring machine »genius« has significantly helped reduce setup times and costs in precision tool manufacturing at our customer’s facility in the Kansai region. The high-precision measuring functions of the ZOLLER »genius« have eliminated air cuts by the grinding wheel, leading to greater efficiency in the manufacturing process. Looking ahead, the company plans to continue using ZOLLER’s »genius« measurement technology to further increase productivity and ensure consistent quality in its manufacturing processes.

ZOLLER Solutions 

To address these challenges, ZOLLER introduced the »genius« precision measuring machine. The »genius« was used to precisely measure not only cutting tools but also the grinding wheels used in the tool grinding machine, thereby implementing an external setup process.
  

Many improvements 

The introduction of the ZOLLER »genius« brought the customer remarkable overall benefits. First, the precise measurement of the grinding wheel shapes and dimensions eliminated air cuts on the grinding wheels. This resulted in a significant reduction in setup time: The elimination of air cuts led to a reduction in setup time of one hour per tool change. Overall, this means: The current setup time is 0.5 hours—compared to about 1.5 hours previously! In fact, this has resulted in enormous cost savings. The ZOLLER solution led to monthly cost savings of approximately 15,000 euros, based on corresponding projections.

Specific Problem 

The customer therefore had a specific problem to solve. The grinding wheel did not come into contact with the workpiece during the first tool grinding program, requiring four to five adjustments before contact could be established. Each adjustment took about 15 minutes, resulting in a total setup time of 1.5 hours per tool change.
 

Enormous time loss 

This significant time investment naturally comes with higher costs: With an average hourly rate of 100 euros per hour, this represents a considerable financial burden, given that we are talking about 150 tool changes per month across 10 tool grinding machines.

One of our customers, based in Japan’s Kansai region, was experiencing significant time losses during the setup process for precision tool manufacturing, particularly with tools having a small diameter of 0.6 mm or less. For the customer, the main problem was frequent “air cuts” in the grinding wheel.