MACHINE TOOL ENGINEERINGNew concepts for integrated processes

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Success in the machine tool industry –

The market in this sector is characterised today by customer demand for

innovative, flexible machine tools. Other challenges faced by manufacturers

include parameters such as international statutory requirements, a lack of

skilled labour and constantly increasing complexity. The answer to these

challenges is to implement a modular machine design concept, world-class

energy efficiency and a short time to market. With a clear focus on process

integration and reliability across the entire value chain, you can achieve

these goals.

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Cover/picture: Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH

identify and take advantage of new trends

Engineering expertise in the machine tool industry has a

name: It's called EPLAN Software & Service

Customers expect first-class systems

Customers in the machine tool industry are demanding ever faster, high-precision machines that can handle

the production of increasingly complex parts. At the same time, systems need to be compact and flexible, and

ensure reliable communication in CAx-neutral data flows. Objectives are:

Minimisation of downtime

Easier, more user-friendly operation

Faster conversion times

Lower energy consumption

Long service life while reducing maintenance costs

Reduction of total cost of ownership (TCO)

In short: New machines are required to increase efficiency while reducing operating costs and maximising

flexibility. The demand is not for single systems, but for manufacturing solutions.

Properly equipped

As a machine tool manufacturer, you are also confronted with other challenges – increasing globalisation and

mounting competitive pressures mean that your company needs to increase productivity, standardise the

product portfolio, shorten development cycles and comply with a constantly growing number of standards

and guidelines. Approaches to solving these problems include optimising your design and engineering and

improving cooperation with other departments. Interdisciplinary approaches replace traditional processes,

change engineering methods and offer considerable potential for optimisation. An enterprise-wide PLM

strategy combines engineering with both product data management (PDM) and commercial systems,

resulting in an exceptional increase in productivity.

A competent partner

With its philosophy of 'efficient engineering', EPLAN Software & Service provides innovative and practical

solutions for workflow optimisation in the machine tool sector. Everything is from one source – from

software to training to consulting. Interdisciplinary – from mechanical to fluid and electrical engineering to

PLC programming. Integrated – from order processing and manufacturing to service. The EPLAN solutions

establish a uniform basis for all information and enable effective, interdisciplinary and parallel operations.

Integration into the existing IT infrastructure, with interfaces to your ERP and PDM systems, produces a

seamless, enterprise-wide workflow.

Custom machines for individual customer

As a machine tool manufacturer, you benefit from integrated processes

thanks to EPLAN’s solutions, allowing you to rapidly bring customised,

high-performance machines to market.

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Milling

Turning

Bending

Grinding

requirements

Machine types at a glance

Drills

Hobbing machines

Lathes

Milling machines

Laser cutting machines

CNC machines

Waterjet cutting machines

Erosion machines

Bending machines, and much more

Stamping

Drilling

Laser cutting

Achieve the best possible productivity gains by optimising your entire value

chain – from acquisition to delivery. For example, you can make significant

savings in time and costs through fast and uncomplicated

coordination between your sales and technical divisions.

And within the engineering process itself, seamless

cooperation between areas such as M-CAD and

electrical or fluid technology is crucial. A

unified database and simultaneous

processing of projects boost the quality

of your engineering and reduce your

time to market. Another area of

potential for optimisation can be

found in early integration of

manufacturing into product

development.

Your processes under control with theIN

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EPLAN range of solutions – from acquisition to delivery

The advantage is yours

With our innovative, practical solutions and expert consulting services,

we at EPLAN Software & Service accompany you on your path to a

seamless end-to-end workflow.

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Conclusion MechanicalengineeringFluid

engineering

Electrical

engineering

PLC

EPLAN Platform

technolo

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ERP

Complex machines demand optimum

Fast, high-precision machine tools require seamless, trouble-free interaction

of all of their components. Interaction between all disciplines is critical,

even during the development stage. With a unified database and

the core functions for the various divisions, the EPLAN

Platform ensures that your workflow is smooth and

frictionless. Consistent data shortens development

time and increases the quality of your engineering.

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CAD solution

Design

Sheet metal working

Electrical engineering

Power drives

Electrical control systems

Safety engineering

Machine monitoring

Machine wiring

PLC (digital/analogue)

Mechanical

interaction of all disciplines

Control cabinet construction

Control technology

Mounting structures

Enclosure climate control

Enclosure wiring

NC manufacturing and

mounting

Measurement and control

engineering

Measurement systems and

sensors for monitoring process

parameters

Fluid engineering

Pneumatics

Hydraulics

Cooling (workpiece/system)

Lubrication

Mechatronic

Components

Customers expect custom machine tools that are tailored exactly to their

needs. In contrast, manufacturers need to standardise their product portfolio

and minimise the number of variants. That means that close coordination

between sales and engineering plays a central role in your processes, because

special requirements are the big unknown for engineering, design and

costing. Create an integrated workflow and transparency for everyone involved,

starting with a rule-based product configurator and secondary technical

configuration, including automated documentation.

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Offer/calculation

Bill of materials

Mechanics

3D Models

CAx

Fluid/Wiring diagrams

Enclosure mounting

Pricing

Machine functions

Bridging the gap:

From sales to engineering

The advantages are obvious

Less need for coordination between sales and engineering saves

time

Automated quotation costing takes the pressure off sales and

provides reliable cost estimates

Fast quotations and short time to market increase customer

satisfaction

Use of proven, error-free modules improves quality and minimises

the cost of rework

Reuse of defined components allows standardisation of the product

portfolio and reduces costs

A product configurator for your sales success

Product diversity and the requirement for custom solutions necessitate a great deal of

sales know-how in relation to the different versions and options for machine tools. With a

rule-based product configurator, you can offer your sales people and partners:

The ability to configure machines individually

The security of knowing that only technically coordinated and saleable configurations

are possible

Automatic costing and fast and easy tender preparation

The configurator works on the basis of the EPLAN Engineering Center (EEC). It allows you –

together with our experienced team of EPLAN consultants – to define modular products

using a modular process. Knowledge of the various possible product combinations is

defined as a set of rules in the EEC. Reusing the individual functional modules then allows

you to significantly reduce the number of variants.

Technical configuration and automated engineering

Integration between the EEC and the EPLAN Platform opens up a second, technically

oriented layer of configuration and parameterisation to your engineers. The creation of all

engineering documents can now be automated:

Mechanical manufacturing and order BOMs

Mechanical design drawings

Hydraulic and pneumatic diagrams

Wiring diagrams

PLC programs

Technical documentation

Programming

HW Code

PLC Code

The fast track to success with integrated

Two identical machines, with different documentation, for the same customer –

in practice, it happens all the time. To blame are conventional structures,

different levels of expertise and different work practices among different

employees, and the strict separation of the engineering disciplines. Duplication

of data, incorrect components, and differing representations of components

result in the need for time-consuming reworking of documentation. Raise the

quality and boost the speed of your engineering processes with an integrated

workflow and a centralised base for your data.

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Navigation, searching, printing

Legacy data

(technical and commercial data)

engineering

The benefits to you at a glance

Integration of comprehensive supply data supports your supply

chain management concept

Unified database prevents duplication and mistakes, minimising

potential errors and avoiding costly corrections

The EPLAN Platform allows simultaneous processing of a project

across all locations and countries, with everyone speaking their

own language

Less coordination work for everyone involved

The beginning of a long friendship

Profit from the master data at the EPLAN Data Portal, available to you with the EPLAN Platform for all disciplines

including M-CAD, fluid and electrical engineering. Project your data across all media and make your design

data seamlessly available across your entire enterprise through a powerful PDM system – thereby achieving

time and cost savings throughout the value chain.

Seamless integration of engineering disciplines

To get your project started quickly, the EPLAN Data Portal contains approximately 200,000 devices from many

major component manufacturers. The components include standardised graphic characteristics in each of the

disciplines and contain commercial information: In short, a comprehensive manufacturer database as the basis

for a seamless engineering process.

The various projection tasks can now be edited with the EPLAN Platform and your expert systems. For

example, the fluid engineers could work with a hydraulic power unit within EPLAN Fluid. EPLAN Electric P8

then makes available all information relevant to electrical control of the unit, such as graphic characteristics or

connection point descriptions. Changes, for example a change to an item number in the hydraulic schematic,

are automatically included in the electrical schematic.

You can then make the resulting design data available to the entire company with your PDM system. Thanks

to integrated version control, all users have access to the current documentation – goodbye to manual

revisions!

Standardisation and reorganisation as a productivity factor

EPLAN's expert consultants identify your workflows and organisational structures, develop design guidelines

to enable standardisation and guide you through the reorganisation process. The goal is a clear division of

responsibilities for all involved – we say: "The CAE administrator takes care of the master data and

standardisation, and the designer gets on with the engineering."

Benefits at a glance

Virtual 3D prototypes for optimum sizing and perfect use of space

Custom-fit components and inclusion of the manufacturer's

specifications ensure high quality

Integration of NC manufacturing ensures high-precision machining,

saving time and costly rework

Early inclusion of production scheduling and mounting together

with complete and accurate data combines to reduce the margin

of error

Smooth workflow minimises expenditure on coordination

Efficient manufacturing is a fundamental factor in your company's success.

Exploiting the full capacity of your machinery and the precision of the

manufacturing process are just as important as reliable delivery to your

customers. At the same time, development cycles are getting shorter and time

pressures intensify. The result? Data is incomplete when manufacturing starts.

You can get over this hurdle with optimised manufacturing integration using 3D

virtual prototyping and direct data transfer to NC machining centres and

automated cable assembly systems.

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Team players: Engineering and

manufacturing

Enclosure layout

3D design of enclosures and mounting panels

Create integrated, automated processes from engineering right through to manufacturing. With EPLAN Pro

Panel, the EPLAN Platform integrates your production scheduling and mounting perfectly into the product

development and manufacturing process. The system supports the development of 3D virtual prototypes. For

both electrical and fluid power components, all existing projected components in the schematic or in the

mounting layout can be easily positioned on the mounting panel or in the enclosure. Dynamic collision

detection and the inclusion of the manufacturer's installation instructions improve quality whilst saving you a

great deal of time.

Seamless integration with NC manufacturing

For machining, dedicated drill patterns and templates which are passed directly to NC machining centres are

created. Special interfaces allow EPLAN data to be read directly into the machine controller, for example for

Steinhauer eCAB and Kiessling Perforex. On top of that, the neutral DXF format allows you to integrate almost

any NC-based drilling and machining centre into the workflow.

Wiring made easy

EPLAN Pro Panel provides you with all the information you need for perfect wiring. The 3D mounting layout and

the information from the wiring diagram provide the basis for virtual wiring of the enclosure. You can find

fabrication data such as conductor length, termination details, bundling and labelling at the push of a button.

Interfaces allow you to pass this information on to automated cable assembly systems including for example

Komax, Schleuniger or Metzner Cable Center.

Wiring diagrams/Device lists

Engineering

Construction

3D conductor routing

(Komax, CADCabel, Lists)

Cable harness

NC data generation/

Production integration

(Perforex, Steinhauer, DXF)

Production documentation/

Assembly documentation

incl. Assembly drawing

Production

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The opportunities for securing your company's success are

many, but they all have one thing in common: The improvement

of process integration and reliability across the entire value chain.

Understand and take advantage of this potential. Get a competitive

edge and establish yourself as a first-class provider and trendsetter

in the market.

EPLAN – Your partner for

machine building

A competent partner

Your customers want machines that are faster, more complex, more precise and

more customised. With increasing international competition and the need for

standardisation, that means that you are faced with the big challenge of

examining and improving your processes. We at EPLAN Software & Service

guide you in this process and lead you to success. During our many years

working together with customers in the machine tool industry, we have amassed

extensive experience with regard to typical working practices, processes,

potential for conflict and the specific needs of the market. We're ready to share

that knowledge with you to find the right solution for your company.

Security for the future

Sustained success means future-proof solutions and partners. For more than 25

years, we have been monitoring developments and trends in the engineering

sector. All our efforts are focused on achieving long-term added value for our

customers. As a part of the Friedhelm Loh Group, we can benefit from the

strength and the size of the famous group. Around the world, we offer you the

necessary stability and security for your investments – now and in the future.

EPLAN – some impressive facts

Founded 1984

Member of the Friedhelm Loh Group

50 distribution and service centres

worldwide

550 EPLAN employees and

200 employees with partners

Over 80,000 users

Well-known customers from a wide range of sectors in the machine tool

industry speak for themselves

Turning

Dörries Scharmann Technologie GmbH (Machine tools) . EMAG Salach . HAMUEL

Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG . Hermle AG . INDEX-Werke GmbH & Co. KG .

MAG Boehringer Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH

Forming

LASCO Umformtechnik GmbH . Schuler Pressen GmbH & Co. KG . Walter Neff GmbH

Milling

Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH . GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG . GLEASON-

PFAUTER GMBH . EiMa Maschinenbau GmbH . DECKEL MAHO Pfronten GmbH .

Klingelnberg GmbH . Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH

Bending/Stamping

Burkhardt GmbH . Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik

Grinding

Alfred H. Schütte . Blohm Jung GmbH . Carl Benzinger GmbH . Diskus Werke

Schleiftechnik GmbH . Erwin Junker Maschinenfabrik GmbH . Geibel & Hotz

GmbH . KAPP GmbH . NILES Werkzeugmaschine GmbH . Overbeck GmbH

Erosion

MAKINO Europe GmbH

Compression moulding

Walter Neff GmbH . UNITECH-Maschinen GmbH

Cutting

Karl Eugen Fischer GmbH . VOLLMER WERKE

Drilling

ELHA-Maschinenbau Liemke KG . Gehring Technologies GmbH . IXION GmbH &

Co. KG . SAMAG Saalfelder Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH

Measuring

Walter Maschinenbau GmbH

Dyeing/Drying

A. Monforts Werkzeugmaschinen

Clearing

Forst Technologie . Maschinenfabrik FRÖMAG

And much more...

You can trust us tooIM

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Our customers work around the world – and so do we

EPLAN has seven branches in Germany and representatives in over 50 countries

around the world, so is always around wherever you need advice. Over 25,000

customers have trusted us with more than 80,000 installations. Rely on a

partner with consistent focus on practicality, extensive experience, individual

service and an international presence. EPLAN Software & Service, part of the

Friedhelm Loh Group, represents continuity and security of investment.

MACHINE TOOL ENGINEERINGefficient engineeringIn

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Design/Layout::www.team-mt.de::04/2012

EPLAN Software & Service

GmbH & Co. KG

An der alten Ziegelei 2

40789 Monheim am Rhein . Germany

Phone: +49 2173 3964-0

Fax: +49 2173 3964-25

info@eplan.de . www.eplan.de