Deeply rooted
C 32 U HS flex | Biersack Group | Contract manufacturing
Reliable automation, precise and contamination-free manufacturing – the Biersack Group had specific requirements for its new machining centre. The contract manufacturer was absolutely impressed by the C 32 U HS flex from HERMLE, not only by its perfect cutting accuracy, but also because it carries out all orders fully automatically.
The story of Biersack and HERMLE began 20 years ago when a seed was planted. Under the motto "Growing together", HERMLE donated young oak trees to about 500 contract manufacturers all throughout Germany. Each tree came with a watering can in HERMLE Red so the tree could be watered regularly. "The oak tree was planted in a nice spot on our company grounds and since then it has developed well", recollects senior director Karl-Heinz Biersack. The son of the company founder has been working in the family business since 1968. The second generation Managing Director and I conversed regularly about milling technologies, but we did not come together", recalls Hans Werner Hoppe. He travelled around Bavaria for many years in the sales field service and is very familiar with the Biersack Group.
In 1948 Josef Richard Biersack founded the one-man operation in Beilngries, Upper Bavaria, initially constructing tools for the automotive industry. The company has relied on metal cutting production since the end of the 1950s. In 1978 the first CNC machining centre was added. Since then both the workforce and machine park have grown continuously. Today Biersack manufactures high-quality and especially precise mechanical components for high-tech sectors with 125 employees in facilities covering just under 7000 square metres.
Specialist for precise assemblies
30 milling machines and ten lathes are in use – the production halls of the Biersack Group hum, buzz and click here, there and everywhere. The contract manufacturer specialises in solutions for aviation, semiconductors and medical technology. The average batch size is 20 and the company is characterised by high-mix low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing. "We see ourselves as a partner for complete assemblies", explains Michael Biersack. As Technical Managing Director, he leads the family business in its third generation together with his cousin Dominik Biersack, who is responsible for the commercial side.
"Our goal is to do more than just manufacture milled and turned parts", clarifies the company founder's grandson. A typical product is a floor assembly in the cargo loading system for AIRBUS. This makes it possible to move containers into the aircraft fuselage and tie them down automatically. "We manufacture the complete mechanical system – from the small special screws to the milled parts that are four metres long", he explains, describing the necessary production depth and the mix of workpieces based on the example of this assembly.
As a contract manufacturer, Biersack cooperates closely with its customers – usually for years or decades. "But of course we continually add new clients and therefore new requirements", explains Michael Biersack. And regular customers also still need more precise or top quality components for their innovative products. "In the last three to four years, clean and contamination-free manufacturing has become increasingly important", he reports.
Until quite recently it was often sufficient to remove production residue from manufactured parts in a standard industrial washing machine. "But the semiconductor industry in particular has higher standards: even the slightest impurities can interfere with their sensitive processes", explains Michael Biersack. "We have therefore developed and adopted new procedures in the company to meet these needs as well."
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Technical Managing Director Michael Biersack with consultant Manfred Pantel of Hermle in front of the oak tree (l to r). -
The exchange between the two companies began 20 years ago with the oak tree in the background: Michael Biersack, Technical Managing Director; Karl-Heinz Biersack, Senior Director; Hans Werner Hoppe, former member of sales field service and Manfred Pantel, current member of sales field service at Hermle -
"The HERMLE C 32 U HS flex is perfectly suited to our requirements", says Michael Biersack, visibly pleased. -
The HS flex handling system offers a relatively high load, is easy to operate via HACS and can be used flexibly.
Excluding cross-contamination
And this is where HERMLE enters the picture. A young tree has to form roots to become strong, and the seed fell on cultivated soil. The latest new addition at Biersack is the C 32 U HS flex from HERMLE. After 20 years of constructive exchange, the first machine from Gosheim has found its way to the contract manufacturers. The five-axis machining centre cuts even materials that are difficult to machine in short times with perfect accuracy. "We don't machine a mix of materials with it, only selected aluminium and stainless steel alloys, to avoid cross-contamination", emphasises Michael Biersack. This is because the coolant cannot be prepared in such a way that all unwanted materials can be completely removed. In the worst case, this could result in the manufactured material not meeting the specification and not being accepted by the customer.
"With the new acquisition, we can be certain that no impurities are introduced into our products by the machining centre itself", emphasises the Managing Director. This aspect was extremely important for the contract manufacturer. "We know from conversations with our customers that HERMLE machines enjoy an excellent reputation. We were not disappointed – the manufactured workpieces are flawless."
Fully automated solution
Thanks to HS flex automation, Biersack can use the C 32 U in three-shift operation, one of them with low supervision. "We selected the clamping systems so that the machine can process different components even at night", says Michael Biersack. The company will initially be using the machine to produce 25 to 30 different workpieces fitted on eight pallets. In addition to one-offs, the C 32 U HS flex will also be machining very small series with high accuracy, fully automatically.
It is not only the pallet handling of the HS flex that enables automation, but also the ZM 186 additional magazine. With its 186 pockets, it can really hold a lot of tools, including tools with longer lengths or special models. It is especially well suited for automated systems such as the HS flex and complex machining tasks with numerous tools. The additional magazine boosts productivity and system runtimes significantly.
Biersack broke new ground with the control unit of the C 32 U HS flex. As a software solution, the TNC7 from Heidenhain and HERMLE's own HACS (HERMLE Automation Control System) are used with the HS flex for the C 32. Biersack previously had no contact points with these products. "Our employees have been trained comprehensively by HERMLE, both in the operation of the machine and in programming", reports Production Manager Tobias Klinger. The intuitive and task-oriented user interface supports our qualified employees, for example in setting up workpieces and aligning clamping devices. The integrated process monitoring contributes to a flawless result and reliably prevents errors in the milling process and on the object.
"Among other things we mill sealing grooves and surfaces designed for use in a vacuum. These involve special requirements for the accuracy of the machine to make them able to function", says Michael Biersack. "HERMLE guarantees this quality, durability and precision for many years." It is still too early to draw long-term conclusions, however, since Biersack has only been using the machine in production for a few days. "The surfaces of our test components are excellent in appearance and the dimensions match our requirements exactly", says the Technical Managing Director, visibly pleased.
All's well that ends well
Michael Biersack summarises "The reason why we have now brought in the first HERMLE machine after such a long period of exchange is the impressive automation of the machine". And Manfred Pantel, Sales field service at HERMLE, adds: "The special strength of HERMLE is manufacturing flexibly with unsupervised machines. More and more customers find this appealing, especially in times of skilled labour shortage."
"The HERMLE C 32 U HS flex is perfectly suited to our requirements", emphasises Michael Biersack. "This enables us to handle a large mix of small batch sizes, manufacture fully automatically through the night and meet all the purity requirements of our customers." The Managing Director is especially appreciative of HERMLE's application technology service team. HERMLE's employees answer all our questions related to operation and of course they also help if problems ever come up.
Not only has Biersack continued to develop over recent decades, the oak tree has now reached a good six metres in height and offers employees shade in the summer at their cosy seating area.
