Technology meets tradition. Industry meeting at the Hermle Open House

Robot system RS 2 Kombi with kanban storage

Blessed with unusually warm pre-summer weather, even for Gosheim, Hermle AG welcomed a large number of visitors from around the world to its traditional Open House in April.
This year’s event set a new record for visitor numbers, with 2900 people visiting from 1300 companies, including 1100 international guests. The visitors from over 30 countries, including large delegations from neighbouring European countries, such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Scandinavia, as well as companies from Russia, USA, Korea, Japan and India, were welcomed and well looked after over the course of the four exhibition days and took a great deal of interest in the Hermle products.

The performance capabilities and possible application areas of Hermle machining centres were demonstrated in a clear and impressive manner through interesting examples of machining. For example, a 90 kg solid block of non-machined aluminium was transformed into a delicate 2 kg replica of the Eiffel Tower using an array of very complex milling strategies. Spectacular machining highlights included a wristwatch housing crafted from carbide metal, a Pelton wheel for the hydro power industry measuring 1.00 m in diameter, a titan impeller and, of course, lots of die shapes for tool and mould making. It actually goes without saying that special "exhibition parts" were once again manufactured, showcasing the array of machining options delivered by Hermle products. These parts included a coffee pot that was milled on a 5-axis CNC machine tool from a solid block of aluminium, while the future possibilities of robot technology were demonstrated when manufacturing an adhesive tape dispenser. An MT machine, which combines milling and turning technology, was used to produce a 5-arm candlestick. A panpipe manufactured from aluminium was connected to a compressed air supply and played the melody "Ode to Joy".

Besucher der Hermle Hausausstellung schauen sich einen Stand an

Numerous machines equipped with unique automation solutions were showcased and demonstrated under production conditions to satisfy the growing trend towards increased automation, especially in terms of the requirements of Industry 4.0. A huge amount of interest was generated by the robot system RS 2 Kombi with kanban storage, which was designed especially for the showroom. This is where Hermle-Leibinger Systemtechnik GmbH was able to present the many opportunities provided by the storage capacity, pallet and gripper handling and, above all else, the complex automation of Hermle machining centres.

A further highlight is the handling system HS flex, which was unveiled at last year’s Open House and has since gone on to become an integral part of Hermle’s automation solutions. HS flex has, in the meantime, been overhauled and now allows users to change a range of pallets through the application of various gripper changers and thus further enhance the flexibility provided by this automation solution. Just like many other automation solutions, HS flex is controlled by the Hermle-Automation-Control-System or HACS.

Needless to say, visitors had the opportunity to explore and learn about more than 20 machine models fitted with ingenious machining solutions for various industry sectors, such as tool and mould making, aerospace, mechanical engineering, medical technology and model making.

A special show featuring over 60 exhibitors from the fields of tool technology, software and hardware was also well received. In addition to this special show, many interesting technical presentations gave visitors a greater understanding of the special show’s main topics.

The Hermle User Training used a milled bicycle pedal to highlight the benefits and potential applications offered by digital modules, which are becoming increasingly important, especially in view of Industry 4.0. Hermle Service Competence and the Service Training department were presented at two machining centres in a separate area. Extensive diagnostics and service tools showed users how quickly and competently Hermle Service can be on the scene to solve the problem at hand.

The subsidiary company Hermle Maschinenbau GmbH demonstrated its activities through a 700 kg additive manufactured die tool, featuring numerous embedded cooling channels for hot forming processes when producing car body parts. Today, MPA technology (Metal Powder Application) is becoming increasingly popular in a wide range of industries.

The Hermle Training department's presentation of training concepts was also a very popular exhibit.

Guided factory tours gave visitors the unique opportunity to experience first-hand the state-of-the-art production and assembly facilities, the Hermle Training department and Hermle's automation subsidiary Hermle-Leibinger Systemtechnik GmbH.