Metalworking

Maschinenfabrik Liezen und Giesserei

Fast, precise cuts through hard metal

Products NX, Teamcenter Business initiatives New product development Commonization and re-use Business challenges Large machine sizes Very long service life expectancy Need for precision despite varying material tolerances Keys to success Integrated knowledge management Digital simulation Collaboration among designers at different sites Results Design efficiency Simple transition to manufacturing Data access independent of documents Multi-site cooperation

Product lifecycle management with NX and Teamcenter speeds the development of high-speed metal sawing machines
A young company with a long tradition Since 1998, Maschinenfabrik Liezen und Giesserei (MFL) has been manufacturing high-speed sawing machines for solid materials, sections and tubes, as well as edge milling machines for integration into industrial production lines. In its short history, the company has developed into one of the most important players in this field, particularly for large sawing systems with high throughput. MFL succeeds in staying ahead of its competitors by focusing on the key technologies used at every stage of product development, and through its experience with extreme operating conditions gleaned from other industries. Most metal parts begin as continuous sections or tubes. One of the first steps on the way to a finished part is cutting it down to manageable size for further processing. This is done using high-performance circular saw systems, which are subject to ever increasing demands as the development and automation of the downstream manufacturing processes advance. Sawing through raw materials, which often have varying degrees of hardness, must take place faster and faster, while the cut surfaces should require as little treatment as possible. And ideally there should be no waste. MFL, which employs approximately 780 people, has a system that uses a

The first production step in metalworking is often cutting to length the pieces to be machined. This layer saw destined for China cuts whole bundles of rod material, quickly and precisely.

7.2-foot-diameter saw blade capable of sawing through solid materials nearly three feet in diameter. Employees in MFLs design department are ultimately responsible for the success of the companys products. Their skill lies in designing the interaction of very large, fixed and moving machine parts in such a way that, despite the tolerances of the raw materials, the cuts are made with extreme precision and over a service life of many years. A particular challenge is presented by the so-called layer saws, which can cut though several layers of rod material with one cut.

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Designers work on the same 3D model of the machine, each addressing individual units per their responsibilities.

Customer-specific, series-produced machines Due to differences in the quality and crosssections of the materials being processed, and considering the connections to upstream and downstream equipment as well as to the specific standards and regulations the customer must meet, each MFL sawing machine is designed and manufactured to customer specifications. Since the design expenditure is accounted for in the price, and a good price-value ratio drives the purchase decision, designers strive to standardize parts and assemblies as much as possible. New developments take place primarily at the individual component level, while

proven assemblies and machines are adapted to a customers requirements by changing some of the dimensions. Since individual components mutually influence one another, development takes place both from top to bottom and from bottom to top. The risk of collisions is minimized in an iterative process through comprehensive simulations of the entire machine, including all movements of the individual assemblies and subassemblies. MFL has been using NX CAD/CAM/CAE software since the company was founded in 1994. (The software was then called Unigraphics.) MFL has maintained the software at the state-of-the-art level by means of constant updates and upgrades, not

Although the actual modeling doesnt differ signicantly from other 3D CAD solutions, NX offers the designer considerably more design possibilities.
Othmar Sallfellner Designer Maschinenfabrik Liezen und Giesserei GesmbH

Distributed work...is only possible thanks to the comprehensive administration of all of the documents...in the common knowledge base of Teamcenter.
Othmar Sallfellner Designer Maschinenfabrik Liezen und Giesserei GesmbH only in its main factory but also at the other sites and subsidiary companies. Designer Othmar Sallfellner, who has a wealth of previous experience with other CAD products, describes an important advantage of NX: Although the actual modeling doesnt differ significantly from other 3D CAD solutions, NX offers the designer considerably more design possibilities. More design options means more consideration is given at the start of a project to defining the design methods. According to Sallfellner, once this is done there is significant simplification, which saves time later on, such as when individual units are integrated into the overall design. The very long service lifetimes of MFL machines and the desire to continue to use proven older designs (bringing them up to the latest level of technology through modifications rather than doing complete redesigns), calls to attention a further advantage of NX over other CAD software: complete data compatibility. Design data that was created ten years ago can continue to be used within NX without translation. Upgrade to full PLM Approximately 20 designers work in the sawing and milling equipment section at the Liezen and Steyrermhl sites. In addition, there are several designers at the special plant engineering firm Rabofsky und Partner, which also belongs to the MFL group. Despite the geographic distances between the sites, the designers work together as a cohesive team on the development of the machines. Besides the actual saw, a sawing system requires extensive peripheral equipment such as the feeder, a roller conveyor and the discharger that relays the material to downstream processing operations. In view of the ever-shorter implementation timeframes, it is possible for the actual saw to

Far left: Although customer-specific, the machines are modularly constructed. Left: Solid support structures and precise small parts are just as much a part of the design as sheet metal parts and pipelines.

Solutions/Services NX www.siemens.com/nx Teamcenter www.siemens.com/teamcenter Customers primary business MFL develops, produces and sells cold sawing plants for metalworking, stationary and mobile treatment plants (crushers) for natural stone, and recycling plants for building rubble and heavy special machinery. www.mfl.at Customer location Liezen Austria Distributed work on what is ultimately a homogeneous product is only possible thanks to the comprehensive administration of all of the documents associated with the product in the common knowledge base of Teamcenter. Othmar Sallfellner Designer Maschinenfabrik Liezen und Giesserei GesmbH

be designed in Steyrermhl, while the material feeder is developed in the main factory and transport equipment within the Rabofsky plant. MFL claims to be one of the three leading manufacturers of such sawing and milling machines in the world, says Sallfellner. This claim can only be met by a company that can come up with an optimum solution, in detail and in a short space of time, while at the same time delivering an entire system as if it had been cast. Synchronization and data exchange among the individual designers must take place not just regularly, but in fact constantly, so that discrepancies due to incorrect data never occur. Due to such requirements, MFL is currently upgrading to fully digital product development by implementing the current NX release as well as the Teamcenter digital lifecycle management solution. Teamcenter capabilities are essential. Distributed work on what is ultimately a homogeneous product is only possible thanks to the comprehensive administration of all of the documents associated with the product in the common knowledge base of Teamcenter, says Sallfellner. MFL is currently in the process of optimizing the various operations within its complex design process. Automation of the overall workflow, from version administration through the release process to system-generated messages for the production department, is in the initial phases of implementation. This work is being done as part of a longer, tactical process in small steps because the conversion is taking place throughout the entire company and not just within the sawing and milling machinery group. This requires

With 2.2-meter-diameter sawing blade technology, MFL claims the largest plant of its kind in the world.

the integration of several other groups within the company and numerous subsidiary companies that have been using different processes. MFL is confident that NX and Teamcenter offer every possibility to achieve the companys goals, and that each step in the direction of greater design safety and efficiency will lead to additional similar steps, securing the companys market-position goals in the long term.

Siemens Industry Software Americas +1 314 264 8499 Europe +44 (0) 1276 413200 Asia-Pacific +852 2230 3308 www.siemens.com/plm
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