Fritz Studer Wins Grinding Prize for Software

The Intec Prize 2013 was awarded for new software that simplifies cylindrical grinding machine operation by automatically determining the most important process-relevant influencing variables and values for each machining step.

United Grinding Technologies (UGT) announces that Fritz Studer AG (Bern, Switzerland) has won this year’s “intec prize 2013” for their unique StuderTechnology software at the intec production technology trade fair in Leipzig at the end of February.

The renowned “intec prize” was awarded to Fritz Studer for the first time this year, in the category of companies with over 100 employees. The prize was awarded to the StuderTechnology software. In internal and external cylindrical grinding in particular, an experienced machine operator was previously required in order to obtain optimal production results.

The StuderTechnology software automatically determines the most important process-relevant influencing variables and the relevant values for each machining step. This greatly simplifies the operation of cylindrical grinding machines. Better results can be achieved, in combination with shorter machining and setup times.

The requirements on industrial production processes are increasingly enormous. Newly designed components are appearing in ever-faster succession, and at the same time the number of component variants is increasing.

This has consequences for the machine operator. He must set up the resulting changing production sequences as quickly as possible and without errors. When complex processes such as cylindrical grinding are involved this task is particularly demanding. More than 300 machine parameters determine the machining process.

The operation of a Studer cylindrical grinding machine is greatly simplified by using StuderTechnology. Many of the usual settings are made for the operator.

The basic principle of the program, which was developed jointly with the software specialists from MCS AG, is simply explained: StuderTechnology independently determines the necessary central data in cylindrical grinding. “The principle can be compared to that of modern cameras.

They determine many important values such as focal distance or exposure and automatically ensure a high image quality,” explains Erhard Kämpf, the head of the form and thread grinding department. “StuderTechnology does a similar sort of thing.”

How is this possible? For starters, the Swiss grinding specialists have amassed a large quantity of data – a sort of “Best of Cylindrical Grinding.” The program contains the figures and information from countless grinding tests, in which the best machining strategy has been determined for a wide variety of components.

StuderTechnology draws on these values depending on the specific application and precisely applies them. The user benefits directly from the machine manufacturer’s extensive know-how. It is also possible to expand this treasure trove of experience at any time. Users can, as it were, expand the database with their own individual “Best of” data.

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