Wikov relies on the S41 from STUDER

By Staff Report October 24, 2024 7:03 pm IST

The long-established Czech company Wikov enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide as a manufacturer of high-quality gear and gear wheels. To meet the increasing demand in the railroad sector, Wikov relies on the S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine from STUDER, increasing its production speed by up to 60 percent.

In the factory’s own Wikov Museum in Hronov, Czech Republic, legends are lined up one after the other, polished to a mirror finish: a fiery red Wikov 7/28 racing car is just one of the gems. Like all the other classic cars here, it is adorned with the iconic Wikov logo with the hammer-carrying worker. Anyone looking at these impressive engineering achievements from the first third of the 20th century will understand why Wikov is known as the “Czech Rolls-Royce”. However, the main business of the company “Wichterle & Kovářík”, founded in 1918, was the production of agricultural machinery, making it the largest Czech factory in this field.

This proud history is still part of the Wikov Group, including other traditional Czech brands. Today, with over 1,000 employees and several locations, Wikov is a leading manufacturer of high-quality mechanical gearboxes and gears for the industry. The plant here in Hronov mainly produces gearboxes for the railroad sector and is the Group’s largest production site with around 400 employees.

S41 makes production at Wikov up to 60 percent faster

One of these employees is grinder Jaromir Hornych. His blue work suit is also adorned with the Wikov logo and he is standing just a few dozen steps from the automobile museum in a state-of-the-art production hall. Behind him stands a powerful CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine of the latest generation from Switzerland: the S41 from STUDER. He has used it to machine a pinion gear for a railroad gear shaft and is now inspecting the shiny piece of metal. “The precision and surface quality is outstanding, and in such a short machining time,” says Hornych as he checks important production data on the large 24-inch touchscreen. Thanks to the revolutionary C.O.R.E. hardware and software architecture and STUDER’s software, the operation of the S41 is modern and intuitive.

Efficiency, precision, flexibility, and future viability through proven quality and modern technologies: were the main reasons why Wikov decided to invest in a new S41 from STUDER. “By using the S41, we were able to significantly speed up the grinding process with high process stability, in some cases by over 60 percent per component,” explains Dominik Sádlo, who heads the technology department at Wikov. In addition, many machining processes can now be carried out in a single operation instead of in several individual steps as was previously the case.

With centre distances of 1,000 / 1,600 mm (39.4/63 inches), centre heights of 225 / 275 mm (8.85/10.8 inches), and a maximum workpiece weight of 250 kilograms (550 lbs), the S41 is one of the largest machines in the STUDER portfolio. However, Wikov uses its smaller components – after all, it is used for gearboxes for large railroad vehicles. “Our order situation has increased significantly in recent years, and we were looking for a more flexible and productive grinding machine, especially for smaller gear components in large quantities. The S41 was the best choice due to its high universality, quality, and short set-up times,” says Sádlo.

Proven quality components and innovative grinding technology

The many advantages of the S41 are due to STUDER’s extensive know-how. Like Wikov, the Swiss manufacturer of quality grinding machines is a traditional international company with over 111 years of history. Many components in the S41 have been developed and continuously optimised in-house. These include the high-precision, wear-resistant StuderGuide® guide system in the cross and longitudinal slides, the configurable wheelhead with integrated B-axis with up to four grinding wheels for complete machining in the same set-up and the patented Granitan® mineral cast machine bed with its excellent thermal and damping properties. STUDER is also one of the world’s leading innovators in grinding machine technology for even more efficient, precise, and resource-saving production. The market-leading innovation technologies available for the S41 include, for example, SmartJet® cooling for up to 50 percent less energy and water consumption or the WireDress® process for the more precise and economical dressing of metal-bonded grinding wheels at full working speed.

STUDER also has a special development focus on automation. “Automation capability was an important factor for us when selecting machines because this topic will be even more relevant for us in the future,” emphasises Wikov’s Head of Technology Sádlo. As in many industrialised countries, the shortage of skilled workers is becoming more acute in the Czech Republic and night shifts are already difficult to fill due to a lack of personnel. Intelligent automation is the only way to maintain or even increase production in the long term without compromising quality. With easyLoad, STUDER offers a cost-effective standardised automation solution for the S41. This gantry loader system with a V-gripper can handle a wide range of parts and makes workpieces easily available. It is operated via the machine control system and no robot programming knowledge is required. Customer-specific automation solutions are also possible.

Competent customer care in the local language

“Despite all the technology, one thing should not be forgotten: The focus for us is always on people,” says Pavel Branda, STUDER Area Sales Manager for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. He is responsible for technical sales in the region. Branda provided Wikov with expert advice when he purchased the S41 and is still in regular contact with his customer for all kinds of questions. “The excellent customer care in our local language is a major advantage of STUDER. This aspect is important in the initial phase of technology introduction,” explains Sádlo. After all, modern cylindrical grinding differs from other production processes. “At STUDER, we learned from competent experts how to achieve the desired results with the S41 for our specific components. Cylindrical grinding at Wikov is now on a whole new level.”

“In addition to the optimal configuration and installation of the S41, it was very important for us to train the operators so that they can use all of the machine’s capabilities efficiently and achieve optimal grinding results,” confirms Branda. Wikov grinder Jaromir Hornych also travelled to the STUDER training centre in Thun, Switzerland, specifically for this purpose. Later, an in-depth follow-up training session was also held at Wikov in Hronov. “We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly our people at STUDER learned how to operate the S41 and achieve high-quality grinding results,” says Head of Technology Sádlo, adding: “The S41 and the cooperation with STUDER have brought our production to a better level and this is making a significant contribution to Wikov’s continued success.”

The S41 at a glance:

Hardware:

·         StuderGuide® guide system with linear drive

·         Turret wheel head with direct drive and 0.00005° resolution

·         Complete machining with up to four grinding wheels

·         C-axis workhead for form and thread grinding

·         C.O.R.E. Panel

·         Manual control unit (PCU) for setting up close to the grinding process

·         Full enclosure with two sliding doors

·         Machine bed made of Granitan® S103 mineral casting

Software:

·         C.O.R.E. OS operating system

·         Simple operation and programming thanks to StuderWIN

·         StuderTechnology with integrated expert know-how

·         Short set-up and changeover times with STUDER QuickSet

·         Standardized interfaces for loaders and peripheral devices

·         External programming station with all machine software options in

StuderWINprogramming