Forming Precise profile rolling with Umati interface

Rolling of threads and profiles is a cold massive forming process with which large piece numbers, quality and precision can be achieved. With suitable design and peripherals, these installations become compatible with Industry 4.0 processes.

Profile rolling of rotationally symmetrical workpieces is widespread in the manufacture of gear wheels. In order to achieve the component precision required, comprehensive specialist knowledge is needed. The possibilities it offers are demonstrated simultaneously by the Profiroll Technologies GmbH from Bad Düben on a series of installations at this year’s EMO in Hannover.

The PR 15 HP thread and profile rolling machine provides rolling forces of up to 150 KN, comprehensive equipment, and freely programmable software for rolling, operational help and service. At the fair, an automated installation is presented, complete with robot and stacking cell. Uses for the machine include roller burnishing of snails for steering gears.

The energy-efficient Rollex HP enables the rolling of splines on rotor crankshafts for electric automobile drives. The CNC controller used, in combination with symmetrical round rollers, allows the manufacture of top-quality gear teeth, especially teeth on hollow shafts, Profiroll informs us.

The third installation on display is the PB 200 rolling installation, used for smoothing broached gear teeth on hollow wheels for automatic gears in cars. This technology was developed for applications in the automobile industry, where large piece numbers and highest quality are demanded.

Reacting to market development with new products

A highlight of the fair presentation will be the PR 400 HP gear-rolling machine with a rolling force of 400 kN. It enables the use of incremental rolling tools up to a diameter of 400 mm. The closed, pre-tensioned power frame has been optimised using FEM simulation. In addition, the installation comes with a machine bed optimised for damping with a mineral cement filling. With the new PR 400 HP, a number of technical challenges can be solved simultaneously: fast, high-quality rolling of splines together with another profile, such as a thread or an oil groove, on one component. “With the Rollex family, Profiroll has developed a highly flexible machine range for rolling up to 5 sets of gear teeth in one clamping,” says Profiroll CEO Jens Wunderlich. With the development of the PR 400 HP, the firm intends to expand its portfolio in two ways: With this installation concept, Profiroll is following up one of its own design engineering approaches – Asian and American users, according to Wunderlich, often adopt a different manufacturing philosophy based on individual processing at simple machine stations. With the PR 400 HP, the firm aims to cater for this philosophy. Beyond that, the firm from Bad Düben wishes to respond to current trends in automobile construction, for the transition to electro-mobility is bringing with it increasingly complex components.

Target groups are the manufacturers of drive, gear and chassis components. “The first prospective customers come from the rotor shaft manufacturing field. Here this installation technology is used for rolled splines, supplemented by oil grooves. Further areas of application are components for constant velocity drive shafts in vehicle powertrains. In this case, joints and shafts usually possess a maximum of two different profiles. ”Both could be produced during one process on the PR 400 HP, once again thanks to the large tools,” explains Wunderlich.

Fundamentals

How does the forming of sheet metal work?

New dimensions in quality with intelligent technology

“The EMO, as the leading fair for the world of metal processing and manufacturing technology, is for us an important platform for presenting the latest machine technology. The installations on show are combined with software and sensor solutions. We have succeeded, for example, in making the process technology more intelligent and thus achieving new dimensions in quality in the formed products,” says Wunderlich.

Profiroll is furthermore reacting, with various solution approaches, to the global topics in industrial manufacture, such as IoT. Under the brandname e-Rolling, the firm has bundled smart tools, for example hardness compensation, temperature compensation, part traceability and DMC-coded tools. In addition, Profiroll is participating in the VDW initiative umati, which is working out a global interface standard for machine tools.

At the EMO, the umati standard 1.0 is being presented for the first time by the association of German machine builders (VDW). Correspondingly, Profiroll has prepared the PR 400 HP for a umati showcase. That is, the control system has been fitted with an OPC UA server and the machine functions have been coupled to the informational building blocks in the umati showcase.

At a glance

Rotationally symmetrical workpieces can be processed cost-effectively using thread and profile rolling.

The Profiroll Technologies GmbH from Bad Düben can draw on many years of experience and comprehensive know-how in this field: it will present various installations at the EMO.

For the EMO, Profiroll has prepared the PR 400 HP gear rolling machine for a umati showcase. That is, the control system has been fitted with an OPC UA server and the machine functions have been coupled to the informational building blocks in the umati-showcase.

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