High-precision 3D eye rim bending machine
Baumüller and Schüssler Technik modernize high-precision 3D eye rim bending machine
Highly precise special machines from the market leader Schüssler Technik ensure easy, modern production of eye rims for glasses in a wide variety of shapes and materials. The latest version of the fully automated 3D eye rim bending machine S-514 is compact, digital, and meets the requirements of Industry 4.0 - and it allows glasses manufacturers around the world to have creative design options.
They can be oval, angular, or round. Plain gray or eye-catching pink. Creativity knows no bounds when it comes to glasses frames, and plays a crucial role in making a purchase. The look is not just determined by the shape and color, but by the material as well. Glasses frames made from various metals have dominated fashion for the last few years - stainless steel, nickel silver, phosphor bronze, and titanium. The company Schüssler Technik from Pforzheim in Baden-Württemberg specialized in this. The medium-size company has manufactured high-quality machines for producing glasses frames as a market leader in the industry for over fifty years. This includes bending eye rims made from metal wire profiles as well as the frame in which the lenses will later sit. Thanks to their machines, millions of individual eye rims from most major glasses manufacturers have been produced - easily and with precision.
There’s room for all of Baumüller’s compact drive components in Schüssler Technik’s 3D eye rim bending machine S-514 | Fig.: Schüssler Technik
3D Eye Rim Bending Machine S-514 operation
The CNC 3D eye rim bending machine S-514 produces eye rims from various metallic profile wires, including stainless steel or titanium in different material thicknesses - with a production rate of up to 1,350 eye rims per hour. All known alloys for eye rims up to a width of 2.5 mm and a height of 2.5 mm can be used. The eye rims are manufactured with high precision. The precise and optimally matched drives and automation components from Baumüller are decisive for this.
The machine is programmed by transferring data (DXF or Schüssler Technik’s own shape data) via USB or network, or by copying a mold disc. The parameters can be set by the user directly on the touchscreen, such as bending, correction values, and thickness of the profile wire. Together with the shape bending, the eye rims also receive the desired radius of curvature, also known as the base curve (curvature), at the same time. The machine’s procedure ensures that the wire is oriented in such a way that the nut is vertical to the center axis, even for heavy curvatures (such as with sports glasses). Thus the lens can be set securely into the rim later on.
The b maXX PCC-04 for high-performance applications is used in the new S-514 as a machine control system
Waste-free production
One of the major advantages of the S-514 is the possibility for segment correction. This means that the eye rim shape can be divided into multiple segments and then corrected - in both the 2D shape and in the curvature, until the bent eye rim meets quality standards. This is especially helpful for special eye shapes with critical areas and wire profiles. Another added benefit of the machine is that it works completely without waste. Thus even with high-quality profile wires such as gold and titanium, the next eye rim can be produced right after the bending process and without producing any waste pieces.
Thanks to the space-saving design of the machine and very compact Baumüller components, electronics and all seven drives are located in the smallest possible space in the control cabinet: Four bending axes ensure three-dimensional bending and three handling axes separate the wire. The axle drives guarantee high quality bending and are maintenance-free.
Compact drive technology from one source
Most of the glasses produced in the world are made in Asia today. The market demands long-lasting, space-saving machines that are easy to operate. Schüssler Technik worked with Baumüller as a competent long-term partner in developing the new 3D eye rim bending machine. A requirement of the new S-514 was that the machine be updated and made fit for Industry 4.0. In the course of this, strategic partner Baumüller’s part was to supply all the drive and automation technology for the machine, perfectly attuned to one another.
All essential components from the drive regulator to the machine control system and visualizations were able to be supplied within the Baumüller Group become. The sheet housing, including control cabinet, was supplied by Baumüller Dravinja, the Baumüller subsidiary in Slovenia specializing in machine housings and control cabinet production. In addition, Baumüller took over all the engineering for the machine.
Smart, precisely manufactured metal eye rims Fig.: JHRS
Modern visualization and global service
The modern visualization for the new S-514 allows the user to input all required parameters and control the machine comfortably from a 12” touch monitor. Symbols instead of words allow it to be used anywhere in the world without requiring translation. The newest generation of powerful b maXX PCC-04, a scalable, versatile platform for demanding control tasks, is used for controlling the machine. The 12” touch monitor is from the b maXX HMI series product range from Baumüller.
Dietmar Rupprecht, Sales and Product Management division manager at Schüssler Technik: “The demands of the market for precise, custom glasses manufacturing are high. The new 3D eye rim bending machine S-514 also makes our customers fit for Industry 4.0. It offers a digital user interface and optional remote maintenance for global use.”
In order to be able to provide fast, cost-effective service, the idea of remote maintenance is extremely important to Schüssler Technik as the machine manufacturer. The new machine offers the optional possibility of remote control for maintenance purposes through a built-in router.
Behind it is the secure remote maintenance solution Ubiquity from Baumüller, one of the first software packages in industrial remote maintenance that has been certified according to 62443-3-3 and that therefore corresponds to the requirements of the basic protection catalog of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Ubiquity allows the machine to be accessed securely around the world so that support can be provided during installation, commissioning, and maintenance and a secure remote diagnosis can be made in the event of errors or malfunctions. Maintenance and upkeep measures are covered by Baumüller through their global service network. This allows glasses manufacturers around the world to place their trust in the precise production of eye rims from the house of Schüssler Technik.
Conclusion
The jointly updated 3D eye rim bending machine S-514 from Schüssler Technik and Baumüller is compact, digital, and precise - and offers plenty of new options such as modern visualization and secure remote maintenance. The advantage of a strategic partner and full-service provider like Baumüller is the full expertise in both automation components and system engineering.
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