Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Tools that Create

Continued from Page 1

The Danobat companies, which together form one of the largest machine tool corporations in Spain , are world leaders in machines to grind blades used in airplane engine rotors. The Danobat research center, Ideko, focuses exclusively on developing improvements for machine tools.

Fagor Arrasate, a mechanical-press manufacturer and one of the largest machine manufacturers in the region, has taken advantage of improvements in motors to redesign its presses. The company is now able to make larger presses that are flexible enough for customers to quickly change the profile of a piece. It's also developed a high-speed robot that hovers in the narrow spaces above presses and can quickly move pieces between machines.

“We're also developing new systems to reduce the consumption of energy, materials, and oil,” says David Chico, product development manager of Koniker, the research center of Fagor Arrasate.

Fagor Automation manufactures solutions for machine-tool automation. Recently the company has improved the precision of the machining process through advances in what are known as encoder systems. In a new building raised only four years ago, the new system determines the location of products being processed by analyzing light passed and blocked by a series of lines on the scale of only hundredths of a millimeter. The technique involves etching glass and depositing layers of chrome and resins in carefully controlled environments where the temperature, humidity, and level of air particles remain at specifically determined levels. The machine uses the gradated glass to read its position, and then the CNC system adapts the location of all necessary parts of the machine.

“The accuracy is the most important result,” says product and marketing manager J. R. Arriolabengoa. To prevent any vibrations from compromising that accuracy, the company built a literally floating room—a building within a building. There are only two companies in Europe and one in Japan with the facilities to produce gradated glass at this precision for industrial purposes. Fagor Automation has also created a thermal system to prevent any loss of accuracy related to temperature changes in the machine environment.

Meanwhile, improvements in technology such as sensors for vibration, temperature, and location allow companies to develop machines that can more easily correct themselves or notify users of potential problems, on the whole making the machines more user-friendly.

In addition, as customers demand greater flexibility to change the shape of their products more quickly, Spanish companies are focusing on creating custom-made solutions, rather than specific tools that conduct a single operation. Etxe-tar focuses on specialized, flexible machines that are developed with the specific customer in mind. Juaristi, a maker of milling and boring machines, has created systems that allow companies to carry out different processes with the same machine.

Many of these machine tool businesses reach outside Spain for the bulk of their income; export markets for Spanish companies grew approximately 30 percent in 2005 and 2006. Nicolás Correa exports about 85 percent of its products, and Etxe-tar sells crankshaft machines extensively to car companies in the United States .

“The end-user sectors are completely globalized,” says Xabier Ortueta, director of the Machine Tool Manufacturers Association of Spain. “We sell in many different markets, where the production is based. For the last five years, production of many industrial products has moved to China , India , and Eastern Europe , so we move with our clients.”

Environmentally Conscious

One of the most significant changes in the industry today is the heightened concern about environmental impact. In fact, new environmental standards might be considered the next stage of the industrial revolution.

As consumers seek out environmentally sustainable products, and as companies strive to reduce their impact on climate change, the machinery industry is working to meet those demands. Innovations include machines produced with less material and electricity, machines that require less electricity to operate, and machines that can use smaller amounts of lubricants and coolants in more environmentally friendly formulations. Juan José Miguel, marketing director of Etxe-tar, says the company's machines now use significantly less coolant.