Competitive as a one-man business: GRESSEL clamping systems make it possible
The pressure to innovate, the highest standards of precision and international competition: how can a one-man business remain competitive in today’s world? Leo Rainer of Rainer Maschinenbau GmbH in Klagenfurt has been grappling with this question. Rainer founded the one-man business in 2012 and, as a contract manufacturer, specialises in the machining of components for general mechanical engineering, prototype construction and the production of high-precision components.
To remain competitive, it was necessary to reduce the cost per component and cut down on set-up and production times. A suitable clamping system was sought for a GF VCE 1200 Pro 3-axis machine and a Hermle C400 5-axis machine, in order to manufacture standard machine components as well as components for prototype production.
The right clamping solution: gredoc, grepos-5X, C2.0 and S2
Thanks to advice from Sokha Hem of GRESSEL AG and Christian Schlintl of Schunk Intec Austria, Leo Rainer was able to find a clamping system that makes his production process significantly more efficient. Now in use on a 3-axis machine are the GRESSEL gredoc zero-point clamping system, grepos-5X 5-axis clamps and C2.0 centre clamps on pyramids and modular extensions such as S2.
A SCHUNK zero-point clamping system was installed on the machine table as the basis for the setup. It ensures the right conditions for the production of individual parts and small batches.
For machining individual parts, the customer opted for the grepos-5X, which impresses with its large, quickly adjustable clamping range. This allows for a rapid response to different component sizes: a clear advantage in terms of time and cost efficiency.
In order to make the transition from individual parts to small-batch production as efficient as possible, a pyramid-type solution was chosen, combined with the mechanical gredoc zero-point clamping system. This configuration significantly reduces both machine running time and machining time per component.
The measurable benefits: increased efficiency, reduced costs
“Thanks to GRESSEL’s well-designed modular clamping system, we can significantly reduce unproductive downtime. We save one hour in set-up time and achieve three to four hours of unmanned spindle running time per day, which means that, as a one-man operation, I can focus on other tasks,” says Rainer about the clamping system.
Rainer was able to achieve longer machine running times thanks to the modular clamping solution and the option of multiple set-ups. With operating costs remaining virtually unchanged, he has thus achieved an efficiency gain of over 20 percent. The higher daily output of parts has a direct impact on turnover, particularly in series and small-batch production.
Consistently reducing set-up times by around an hour a day significantly cuts indirect production costs. Less time spent on set-up means less downtime and lower labour costs, as the same amount of work is completed in a shorter time.
Calculated over a year, this amounts to a saving of around 200 to 250 productive hours, or more than 25 working days per year.
The GRESSEL gredoc zero-point clamping system enables quick, precise and repeatable set-up changes. Clamping devices can be changed in a matter of minutes, which allows Leo Rainer to remain extremely flexible, particularly when dealing with individual parts and prototypes.
He is now able to respond more quickly to last-minute orders and reduce his downtime by up to 15 percent.
“Leo Rainer impressively demonstrates how a one-man business can take the leap into the future. Using our clamping solutions, he has optimised his processes, reduced set-up times and got the most out of his machine – enabling him to remain competitive and flexible,” says Sokha Hem, distribution engineer at GRESSEL.
