Gearbox test rig for Porsche - Graebener-Reika Inc.
Gearbox test rig for Porsche - Graebener-Reika Inc.
Gearbox test rig for Porsche - Graebener-Reika Inc.
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update<br />
2 · 2012<br />
The <strong>Graebener</strong> Group Magazine<br />
Quality is essential, also <strong>for</strong> the generation of offshore wind energy. One of the reasons<br />
why Steelwind Nordenham ® banks exclusively on <strong>Graebener</strong> machines.<br />
www.graebener-group.com<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> machines ensure most modern<br />
production<br />
H. Kleinknecht GmbH & Co.<br />
KG recently secured the order<br />
<strong>for</strong> two large <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong>s <strong>for</strong> <strong>Porsche</strong><br />
gears from Volkswagen<br />
AG. After having supplied<br />
Kleinknecht products to VW,<br />
Seat, Skoda, Audi and Lamborghini,<br />
the Lohfelden-based<br />
company provides yet another<br />
automobile manufacturer of<br />
the Volkswagen Group with<br />
end-of-line <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong>s <strong>for</strong> automatic<br />
gearboxes.<br />
“The <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong> <strong>for</strong> the <strong>Porsche</strong><br />
gearbox is a further development<br />
of previously supplied<br />
<strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong>s,“ Carsten Gude – Sales<br />
Executive at Kleinknecht<br />
Lohfelden – explains.<br />
The most important innovative<br />
feature is the application of<br />
two rest bus simulations.<br />
Gude: “Two rest bus simulations<br />
and hence two different<br />
Steelwind Nordenham ® placed the order <strong>for</strong> all bending<br />
and milling machines with the Siegerland-based company<br />
<strong>Gearbox</strong> <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Porsche</strong><br />
communication channels are<br />
required because, in the case<br />
of <strong>Porsche</strong> gearboxes, we also<br />
have to <strong>test</strong> the four wheel<br />
drive equipped with an automatic<br />
limited slip differential.“<br />
A <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong> consists of more<br />
than 1,000 individual parts.<br />
„Without counting the<br />
nuts and bolts,“ says<br />
Steelwind Nordenham<br />
® recently<br />
placed the order<br />
<strong>for</strong> all bending and<br />
milling machines<br />
with the company<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
GmbH<br />
& Co. KG.<br />
As a subsidiary<br />
of the company<br />
AG der Dillinger<br />
Hüttenwerke,<br />
Europe‘s leading<br />
manufacturer of<br />
thick plates, Steelwind<br />
Nordenham ®<br />
New generation also simulates automatic limited slip differential<br />
Gude. The level of vertical integration<br />
is “extremely high“.<br />
PLC, digital multiple machine<br />
control, <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong> automation<br />
(DH Nordenham Projekt<br />
GmbH), is currently being<br />
established and is scheduled<br />
to start the production<br />
of monopiles as the<br />
foundation structure of<br />
offshore wind towers in<br />
spring of 2014.<br />
“Since Steelwind‘s main<br />
focus is on quality and<br />
productivity,“ explains the<br />
Management of Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik, „we<br />
are very proud that they<br />
rely exclusively on our<br />
machines <strong>for</strong> the <strong>for</strong>ming<br />
and milling processes.“<br />
system, gear control via<br />
CAN, automatic loading<br />
via moving tables and<br />
quick feed oil management<br />
system.<br />
continued on page 3<br />
GMT decides not to<br />
send out Christmas<br />
presents and cards<br />
Christmas time – time <strong>for</strong> presents.<br />
This year, Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
has, <strong>for</strong> the first<br />
time, decided to break with the<br />
tradition to send out presents<br />
to customers and business<br />
partners as a show of appreciation<br />
<strong>for</strong> the good cooperation.<br />
Instead, Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
will donate substantial<br />
amounts to charitable and social<br />
institutions, especially the<br />
Catholic Charitable Foundation<br />
Siegen-Wittgenstein.<br />
The special machine manufacturer<br />
has also decided to skip<br />
the usual Christmas cards <strong>for</strong><br />
2012. This year, customers will<br />
receive in<strong>for</strong>mative Christmas<br />
greetings with the new edition<br />
of the company magazine “update“<br />
summarizing the company<br />
group‘s events over the last<br />
months. The management and<br />
the employees of Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik would like to<br />
take this opportunity to wish all<br />
customers and business partners<br />
a merry Christmas and all<br />
the best <strong>for</strong> the year 2013!<br />
Contents<br />
Orders <strong>for</strong> four additional<br />
10-roll straightening machines<br />
page 4<br />
Completion of first major<br />
project after renaming<br />
page 13<br />
Order <strong>for</strong> the retrofit of a pipe<br />
mill page 2
2 3<br />
Editorial Dr. Theodor Gräbener<br />
Dear customers, dear friends,<br />
A very successful year 2012<br />
is drawing to an end. For<br />
the German machine buil-<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
retrofits pipe mill<br />
Two new machines plus the retrofit<br />
of three other machines <strong>for</strong> Tubacero<br />
A quick assembly and<br />
dismantling of the unit<br />
on fl oor level allows<br />
mobile applications.<br />
Testing machine<br />
becomes top seller<br />
ding industry, this year has<br />
been extremely busy, even<br />
surpassing the last economic<br />
upswing in 2008. But:<br />
our economic experts are<br />
predicting a dramatic slowdown<br />
<strong>for</strong> 2013. Prominent<br />
voices like the SMS Chief<br />
Executive Heinrich Weiss even expect another crisis <strong>for</strong><br />
2013 and the following years, which may be more severe<br />
and last longer than the one of 2009.<br />
We are delighted that our customers, in spite of these<br />
negative prognoses, believe in the sustainability of their<br />
planning and continue to invest.<br />
As a result, we were able to book a large order from<br />
the German offshore wind tower sector, which received<br />
major attention worldwide, and also an order from Mexico<br />
<strong>for</strong> the expansion and technical retrofit of a pipe mill.<br />
Our ongoing innovations in the sector of alternative energies<br />
and drive concepts are progressing as planned. The<br />
first gear <strong>test</strong> bench <strong>for</strong> an electric motor / gear combination<br />
was delivered. The fuel cell stack as Range Extender<br />
<strong>for</strong> an electric vehicle, which was developed within the<br />
framework of the project “BREEZE“, has already cleared<br />
the first realization hurdle: during its first run at the ZBT<br />
Duisburg, the small precursory stack has already achieved<br />
70 % of the target per<strong>for</strong>mance. All parties involved<br />
were pleasantly surprised.<br />
The successful exhibition “Euroblech“ has proved us<br />
<strong>rig</strong>ht in our belief that the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming sector is facing a<br />
renaissance. In 2012, our own prototyping presses have<br />
been utilized to full capacity. A series of development<br />
tasks is waiting to be tackled and will give us further impetus<br />
<strong>for</strong> this technology.<br />
Our Joint Venture in China has come through the first<br />
<strong>test</strong> as well. The <strong>Reika</strong> project <strong>for</strong> a large pipe finishing<br />
line is <strong>rig</strong>ht on schedule and shows the high efficiency of<br />
the Chinese industry. We are grateful to have found such<br />
a capable partner there.<br />
In addition to this, we would like to thank our customers<br />
and the friends of the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group <strong>for</strong> the successful<br />
cooperation and their trust during the past year. We<br />
promise to keep up the special service and support.<br />
Finally, we hope that our decision to donate to the Catholic<br />
Charitable Foundation Siegen-Wittgenstein instead<br />
of sending out the usual Christmas cards and presents<br />
meets with your approval.<br />
To conclude, I hope that you will enjoy reading this current<br />
edition of “update“. I am quite certain that we have<br />
some interesting news to report.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Theo Gräbener<br />
Two new machines and<br />
the retrofit of three further<br />
already existing machines –<br />
this major order was placed<br />
with Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
by the Mexican<br />
pipe manufacturer Tubacero<br />
in Monterrey. The order includes<br />
the construction of<br />
a pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press and<br />
a continuous root tacking<br />
machine as well as the retrofit<br />
of a pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press,<br />
a pull-through plate edge<br />
milling machine and a long<br />
seam milling machine at the<br />
Tubacero workshop in Tampico.<br />
This order has quite a long<br />
history. In 2007, a Mexican<br />
company installed a new<br />
SAW plant using the JCO<br />
process with a 6,000 t<br />
press, Submerged Arc Welding,<br />
Mechanical Expansion<br />
with capacity to produce<br />
API pipes from 20” to 60”<br />
diameter. Tubacero acquired<br />
the company mid 2011,<br />
made an evaluation of its<br />
capacity and made a plan to<br />
improve quality and production<br />
capacity. Tubacero asked <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
<strong>for</strong> support and <strong>for</strong> this<br />
new challenge.<br />
After a technical inspection and<br />
inventory by <strong>Graebener</strong> it was<br />
clear: the pull-through plate<br />
edge milling machine will be<br />
retrofitted and automated. The<br />
existing 6,000 t pipe <strong>for</strong>ming<br />
press will be automated partially<br />
and the production line will<br />
be supplemented by a 3,000 t<br />
pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press.<br />
ness; the 3,000 t press will<br />
produce pipes with smaller<br />
wall thickness. In this context,<br />
word had already spread that<br />
a similar 3,000 t press delivered<br />
by <strong>Graebener</strong> to a pipe<br />
manufacturer in Malaysia was<br />
one of the fas<strong>test</strong> and most<br />
productive worldwide. This<br />
press design with its narrow<br />
bending sword allows the<br />
operator to extract the bending<br />
sword completely from<br />
In the end, the 6,000 t press<br />
will be used <strong>for</strong> the <strong>for</strong>ming<br />
of pipes with large wall thickthe<br />
pipe after the bending process.<br />
In case of materials with<br />
increased spring back, the remaining<br />
gap in the open seam<br />
pipe can be closed in a subsequent<br />
operation. Using these<br />
two presses, Tubacero will be<br />
able to increase their capacity<br />
considerably.<br />
The existing tack welding machine<br />
will be substituted by<br />
a <strong>Graebener</strong> continuous root<br />
tacking machine. Since this<br />
new machine only uses lateral<br />
pressure rollers, the machine<br />
operator can easily monitor the<br />
tacking process.<br />
The 6,000 t pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press<br />
will be completely overhauled<br />
and partly automated.<br />
The retrofit of the pipe mill will<br />
be completed by the installation<br />
of a new milling support<br />
according to <strong>Graebener</strong> standards<br />
at the existing long seam<br />
milling machine. This support<br />
will be mounted to the existing<br />
machine bed and will substitute<br />
the support of the o<strong>rig</strong>inal<br />
manufacturer.<br />
Continued from page 1<br />
These are just a few of the<br />
key components which build<br />
up the complex structure of<br />
a <strong>test</strong> system. However<br />
complex, they considerably<br />
simplify the operation.<br />
The function of the <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong><br />
can also be described as<br />
“quite simple”:<br />
Via an existing fully automatic<br />
conveyor technology, the<br />
gearbox to be <strong>test</strong>ed lying<br />
on a workpiece carrier is<br />
transported to the <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong>.<br />
The workpiece carrier is<br />
equipped with an RFID data<br />
tag. The RFID tag contains<br />
the specific gearbox data,<br />
such as petrol or diesel motor,<br />
front wheel drive or four<br />
wheel drive, operational plat<strong>for</strong>m<br />
car etc.<br />
As soon as the gearbox has<br />
reached the <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong>, the data<br />
tag in<strong>for</strong>mation is read and<br />
the gearbox is clamped and<br />
aligned by the specific adaptation<br />
points. Then, the fully<br />
automatic final <strong>test</strong>ing is<br />
started according to the<br />
customer‘s specification.<br />
The <strong>test</strong> <strong>rig</strong> is equipped with<br />
a direct input/output drive<br />
concept by means of water<br />
cooled asynchronous AC machines.<br />
All machines and<br />
also the input and output<br />
drive trains can be adjusted<br />
via NC axes. “The feed drive<br />
and the load drive modules<br />
are of modular design and<br />
very flexible,“ reports Gude.<br />
“This facilitates a later modification<br />
of the entire machine<br />
<strong>for</strong> another gearbox type<br />
of the same model.“<br />
EDT <strong>test</strong> bench <strong>for</strong><br />
small series production<br />
and research<br />
purposes generates<br />
a lot of interest<br />
H. Kleinknecht & Co. GmbH<br />
has been well established in<br />
the roll texturing market, i. e.<br />
Electrical Discharge Texturing<br />
(short EDT), <strong>for</strong> many years.<br />
At first, the company acted as<br />
supplier of<br />
electric control<br />
systems<br />
as well as<br />
supplier of<br />
the generator<br />
technology<br />
<strong>for</strong><br />
EDT machines. But <strong>for</strong> some<br />
time now, Kleinknecht has also<br />
been building complete EDT<br />
machines. Two customers have<br />
already purchased the new and<br />
innovative Kleinknecht EDT<br />
machine (as reported in the<br />
last edition of “update“).<br />
A main decisive factor <strong>for</strong> their<br />
investment certainly was the<br />
wealth of innovations which<br />
continuously enhance the<br />
texturing process. Due to improved<br />
texturing quality, the<br />
customers will benefit from a<br />
competitive edge in the automotive<br />
market.<br />
Small EDT <strong>test</strong><br />
bench designed <strong>for</strong><br />
R & D purposes<br />
The core components of the<br />
new Kleinknecht EDT machine<br />
were subject to long-term and<br />
<strong>rig</strong>orous <strong>test</strong>s. The numerous<br />
innovations completed their<br />
journey from the drawing board<br />
to the finished product ready<br />
<strong>for</strong> marketing and mass production.<br />
An EDT <strong>test</strong> bench was<br />
built especially<br />
<strong>for</strong> research and<br />
development purposes<br />
– of course<br />
painted in the<br />
usual “Kleinknecht<br />
orange“. This <strong>test</strong><br />
machine was used<br />
to fine-tune the new linear motors<br />
as well as to <strong>test</strong> a new<br />
generator generation. In addition<br />
to this, the modular design<br />
of the “small“ EDT machine<br />
also had to meet the technological<br />
production requirements:<br />
1…8 electrodes and<br />
their respective linear drives<br />
can be installed in order to<br />
texture rolls with a diameter<br />
of up to 400 mm and a length<br />
of up to 400 mm. Even an extension<br />
of the range by means<br />
of further electrodes and the<br />
installation of a wider working<br />
tank will be possible and has<br />
technically been allowed <strong>for</strong>.<br />
The concept of the well-proven<br />
oscillation mechanism and the<br />
axially fixed electrode drives<br />
has been transferred to the<br />
large machine as well. The <strong>test</strong><br />
bench is also equipped with a<br />
mini filtering unit <strong>for</strong> the dielectric<br />
oil. As a result, technological<br />
studies of the texturing process<br />
can be conducted using<br />
various dielectric fluids.<br />
Another highlight: the mobility.<br />
A quick assembly and dismantling<br />
of the unit on floor level<br />
allows a mobile application, something<br />
that might be interesting<br />
<strong>for</strong> many end users.<br />
In terms of roughness, peak<br />
count, waviness and roughness<br />
distribution<br />
in<br />
profile, the<br />
textured roll<br />
surfaces are<br />
absolutely<br />
comparable<br />
to the surfaces achieved with a<br />
high-end production machine.<br />
Test model<br />
<strong>for</strong> small series<br />
production<br />
Various customers who have<br />
already seen the R & D machine<br />
show much interest in the<br />
small roll texturing machine <strong>for</strong><br />
a small series processing of<br />
technological surfaces. Kleinknecht<br />
has already received<br />
official enquiries. So a machine<br />
o<strong>rig</strong>inally intended <strong>for</strong> in-house<br />
<strong>test</strong>ing purposes has become<br />
The “small“ EDT machine<br />
is suitable <strong>for</strong> the texturing of<br />
equally small rolls.<br />
a marketable product which<br />
meets the customers‘ requirements<br />
at all levels. There are<br />
also enquiries <strong>for</strong> the application<br />
of the Kleinknecht machine<br />
in industrial research projects.<br />
At the moment, the <strong>test</strong><br />
bench is installed in the Kleinknecht<br />
workshop in Wilnsdorf-Wilden<br />
(“Quartier Landeskrone“).<br />
Since 2011, all<br />
technological competences<br />
of the Kleinknecht group have<br />
been pooled in<br />
this workshop<br />
– such as the<br />
technology <strong>for</strong><br />
gearbox <strong>test</strong><br />
<strong>rig</strong>s and the retrofit<br />
of machine tools.<br />
The consistent strategic development<br />
from a supplier of<br />
electric control systems to a<br />
supplier of own products in<br />
niche markets – in combination<br />
with the technological process<br />
know-how – has proven to be<br />
the <strong>rig</strong>ht strategy <strong>for</strong> the future.<br />
This also rein<strong>for</strong>ces and<br />
strengthens Kleinknecht‘s leading<br />
position as global player in<br />
the market of roll texturing.
4 5<br />
Straightening machines are selling<br />
like hotcakes Customers purchase another four lines from <strong>Reika</strong> GmbH & Co. KG<br />
Older hydro<strong>for</strong>ming presses can<br />
easily be retrofi tted with the<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming concept of<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik and<br />
Bosch Rexroth (small photo).<br />
The success just does not<br />
stop: This year‘s spring<br />
edition of “update“ reported<br />
that <strong>Reika</strong> GmbH<br />
Even though the tubes to be<br />
straightened are quite small,<br />
the machine dimension is<br />
impressive.<br />
& Co KG secured several<br />
orders <strong>for</strong> various tube<br />
straightening machines.<br />
Over the last six months,<br />
the Hagen-based company<br />
has received four more<br />
orders <strong>for</strong> 10-roll straightening<br />
machines.<br />
times, is another decisive factor<br />
<strong>for</strong> the customers.<br />
For <strong>Reika</strong>, considering the<br />
customers‘ needs and requirements<br />
goes without saying.<br />
Zimball: “All our straightening<br />
machines aim at surpassing<br />
the customers‘ expectations<br />
regarding the highest straightening<br />
accuracy.“ There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />
the customer can benefit from<br />
Guest article by Thomas Obert,<br />
Bosch Rexroth<br />
<strong>Inc</strong>rease in productivity<br />
<strong>for</strong> new and existing machines<br />
The first of these machines<br />
was already delivered to Russia<br />
in the beginning of October. A<br />
second machine is currently<br />
being transported there. The<br />
third machine is built <strong>for</strong> the<br />
French market and the fourth<br />
is intended <strong>for</strong> the Chinese<br />
market. All four machines were<br />
purchased by renowned pipe<br />
manufacturers as a replacement<br />
of existing machines by<br />
other manufacturers.<br />
Andreas Zimball, Sales Manager<br />
at <strong>Reika</strong>, explains why<br />
these straightening machines<br />
are such top sellers at the<br />
moment: “Countries such as<br />
France and China are investing<br />
in nuclear power stations. The<br />
duplex stainless steel tubes <strong>for</strong><br />
heat exchanger systems used<br />
<strong>for</strong> such power stations must<br />
be of the highest precision.“<br />
The stainless steel tubes have<br />
a length of up to 30 meters,<br />
but the general tube diameter<br />
only is up to 25 mm. In order to<br />
meet the quality requirements<br />
<strong>for</strong> such extremely sensitive<br />
tubes, the machines are equipped<br />
with the corresponding<br />
The prospects <strong>for</strong><br />
roll straightening machine<br />
are excellent.<br />
technical features to ensure<br />
finest accuracy and high precision.<br />
“By the way, all <strong>Reika</strong><br />
machines offer high precision,<br />
without any exceptions,“ vows<br />
Zimball.<br />
Main features of the roll<br />
straightening machines built in<br />
Hagen are robust, torsion and<br />
vibration resistant steel frame<br />
constructions, material saving<br />
in- and outlet channels, individual<br />
drives <strong>for</strong> the compensation<br />
of the roller wear. The machines<br />
also have a completely<br />
closed and compact design in<br />
order to meet the market‘s<br />
requirements regarding noise<br />
levels and environmental protection.<br />
In addition to this, <strong>Reika</strong><br />
has chosen rollers with large<br />
diameters <strong>for</strong> the straightening<br />
machines in order to guarantee<br />
a low-wear operation. The<br />
maintenance free roller carriers<br />
are clamped centrally so that<br />
a precise angle and height adjustment<br />
without any backlash<br />
is ensured. The company of<br />
the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group has also<br />
focused on optimum maintenance<br />
and operation: thanks<br />
to the design,<br />
the interior of the<br />
machine is easily<br />
accessible without<br />
any interfering<br />
edges.<br />
<strong>Reika</strong> and also the customers<br />
firmly believe that this state-ofthe-art<br />
machine design, which<br />
is of course engineered using<br />
most modern 3D CAD systems<br />
High-precision<br />
straightening<br />
quality<br />
and FEA simulations, eliminates<br />
the flaws of comparable<br />
products by other competitors.<br />
For example, the adjusting and<br />
guiding components are protected<br />
against<br />
scales, dirt and<br />
water in order to<br />
prevent corrosion<br />
and excessive<br />
wear. The automatic,<br />
self-learning and network-compatible<br />
CNC machine<br />
control, which ensures an optimum<br />
operating com<strong>for</strong>t and<br />
significantly reduces the setup<br />
an increased material throughput.<br />
“Our machines ensure a high<br />
productivity,“ promises Zimbal.<br />
“Especially the significantly<br />
increased precision concerning<br />
the straightness of the<br />
tubes and the elimination of<br />
unstraightened tubes provide<br />
the customers with an immediate<br />
economic advantage so<br />
that the return on investment<br />
can be achieved within a very<br />
short period of time.“ This promise<br />
applies <strong>for</strong> all kinds of<br />
tubes and materials: hot-rolled,<br />
drawn, cold-pilgered or longitudinally<br />
welded, with low and<br />
high levels of material strength.<br />
Low fuel consumption and<br />
minimum exhaust emissions:<br />
apart from the motor technology,<br />
automobile manufacturers<br />
mainly focus on the<br />
reduction of vehicle weight.<br />
For this purpose, new alloys<br />
with smaller wall thickness<br />
are a key factor. It is <strong>for</strong> this<br />
reason that the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
is currently experiencing a renaissance.<br />
Not only is there<br />
an increased demand <strong>for</strong> new<br />
machines, but the operators<br />
also want to increase the<br />
productivity of their existing<br />
machines by using up-to-date<br />
control systems. Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik, as a manufacturer<br />
of hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
presses and operator of the<br />
world‘s largest prototyping<br />
press capacity with four<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming presses, banks<br />
on the Motion Logic Control<br />
IndraMotion MLC by Rexroth<br />
with already pre-defined<br />
best-in-class controllers <strong>for</strong><br />
the hydraulic unit.<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> has assumed a pioneering<br />
role by supplying the<br />
entire value added chain of<br />
the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming technology,<br />
from the customer‘s idea to<br />
the simulation, engineering,<br />
prototyping and small series<br />
production and ultimately the<br />
customized press. As machine<br />
builder, <strong>Graebener</strong> was looking<br />
<strong>for</strong> an automation which can be<br />
integrated quickly and efficiently<br />
and which offers high functionality<br />
<strong>for</strong> complex processes.<br />
As machine operator with<br />
a company-owned prototyping<br />
center, <strong>Graebener</strong> expected<br />
this automation<br />
to reduce the<br />
time necessary<br />
<strong>for</strong> the development<br />
and<br />
<strong>test</strong>ing of prototypes<br />
and to provide condition<br />
monitoring and high flexibility.<br />
As a basis <strong>for</strong> the new control<br />
generation, <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
uses the Motion Logic Control<br />
IndraMotion MLC by Rexroth.<br />
The basis <strong>for</strong> this complete<br />
control <strong>for</strong> hydraulic, electric<br />
and hybrid drives is a compact<br />
controller-based hardware. The<br />
MLC integrates an open PLC<br />
according to IEC 61131-3 with a<br />
high-per<strong>for</strong>mance motion controller.<br />
Up until now, two types<br />
of control systems have been<br />
used <strong>for</strong> hydro<strong>for</strong>ming presses,<br />
a primary PLC and a CNC<br />
multiple axes control. The MLC<br />
combines these two tasks<br />
into one hardware. Advantage:<br />
numerous best-in-class controllers<br />
<strong>for</strong> the hydraulic system<br />
are already integrated into the<br />
software. They only need to be<br />
parameterized. The control assumes<br />
all controlling functions<br />
of all hydraulic axes centrally<br />
and communicates with the<br />
axes via the real-time automation<br />
bus<br />
sercos. The<br />
centralized<br />
control offers<br />
quick and direct<br />
access to<br />
the parameters <strong>for</strong> all axes and<br />
increases the flexibility of the<br />
controller structure. Using the<br />
engineering structure Indra-<br />
Works, the development time<br />
<strong>for</strong> the total automation could<br />
be reduced significantly.<br />
Support <strong>for</strong><br />
the renaissance of<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
H. Kleinknecht & Co. GmbH<br />
generated further functionalities<br />
via a sequential programming<br />
which was developed by<br />
Rexroth exclusively <strong>for</strong> electrohydraulic<br />
system solutions. The<br />
user can handle cyclical and sequential<br />
tasks using a common<br />
language. Only a few commands<br />
are necessary <strong>for</strong> the<br />
programming of sequences.<br />
Well-proven basis – modern<br />
automation design<br />
Example: the 2,500 t hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
press, which is operated<br />
by <strong>Graebener</strong> in the companyowned<br />
prototyping center, is<br />
designed <strong>for</strong> the operation of<br />
eight tool control axes and two<br />
pressure intensifiers. The press<br />
ram as controlled axis allows a<br />
pre-<strong>for</strong>ming of the pre-material<br />
applied. This allows the realization<br />
of indentations at the component<br />
without a prior bending<br />
process and helps reduce wrinkling.<br />
All control axes are operated<br />
via digital axes controllers<br />
in a closed control circuit. Each<br />
control axis can be operated<br />
position respectively pressure<br />
controlled in dependence<br />
of another axis. Apart from<br />
the standard functions of the<br />
position and <strong>for</strong>ce regulation<br />
in limitation control, the MLC<br />
offer functions such as curve<br />
processing s/x, p/t, s/p and F/p.<br />
On request, these dependencies<br />
can change multiple times<br />
during a product cycle.<br />
The actual process sequence<br />
program with the visualization<br />
<strong>for</strong> the operator is comprised<br />
in the independent visualization<br />
PressPro ® 3 by <strong>Graebener</strong>.<br />
Due to the open interfaces and<br />
programming standards of the<br />
MLC, the user can develop his<br />
<strong>for</strong>ming processes quickly and<br />
independently.<br />
In <strong>Graebener</strong>‘s PressPro ® 3,<br />
input, output and control functionality<br />
are strictly separated.<br />
The visualization records the<br />
entered data regarding the description<br />
of the machine, the<br />
tool and the process. While doing<br />
so, the software verifies the<br />
logic of the entry. The process<br />
data are defined in a comprehensive<br />
step sequence. From<br />
this sequence, the operator selects<br />
the steps relevant <strong>for</strong> his<br />
process. ››
219_Breeze_Print.indd 1 23.11.2012 11:01:08<br />
6 7<br />
›› Low life cycle costs<br />
In addition to this, an intelligent<br />
hydraulic pump management<br />
significantly improves<br />
the energy efficiency. Via an<br />
operating matrix, the operator<br />
can parameterize the pump<br />
setpoint values as required by<br />
the process. Hence, the pumps<br />
only generate as much energy<br />
as is needed by the individual<br />
process.<br />
Another important regulating<br />
variable is the availability of the<br />
machine. Using a condition monitoring<br />
<strong>for</strong> important components<br />
and modules, the operator<br />
can detect dangerous wear<br />
be<strong>for</strong>e a failure occurs.<br />
The tool WinView integrated<br />
into IndraWorks records all PLC<br />
and process variables in real<br />
time in up to 100 channels and<br />
continuously saves them on a<br />
PC. This allows long-term recordings<br />
<strong>for</strong> a machine, simplifies<br />
the analysis of sporadic errors<br />
and, as a result, expedites the<br />
restart after malfunctions.<br />
Conclusion: by means of this<br />
new control generation, <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
combines all the benefits<br />
of the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
process with an up-to-date and<br />
very economic automation.<br />
The last edition of this<br />
magazine already reported<br />
that the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group<br />
One RingSaw ® is just the beginning<br />
Internationally renowned pipe manufacturer makes fundamental decision<br />
to go with the <strong>Reika</strong> concept<br />
The superior concept<br />
of <strong>Reika</strong>‘s revolutionary<br />
RingSaw ® wins over more<br />
and more users in the global<br />
market. Just recently,<br />
the Hagen-based company<br />
secured another order <strong>for</strong> a<br />
stationary saw based<br />
on the concept of<br />
the “RingSaw ® “<br />
from one of the<br />
world‘s largest<br />
pipe manufacturers.<br />
This customer<br />
intends to use<br />
the machine <strong>for</strong><br />
cutting high-precision<br />
tubes according to<br />
API standard with a diameter<br />
of up to 180 mm which are<br />
used <strong>for</strong> the production of<br />
sleeves in the sector of oilfield<br />
applications.<br />
“It is precisely this demand<br />
<strong>for</strong> extreme cutting accuracy<br />
that convinced the customer<br />
to go with the RingSaw ®<br />
concept.“ Andreas Zimball,<br />
Sales Manage at <strong>Reika</strong> is pleased.<br />
Prior to his decision, the<br />
customer was able to conduct<br />
long-term <strong>test</strong>s with the machine<br />
in Hagen. “Not only that<br />
the <strong>test</strong> results were extremely<br />
satisfactory <strong>for</strong> the customer,<br />
we could also determine the<br />
optimum machine configura-<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> Group steps up activities in China<br />
Company group enters Joint Venture with Tangshan Kaiyuan Autowelding Systems<br />
intended to step up the activities<br />
in China by entering a<br />
Joint Venture with Tangshan<br />
Kaiyuan Autowelding Systems.<br />
The only thing missing at that<br />
time was the signature to the<br />
Formal signing of the Joint Venture contract (from left to <strong>rig</strong>ht): Dr. Theodor Gräbener (Gräbener Maschinentechnik),<br />
Shen Yahui (Tangshan Kaiyuan Autowelding), Dieter Kapp (Gräbener Maschinentechnik), Hans-Jörg<br />
Braun (<strong>Reika</strong>). In the background: Chen Li Ming (employee of the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group China), Andreas Zimball<br />
(<strong>Reika</strong>), Fabian Kapp and Henning Hofmann (both Gräbener Maschinentechnik).<br />
contract which would make<br />
the Joint Venture between<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik,<br />
<strong>Reika</strong> and Tangshan Kaiyuan<br />
Autowelding Systems<br />
official. In June, the<br />
Joint Venture contract<br />
was signed by the Managing<br />
Directors of the<br />
partnering companies.<br />
Strictly speaking, the<br />
Joint Venture already<br />
existed prior to the signing<br />
of the contract. Several<br />
machines, especially<br />
those of the <strong>Reika</strong> product<br />
range, have already<br />
been built by Kaiyuan<br />
with the support from<br />
tion using actual material of<br />
the customer,“ reports Zimball.<br />
Hence, the pipe manufacturer<br />
was quickly won over by<br />
the <strong>Reika</strong> concept of a cutting<br />
head which orbits the stationary<br />
workpiece, thus providing<br />
considerable advantages<br />
such as cutting<br />
with little burr, high<br />
efficiency with increased<br />
throughput etc.<br />
Andreas Zimball is<br />
certain that this will<br />
not be the only stationary<br />
saw to be sold<br />
to the company. “The<br />
customer‘s decision in favor<br />
of our concept was a fundamental<br />
one – <strong>for</strong> economic<br />
reasons. Consecutive orders<br />
<strong>for</strong> more machines will certainly<br />
follow.“<br />
The perfect cutting result was one of<br />
the main reasons why the customer decided<br />
to go with the RingSaw ® concept.<br />
Germany and placed successfully<br />
in the Chinese<br />
market.<br />
The aim of this Joint Venture<br />
is to increase the activities<br />
of <strong>Reika</strong> and Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik on<br />
the Chinese market and to<br />
work this market together<br />
with the new partner. Kaiyuan<br />
not only sets high<br />
standards in terms of product<br />
quality. The company<br />
with approximately 1,000<br />
employees also has a very<br />
comprehensive and efficient<br />
sales and service network<br />
in all of the Chinese<br />
provinces.<br />
Car traffic on hydrogen basis is feasible<br />
Guest article by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Stolten, Director of the Institute <strong>for</strong> Energy<br />
and Climate Research at the Forschungszentrum Jülich<br />
Over the last few years, fuel cells<br />
have achieved much progress<br />
even though this fact so far has<br />
not gained much attention. After<br />
having shown the principle feasibility<br />
of fuel cells at the end of the<br />
last decade, the major achievement<br />
of the following years was<br />
proving an application-oriented<br />
and sometimes even fully operational<br />
service life of these fuel<br />
cells – while at the same time<br />
reducing the costs to an application-relevant<br />
level. This does not<br />
mean that the target costs have<br />
been reached, but in many cases<br />
the field <strong>test</strong> stage is <strong>rig</strong>ht around<br />
the corner.<br />
Battery driven<br />
vehicles most likely<br />
niche products<br />
Especially in the automotive<br />
sector, many companies have<br />
already reached a high implementation<br />
level. In 2013, Hyundai<br />
plans to sell<br />
approximately<br />
2,000 vehicles<br />
equipped<br />
with the fuel<br />
cell technology<br />
<strong>for</strong> a unit price of 88,000 $<br />
(≈ 68,000 a). Toyota will follow<br />
suit in 2014 and will offer a license<br />
of their fuel cell technology to<br />
other automobile manufacturers<br />
worldwide. Daimler indicates the<br />
market entry <strong>for</strong> 2015/2016 and<br />
is currently building a factory near<br />
Vancouver, Canada, <strong>for</strong> the small<br />
series production of fuel cell units<br />
carried out by the company AFCC<br />
which is managed in cooperation<br />
with Ford. In addition to this,<br />
Honda, Opel/GM, Nissan and<br />
Ford are working on the introduction<br />
of fuel cell vehicles. All these<br />
activities are based on successful<br />
field <strong>test</strong>s conducted by the<br />
various companies. According to<br />
studies by the American Ministry<br />
of Energy DOE, the costs <strong>for</strong> a<br />
fuel cell system currently amount<br />
to 49 $ per kilowatt installed<br />
power in case of mass production,<br />
that is approximately<br />
5,000 $ per vehicle. Additional<br />
costs <strong>for</strong> the tank need to be considered.<br />
These additional costs,<br />
however, according to today‘s<br />
technical standards, are similar to<br />
those <strong>for</strong> a diesel hybrid vehicle.<br />
Should these introductions be<br />
successful, the actual work <strong>for</strong><br />
the suppliers will only be beginning.<br />
Further improvements of<br />
major components like membranes,<br />
electrodes and separator<br />
plates will and<br />
must result in a<br />
further increase<br />
of operating life,<br />
efficiency and<br />
a decrease of<br />
costs. In addition to his, many<br />
design and process options and<br />
challenges will arise <strong>for</strong> the supplying<br />
industries in the field of<br />
periphery components such as<br />
pumps, compressors, sensors or<br />
control systems. At the moment,<br />
the hydrogen consumption of<br />
fuel cell vehicles is approximately<br />
1 kg per 100 km, which corresponds<br />
to 3.3 l diesel consumption<br />
per 100 km. The next generations<br />
<strong>for</strong> the market introduction<br />
will have a hydrogen consumption<br />
of approximately 0.7 kg per<br />
Conference “Transition<br />
to new Energy Systems“<br />
Anyone interested in the topic “transition to sustainable<br />
energy systems“ is invited by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Stolten<br />
to the conference of the same name, taking place in Frankfurt<br />
am Main from June 3 to 6, 2013. This third international<br />
conference regarding energy process engineering will provide<br />
representatives from research, private business sector<br />
and politics with the la<strong>test</strong> in<strong>for</strong>mation on new technologies<br />
with regard to the trans<strong>for</strong>mation of our energy system to<br />
sustainable energies. www.icepe2013.com.<br />
100 km, i. e. approx. 2.3 l diesel<br />
consumption per 100 km.<br />
Major advantages of fuel cell vehicles,<br />
however, are the range of<br />
currently approximately 400 to<br />
500 km and a refueling within<br />
just a few minutes. There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />
fuel cell vehicles are able to provide<br />
a mobility which is up to the<br />
current level, whereas battery<br />
driven vehicles only have a range<br />
of 150 to 200 km. In winter<br />
time, the range of battery driven<br />
vehicles even decreases to only<br />
50 km. The recharging process of<br />
such vehicles lasts several hours.<br />
From today‘s perspective, there<br />
will be a certain number of battery<br />
driven vehicles. This number,<br />
however, will most likely<br />
only represent a market niche.<br />
Hyundai has drawn the logical<br />
consequence and has skipped<br />
the battery technology <strong>for</strong> vehicles<br />
entirely in order to focus<br />
on fuel cells. Other automobile<br />
manufacturers such as Daimler<br />
are more cautious and still follow<br />
a two-pronged strategy with<br />
both, battery as well as fuel cell<br />
technology.<br />
How, then, could this progress<br />
be achieved, when the fuel cells<br />
have gone so far out of the public<br />
eye? It is a fact that fuel cells had a<br />
rather negative public image after<br />
the premature promises of a market<br />
introduction in 2004. Very interesting,<br />
however, is the fact that<br />
the industries did not reduce the<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>ts regarding the development<br />
of fuel cells in that year, nor did<br />
they do so in the following years.<br />
proximately 50,000 km pipeline<br />
would be necessary in<br />
order to ensure full coverage<br />
<strong>for</strong> the German gas station<br />
network. A relatively small<br />
number compared to the<br />
443,000 km of gas pipelines<br />
<strong>for</strong> the natural gas grid. This<br />
would lead to investments<br />
of approximately 20 to 25 billion<br />
a in comparison to the<br />
investment of 36 billion a<br />
<strong>for</strong> the German natural gas grid<br />
which has been made entirely by<br />
the private sector since 1995. If<br />
a mostly sustainable power supply<br />
is the target – which is the<br />
only way to achieve the intended<br />
80 % CO 2<br />
reduction by 2050<br />
while at the same time doing<br />
without nuclear energy – then the<br />
chemical gas storage is the only<br />
feasible solution <strong>for</strong> the mass<br />
storage of surplus electricity.<br />
BREEZE! – Fuel Cell Range Extender (7/2011–7/2014)<br />
Development Seperator Plates<br />
Sponsored by:<br />
Stack simulation<br />
Development aux. modules<br />
Development coatings<br />
System design<br />
Vehicle integration<br />
Development of a 30 kW Range Extender module <strong>for</strong> electric vehicles<br />
Emission-free long-term mobility<br />
High efficiency<br />
Reduced system and operating costs<br />
optimized stack and system concept<br />
application of automotive components<br />
Low noise emission<br />
Waste heat utilization <strong>for</strong> climate control<br />
Refueling within only a few minutes<br />
Fuel cells require hydrogen. And<br />
hydrogen is not something that<br />
is universally available. Compared<br />
to the electricity infrastructure, a<br />
hydrogen infrastructure is more<br />
often than not discarded without<br />
more profound consideration, <strong>for</strong><br />
such a hydrogen infrastructure<br />
would be a new thing. Studies at<br />
the Institute <strong>for</strong> Electrochemical<br />
Process Technologies in Jülich<br />
(IEK-3, <strong>for</strong>merly known as Institute<br />
<strong>for</strong> Fuel Cells) show that a<br />
hydrogen infrastructure would<br />
be feasible and af<strong>for</strong>dable. Apno<br />
mass production of electrolysers<br />
today, the cost reduction<br />
should be achievable <strong>for</strong> alkaline<br />
electrolysers merely by applying<br />
mass production. This area provides<br />
another large market <strong>for</strong><br />
suppliers of comparable products<br />
as well as of fuel cells.<br />
Conclusion: fuel cells <strong>for</strong> the<br />
transport are on the verge of a<br />
market launch. Sustainable ener-<br />
Stack development and <strong>test</strong>s<br />
System simulation<br />
Vehicle package<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik, within the scope of the project “BREEZE“<br />
(Fuel Cell Range Extender Electronic Vehicle – Zero Emission), contributes<br />
significantly to the feasibility of car traffic on hydrogen basis.<br />
Moreover, this calls <strong>for</strong> a water<br />
electrolysis in order to generate<br />
hydrogen from electricity, a well<br />
known and well <strong>test</strong>ed technology<br />
<strong>for</strong> the chemical feedstock<br />
hydrogen. The dynamics of the<br />
surplus electricity and the necessary<br />
price reductions to about<br />
a quarter of today‘s sales price<br />
are the major challenges <strong>for</strong> the<br />
electricity storage. Since there is<br />
gies need storage systems which<br />
meet the requirements of both,<br />
hydrogen storage and transport<br />
sector. These technologies allow<br />
a significant CO 2<br />
reduction and<br />
an economic utilization of the<br />
surplus electricity. All data regarding<br />
a hydrogen infrastructure <strong>for</strong><br />
vehicles show that a conversion<br />
to car traffic on hydrogen basis is<br />
feasible.
8 9<br />
Main focus on Hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
Huge interest in customized solutions at the EUROBLECH<br />
Economic tailwind<br />
Companies of the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group “more than satisfied“ with the feedback at the exhibition TUBE in Düsseldorf<br />
“More than satisfactory.“ This<br />
nary RingSaw ® technology into<br />
tain that this is not the end of<br />
“Our decision to focus on the<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming technology at<br />
the exhibition EUROBLECH<br />
was spot on.“ This is the brief<br />
summary given by Torsten<br />
Adam, Sales Manager <strong>for</strong><br />
the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming sector at<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik.<br />
“Even though many customers<br />
were surprised by the fact that<br />
we decided to only show this<br />
small section of our product<br />
range in detail, our innovative<br />
booth design drew much attention<br />
and even attracted new<br />
potential customers.“ These<br />
customers have realized that<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong>, as provider of the<br />
entire value added chain in the<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming sector, is the<br />
ideal supplier of special customized<br />
solutions. There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />
they deliberately visited the<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> booth in hall 27.<br />
The value added chain, i. e.<br />
the full range of products and<br />
services in the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
sector, was clearly visible<br />
<strong>for</strong> all the visitors, even from<br />
a great distance: from the<br />
customer‘s idea to the simulation,<br />
engineering and prototyping<br />
respectively the small<br />
series production up to the<br />
customized press tailor-made<br />
<strong>for</strong> the operator. Torsten Adam:<br />
“This is a very unique feature<br />
in the market.“ An important<br />
feature! In view of the reviving<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming sector, more and<br />
more customers are searching<br />
<strong>for</strong> special customized solutions.<br />
“And this solution is exactly<br />
what we can offer them,“<br />
explained Torsten Adam.<br />
The scope of services comprises<br />
feasibility studies, <strong>for</strong>ming<br />
simulations, four hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
presses <strong>for</strong> prototyping<br />
purposes and small<br />
series production and finally<br />
the customized machine concept<br />
including a perfectly attuned<br />
control and visualization.<br />
enquiries <strong>for</strong> other products,<br />
<strong>for</strong> example high-quality circ<br />
and long seam milling machines<br />
built by the global market<br />
leader, plate edge milling<br />
machines or other machines<br />
<strong>for</strong> the manufacturing of large<br />
LSAW pipes. Even customers<br />
from the shipbuilding sector,<br />
which is said to be struggling<br />
at the moment, visited the EU-<br />
ROBLECH and the <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
booth in order to gather in<strong>for</strong>mation<br />
on the modern production<br />
technologies <strong>for</strong> passenger<br />
ships.<br />
All in all, the exhibition was a<br />
resounding success <strong>for</strong> <strong>Graebener</strong>,<br />
which is also reflected<br />
by numerous enquiries in the<br />
was the unanimous conclusion<br />
of the companies <strong>Reika</strong><br />
GmbH & Co. KG, Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik GmbH & Co.<br />
KG and H. Kleinknecht & Co.<br />
GmbH <strong>for</strong> the exhibition TUBE<br />
in Düsseldorf. All three companies<br />
of the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group<br />
were among the 1,184 exhibitors<br />
from 48 countries at the<br />
international trade fair <strong>for</strong> pipe<br />
manufacturing, processing and<br />
application.<br />
“The response was overwhelming,“<br />
explains Andreas<br />
Zimball, Sales Manager at<br />
<strong>Reika</strong>. After already having set<br />
a milestone in 2010 with the<br />
RingSaw ® , its trademark, the<br />
white shark, had a tremendous<br />
recognition value this year. The<br />
Hagen-based company again<br />
exhibited a RingSaw ® . This<br />
time, however, in a compact<br />
design. The <strong>Reika</strong> engineers<br />
had implemented the revolutio-<br />
Recognizable<br />
renaissance<br />
of hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
their compact machine series<br />
and broadened the product range<br />
which can be produced with<br />
these space saving machines.<br />
It was not only the concept of<br />
the RingSaw ® with its cutting<br />
head orbiting the component<br />
which was a customer magnet<br />
at the <strong>Reika</strong> booth, the entire<br />
product range of the manufacturer<br />
<strong>for</strong> machines and systems<br />
<strong>for</strong> tube mills and tube processing<br />
industries experienced<br />
great interest as well. One customer<br />
even signed an LOI <strong>for</strong> a<br />
complete production line after<br />
his visit to the booth. Another<br />
customer ordered two cut-off<br />
machines shortly after the exhibition.<br />
Andreas Zimball is cer-<br />
the story yet. “Our numerous<br />
in-depth discussions will result<br />
in some other projects.“<br />
“Numerous in-depth discussions“<br />
could also be reported<br />
by Torsten Adam, Sales Engineer<br />
at Gräbener Maschinentechnik.<br />
“Above all, we<br />
noticed a renaissance<br />
of the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
sector with many enquiries<br />
of long standing<br />
and potential customers<br />
who came to our<br />
booth on a daily basis.“<br />
The hydro<strong>for</strong>ming sector<br />
is one of the core<br />
competences of Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik, that has,<br />
however, been going through<br />
a recession <strong>for</strong> many years.<br />
According to Torsten Adam, the<br />
company also registered several<br />
enquiries <strong>for</strong> pipe production<br />
and pipe processing equipment<br />
from entire pipe mills to indivi-<br />
dual machines especially from<br />
the offshore sector.<br />
Christoph Hauck, Managing Director<br />
of Kleinknecht, reported<br />
a “positive atmosphere“ at the<br />
TUBE. “The order situation is<br />
still favorable, the number of<br />
enquiries, however, is decreasing.“<br />
According to Hauck, it is<br />
already palpable that the capacity<br />
utilization situation has deteriorated<br />
<strong>for</strong> some bigger companies.<br />
But the order situation<br />
of medium-sized companies is<br />
still positive. This is the direction<br />
from which Kleinknecht is<br />
currently receiving the tailwind.<br />
The <strong>Graebener</strong> booth turned out to be a major customer magnet. Admittedly, the booth design with the high-<br />
Apart from the considerable<br />
area of component develop-<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance fountain “Jumping Jet“ and the two touch screens, which provided the customer with detailed demand <strong>for</strong> hydro<strong>for</strong>ming solutions,<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation regarding the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming technology and the entire value added chain offered by <strong>Graebener</strong>,<br />
Gräbener Maschinen-<br />
was the most prominent feature and main attraction.<br />
technik also registered various<br />
Joint Venture at the TUBE China<br />
ment, small series production,<br />
retrofits and entire hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
lines.<br />
“Optimistic anticipation“<br />
clearly recognizable<br />
Fuel cell plays an important part in tomorrow‘s energy supply<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik, <strong>Reika</strong> and Kaiyuan exhibiting together <strong>for</strong> the first time<br />
According to Edelmann, the<br />
teries and fuel cells are equally<br />
available at the moment. Since<br />
In June, the Joint Venture contract<br />
was signed between the<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> Group and Tangshan<br />
Kaiyuan Autowelding<br />
Systems. In September, two<br />
group companies, Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik and <strong>Reika</strong>,<br />
were exhibitors at the TUBE<br />
China in Shanghai, <strong>for</strong> the first<br />
time on a joint booth with Kaiyuan.<br />
Together, these three<br />
companies presented their<br />
well-proven and ever increasing<br />
competences in the field<br />
of machine building, especially<br />
concerning their increased<br />
sales and service capacities<br />
<strong>for</strong> the Chinese market. With<br />
much success, since many<br />
Chinese customers visited the<br />
joint booth.<br />
At the exhibition in the Shanghai<br />
New International Expo<br />
Centre, the three companies<br />
showed their la<strong>test</strong> developments<br />
in the pipe sector. Traditionally,<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
focused on the presentation<br />
of their internationally<br />
renowned know-how regarding<br />
machines <strong>for</strong> the production<br />
of LSAW pipes <strong>for</strong> the<br />
pipeline and offshore industry.<br />
Remark-ably, <strong>Graebener</strong> has<br />
also gained an excellent reputation<br />
in China <strong>for</strong> their hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
know-how. There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />
the booth staff in hall E1 regis-<br />
tered several very interesting<br />
enquiries <strong>for</strong> this business<br />
sector.<br />
For <strong>Reika</strong>, the main focus of<br />
the visiting customers were<br />
machines <strong>for</strong> the production<br />
and processing of seamless<br />
oil field tubes and precision<br />
tubes <strong>for</strong> the automotive<br />
industry – <strong>for</strong> example the<br />
la<strong>test</strong> generation of multiple<br />
roll straightening machines,<br />
the (Compact-)RingSaw ®<br />
which received worldwide attention,<br />
cut-off machines or finishing<br />
lines. These products<br />
continue their success in the<br />
market which could be registered<br />
during the last months.<br />
For the fi rst time, the three Joint Venture partners<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik, <strong>Reika</strong> and Tangshan<br />
Kaiyuan Autowelding Systems presented<br />
their competences at a joint exhibition booth.<br />
At the f-cell, separator<br />
plates manufactured by<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> were the main<br />
focus once again.<br />
It was a new feature. But<br />
Achim Edelmann, Area Manager<br />
New Technologies at<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik,<br />
thinks that combining the conferences<br />
and exhibitions f-cell<br />
and Battery+Storage to a single<br />
event was a wise decision.<br />
“Since the summer of 2011,<br />
we have, <strong>for</strong> example, been<br />
working on a fuel cell system<br />
module which will considerably<br />
increase the range of a FIAT<br />
500 with electro-drive. This development<br />
is part of the project<br />
‘BREEZE, Fuel Cell Range Extender<br />
– Zero Emission‘ sponsored<br />
by North-Rhine Westphalia.“<br />
There<strong>for</strong>e, the event<br />
perfectly covers these two<br />
complementary sectors regarding<br />
a holistic energy concept.<br />
number of visitors and their<br />
enquiries at the <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
booth were a clear sign that<br />
the role of hydrogen, fuel cells<br />
and batteries in the conversion<br />
to a sustainable energy supply<br />
system is contemplated intensively.<br />
Not only in the automotive<br />
sector. In this respect, an<br />
“optimistic anticipation“ could<br />
be observed among the more<br />
than 3,000 visitors and 142 exhibitors<br />
from 16 countries. Apparently,<br />
this very specialized<br />
exhibition program has also<br />
sparked substantial public interest.<br />
The combination of the<br />
topics batteries and storage<br />
solutions has shown that bat-<br />
necessary and important <strong>for</strong> future<br />
energy concepts.<br />
The number of experts assembled<br />
at the exhibition in Stuttgart<br />
in October is a clear sign<br />
that there is a demand <strong>for</strong> an interlinked<br />
holistic system which<br />
implements a large variety of<br />
energy sources, considers various<br />
energy storage options<br />
with different energy carriers<br />
and distributing systems and<br />
ensures a reliable energy supply<br />
<strong>for</strong> stationary, mobile and<br />
portable applications.<br />
For a large-scale implementation<br />
of fuel cell vehicles, there<br />
are, among other things, simply<br />
not enough filling stations<br />
automobile manufacturers will<br />
not introduce these vehicles<br />
to the market unless the hydrogen<br />
supply can be ensured,<br />
the expansion of the filling station<br />
network will have to be the<br />
first step. Currently, there are<br />
around 30 hydrogen filling stations<br />
in Germany, but only 15<br />
of them are accessible to the<br />
public. According to Edelmann,<br />
the exhibition has provided impressive<br />
evidence that there<br />
are vehicles – cars and busses<br />
– already driven by reliable fuel<br />
cells. “Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
will continue to play an<br />
active part in this area.“
10 11<br />
With the Compact-<br />
RingSaw ® , individual tool<br />
concepts are applied in a<br />
user oriented way.<br />
High-precision measuring technology<br />
<strong>for</strong> high-precision hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik uses 3D laser measuring <strong>for</strong> the prototyping<br />
Mechanical engineering<br />
in absolute perfection<br />
Compact-RingSaw® perfected <strong>for</strong> the<br />
customer‘s requirements using long-term <strong>test</strong>s<br />
Prior to the delivery, a product<br />
has to be perfectly attuned to<br />
the needs of the customer. This<br />
creed of <strong>Reika</strong> GmbH & Co. KG<br />
also applies <strong>for</strong> the Compact-<br />
RingSaw ® . The machine, equipped<br />
with a cutting head orbiting<br />
the fixed workpiece, is currently<br />
undergoing long-term <strong>test</strong>s<br />
in Hagen in close cooperation<br />
with the customer in order ensure<br />
a perfect optimization in<br />
terms of process reliability and<br />
user orientation.<br />
Since the machine is intended<br />
<strong>for</strong> high-class and very<br />
complicated applications, the<br />
long-term <strong>test</strong>s are conducted<br />
using various, mostly highquality<br />
materials available on<br />
the current market. Individual<br />
tool concepts, which can be<br />
applied in combination with the<br />
basic machine according to the<br />
customer‘s requirements, are<br />
the result of these long-term<br />
<strong>test</strong>s. In the end, the customer<br />
receives a typical <strong>Reika</strong> product:<br />
a stable and strong hightech<br />
machine with an excellent<br />
tool concept and high efficiency<br />
providing the customer with<br />
a competitive edge <strong>for</strong> many<br />
years.<br />
Using 3D measuring units,<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
has been perfecting hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
applications, more precisely<br />
the prototyping and the<br />
production of metal separator<br />
plates <strong>for</strong> several months.<br />
“On the one hand, the ever increasing<br />
market requirements<br />
call <strong>for</strong> such recordings. On the<br />
other hand, we must be able<br />
to prove the high manufacturing<br />
precision of these parts<br />
used in high-per<strong>for</strong>mance heat<br />
exchangers and metal separator<br />
plates,“ explains Achim<br />
Edelmann, Area Manager New<br />
Technologies. For Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik, another<br />
vital feature of this highly specialized<br />
measuring technology<br />
is that the machine is suitable<br />
to verify complex surface structures<br />
even on shiny and reflecting<br />
surfaces. Edelmann: “This<br />
would be next to impossible<br />
using traditional and conventional<br />
measuring technologies.“<br />
He is certain that <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
will assume the pioneering role<br />
in this sector as well.<br />
Since the 3D laser measuring<br />
machine used by <strong>Graebener</strong>,<br />
among other features, is characterized<br />
by high precision<br />
and high measuring speed, it is<br />
perfectly suitable <strong>for</strong> verifying<br />
the accuracy of the structured<br />
surfaces of hydro<strong>for</strong>med components<br />
by providing detailed<br />
results and corresponding<br />
measuring<br />
protocols.<br />
For one<br />
thing, the<br />
customers<br />
appreciate<br />
that <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
provides<br />
them with<br />
reliable and complementary<br />
statements on the hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
parts which have been<br />
developed and manufactured in<br />
their own hydro<strong>for</strong>ming center.<br />
On the other hand, <strong>Graebener</strong><br />
also benefits from these<br />
measuring results as they provide<br />
useful in<strong>for</strong>mation <strong>for</strong> a<br />
possible fine tuning and optimization<br />
of production processes<br />
or machine designs.<br />
Even the smallest bumps at<br />
metal separator plates and<br />
larger hydro<strong>for</strong>med components<br />
can be detected with the<br />
measuring machine.<br />
GMT employee elected Chairman of the Friends‘<br />
Association of the Center <strong>for</strong> Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT)<br />
Achim Edelmann is the first employee of a medium-sized company<br />
to lead the Friends‘ Association of the Center <strong>for</strong> Fuel Cell Technology<br />
Achim Edelmann, Area Manager<br />
New Technologies at<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik,<br />
was elected Chairman<br />
of the Friends‘ Association<br />
of the ZBT by the general<br />
meeting. For the first time,<br />
an employee of a mediumsized<br />
company takes the chair<br />
of the Friends‘ Association.<br />
Dr. Frank Koch of the Network<br />
Fuel Cell and Hydrogen NRW<br />
now is Vice Chairman and Treasurer.<br />
“One of the main goals of the<br />
non-profit research and development<br />
service provider ZBT<br />
is to support German mediumsized<br />
companies in the area of<br />
the new energy technologies,“<br />
explains Dr. Peter Beckhaus,<br />
Head of the department Fuel<br />
Cell and System Technology at<br />
the ZBT. “Especially in the sector<br />
of the fuel cell technology,<br />
there are many German medium-sized<br />
companies which<br />
play a leading international role<br />
in the sector of vendor components<br />
and the implementation<br />
of application products.“<br />
There<strong>for</strong>e, the commitment<br />
and dedication of the mediumsized<br />
companies is all the more<br />
important and has to be appreciated.<br />
By assuming an active role in<br />
the Friends‘ Association of the<br />
ZBT, Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
underscores the willingness<br />
to sponsor industry and<br />
application oriented support <strong>for</strong><br />
the research and development<br />
by medium-sized companies.<br />
As a non-profit and application<br />
oriented research and development<br />
institute, ZBT sees itself<br />
as partner and service provider<br />
<strong>for</strong> the realization of new energy<br />
technologies. About 100<br />
scientific technical employees<br />
work in a project-oriented manner<br />
in the fields of fuel cells,<br />
hydrogen technology, batteries<br />
and systems.<br />
The purpose of the Friends‘<br />
Association is the support of<br />
research and development in<br />
the sector of fuel cell technology<br />
at the ZBT, such as <strong>for</strong><br />
example help finding industrial<br />
partners and customers<br />
<strong>for</strong> research projects. The<br />
association also supports<br />
the ZBT with the scheduling<br />
of its research and development<br />
program, the applications<br />
<strong>for</strong> sponsorships or<br />
other comparable funds <strong>for</strong><br />
the research of the ZBT, public<br />
relations, the organization<br />
of events and the management<br />
of in-house research<br />
projects.<br />
Press becomes market reference<br />
Customer “very satisfied“ with the <strong>Graebener</strong> product<br />
The dimensions of the 3,500 t hydro<strong>for</strong>ming press<br />
only hint at the capacity of the machine.<br />
After the start-up and per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
<strong>test</strong> of the ultra-modern<br />
3,500 t hydro<strong>for</strong>ming press at<br />
the Quartier Landeskrone (<strong>for</strong>mer<br />
premises of Schuler Hydro<strong>for</strong>ming),<br />
the customer was pleased<br />
and impressed. “Building such a<br />
specialized machine according<br />
to our stringent standards and<br />
demands requires a very high<br />
degree of flexibility. And flexibility<br />
is <strong>rig</strong>ht up <strong>Graebener</strong>‘s alley,“ the<br />
customer praised.<br />
This appreciation of the renowned<br />
automotive supplier is also<br />
based on the fact that the new<br />
press represents the la<strong>test</strong> technological<br />
standard in the sector<br />
of hydro<strong>for</strong>ming and will certainly<br />
set a milestone in terms of dynamics<br />
and output.<br />
One of the reasons <strong>for</strong> this outstanding<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance is the new<br />
control system which allows<br />
an equipment of the press<br />
with a total of 32 controllable<br />
axes and four pressure intensifiers<br />
<strong>for</strong> the application of<br />
highly complex multiple tools.<br />
With the combinable hybrid<br />
drive, consisting of high-end<br />
hydraulic pumps and pressure<br />
accumulators, Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik, together<br />
with the customer, sets new<br />
standards in terms of per<strong>for</strong>mance.<br />
When designing the<br />
HFA hydraulic system (high<br />
pressure hydraulics) with various<br />
quick-filling units, elaborate<br />
emulsion filters and<br />
maintenance units as well as<br />
the filling of the components<br />
inside the tool as quickly as<br />
possible were top priority.<br />
The press is expected to go<br />
into operation in a completely<br />
interlinked production line at<br />
the customer‘s workshop by<br />
the end of the year.
12 13<br />
World record <strong>for</strong> Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
Finally, Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
GmbH & Co. KG has<br />
written proof certified by the<br />
highest authority: The member<br />
of the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group<br />
has achieved a “best possible<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance“ by designing<br />
and building the “world‘s<br />
most powerful hydro<strong>for</strong>ming<br />
press“, the RoboClamp®.<br />
This is stated on the certificate<br />
of the NRW Ministry of Economy,<br />
Energy, Industry and Handicraft,<br />
which was personally<br />
signed by Minister Garrelt Duin.<br />
With the marketing campaign<br />
“Germany at its best“, NRW<br />
has been advertising peak<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mances in economy, science,<br />
culture and sports <strong>for</strong> the<br />
location NRW since the middle<br />
of 2011. The special feature of<br />
this campaign is to give concrete<br />
proof of who is achieving<br />
national and international peak<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mances in which sector.<br />
In December 2011, this campaign<br />
was even awarded the<br />
renowned Nikkei Advertising<br />
Award in Japan.<br />
The peak per<strong>for</strong>mances introduced<br />
by the applicants (companies,<br />
athletes, artists etc.)<br />
Large parts of the shipbuilding<br />
sector are struggling<br />
at the moment, but there<br />
are still some shipyards<br />
that use the crisis period<br />
Special machine builder honored by NRW Minister of Economic Affairs, Mr. Garrelt Duin<br />
were examined and, if they<br />
passed the examination, certified<br />
by the NRW Ministry of<br />
Economy, Energy, Industry<br />
and Handicrafts. So now it is<br />
official: Gräbener Maschinentechnik<br />
has set a world record<br />
so to speak. The design and<br />
construction of the most powerful<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming press.<br />
to invest in modern production<br />
technologies. Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik has secured<br />
the order to build a profile<br />
milling machine intended <strong>for</strong><br />
Since 2003,<br />
everyone at<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong><br />
has already<br />
been sure<br />
that the RoboClamp<br />
®<br />
with a closing<br />
<strong>for</strong>ce of<br />
13,000 t (130,000 kN)<br />
a Russian shipyard in<br />
Vladivostok.<br />
The machine will be<br />
used <strong>for</strong> preparing<br />
shipbuilding profiles<br />
to be placed on and<br />
welded to large panels.<br />
For this purpose,<br />
the profile edge to be<br />
welded, which usually<br />
features a curve in<br />
the profile when delivered<br />
by rolling mills, will be<br />
milled and thus provided with a<br />
weld seam preparation <strong>for</strong> the<br />
laser hybrid welding or other<br />
modern welding methods.<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong> fi nally has proof certifi ed by the highest authority: the RoboClamp ® ,<br />
with a closing <strong>for</strong>ce of up to 13,000 t, is the world‘s most powerful hydro<strong>for</strong>ming press.<br />
was the world‘s most<br />
powerful hydro<strong>for</strong>ming press.<br />
At that time, Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik delivered<br />
the RoboClamp ® to the automotive<br />
supplier Finow Automotive<br />
in Eberswalde. The<br />
customer wanted to produce<br />
side rails <strong>for</strong> off-road vehicles,<br />
however did not want to rely<br />
It is intended to integrate the<br />
profile milling machine into<br />
an existing profile line. In order<br />
to process profiles with a<br />
minimum length of 3 meters<br />
and a maximum length of 12<br />
meters, these profiles are prepositioned<br />
and transported to<br />
the milling machine via roller<br />
conveyors. The transport of the<br />
profiles after the processing is<br />
also carried out by roller conveyors.<br />
The profile milling machine can<br />
be operated in manual mode<br />
as well as in fully automatic<br />
mode. For this purpose, the<br />
machine is equipped with a<br />
on a standard press type of<br />
the conventional press builders.<br />
Gräbener designed a<br />
C-frame press customized <strong>for</strong><br />
the component to be produced.<br />
Since 2003, the Robo-<br />
Clamp ® has been running with<br />
great reliability – up to 240,000<br />
strokes per year in a three shift<br />
operation.<br />
Shipyard invests in modern production technology<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik delivers profile milling machine to Vladivostok<br />
The profi le milling<br />
machine impresses with<br />
its compact design.<br />
Siemens control, type Simatic<br />
S7-300. In manual mode,<br />
the profile data can be entered<br />
manually. For the automatic<br />
mode, the machine is<br />
equipped with an interface<br />
<strong>for</strong> the control of all functions<br />
so that the primary profile<br />
line control can ensure<br />
an automated operation.<br />
By the way: apart from the<br />
processing of flat steel,<br />
angle steel and bulb (HP)<br />
profiles, this fairly compact<br />
machine is also suitable <strong>for</strong><br />
the weld seam preparation<br />
of T-profiles.<br />
First project completed<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong>-<strong>Reika</strong> completes rebuild and retrofit<br />
of two high-speed automated shock tube <strong>for</strong>ming lines<br />
Last month, <strong>Graebener</strong>-<strong>Reika</strong><br />
<strong>Inc</strong>. announced completion of<br />
a 16 month project to relocate,<br />
refurbish and retool two <strong>Reika</strong><br />
shock tube <strong>for</strong>ming lines <strong>for</strong><br />
Magneti Marelli Corp, Pulaski<br />
TN. The lines are highly automated<br />
REIKA systems used<br />
to produce shock absorber bodies<br />
<strong>for</strong> the global light vehicle<br />
market. The first line produces<br />
shock inner “reservoir” tubes<br />
and the second line produces<br />
In May 2012, H. Kleinknecht<br />
GmbH & Co. KG, Lohfelden,<br />
received the order <strong>for</strong> the<br />
electrical equipment of a mobile<br />
pneumatic <strong>test</strong> flotation<br />
unit from K+S Kali GmbH<br />
(K+S AG). The order comprised<br />
the project management<br />
and engineering, the<br />
supply of the control cabinet<br />
and automation system including<br />
the visualization and<br />
the turnkey assembly.<br />
shock outer “body” tubes. The<br />
lines are capable of receiving<br />
lengths of tubing in bundles<br />
and producing finished parts at<br />
a rate of up to 1,000 pieces per<br />
hour.<br />
K+S operate the flotation unit<br />
<strong>for</strong> <strong>test</strong>ing purposes in order<br />
to gain insight into the optimization<br />
of the processes. The<br />
reason behind this is the fact<br />
that crude salts mined by K+S<br />
contain minerals which are of<br />
major importance <strong>for</strong> various<br />
industrial sectors, such as the<br />
fertilizer industry.<br />
The basic principle of the process<br />
is the suspension of the<br />
minerals to be separated in<br />
Upon exiting the REIKA lines,<br />
the parts are cut to length, <strong>for</strong>med,<br />
finish machined, ID stamped,<br />
quality inspected, cleaned<br />
and ready <strong>for</strong> final assembly.<br />
Both lines employ high productivity<br />
rotary head cutting systems<br />
based on the disk cutting<br />
method, thus assuring high<br />
reliability and ultra low cost per<br />
cut. The automated REIKA systems<br />
replace multiple independent<br />
cell type operations, and<br />
a saturated saline solution in<br />
which air is injected.<br />
In order to ensure that the air<br />
bubbles only attach themselves<br />
to certain minerals, they<br />
multiple operators, with a single<br />
integrated line and a single<br />
operator.<br />
Being the first major project to<br />
be initiated and completed at<br />
<strong>Graebener</strong>-<strong>Reika</strong>’s new facility<br />
Kleinknecht helps optimize processes<br />
New mobile <strong>test</strong> flotation unit ordered by K+S Kali GmbH<br />
Unit gives new<br />
insights into<br />
the optimization<br />
of processes<br />
are “greased“ and thus made<br />
water-repellent by adding special<br />
flotation agents in small<br />
quantities. The air bubbles will<br />
only attach themselves to these<br />
minerals. There<strong>for</strong>e, the kieserite<br />
to be separated will <strong>for</strong>m<br />
a floating foam which can be<br />
skimmed off.<br />
Due to its compact size – footprint<br />
of approximately 2 x 3 m<br />
– the mobile flotation unit can<br />
be installed in buildings as well<br />
Both machines receive<br />
lengths of tubing in bundles<br />
and produce at a rate of<br />
up to 1,000 parts per hour.<br />
in Reading, Pennsylvania, we<br />
are particularly proud to announce<br />
that the project was<br />
completed on time, on budget<br />
and to the satisfaction of our<br />
customer.<br />
as directly in the mining area.<br />
This was the first project carried<br />
out by Kleinknecht <strong>for</strong> the<br />
listed company group. There<strong>for</strong>e,<br />
it is even more gratifying<br />
that according to K+S the<br />
project was handled without<br />
any glitches.
14<br />
15<br />
Kleinknecht secures production<br />
Open-heart surgery<br />
itoring<br />
Ilmenau Team helps GASCADE<br />
Gastransport GmbH fulfill the obligations<br />
of the energy supply contract<br />
The Kleinknecht product HKOMPact is<br />
based on a modular hardware structure<br />
and can be integrated into the<br />
customer‘s low voltage grid with variable<br />
power values. Corresponding to<br />
the requirements of the technological<br />
process regarding the voltage quality,<br />
the multifunctional dynamic active<br />
IGBT filter by Kleinknecht is able to fulfill<br />
up to five control tasks at the same<br />
time:<br />
› HKOMPact Phi – power factor<br />
correction, inductive and capacitive<br />
(cos phi)<br />
› HKOMPact OS – harmonics<br />
compensation / compensation<br />
THDu (intelligent power distribution<br />
to automatically assigned<br />
harmonics frequencies)<br />
› HKOMPact PST – flicker compensation<br />
› HKOMPact Delta – compensation<br />
Pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press at Eisenbau Krämer<br />
retrofitted while in operation<br />
denbetreuung<br />
of voltage drops due to extensive<br />
power load<br />
Further in<strong>for</strong>mation can be found<br />
› HKOMPact Bal – compensation<br />
under www.kleinknecht.de.<br />
of voltage unbalance<br />
The entire pre-assembly is carried<br />
bzw.<br />
ung<br />
fterden.<br />
pressor station in Bunde<br />
(Ostfriesland) with two<br />
new electrical gas compressors<br />
in the Megawatt<br />
mined the grid loads to be<br />
expected when operating the<br />
two electrical gas compressors.<br />
It was also examined<br />
grid simulations, GASCADE<br />
Gastransport GmbH decided in<br />
favor of the application of the<br />
“Smart Active Compensation<br />
out at <strong>Graebener</strong>‘s workshop<br />
so that assembly and down times<br />
can be minimized.<br />
ganz<br />
de<br />
Multifunctional dynamic<br />
active filters of the type<br />
HKOMPact made by Kleinknecht<br />
are becoming increasingly<br />
popular.<br />
According to the spring edition<br />
of “update“, Daimler AG equipped<br />
sensitive low voltage grids<br />
with active filters HKOMPact<br />
of H. Kleinknecht GmbH & Co.<br />
KG from Ilmenau <strong>for</strong> the highly<br />
SMART ACTIVE<br />
COMPENSATION SYSTEM<br />
dynamic compensation of <strong>for</strong><br />
example fluctuating harmonics<br />
and <strong>for</strong> dynamic power factor<br />
correction (inductive and capacitive).<br />
Today, the demand <strong>for</strong><br />
this active filter system is ever<br />
increasing.<br />
One enquiry o<strong>rig</strong>inates from<br />
GASCADE Gastransport GmbH.<br />
The customer is currently<br />
supplementing his gas com-<br />
range. Each of the new<br />
electrical drives is fed<br />
by a separate converter.<br />
Converters emit circuit<br />
feedbacks which interfere<br />
with those of other consumers.<br />
Possible results<br />
are the endangerment of<br />
processes and lines as<br />
well as violations of the<br />
stipulations in the grid<br />
connection contract with<br />
the respective grid operator.<br />
On the basis of a grid analysis<br />
and a subsequent<br />
numerical process simulation,<br />
Kleinknecht exa-<br />
First major project <strong>for</strong> Joint Venture<br />
Finishing line <strong>for</strong> leading manufacturer<br />
of heat exchanger tubes<br />
No sooner have the contracts<br />
<strong>for</strong> the Joint Venture between<br />
the <strong>Graebener</strong> Group and<br />
Tangshan Kaiyuan Autowelding<br />
Systems been signed (see report<br />
on page 6), than the first<br />
major project with a duration of<br />
six months is tackled together<br />
with the Chinese partner. With<br />
highest precision!<br />
For <strong>Reika</strong> and supported by<br />
<strong>Reika</strong> engineers, Kaiyuan is currently<br />
building a large finishing<br />
whether the operational safety<br />
could be ensured<br />
and whether the<br />
technical connection<br />
requirements could<br />
be adhered to. The<br />
results of the simulations<br />
were evaluated<br />
with reference to the contractually<br />
agreed limit values<br />
and valid standards. In order to<br />
improve the grid quality, necessary<br />
technical measures were<br />
worked out and their efficiency<br />
was verified.<br />
Convinced by the numerous advantages<br />
shown by the results<br />
of the numerical process and<br />
line <strong>for</strong> one of the world‘s leading<br />
manufacturers of heat<br />
exchanger tubes. A precision<br />
roll straightening machine is integrated<br />
into the line so as not<br />
to damage the long tubes with<br />
a wall thickness of only a few<br />
millimeters. This straightening<br />
machine, however, is manufactured<br />
in Germany. “We have<br />
combined two of our core<br />
competences in this line,“ explains<br />
Andreas Zimball, Sales<br />
System“ type HKOMPact. The<br />
system<br />
basically<br />
ensures<br />
the required<br />
voltage<br />
quality<br />
in the power<br />
grid and thus the con<strong>for</strong>mity<br />
at the grid take-over point<br />
according to the grid connection<br />
contract.<br />
Demand <strong>for</strong><br />
active filter system<br />
is ever increasing<br />
The dynamic filter has been<br />
operational since November<br />
2012 and ensures the contractually<br />
stipulated harmonics<br />
level as well as the required<br />
power factor cos ϕ in Bunde.<br />
Manager at <strong>Reika</strong>. “The extremely<br />
sensitive handling of<br />
tubes with extreme dimensions<br />
and the high precision<br />
straightening.“<br />
After having supplied a finishing<br />
line to another renowned<br />
manufacturer of<br />
heat exchanger tubes last<br />
year (see “update“ 1/2012),<br />
the Hagen-based company<br />
now can claim to be a key<br />
supplier on the international<br />
market <strong>for</strong> complete handling<br />
systems in the area of<br />
delicate tubes.<br />
The last edition of “update“ already<br />
announced this special order.<br />
In spring of this year, the<br />
company Eisenbau Krämer<br />
GmbH (www.eisenbau-kraemer.<br />
de) talked about a “technologi-<br />
Imprint<br />
update –<br />
The <strong>Graebener</strong> Group<br />
Magazine<br />
Edition:<br />
atumn / winter 2012<br />
Publisher:<br />
Theodor Gräbener<br />
GmbH & Co. KG<br />
Am Heller 1<br />
57250 Netphen-<br />
Werthenbach<br />
Phone +49 / 2737 / 989-200<br />
Fax +49 / 2737 / 989-110<br />
www.graebener-group.com<br />
Editor:<br />
Marco Butz<br />
m.butz@graebener-group.com<br />
Production:<br />
Agentur Vorländer<br />
www.agentur.vorlaender.de<br />
Print:<br />
Vorländer GmbH & Co. KG<br />
Photos:<br />
Fotolia.com (Titel), Gräbener<br />
Maschinentechnik, <strong>Reika</strong>,<br />
Kleinknecht, GRI<br />
In<strong>for</strong>mation:<br />
You can also read and<br />
download “update“ online:<br />
www.graebener-group.de<br />
cally challenging retrofit of a pipe<br />
<strong>for</strong>ming press“ which was to be<br />
executed by Gräbener Maschinentechnik.<br />
“Technologically<br />
challenging“ is a fitting description<br />
<strong>for</strong> a retrofit at the company<br />
location Kreuztal-Kredenbach, a<br />
retrofit which is completely unprecedented<br />
worldwide. Eisenbau<br />
Krämer<br />
anticipates<br />
that, except <strong>for</strong><br />
a down time of<br />
approximately<br />
two weeks,<br />
the production<br />
of LSAW pipes using the 6,200 t<br />
press will continue running<br />
throughout the entire project.<br />
During this retrofit, which has<br />
been developed and planned<br />
in close cooperation of the two<br />
companies Eisenbau Krämer<br />
and Gräbener Maschinentechnik,<br />
the entire hydraulic system<br />
including eight hydraulic pumps<br />
will be installed on a newly built<br />
plat<strong>for</strong>m at the outfeed side of<br />
the older pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press.<br />
Until the second stage of the retrofit,<br />
the press can keep up the<br />
production so that down times<br />
can be kept to a minimum.<br />
Reservations concerning a possibly<br />
increased noise generation<br />
could be eliminated quickly<br />
since the hydraulic units are<br />
Hydraulic and control<br />
system located<br />
on one plat<strong>for</strong>m<br />
insulated in a<br />
way that the<br />
noise emission<br />
remains well below the<br />
valid limits. This design has another<br />
major advantage: elaborate<br />
piping can be reduced to a minimum<br />
so that the entire preassembly<br />
can be carried out at<br />
the premises of <strong>Graebener</strong>. This<br />
in turn reduces the time needed<br />
<strong>for</strong> the assembly at Eisenbau<br />
Krämer‘s workshop and there<strong>for</strong>e<br />
the period of production<br />
down time.<br />
The tank with the hydraulic<br />
blocks will be installed at the<br />
new plat<strong>for</strong>m. The tank mostly<br />
serves <strong>for</strong> accommodating the<br />
pendulum volume of the hydraulic<br />
cylinders. It also allows<br />
a quick replenishing of the hydraulic<br />
fluid. Just to give an impression<br />
of the dimensions we<br />
are talking about here: the tank<br />
volume is approximately 24,000<br />
liters. All in all, the new plat<strong>for</strong>m<br />
including the new electric control<br />
housed in eight control cabinets<br />
is subject to a total load of<br />
approximately 120 t.<br />
Apart from the hydraulic system<br />
and the electric control, the deflection<br />
compensation of the<br />
pipe <strong>for</strong>ming press will be retrofitted<br />
as well. The existing compensation<br />
cylinders inside the<br />
lower traverse will be replaced<br />
by wedge adjustments. This will<br />
reduce manufacturing tolerances<br />
and ensure high production<br />
precision.<br />
In the end, the retrofitted pipe<br />
<strong>for</strong>ming press will be on par<br />
with a new machine, especially<br />
concerning the energy consumption<br />
which was seriously<br />
outdated with the old machine.<br />
The retrofitted press uses the<br />
so-called “load sensing“, that<br />
means that the hydraulic pressure<br />
is constantly kept at the<br />
minimum value necessary <strong>for</strong><br />
the individual operation. This<br />
reduces the power consumption.<br />
The energy saved due to<br />
this process can in turn be used<br />
<strong>for</strong> the increase of the machine<br />
speed. Another considerable<br />
speed increase is the result of a<br />
replacement of the filling valves<br />
in the cylinders.<br />
This retrofit goes to show: pipe<br />
manufacturing companies do<br />
not always need a new pipe <strong>for</strong>ming<br />
press in order to stream-line<br />
their pipe production. Often<br />
enough, a retrofit of the existing<br />
machine is sufficient. What is<br />
needed, however, are experts in<br />
order to ensure that the retrofitted<br />
machine can keep up with<br />
a new machine. Experts like<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik.
heselsvomberg.de<br />
Hydro<strong>for</strong>ming.<br />
The Power of Water.<br />
We offer the entire value added chain: from the customer‘s product idea up<br />
to application oriented and highly specialized presses and lines. We also offer<br />
our customers use of our prototyping center, which is equipped with four<br />
hydro<strong>for</strong>ming presses with closing <strong>for</strong>ces of up to 10,000 t and suitable <strong>for</strong> all<br />
requirements regarding the prototyping and small series production.<br />
Gräbener Maschinentechnik GmbH & Co. KG<br />
Phone +49 2737 989-120 · Fax +49 2737 989-110<br />
www.graebener-maschinentechnik.de