Arku InfoMax 37 USA v5.indd - ARKU - ARKU Maschinenbau GmbH

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Parts levelers · Cut-to-length and slitting lines · Press feeding lines · Coil preparation lines for roll formers
A second FlatMaster ® for extra thick
copper parts
"It's now very easy: one-time leveling, sawing and selling"
Machine acceptance at MKM: before leveling
Hettstedt, Germany – Entering
the huge production hall
of the copper rolling mill, the
FlatMaster ® 180 is nearly unnoticeable.
The large dimensions
of the existing Mansfelder
Kupfer and Messing GmbH production
facilities makes it look
small in comparision. But don’t
be misled, the FlatMaster ® 180
handles their extra-thick parts.
Mansfelder Kupfer and Messing
GmbH is a leading European
supplier of a wide range of copper
products, both flat and
round. In business for more
than 100 years, the company
has successfully overcome the
economic downturn. Continual
innovations in modern technolo-
gies and market-focused customer
service have made MKM
one of the leading European
manufacturers.
The flatness issue brought
ARKU and MKM together in
the early 1990s. In 2007, the
copper manufacturer was introduced
to the FlatMaster ® and
visited ARKU’s leveling center
in Baden-Baden for the first time.
After seeing the results at
ARKU, MKM was no longer
satisfied with their existing
flatness results, especially on
their thinner parts. After
multiple leveling tests, MKM
ordered a FlatMaster ® 80. Eight
weeks after purchasing, MKM's
FlatMaster ® was delivered on site.
After leveling: flat and stress-free
In daily production, the
FlatMaster ® 80 proved itself
by providing quality flatness
results for a wide thickness range.
But would it also achieve
quality flatness for extra-thick
parts? After many calculations
and technical discussions, ARKU
was sure that a FlatMaster ® 180
could handle the extra-thick parts
in question. The final decision to
purchase the machine was made
in early 2010. At this time, it
was unclear where the economic
trend was heading, but the
officers at MKM wanted to
Customer-portrait:
LuK Clutch Systems
LLC
Wooster, Ohio
Page 4
ARKU - experts in leveling · 11405 Grooms Road · Cincinnati, OH 45242 · PH: (513) 985-0500 · Fax: (513) 985-0580 · E-mail: info@arku.com · www.us.arku.com
Visit us:
No. 38 · 19 th year, November 2011
Chicago
14. – 17.11.2011
booth: 1780
ARKU Maschinenbau GmbH
ARKU Shines in Chicago
The upcoming Fabtech trade
show in Chicago is this
year´s highlight for ARKU
in North America. Not only
will we have a booth with
a demo machine, but we will
also have a presentation
about our core competence
"leveling". Nicholas Miller, a
young American engineer,
will present our flagship
FlatMaster ®, the ultimate
solution for parts leveling.
Nicholas works in our headquarter
in Baden-Baden,
Germany. In staffing the
Cincinnati-based office and
leveling center, we not only
brought Germans to North
America, but also included
valuable employees from
Cincinnati. North America is
a central market for ARKU
and our presence here enriches
our corporate culture.
ARKU President Albert Reiss

InfoMAX
Canadian saw-blade
manufacturer purchases
FlatMaster ®-leveler
FlatMaster ® 50 provides flat saw-blades
Leveling saw-blades is challenging, but feasible
ARKU-Ticker
invest in a product
that would increase
their value to
the customer. This
investment had to
secure and improve
its competitive
advantage.
The machine was
delivered in less
than 12 months,
the ambitious project
was successfully
and quickly
finished thanks to
close cooperation
Continuation of page 1
MKM CEO Friedrich Flemming (left), production manager for Sheets/Plates Uwe Hirsemann (middle) and quality manager
for Sheets/Plates Sven Fischer are impressed by the leveling results
Canada – A well-known Canadian
saw-blade manufacturer
contacted ARKU in early 2011
with a specific request. The
company wanted to improve the
quality and repeatability of their
achieved flatness standards.
The company manufactures saw
blades for the North American
wood industry. Flatness requirements
for saw blades are extre-
between the two companies.
The FlatMaster ® 180 was installed
at MKM in December
2010 and now produces parts
with no more than 1 mm flatness
per part for 60 mm thick
parts.
“With precision leveling, we
receive nearly stress-free parts
and heat treatment is not necessary
for many products,” said
Uwe Hirsemann, Production
Manager for Sheets and Plates.
“Time and effort for leveling
were significantly reduced and
we do not need intermediate decompression
cuttings any more,”
mely high, since every imbalance
is dangerous for the saw operator
and also deteriorates the
cutting quality. Saw blades are
rotation-symmetric and extrahardened,
thus, flatness is hard
to achieve. Servo-hydraulic levelers
are well suited to solve
this problem. They are powerful
enough to level extra-hardened
materials. Also, they are equip-
Three parts levelers sold in third quarter
he continued. “The process is
now very easy: one-time leveling,
sawing and selling.”
ped with a hydraulic gap control
that guarantees a constant leveling
gap. This is critical to minimize
undesired pinch-off
edges.
Additionally, the manufacturer
hoped to improve and automate
manufacturing, thereby substantially
reducing fabrication
time. Before contacting
ARKU, flattening each
saw blade took a lot of
time. This step was often
repeated several times
during fabrication. Considering
the company
processes hundreds to a
thousand parts daily, flattening
was a considerable
expense.
Leveling tests were conducted
at the ARKU Leveling
Center Cincinnati
on the FlatMaster ® 5080.
Not only did the hydraulic
leveler achieve the
best flatness results, but
also the whole process
took less than two minutes
per part. The company
soon purchased its own
FlatMaster ® 5080, which
is performing as expected
– improving flatness
standards and reducing
fabrication times substantially.
Last quarter ARKU sold three parts levelers in North America. The trend toward higher quality standards and
high-strength materials allows ARKU to benefit by offering integral leveling technology solutions. These solutions
include new and used machines as well as contract leveling.

Leveling services
on demand
Flat and stress-free parts for everyone
Operations & Engineering Manager Patric Jobst (middle) with the ARKU leveling team
ARKU “Makes parts fit”
Banner Metals Group levels parts
at Cincinnati Leveling Center
Parts are controlled with a gage to achieve the desired flatness
New President for ARKU in North America
On November 1st Jurgen Jost, a native German and long-term US-citizen, became
President of ARKU Coil Systems, Cincinnati. We wish him all the best in his new
position.
Cincinnati, OH – Leveling services
reached an all-time high in
Cincinnati, outpacing the preceding
year by more than 100 percent
in growth. Opened in early
2010, the ARKU Leveling
Center Cincinnati proudly
Columbus, OH – Banner
Metals Group is a metal fabricator
that has supplied parts
to the auto, aerospace and consumer
market for 90 years.
Banner was looking for a
short-term solution to deal with
warped parts to better serve its
customers.
Recently, Banner Stamping
Company changed its
name to Banner Metals
Group, Inc. to better reflect
the services it offers.
Beyond stamping,
Banner offers related
services such as lasercutting,
fabrication,
CNC machining, assembly
and more.
Banner’s consistent
quality fabrication process
is backed by the
numerous industry
awards it has received.
A business partner of
Banner had similar issues
with laser cut parts
works to satisfy its regular customers
in addition to those
needing emergency, quick-turnaround
or problem solving services.
Since opening, ARKU
has established a broad customer
base including laser job
warping and referred them to
ARKU’s Cincinnati Leveling
After leveling, parts are flat and nearly stress-free
Center. Once Banner was introduced
to ARKU, the first
leveling tests were conducted
in November 2010. “We need
certain parts to meet difficult
print flatness requirements.
ARKU is able to level these
parts to our satisfaction,” said
Rick Sayre, Banner Plant Manager.
Since then, ARKU regularly
levels parts for Banner.
Large quantities of parts are
leveled with short lead times
and include steel backs for disc
brakes and spacers for axel assemblies.
InfoMAX
shops, stampers and steel service
centers – both regionally as
well as nationally.
Typical order volumes reach
from leveling single parts to
several thousand pieces. The
process usually begins with
leveling tests offered at no charge.
Once it is proven that a specific
part can be successfully
leveled, customers receive a detailed
quote. Processing times
of leveling jobs differ; they
depend on order volume and
urgency. ARKU´s intention is to
keep it lean; to serve customers
regularly with quick turnaround
service.
The Leveling Center Cincinnati
houses four precision levelers
that cover a thickness range
from .01” to .91”. The levelers
are operated by four highly
trained employees under the
supervision of an experienced
leveling master. The Leveling
Center offers considerable flexibility
to fulfill a wide range
of customer needs.
ARKU's Cincinnati Leveling
Center offers a high degree of
flexibility: multiple machines
successfully level different
parts and emergency leveling
jobs, even in large quantities,
which are processed quickly,
when needed. Thus, Sayre is
pleased with the Cincinnati
Leveling Center: “They do a
great job and continue meet
our leveling needs with no problems!”
To learn more about Banner
Metals Group, visit
www.bannermetalsgroup.com
Successful ISO Re-Certification and New Certification
ARKU Germany successfully renewed its ISO 9001:2008 certification. And ARKU
Coil Systems Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, passed its first audit straightaway. The auditors
commended ARKU’s innovation, product quality and employee management.

Artur Reiss cele-
brates 80 years
Baden-Baden, Germany –
Artur Reiss looks back on an
eventful 80 years as the son of
ARKU’s founder. His apprenticeship
began in 1946 as
a sheet-metal worker and
fitter in the family company in
Baden-Baden. In 1955, after
earning his master craftsman's
certi-ficate, Artur Reiss took
over the shop from his father.
Soon ARKU began to produce
sheet-metal parts for cockle
stoves, warm air heaters, and
base-ment fuel tanks. By 1966,
Personality
Chad Ellis
In September 2011, Chad Ellis
was named shop manager of
ARKU Leveling Center Cincinnati.
Chad joined ARKU in
November 2009 as a temporary
employee. In his new role,
Chad is responsible for all leveling
jobs in Cincinnati.
Conducting leveling tests himself,
Chad also coordinates
contract leveling with a team
of three employees. Concurrently,
he is training to install
parts leveling machines to
support ARKU customer ser-
the company had produced its
first leveling machine. After his
65th birthday Artur Reiss finally
retired from daily business.
He passed ARKU to his son
and the current president,
Albert Reiss.
Besides passion for his
business, Artur Reiss
was also a passionate
equestrian. A devoted
rider and horse breeder,
Mr. Reiss spent many
nights in the stables with
his foals on his horse
farm. But this hobby became
very exhausting
in the long run. He relinquished
his horse farm
in 2008 and now stays fit
by swimming regularly.
With passion and energy
Artur Reiss led ARKU to its
position as a world-renown leveler
manufacturer. We wish
Artur Reiss all the best for his
80th birthday, but most of all
we wish him good health and
happiness!
vice in North America.
In his spare time, Chad is a
big sports fan. A Cincinnati
native, he is a huge fan of the
Cincinnati Bengals and the
Reds. He also loves to play
golf. Working for ARKU, he
started playing tennis to compete
with his German colleagues.
If you are interested
in joining Chad for a round of
golf or if you have metal parts
that are not flat, please contact
Chad Ellis:
leveling@arku.com
As LuK would have it -
more coil-lines worldwide
CompactFeed ® feeder-straighteners -
critical systems for global manufacturing
Wooster, Ohio – LuK USA
LLC continues to enjoy materials
savings and line efficiency
with ARKU CompactFeed ®
coil feeding line. LuK USA
ARKU compact zig-zag press feeding line
manufactures torque converters,
clutches, flywheels, gearboxes
and other related transmission
products. LuK has served the
automobile and agriculture machinery
industries since 1977.
Customers include Ford, General
Motors, Honda, Nissan and
Toyota. ARKU has recently
shipped additional coil-lines to
LuK Wooster (Ohio) and other
international LuK locations.
LuK USA uses ARKU coil lines
to feed large 2800-ton-plus
presses with sheet steel. The
compact coil line, half the size
of a standard line, can handle
high-strength steel up to 10 mm
thick and up to 1000 mm wide.
But more importantly, the
CompactFeed ® lines save material.
“Steel prices are high, and
you want to utilize steel as much
as you can today,” explains
Herbert Wolf, LuK Vice President
of Operations. “With these
press lines, we have experienced
material savings of 6 to14 percent
based on how we nest the
parts.” The CompactFeed ® feeder-straighteners
zig-zag from
side to side (30 strokes per minute)
when feeding the material
into the press.
GM 258mm Torque Converter
The result is an optimum utilization
of material, especially in
the production of round punched
parts. The robust CompactFeed ®
press feeding lines ensure more
uptime for the whole press line.
Coil change times are reduced
by means of advanced automation
concepts and special
designs. Its hinged, feeder-
straightener CompactFeed ®
enables rapid threading of the
strip and reduce coil change
times to less than five minutes.
The press line also meets the
challenge imposed by the increasing
use of high-strength materials.
At LuK, a typical system
reliably produces 5.5-mm-thick
clutch plate covers from highstrength
steel. LuK is a subsi-
diary of Schaeffler Group, Herzogenaurach,
Germany. Learn
more about CompactFeed ® at
www.us.arku.com.
LuK Clutch Systems LLC
3401 Old Airport Road
Wooster, OH 44691
www.luk-us.com
Masthead | Publisher: ARKU experts in leveling · Responsible: Albert Reiss, President Coordination: Peter Eiswirt · Design: Rommel & Company · Print: Kwik Kopy Printing