The recent addition of the VL 2 vertical turning center from EMAG has given a significant boost to the company’s productivity
Schneto AG, located in idyllic Bennwil, near Basel, specializes in the production of turned parts up to 65 mm in diameter. The company has made a name for itself because of the outstanding quality of the parts it manufactures. Its output covers a broad range of parts, including parts for furniture making, for hydraulics and pneumatics, electrical equipment, automobiles and construction equipment.
The company was founded in 1947 and has been run since by two generations of the Baumann family. This lasting success in the marketplace is based on a superbly trained team of employees, and use of innovative modern machinery. Alongside various multi spindle machines and horizontal production lathes, demanding follow-up work is also carried out, including hard turning, fine turning, honing, and grinding. In particular, the recent addition of the VL 2 vertical turning center from EMAG has given a significant boost to the company’s productivity.
Sophisticated automation
The VL 2 is one of EMAG’s modular machines and has a very compact design. “The footprint was a decisive factor for us,” said Michael Baumann, managing director of Schneto AG. “The VL 2, with its compact design, fits into our production layout perfectly, even though we installed a complete automation system for pallet loading next to the VL 2.”
Like all modular machines from EMAG, the VL 2 also features integrated pick-up automation. This means that the working spindle automatically loads and unloads itself from the integrated parts storage unit. This has two distinct advantages: non-productive time is cut to an absolute minimum, as the loading position is directly alongside the machining area. The second is that it’s possible to integrate any kind of automated system to supply the machine with raw parts. Schneto opted for a ROBAX robotic system from HandlingTech, a long-term partner of EMAG. The ROBAX system permits the use of pallets, ensuring high utilization of the VL 2.
“The VL 2 has very high availability, which we are able to utilize to the full because of its integrated automation. Using the VL 2 gave us a crucial productivity advantage, especially for parts in medium and large production runs. All the more impressive considering the outstanding quality of the parts manufactured on the machine, which is in part due to EMAG’s great after sales service,” explained Baumann.
Excellent machining quality
The quality of the parts manufactured at Schneto is verified by the company’s own in-house measuring station. The VL 2 easily reaches the high standards set here. The machine base made from MINERALIT polymer concrete ensures high stability and outstanding vibration damping, which is reflected directly in the quality of the machining. The machining action itself is done with a 12-station tool turret, which allows for very short indexing times. Turning and milling work can also be performed using driven tools.
Using the VL 2 gave us a crucial productivity advantage, especially for parts in medium and large production runs
– Michael Baumann, Managing Director, Schneto AG
“Here at Schneto we also opted for a VL 2 with a Y-axis, which added yet another major expansion in the machine’s versatility,” added Michael Baumann.
“The ease of access to the machining area and turret allows our employees to change the machine setup in a relatively short time, which at the end of the day results in lower costs, of course. All the service units are easy to access as well, which makes servicing work much easier. All in all, we are very satisfied with the quality of the machine and EMAG’s support services— all of our inquiries are handled very quickly and the service technicians really know what they’re doing,” said Baumann.
Investment in the future
“For us, the VL 2 was an important investment in the future of the company,” Baumann went on. “The possible range of parts for machining, up to 100 mm in diameter and 150 mm in length, fits into our range of parts and allows us to react flexibly to the needs of our customers. With the automation and the pallet system, we’re able to manufacture even high part volumes efficiently, quickly, and with top quality—so well that they can be inserted directly into our customer’s production processes. That gives both us and our customers considerable advantages in terms of productivity.”
Low unit costs, stable processes, high component quality, and excellent value for the money as well: in view of all that it’s no surprise that the turning specialists at Schneto AG decided to acquire the VL 2 from EMAG.
