Additive Manufacturing | ΕΠΕΞΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ ΜΕΤΑΛΛΩΝ - ΠΛΑΣΤΙΚΩΝ
Lossburg, 3 August 2021
The seventh episode of arburgXvision, broadcast on 29 July 2021, presented the following topic: “The perfect service – quick help when it counts”. Confident and to the point – viewers were in capable hands as the Arburg experts explained everything you need to know about service, including the latest service features and practical tips to achieve huge time and cost savings, in this interactive, online TV episode. Viewers were able to actively participate in polls or ask the studio questions via chat. Lars Langner, Director After Sales Service, and Uwe Klumpp, head of Product Training, featured as the guest Arburg experts, sharing their broad expertise. Benjamin Gnegel and Tobias Feigenbutz from the trainer team at Product Training were live on site at the Arburg Training Center, providing valuable practical tips on maintenance and upkeep of machine capability.
The episode focussed on digital services, efficient maintenance and servicing, reliable machine technology and well-trained staff – all of which are requirements for avoiding standstills and ensuring reliable and efficient production of high-quality plastic parts.
Interactive polls
To ensure downtime is reduced to a minimum, you need expert assistance and quick delivery of spare parts. This was highlighted in our interactive poll, which showed that customer service and spare parts are our customers’ number one priority. For 59 per cent of German participants and 66 per cent of international participants, reliability is the most important factor in terms of service, while speed constitutes perfect service for 40 and 33 per cent, respectively. The German viewers in particular considered a digital service offering to be important (37 per cent) or even very important (56 per cent), while all respondents believe that machine capability is a requisite for the dependable production of plastic parts.
Perfect service is all about attitude
“Perfect service is all about attitude!” – this was the key assertion from Lars Langner. With over 480 Service employees globally, whose mission is to assist customers around the world, Arburg is a reliable partner in all service matters. For Arburg, it all comes down to a simple yet effective concept: produce locally and act globally. The service “Made by Arburg” is based at a central development and production location: “thanks to our expertise and an in-house production quota of over 60 per cent, we can manufacture almost every spare part here in Lossburg – and not only standard wear parts at that, but also our printed circuit boards, for example. This allows for a high degree of flexibility and is unique in mechanical engineering.” The first pick ratio, i.e. orders that go out on the same day, is over 90 per cent. The supply of spare parts is thus guaranteed. Lars Langner believes that high-quality technology also plays a crucial role in service. By way of example, he referenced the planetary roller screw drive, a central feature underpinning the performance of the Allrounder, contributing to its impressive five-year warranty.
However, it is not only the quality of the products that counts but also the quality of the services. Lars Langner explained that Arburg has uniformly digitised the deployment of its service technicians globally so that they can respond faster and with greater flexibility. Arburg Remote Service (ARS) goes one step further: with the customer’s approval, this service gives the member of the hotline staff direct access to the machine’s control system, which can contribute to a time saving of up to two days.
“Our customer portal arburgXworld also provides numerous useful apps”, explained Lars Langner, who went on to present several valuable free digital services. In the “ServiceCenter”, tickets can be generated 24/7, which saves up to 20 working hours per year. The “SelfService” provides 24/7 online access to the expertise of Arburg service technicians, thus freeing up around an extra 40 hours of production time. Customers can even use the “Shop” to quickly and conveniently find and order spare parts online at any time, as well as to record these purchases.
A spotlight on machine capability
“Perfect service starts with people. And this is what I live for”, summarised Uwe Klumpp. “Because a machine is only as good as its operator and the people that maintain it.” The training expert then discussed utilisation rate and machine capability. While the former is a measure of how long a machine is actually in production out of the total available production time (as a percentage), the latter describes the stability and reproducibility of production and, by extension, part quality. “Service activities and planned standstills are also crucial for maintaining the condition of a machine so that everything operates smoothly.”
Uwe Klumpp gave valuable tips on how to avoid unplanned standstills, including checking material availability and optimally preparing changeover and maintenance sequences. “The aim of preventative maintenance is to maintain the target condition and efficiency of the machine, thereby ensuring high planning reliability”, explained the expert. She recommended regular maintenance and inspections: “By checking the calibration values, discrepancies can be detected early on and wear parts changed, if required.” By contrast, a condition-based maintenance job required after damage occurs, e.g. jammed parts, will take significantly longer and generally be much more expensive. Using hydraulic valves and vacuum generators as an example, Kumpp explained how condition monitoring works and provided another striking example: “The toggles of our electric and hybrid Allrounder are lubricated depending on load. This can reduce the oil requirement by up to 50 per cent.”
Live demonstration: machine maintenance and calibration
Putting theory into practice: two live broadcasts from the Training Center in Lossburg demonstrated machine maintenance and inspection as part of the service strategy. First of all, Tobias Feigenbutz used an electric Allrounder 370 A to show how maintenance tasks can be easily executed using a maintenance schedule. He also discussed oil management, including filtration and particle measurement, presenting the advantages of remote maintenance using the Arburg Remote Service.
In the second live broadcast, Benjamin Gnegel enthusiastically explained the importance of inspections and quality monitoring as part of the service strategy, using various examples from everyday work. He then went on to discuss why the performance of a machine changes over time and how to recognise and remedy this, ensuring correct machine calibration. He clearly demonstrated this live using a pressure transducer calibration and a “manual” adjustment of a pump control valve as examples. He stressed that regular calibration and inspections ensure stable processes and reproducible parts, which save customers a lot of time.
Service philosophy – holistic and future-orientated
“For us, utilisation rate and machine capability require a holistic approach in which machine technology, inspection, calibration and training all play a vital role”, stressed Uwe Klumpp during the final panel discussion with host Guido Marschall. Lars Langner agreed and added: “People are at the heart of what we do. Training for Arburg Service employees is therefore one of the most comprehensive and best in the industry.” He went on to say that he sees great advantages in digitalisation: “The hotline staff can access all machine data and even the digital “twin” of the customer-specific control system. Comprehensive predictive maintenance, i.e. preventative maintenance, augmented service using virtual reality and 3D printing of spare parts also offer great potential in the near and distant future.”
Summer break – next episode on 30 September 2021
After the summer break, arburgXvision will continue: on 30 September 2021, we will take a deep dive into the Gestica control system and how it can be used to easily master even complex machines and processes. In the eighth episode of arburgXvision, Juergen Peters, head of Software Development, and Miriam Lauble, technical sales manager, will provide an exciting overview of the innovative features of the control system that was developed in Lossburg and “Made by Arburg”. Two live broadcasts from the Customer Center in Lossburg will show viewers the different support and benefits that the Gestica user interface can bring to everyday injection moulding.
If you would like to attend and stay up to date with the series, visit our website www.arburgXvision.com and complete our quick and easy one-time registration process. Registration also includes access to all events and to the Media Center, where all previous episodes will be available to watch on demand shortly after broadcast.
About Arburg
German family-owned company Arburg is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastic processing machines. Its product portfolio encompasses Allrounder injection moulding machines with clamping forces of between 125 and 6,500 kN, the Freeformer for industrial additive manufacturing and robotic systems, customer and industry-specific turnkey solutions and further peripheral equipment.
An international sales and service network ensures first-class customer support at a local level: Arburg has its own organisations at 35 locations in 26 different countries and, together with its trading partners, is represented in more than 100 countries. Its machines are produced exclusively at the company’s German headquarters in Lossburg. Of a total of roughly 3,200 employees, around 2,650 work in Germany. About 550 further employees work in Arburg’s organisations around the world. Arburg has triple certification, in accordance with ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 50001 (energy).
Further information about Arburg can be found at www.arburg.com