New Union Table-Type Boring Mill of the T-Series for Mercedes Benz State-of-the-Art Production Plant

The open-top models of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter have been manufactured in Ludwigsfelde since 2006. A completely new production line with state-of-the-art automated production equipment was set up for the new product. For the prototype production of the chassis on site, Mercedes Benz Ludwigsfelde GmbH relies on the quality and reliability of the Union boring mill TC 130 in table design.

The Union brand T-Series is used worldwide where absolute precision and efficiency are required and quality compromises are not an alternative. The T-Series machines are the ideal 5-axis controlled machines for efficient multi-sided machining of medium-heavy workpieces up to 10 tons in weight. The solid construction of the wide 4-way bed and cast iron column combine robust design and high rigidity, for high precision results with virtually vibration-free operation. The internally ribbed column dampens vibration and prevents distortions. An axial-radial cylindrical roller bearing also guarantees precise, backlash-free support of the workpiece on the rotating clamping table. High cutting performance of the boring mill is achieved by the hydraulic segment clamping system.

The TC 130 Horizontal Boring Machine for Mercedes Benz in Ludwigsfelde impresses in the machining of workpieces with travels of 2,000 mm in the X-axis, 2,000 mm in the Y-axis and 1,500 mm in the Z-axis. The boring mill thus provides enormous flexibility in the machining process and a high vertical range of manufacture for our customer. The clamping table with a setup area of 1,250 x 1,600 mm ensures precise support of the workpiece to be machined.

In addition, the machine is equipped with the Heidenhain TNC640 V11 SP2 control for OCM milling operations, for highly efficient and tool-friendly cutting processes of the sometimes very complex components. Contours are defined once in the NC program and can then be used for all machining steps, without time-consuming programming work: The tool paths to be traversed are completely taken over by the control to enable optimum travels and to optimally ensure both the engagement angle and chip volume and the required pressure. This protects the workpiece and the tool.

The machine was installed on site and initial start-up was done by our experts.

Waldrich Siegen is responsible for the development, manufacturing and sale of Union quality products within the globally operating HerkulesGroup. All core components, such as headstocks and spindles, are manufactured within the HerkulesGroup companies to guarantee the highest quality and precision.