EROWA Report - WYMED by EROWA

REPORT - WYMEN AG

Venturing into something new motivates us! Being highly specialized and proud of producing sophisticated precision parts and assemblies for its customers: these are only two of the strong points of Wymed AG in Switzerland‘s Freienstein-Teufen. Its customers include renowned companies from medical technology, the semiconductor industry, watchmaking, as well as aerospace. In the field of orthopedic products, in particular, Wymed is a leading manufacturer of implants and instruments of the highest quality. As one of the first users, Wymed operates the new EROWA Vise Power Clamp (VPC) tooling system, and this is a fully automated production process.

High demands „We make high demands on ourselves and our manufacturing processes. The production of complex and sophisticated parts and the sourcing of new products motivate and challenge us. We provide customers with tailor-made solutions at the best possible price. And that‘s precisely where EROWA‘s products provide us with a great deal of support,“ explains Michael Fallegger, head of Wymed‘s CNC milling department. Constant challenges „Like the industry as a whole, Wymed is being confronted by the challenges of increasing material prices, the availability of raw materials, energy costs, digitalization and the continuing shortage of qualified staff. In order to master these challenges and to constantly optimize and even increase production quality and output with the existing personnel level, it‘s indis-

REPORT - WYMEN AG

Michael Bendel, Sales, DMG MORI Schweiz AG, Michael Fallegger, Head of CNC milling, Wymed AG and Bernhard Steiger, Key Account Manager EROWA

pensable for us to run our machine tools automated and with complete process reliability,“ explains Michael Fallegger. The (EROWA) solution „Contact with EROWA was established in 2021 through DMG MORI,“ relates Bernhard Steiger, Key Account Manager at EROWA. He has served and accompanied Wymed since the start of its partnership with EROWA. To optimize the existing production processes and to create capacity for new orders, Wymed decided to invest in suitable new milling machines plus periphery. After detailed researches, the company opted for DMP70 vertical milling machines from DMG MORI in combination with EROWA Robot Compact 80 robots. The compact design of the EROWA handling facility, in particular, was extremely helpful in the existing spatial conditions. Thus, two times two DMP70s with a Robot Compact 80 between them fit perfectly between the concrete pillars that stand in the production hall.

Recently, the DMP 70 machine tables have also been equipped with the EROWA VPC tooling system of system size 52. „And precisely this workpiece clamping system offers us so many advantages,“ explains Michael Fallegger. With the VPC clamping system as the precise interface between the machine and the workpiece, the workpiece holders in use can be automatically and very precisely positioned on the machine. The workpiece holders are equipped with four VPC chucking spigots. The ground functional surfaces of the chucking spigots ensure integration behavior into the VPC chuck and thus trouble-free automation. „This high degree of process reliability is essential for us. Without it we‘d be losing hard cash. With regards to the validated production processes in the field of medical technology, we can‘t adapt production steps just like that. Automated production must simply run reliably and securely - and that‘s precisely what VPC ensures,“ adds Michael Fallegger.

REPORT - WYMEN AG

which is completely integrated in the production process. Fallegger emphasizes the importance of the JMS in operation: „The process control system is very important for us; it controls the machines. It helps us administer all the accruing production data, plan orders and make production efficient. The software is intuitive and user-friendly; each of our employees has the app on his mobile and can therefore check the status of the machines at all times. It simply works - and that‘s what we want.“

Stable clamping Michael Fallegger lists numerous other advantages: „The entire system is very stable. Particularly when it comes to machining titanium, we notice how strong the four chucking spigots are. You can also hear it - it‘s less noisy. Also, the low-profile design leaves us more space for the parts to be machined, and we can integrate our existing equipment more easily. In summary, we must say that working as precisely and reliably as we are now wouldn‘t be possible at all without the VPC clamping system.“ The multi-flexible production cell Michael Fallegger proudly presents the latest addition to the plant: a DMU 40 eVo by DMG MORI loaded by an EROWA Robot Compact 80 with an additional third magazine for more pallet capacity. Here again, the limited space was utilized to the max in order to boost productivity and extend the range of parts at the same time. The basis on the machine table is provided by the MTS with pitch 160 mm tooling system with air duct. The workpiece holders are integrated into the system with the MTS-VPC adapter pallets with pitches of 52 mm and 96 mm. This maximizes the part diversity on the DMU 40eVo to an extreme extent, for big and small parts can be processed in the same machine in automated mode. Standardized process control system The new machines and their handling facilities are directly controlled though the EROWA JMS 4.0 process control system,

Successful cooperation for the future Michael Fallegger is impressed by the modularity of EROWA‘s products: „The diversity of EROWA has convinced us. A great deal of automation on little space, with a highly modular structure, extendable at any time, and the highest degree of process reliability of the entire system - that‘s what we need. Our production is just as diverse as it is challenging, ranging from a thigh implant to miniscule workpieces of just a few millimeters.“ For 2025, Wymed AG is planning a significant extension of its capacity with a new building providing twice today‘s production surface in order to pave the way for future growth. „And there, we‘ll partner with EROWA again,“ which Michael Fallegger is looking forward to.

REPORT - WYMEN AG

The Wymed AG Wymed AG is the result of the 2018 merger between Medic AG, which was established in 1946, and Wyrsch AG, which was founded in 1971. Since the end of 2020, Wymed AG has been part of the Hipp Technologie Group, which consists of Hipp Medical, Hipp Präzisionstechnik and Wymed. With almost 300 employees, they have been able to establish themselves as one of the leading partners in the DACH region for medical customers. According to their motto, „the customer develops and sells, we do the rest“. Its fields of competence include the chip-cutting machining of high-alloy steels with adherence to the tightest tolerances, as well as assembly operations, including special in-house function checks. With 60 employees, a generously equipped plant, and thanks to certification in accordance with ISO 13485 (2016), Wymed AG is able to support its partners with an even higher degree of reliability. Continual investments in the company and accelerated automation have made larger numbers of parts perfectly feasible. Wymed mainly processes titanium, but also stainless steel, steel, cobalt, chromium and aluminum alloys and synthetics. The parts to be machined vary from just a few millimeters to 300mm in length with batch sizes from 5010,000 parts and a diversity of up to 1,000 different parts per customer. The strongly increasing regulatory requirements can be efficiently complied with thanks to a healthy structure, lean processes and progressing digitalization.