Solutions for high-precision measuring Mahr

SOLUTIONS FOR HIGHPRECISION MEASURING

Mahr is a global leader in dimensional metrology equipment, highly accurate rotary stroke bearings, high precision metering gear pumps and meter mix technology. Industry Europe spoke with VP Marketing Jochen Seidler, who has been responsible for Strategic Marketing since 2011.

IN 1861 Carl Mahr started his company in Esslingen, Germany, where he developed the first length measurement technology. In 1994 the Carl Mahr Holding GmbH was founded in Göttingen, where the company has its headquarters today. Several acquisitions have taken place since, and Mahr now has production facilities in Europe, the USA and Asia. Its main locations are in Germany, the Czech Republic, the USA and China. In 2015, Mahr employed around 1900 people, whose efforts generated a €236 million turnover.

Jochen Seidler says: “Like many family run businesses, we prefer to grow organically, even though we don’t shy away from acquisitions such as the ones we have made in the past.”

Mahr GmbH has three business units: System Metrology, Precision Gages and Metering Systems.

Mahr Metering Systems

In 1947, Mahr developed, under the name ‘Feinpruef’, its first gear pump (the so-called ‘spinning pump’) with the support of Prof. Schlack (the inventor of Polyamid 6). The gear pumps were based on master gears, which were made by Mahr in Esslingen. Since then, ‘Feinpruef’ pumps or ‘Mahr’ pumps have become renowned throughout the world for their accuracy and reliability.

Mahr Metering Systems is the world’s third largest manufacturer of metering gear pumps. Its product range in this area covers, amongst other things, melt (spinning) pumps, spin finish pumps, extrusion pumps, vacuum discharge pumps and pressure increasing pumps.

Mahr’s measuring instruments are used in the Automotive Industry, Machine & Tool Industry, Optic Industry and in calibration laboratories. An example is its latest horizontal length measuring instrument, the Precimar PLM 600-E, offering both relative and absolute measurement of precision products and testing instruments. The Precimar PLM 600-E is a high-end measuring system characterised by a low length measuring uncertainty of (0.085 + L/1500) µm, and a position deviation of (0.07 + L/2000) µm. The machine executes automated measuring sequences which lead to more efficient measurements.

Jochen Seidler adds: “Mahr has been building horizontal length measuring instruments since 1897. The instrument is able to measure thin-walled elastic items. Because of the detection of the test item’s elastic characteristics, the machine is capable of calculating the actual length in the uncontaminated, measuring-force-free status.”

Investments

As a family owned business, Mahr strives to grow organically, as it has done since 1861. Earlier in 2015, Mahr acquired MWF Roland

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Friedrich GmbH, a Germany based company that offers custom measurement and testing solutions for automotive and other industry applications. Solutions range from simple hand-held measuring stations to fully automatic measuring units.

In June 2015, Mahr acquired the US company Engineering Synthesis Design, Inc., ESDI, Tucson, Arizona. ESDI’s representatives, together with Mahr’s wide network of 17 subsidiaries and representatives, will sell, install and service metrology instrumentation. Applications include measuring surface contour and surface roughness on a wide array of parts including flats, spheres, aspheres and freeform optics.

Jochen Seidler says: “For several years, Mahr has been involved in the measurement of optical components, with the measurement of lenses being a special focus. As a complete provider of dimensional production metrology, Mahr offers manufacturers of lens pro-

cessing machines and lens manufacturers customised solutions that range from hand measuring tools to the MarSurf LD 130 Aspheric – a complete production accompanying measuring system. With this company joining our group, we can further develop products for the optic industry, where our instruments will be used to measure aspherical and free form objects.”

Tailor-made applications

The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is the collective term embracing a number of contemporary automation, data exchange and manufacturing technologies. Over the Internet of Things, cyberphysical systems communicate and cooperate with each other and with humans in real time, and via the Internet of Services, both internal and cross-organisational services are offered and utilised throughout the value chain.

Jochen Seidler concludes: “Mahr has been adapting to changing industry practices for over 150 years, and we intend to continue to do so for the next couple of generations. An example of a Mahr product that is fully Industry 4.0 is our mobile measuring instrument MarSurf PS 10 that can be handled like a smartphone.” n