machining center Major
machining center Major contract: Production line for 1.54 million railway wheels FFG subsidiary MAG IAS GmbH (MAG) has secured a significant contract to deliver a highly automated production line for forged railway wheels to Ramkrishna Titagarh Rail Wheels Ltd. (RKTR) in India. The double-digit million euro project is part of the Indian government’s “Make in India" initiative, which aims to transform the country into a globally competitive industrial hub. The complete turnkey solution includes advanced machining and testing lines for railway wheel production, featuring equipment from FFG’s MAG and HESSAPP brands, as well as additional turnkey equipment. The state-of-the-art system will be installed at RKTR’s Chennai facility and is designed to produce 100,000 railway wheels annually. The system is capable of manufacturing six different types of railway wheels with no need for change over. It is designed with scalability in mind, allowing double production capacity. For precise planning and fast commissioning FFG created a digital twin of the system alongside extensive 3D simulations. The system’s precalculated energy consumption across various production scenarios supports sustainable manufacturing practices. The system will feature MAG SPECHT 800 horizontal machining centers and HESSAPP VDM 1600 vertical lathes, coolant and chip management for the entire plant, along with automation for both the machining and testing cells, measuring machines, a balancing station, ultrasonic testing units and two magnetic particle inspection stations. An Make in India The Make in India initiative was launched by Prime Minister in September 2014 as part of a wider set of nation-building initiatives. Devised to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub, Make in India was a timely response to a critical situation. www.makeinindia.com Fair Friend Group (FFG) is a global provider of innovative turnkey solutions, delivering high-quality machine tools and machining centers for the manufacturing of railway wheels, axles, combustion and electric engines, crankcases and aerospace components outstanding feature of the centrally controlled production system is the seamless monitoring of the entire system and precise tracking of the components, ensuring the highest quality standards for the manufactured wheels. “The combination of cutting-edge German technology and local production in India will enable RKTR to meet the demands of the Indian railway sector while adhering to international standards”, says Shashank M.P., managing director of MAG IAS India Ltd. “FFG is a leading solution provider of turnkey manufacturing systems for railway wheel machining, with several projects already installed globally.” Dr. Sebastian Schöning, CEO of Fair Friend Group, adds, “The award of this contract reflects not only our technological expertise but also our extensive experience, the quality of our machines, and our long-standing presence in India through FFG India. The close collaboration between our teams in Germany and India, along with our deep expertise in turnkey solutions, gave RKTR the confidence to choose us as their partner.” Production is scheduled to start in Q1 2026, with the system set to manufacture and deliver a total of 1.54 million railway wheels to Indian Railways over the next 20 years. This project supports India’s expanding infrastructure and further strengthens FFG’s presence in the region. further information: www.ffg-ea.com 44 no. 2, May 2025
Robust and even more versatile machining center Gear shaping is a robust and universal process for manufacturing gears – due to the geometries of some gears, no other machining methods are capable of producing the teeth. In order to offer even more versatility in this area, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH has fundamentally revised and developed its LS 500 E gear shaping machine. A shaping head featuring an electronic helical guide and an interface for an optional chamfering device are now included as standard. When producing gears on workpieces with interfering contours and with a low tool overrun, there is usually no other way than gear shaping. Not necessarily the fastest process, it is the most flexible, versatile and robust gear cutting method. This method can also be used to machine components for which no other process, such as double-helical gears, clutch hubs or drive shafts, is suitable. Tools and clamping devices for gear shaping are cost-effective and the use universal. Development of the LS 500 E The LS 500 E gear shaping machine from Liebherr- Verzahntechnik GmbH, together with its slightly smaller sister – the LS 300 E – and the manually loadable LS 700 EM, all offer a versatile, high-quality and forward-thinking platform. These machines are incredibly useful in job shops, but can also be used across the industrial, commercial vehicle and aerospace sectors. In recent years Liebherr has further developed and optimized its platform for all gear cutting machines for machining workpieces up to 500 mm in diameter. The LS 500 E was also given a facelift and was fundamentally revised as part of this process. Optimized structure with tried-and-tested components The new platform includes a powerful electronic shaping head guide and an interface for an optional machining unit for chamfering and deburring during the machining process. Thanks to its thermodynamic design the LS 500 E is a powerful, high-precision machine with high rigidity, which is also suitable for processing more demanding materials. Furthermore the machine technology has been revised and developed beneath its modern monolith housing design. The The new LS 500 E machine table with wear-free, high-precision hydrostatic bearings is now driven directly, while the shaping head for the SH 120/240 E variants is NC-controlled with an electronic guide. “Even asymmetrical tooth trace modifications for special gearbox requirements can be shaped”, points out Thomas Breith, head of product management gear cutting machines at the company. New features for greater versatility Arguably the most important new feature is the interface in the machine table for a 90 ° machining unit, on which additional operations such as deburring, chamfering using ChamferCut or FlexChamfer (also for internal gears) or even pointing can be carried out during the machining process. “FlexChamfering in particular – chamfering with end mills – is an interesting option for job shops when cycle times play less of a role adds Thomas Breith. For the production of position-dependent gears, such as double-helical gears, a newly developed, optional measuring probe directly on the tool spindle offers the possibility of precise correction measurement with a measuring accuracy of a few micrometers. “This improves positioning accuracy and leads to a considerable increase in process reliability”, says Dr. Andreas Mehr, expert for gear shaping from the company, summarizing the newly developed design. The control panel with the LHGearTec software enables intuitive operation and programming. The LS 500 E is also available for particularly large workpieces, thanks to the workspace extension, which increases the travel range of the Z-axis by a further 200 mm. The manually loadable LS 700 EM is also of interest for contract gear manufacturing, which can be easily automated later with robot loading if required. “A high degree of versatility is absolutely essential – particularly in areas with differing batch sizes or when producing very large or very small, complex and collision-prone parts”, says Thomas Breith. further information: www.liebherr.com no. 2, May 2025 45
