Both companies signed a cooperation agreement at JIMTOF 2016, the Japan International Machine Tool Fair. In addition, the marketing partnership that began in 2016 has been extended. Schaeffler therefore remains DMG MORI’s global marketing partner for rolling bearings and linear technology.
The two companies have signed a cooperation agreement at JIMTOF 2016 in Japan that has the objective of jointly pursuing development work in the field of additive manufacturing of rolling bearings. Additive manufacturing is a strategic focus in Schaeffler’s development roadmap.
“Both partners complement each other perfectly to drive the future of machine tools, as well as the continuing development of rolling bearing technology. Our joint “Machine Tool 4.0” development project has already demonstrated this with great success. Our cooperation in additive manufacturing means another very important strategic area for the future,” said Dr. Stefan Spindler, CEO Industrial of Schaeffler AG.
The basis for the joint development work will be a Lasertec 65 3D made by DMG MORI, a five-axis machining centre including a laser metal deposition welding unit, which will be used at Schaeffler. The goal is to develop the additive manufacturing technology of what is called laser metal deposition welding so that it can be used for the flexible manufacture of rolling bearing components for prototypes and small batch sizes. The focus here is on process issues as well as on the materials used and their suitability for the process. In laser metal deposition welding, a material is simultaneously melted and applied to a surface. In this case, the material is metal powder. The heat source is a high-performance laser. This additive manufacturing process is combined with conventional five-axis machining in the hybrid facilities developed by DMG MORI so that the resulting components can be finished immediately afterwards.