Fill Machine Engineering developed a crankcase machining plant for ZMT Automotive, which is one of its custumers. All process steps are linked fully automatically to make a perfect total solution. 20 Fill syncromill c21-80 machining centers were installed in the final construction phase. 1.2 million crankcases per year will pass through the plant. One highlight of the plant is complete automation, featuring online process-data exchange with the end customer in real time. In the field of metal machining technology, this project is the largest order in the company’s history for Fill Machine Engineering.
The project is a perfect example of Fill’s competence and flexibility in metal machining. “A fully automated machining plant for crankcases has been realized in four construction phases in less than two years. All process steps (machining, automation, measurement, inspection, logging & analyzing, image processing) were developed by Fill. The focus here was on quality and cost-effectiveness,” explains Friedrich Dallinger, Head of the Fill Metal Machining Technology Competence Center. The status and position of individual components can be monitored at all times by a plant control system. This provides the end customer with complete transparency and the possibility of in-house quality control comparable with a production facility. This plant configuration is one of the most modern in the world and regarded as a showcase project for the interlinking of intelligent systems in the sense of Industry 4.0.
ZMT Automotive GmbH & Co KG, based in Bruck in the Upper Palatinate region of Germany, is part of the Franz Schabmüller Group. The company’s customers include numerous renowned manufacturers in the automotive industry. The partnership between ZMT Automotive and Fill is based on a longstanding cooperative relationship. ZMT Automotive’s first production facility, with which it began manufacturing in 2003, originated from Fill. Use of innovative technologies and many years of experience in implementing complex projects make Fill a competent and reliable partner for ZMT Automotive. Development of the machining plant for crankcases marks the latest highlight in this successful collaboration. “This project was a tremendous challenge, both in terms of its size and its implementation time. Fill yet again proved to be the right partner for us,” says the delighted ZMT CEO, Siegfried Schmid. In the final construction phase, 20 multifunctional Fill syncromill machining centers were installed, which will produce 1.2 million crankcases per year.
