The document discusses a new maximum strength range of rotary tables launched by Fibro. It details the features and capabilities of the new FibroMax tables, including their ability to handle heavy payloads up to 100 tonnes. The document also provides information on Fibro's investment in R&D, its comprehensive range of rotary tables, and its focus on growing export sales.
The document discusses a new maximum strength range of rotary tables launched by Fibro. It details the features and capabilities of the new FibroMax tables, including their ability to handle heavy payloads up to 100 tonnes. The document also provides information on Fibro's investment in R&D, its comprehensive range of rotary tables, and its focus on growing export sales.
The document discusses a new maximum strength range of rotary tables launched by Fibro. It details the features and capabilities of the new FibroMax tables, including their ability to handle heavy payloads up to 100 tonnes. The document also provides information on Fibro's investment in R&D, its comprehensive range of rotary tables, and its focus on growing export sales.
The document discusses a new maximum strength range of rotary tables launched by Fibro. It details the features and capabilities of the new FibroMax tables, including their ability to handle heavy payloads up to 100 tonnes. The document also provides information on Fibro's investment in R&D, its comprehensive range of rotary tables, and its focus on growing export sales.
range of rotary tables shows an elephant standing on top of one of the new pieces of equipment. The message is clear, according to Stefan Gaschik, director of technical sales there is no table with roller bearings in the market as strong as the new FibroMax. These new rotary tables are able to hold the biggest payloads without the disadvantages of a hydrostatic bearing, he stresses. We have invested a great deal in their development and we are already seeing an extremely positive response from our customers.
A comprehensive range Fibro is known across the world for its rotary tables, automation and robotics and standard parts. Rotary tables are used as central units in rotary special-purpose machines for transporting workpieces and positioning them accurately in each machining station as work holders in standard and special-purpose machine tools for efficient, ultra-precise workpiece machining. They are also used as controllable and highly versatile positioning devices for machining workpieces from different
FIBRO: We have your rotary table.
High-quality rotary table
manufacturer Fibro, headquartered in Weinsberg, Germany, has just launched a new maximum strength range. Abigail Saltmarsh reports. Published in Industry Europe angles and as tool holders for high-speed tool changes on a wide variety of machine tools. And the company was, in fact, the first to launch a rotary indexing table with face gearing onto the international market back in 1962, under the name of Fibrotakt. Today Fibros comprehensive range of rotary tables offers users any number of options for rationalising and automating production processes, and of course for enhancing production quality. Rotary tables are available in any format or size from 100mm to 2800mm and above. The company serves the machine
info@fibro.com www.fibro.com
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tool industry and metal working industries, its
products going into the building of machining and metal cutting centres, as well as high volume automation systems such as assembly machines. End-users of the tables are often automotive producers and major global suppliers.
Heavy payloads Over the past year, Fibro has strengthened its research and development department, explains Mr Gaschik, and one of the main results has been the FibroMax programme. Only recently launched, several of the large tables have already been sold and demand from customers is strong. We developed this new range of rotary tables especially for heavy duty milling and drilling. We have started with the size 17 model, the models 14 and 21 are already available too. The size 21 is able to manage a payload of up to 100 tonnes, he says. The FibroMax rotary tables are the result of progressive, non-compromising design concepts, aimed at utmost versatility and operational rigidity. These attributes, together with drive and control elements of outstanding quality, enable the user to achieve flexible positioning, high repeatability, high precision in
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terms of radial and axial and concentricity in the
micrometre range and safe handling of radial and axial forces, owing to selected, preloaded radial/axial combination bearings of the largest possible diameter. There is a hydraulic tabletop clamping for even higher tangential forces and off-loading the gear as well as outstanding characteristics for rotary milling and simultaneous machining by preloaded bearings and TwinDrive. The equipment offers operational safety and long service life as a result of careful design and requires low maintenance. Fibro offers a wide variety of standard
models different types, configuration levels and
variants, multiple-axis executions and special combinations with linear tables, executions with pallet clamping facilities and workpiece pallets and custom designs for special purposes.
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Investing in research and development
Extra staff were taken on to work within the newly expanded research and development unit at Fibro. The focus now is on long-term project development as well as ensuring a fast response to urgent demands from customers. We have invested heavily in the research and development unit, says Mr Gaschik. Another area they are looking at is our standardisation projects, where they are working on standardising our NC tables to make them more competitive and to build modular systems. For example, we developed the FibroDyn NC rotary tables, which started as customised equipment, into a highly standardised product line with an increasing number of sold applications. FibroDyn NC rotary tables with torque motors are designed for highly dynamic and high-precision rotation and positioning in machine tools and production equipment. Besides many other special advantages, they offer flexible positioning in optional angular steps, zero backlash and high performance as a result of no gearing and extremely short positioning times. They also make very high and very low constant rotational speed possible, have high repeatability of less than 0.2 seconds of arc, high precision in terms of radial and axial run-out in the micrometre range and offer hydraulic tabletop clamping as a force-locking con-
nection between the table top and the housing compact design, with no protruding drive elements above the housing contour.
Standard product lines
Well established on the market , Fibro also offers the product lines Fibrotakt, Fibroplan NC and Fibrotor. Fibrotakt, the original table, was designed for precision divisions and high working loads. Here an interlocking system in the face gear ensures maximum precision and rigidity long-term. Fibroplan has a backlash adjustment worm drive for use in machine tools for universal positioning and round and multi-axis processes (simultaneous operation). High-precision positioning is achieved through the special design with high-precision rigid bearings and the use of high-resolution measuring systems. Hydraulic clamping in position allows high load forces. Fibrotor EM and ER models come with a cam roller drive for optimised rapid switching operations, also available as EM. NC and ER.NC version with worm roller drive of constant pitch . They are used in welding and assembly operations, such as a magazine tables and for handling and feeding applications in automated processes.
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FIBRO Inc. Business Unit Rotary Tables 139 Harrison Avenue Rockford, JL 61104 US Phone +1/815/2291300 Fax +1/815/2291303 info@fibroinc.com www.fibro.com
new machining centre with palette pool and huge tool magazine, which allows the company to partially work skeleton shifts and gives much more flexibility. At the moment, we are having to plan which machines need to be refurbished or replaced but the new system will help employees to work more efficiently on an ongoing basis, he explains.
Founded in 1958 as a machine shop,
Fibro has grown extensively over the decades, benefiting from its years of experience and know-how. Thanks to an indepth knowledge of the market, coupled with a total quality awareness based on the highest international standards and a flexible, responsive structure typical of Germanys globally renowned Mittelstand, Fibro has become a sought-after supplier. We have seen strong growth recently, says Mr Gaschik. Between 2006 and 2007 this was particularly good and we have a strong order book for the coming months. At the moment, we are seeing a growth rate of more than 10 per cent. We are expecting 2008 to be a year of good sales as well. In order to achieve this, investment is ongoing in production equipment and general manufacturing facilities, as well as in the research and development department. At
Growing the export business
Ongoing challenges for Fibro include continuing to develop tables and to meet large orders for customers in time when supplies are often erratic. Since 2002, getting hold of bearings, cast iron and blanks has been a problem but we do ensure that we come up with solutions by continuing to source new suppliers. We look all over the world for suppliers to ensure that we have a steady supply of raw materials, he says.
Direct export sales at Fibro currently
account for 40 per cent of all production. Indirect exports, however (where customers themselves export Fibro equipment within their own machines), account for more than 60 per cent of production. At the moment, business is strong from countries in the Far East, as well as the USA. The economic situation in the USA seems to be improving at the moment, and we are seeing more demand from our customers based there, says Mr Gaschik. We are focusing hard on strengthening our export operation at the moment such as sourcing new sales channels, new sales partners and opening own subsidiaries in export key markets. We would like to see the levels of our exports rise and the percentage of our export, compared to what we are selling within our domestic market, increase significantly.
