Steingross Feinmechanik GmbH & Co. KG | ACURA 50 EL, ACURA 65 EL, BMO Titanium 180, BMO Platinum 88, FORTE 65, TILTENTA 11-2600 | Area of application: Contract manufacturing | Head office: Berlin, Germany
HEDELIUS six times in four years
Steingross Feinmechanik GmbH & Co. KG specialises in the manufacture of sophisticated CNC-turned and CNC-milled components – from prototypes through to series production. Founded in Berlin in 1990 by Uwe Steingross, the company sees itself as a comprehensive systems supplier in the field of CNC machining, combining modern milling and turning processes with surface treatment, precision finishing, final assembly and design consultancy. Since 2019, Steingross has been relying heavily on HEDELIUS as a technology partner – including for the automation of its production processes.
The company has been based at the Berlin-Adlershof Science and Technology Park since 2006. Consequently, the majority of its orders come from the scientific sector. Up to 1,200 different parts are manufactured every month, in batches ranging from 1 to 5,000. With simultaneous 5-axis machining, CNC turning with up to 8 axes, and a wide range of materials and manufacturing options, Steingross caters to applications ranging from optics, pharmaceuticals and environmental technology to automation, vacuum, laser and space technology. “We produce many things that, when people look at the drawing, make them say: ‘That’s impossible’,” says Gregor Ligdorf, one of three managing directors and head of production at Steingross, describing the technical demands of the components manufactured. “Precision is our number one priority.”
FORTE 65 Single 1320 “absolutely reliable”
In 2017, the construction of the new production hall created ample space: from then on, 2,500 square metres were available instead of 750. Two years later, the company purchased its first HEDELIUS machine, the FORTE 65 Single 1320 3-axis machining centre – one of 24 production machines in operation today.
“The FORTE 65 runs with absolute reliability,” says Ligdorf. With travel paths of 1,320 × 650 × 600 millimetres, a contact surface of 1,500 × 650 millimetres and a heavy-duty fixed machine table, the FORTE 65 offers plenty of space for a wide variety of components, whilst remaining compact in its overall dimensions. The robust Operator’s platform design ensures high dynamic performance regardless of the workpiece weight, thereby laying the foundation for precise, stable processes.
CNC milling specialist Jens Jakubowski at the FORTE 65 Single 1320: This was the first HEDELIUS machine at Steingross in 2019. In the foreground are spacer rings that were manufactured on the 3-axis machining centre.
“Turn off the demo programme”
Gregor Ligdorf still remembers the site visit to HEDELIUS very well: “We drove to Meppen with our operators and said: ‘Turn off the demonstration programme. We want to see what the machine is really capable of’ – and that was actually very impressive.” The FORTE 65 was not to be the last purchase: by 2023, a total of five further, partly automated HEDELIUS machines had followed – marking an important milestone in the company’s manufacturing process.
CNC milling specialist Matthias Reimann at the BMO Titanium 180, which links an ACURA 50 and an ACURA 65 to form a ‘Twinner’ solution. The result: longer running times, better capacity utilisation and greater flexibility.
The Twinner concept: Getting started with automation using HEDELIUS
“We have grown alongside many of our customers over the years,” Ligdorf reflects proudly. “Back then, we built prototypes for many of them, which we now produce in series.” Prototypes are still developed regularly today, “but of course we cannot run our company on that alone,” he points out. Reliable, productive series production is the foundation of our economic stability.
That is why, in May 2021, Steingross took the plunge into automated manufacturing – with HEDELIUS. It was only the year before that the Emsland-based manufacturer had unveiled the so-called ‘Twinner’ concept to the public at its in-house exhibition: this involves the linear interlinking of two compact ACURA machining centres (ACURA 50 and ACURA 65) with an automation solution (either a pallet handling system or a robot cell). Steingross opted for the BMO Titanium 180 robot cell.
Longer operating times, better utilisation, greater flexibility
This combination allows different component sizes and job types to be flexibly allocated between two machines: more compact precision parts on the ACURA 50, and larger or heavier workpieces on the ACURA 65. The BMO Titanium handles the automated loading of workpieces and pallets, laying the foundation for low-labour production, longer running times and better utilisation of the machines. At the same time, the side-loading design of the ACURA machines ensures that access to the work area is maintained for manual single-part production, set-up and control work.
“It doesn’t get any more enjoyable than this”
There’s no doubt about it: the Twinner solution had struck a chord. “The BMO system is incredibly intuitive to use,” says Ligdorf, praising the automation’s high level of user-friendliness. “You simply load a programme onto it and it runs through automatically – it couldn’t be more straightforward.” And HEDELIUS delivered too – right on time: “Within two weeks, everything was up and running here – just as agreed. The following Monday, we put the system into operation straight away and didn’t switch it off again until just before Christmas.”
Differentiation with a second Twinner pair
This was likely one of the reasons why, in 2023, when the next automation solution was due to be purchased, the choice once again fell on this tried-and-tested combination. However, instead of the BMO Titanium 180, this time a BMO Platinum 88 was linked with an ACURA 50 and an ACURA 65. This not only expanded the automated 5-axis production but also specifically diversified it. Whilst the BMO Titanium 180, installed in 2021, is designed for maximum autonomy and heavier components thanks to its higher transfer weight, large pallet magazine and combined workpiece and pallet handling, the BMO Platinum 88 demonstrates its strengths particularly with small to medium-sized workpieces, varied batch sizes and automated workpiece loading from grid drawers.
“Tooling times have fallen dramatically”
“Tooling times have fallen dramatically thanks to automation,” reports Ligdorf with satisfaction. However, he emphasises that this is due in no small part to his colleagues in production: “Of course, it involves a great deal of ‘learning by doing’. That requires personnel who are enthusiastic about their work – and fortunately, we’re very well positioned in that respect.”
The savings in tooling times also give staff attractive flexibility in organising their working hours. “Too much regulation isn’t good. That’s why we have a flexitime system here with free scheduling. The only requirement is that set-up must allow production to continue uninterrupted during off-peak hours,” explains Ligdorf. “In practice, this easily allows us to maintain a twelve-hour shift.”
TILTENTA 11-2600 Magnum for large and heavy workpieces
The sixth machine in the line-up is the TILTENTA 11-2600 Magnum 5-axis machining centre. Also acquired in 2023, it has proven its worth – particularly when it comes to the precise machining of large and heavy workpieces – thanks to its swivelling main spindle, large work area and a Y-axis travel path of 1,100 millimetres. For Steingross, this means, above all, greater flexibility when it comes to components that cannot be machined cost-effectively on the more compact ACURA machines. “With some parts, we had to move the tool back and forth several times to achieve the required contours. Fortunately, this is no longer necessary with the TILTENTA.”
The TILTENTA 11-2600 Magnum: With a large work area, a Y-axis travel path of 1,100 millimetres and a swivelling main spindle, it enables particularly precise and cost-effective machining of long and heavy workpieces.
Managing Director Gregor Ligdorf is flying the flag: the HEDELIUS logo is prominently displayed on the Steingross company vehicle – without any advertising contract, but with complete conviction.
Conviction with a public impact
With six HEDELIUS machines installed within four years, there’s no need to ask about satisfaction. “Everything just fits perfectly,” affirms Gregor Ligdorf. Just how strong this conviction is on the part of Steingross is evident from a glance at one of the company’s vehicles: beneath the company logo, the ACURA 50, the TILTENTA 11 and the ACURA 65 figure prominently, together with the words ‘Powered by HEDELIUS’. Incidentally, there is no advertising agreement between the two companies.
“We’re fans of clear language”
Where does this conviction come from? The high level of reliability and precision of HEDELIUS machining centres is undoubtedly a factor. However, if Gregor Ligdorf is to be believed, HEDELIUS is ahead of the competition above all when it comes to service: “We’ve had different experiences in this regard before,” he hints. “With HEDELIUS, we’ve had a very good relationship right from the start, and whenever we’ve had questions, we’ve always received prompt support.” This is also down to open communication: “We’re fans of clear communication, and that’s allowed to come from both sides here.”
Ligdorf knows what he’s talking about, as there has already been a service call in the past: “We had a spindle failure here on a Thursday. The next morning at 6 am, a courier from Meppen turned up at the door with the spindle, and then a technician came round again on Saturday, so we were able to resume production straight away at the weekend. That was more than we could have hoped for.”
Precision in the details: CNC milling specialist Matthias Reimann presents a complex milled component, the sort that Steingross manufactures to a high standard of dimensional accuracy and surface quality – from prototypes right through to series production.
Photograph: Thomas Rosenthal, Berlin
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Steingross Feinmechanik GmbH & Co. KG specialises in the manufacture of sophisticated CNC-turned and CNC-milled components – from prototypes through to series production. Founded in Berlin in 1990 by Uwe Steingross, the company sees itself as a comprehensive system supplier of CNC machining technology and combines modern milling and turning processes with surface treatment, precision finishing, final assembly and design consultancy. Since 2019, Steingross has been relying heavily on HEDELIUS as a technology partner – including for the automation of its manufacturing processes.
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