WILKA invests in a modern rotary table machine for the manufacture of cylinder cores.

Since August, the new core machining center, "RT 100-12" from Pfiffner, the world's largest machine tool manufacturer of rotary table machines, has been in operation at WILKA Schließtechnik GmbH in Velbert (Germany), and is already hard to imagine.

With the turntable machine RT 100-12 from Pfiffner, WILKA has acquired one of the most flexible, productive and precise machines for the manufacture of turning and milling parts. With this, WILKA meets the increasing need for high-quality cylinders and growing multiplicity of products.

Equipped with the latest "industry 4.0"-ready CNC control from Bosch, the RT 100-12 takes care of the production range of cylinder cores, which previously required four different CNC machines. The multi-station capability combined with the 12 rotary tool spindles and CNC axes guarantees the final technology manufacturer a high degree of flexibility and great potential for optimization. Starting with machine throughput times, through precision, species-specific throw-out, order management, grading capabilities to the degree of automation.

WILKA's demands on the machine manufacturer were enormously high, especially in terms of precision. To clarify, an article at WILKA consists of up to 210 features, such as bores and milling, among others. In accordance with WILKA's requirements, these must always be made with a tolerance of two hundredths of a millimeter. This leads to 4410 production steps, all of which had to be defined and programmed by Pfiffner.

"With this exceptional quantity of parts, we were faced with the challenge of bridging the gap between flexibility and productivity," said Uwe Krause, managing director at Pfiffner. "Even though it was not easy: in the end, we were able to conclude the project successfully."

The numbers prove Krause right: just two weeks after the 16-ton machine was erected in Velbert, the first precisely tailored parts rolled off the assembly line. Since delivery, the RT 100-12 has been running at an impressive availability of around 98% and, depending on the version, produces 2,000 to 2,500 high precision items per day. In the process, the production time of cylinder cores could be reduced per cylinder core from previously 60 seconds to 13 seconds now. "The possibilities offered by the RT 100-12 in terms of automation and digitization, we have not been able to take advantage of in any other project as well as at WILKA," says a proud Uwe Krause. "WILKA has a high-tech solution of the very highest level here." 

Although the RT 100-12 was originally developed for the automotive industry, where it had to meet high demands in terms of production and complexity, for several years it has also been used in the hardware industry and now for the first time in the lock industry with WILKA as a forerunner. The RT 100-12 is WILKA's largest investment in its existence. One of the reasons why Andreas Linnemann, technical leader at WILKA, was very critical in choosing the manufacturer. "We searched for a very long time for a reliable partner who on the one hand understands the variety and complexity in our industry and in particular that of our products and on the other hand can guarantee a flawless process and transparent communication."

That Pfiffner can fulfill this ambition, the company had already proven in previous joint projects with WILKA.

"We have come to know Pfiffner as a reliable machine manufacturer in all areas, but above all as a partner. From management through project management to the installers, everyone at Pfiffner makes every effort to provide us as customers with a smoothly functioning machine," Linnemann adds.

Although it has not yet been officially declared, it is already certain for the future that more joint projects between Pfiffner and WILKA will follow. One thing is certain for both parties: the course has been set. Of course, WILKA's medium- and long-term growth ambitions also do not stand in the way of more investments in new technologies.