When the shaft end machining centre enters production
in the third quarter of , it will realise several techno- logical benefits. The swivel-head milling spindle will permit the machining of shaft ends for all shaft heights required
in Wernigerode. In the past, the unmachined shafts had
to be sent to an external provider to be cut to length and centred. In future, these process steps can be handled
on the new machine. That not only enhances in-house value creation, but also enables better and more flexible response to individual customer wishes. Another plus: Inhouse manufacturing is a key to even higher quality, thanks to unbroken monitoring of the production process.

Many of the machines in the mechanical workshop have already been replaced over the past years. The idea is that the machin- ing of rotors, shafts, housings with terminal boxes and now also end shields should be controlled according to material flows. The placing of an order for two new EMAG VLi machining centres was an ideal opportunity to redesign the production area for end shield machining. In summer , work began with partial refurbishment of the floor. The entire EV cabling was replaced and data lines were laid to enable integration into the company’s SAP system and thus paperless manufacturing in the future.

In our production plant, in addition to pressing, mechanical processing, winding, assembly, dye, repair and maintenance sections, we also have our own aluminum injection shop where we produce the lighter casing and a custom production shop where we respond to special design requests. Gamak has one of Europe’s best test laboratories and a wire enamaling facility where as one of the two capable factories in the world, we enamel our own wire.

With the recent purchase and installation of a new insulation robot, VEM Sachsenwerk GmbH has killed two birds with one stone. Firstly, it enables the electric drive specialist to practically double the number of insulated copper-wire coils it can produce. That not only expands production capacities, but also improves overall production conditions. At the same time, the commissioning of the new plant – at a cost of around €, – is an investment in the future. “We intend to continue with further investments to support our core competences winding and coil manufacture over the next two years. After all, they represent the heart of an electric machine,” says Sebastian Wolf, head of the coil manufacturing department. The new insulation robot achieves tangible enhancement of the wrapping quality for the insulation of high-voltage machines from Sachsenwerk. “We are now even better able to meet both our own quality ambitions and the ever-increasing demands of our customers,” Wolf continues. With reference to the bulging order books, he also emphasises that this modern technology does not place jobs in danger. On the contrary, it is actually contributing to the creation of new jobs at Sachsenwerk.

Following commissioning of the machining centres in October , EMAG provided on-site training for the operators. One of them is Dirk Schubert. He manufactures end shields of all sizes in grey cast iron or aluminium for projects requiring batches of at least  workpieces. The EMAGs can also be used for contract production for other VEM locations. There is now nothing in the way of progress to the next step.