Gear technology and automation systems

Magazine 2019

Combined for greater efficiency

Rotary loading systems and bin picking, a robot system also referred to as pick and place, are a permanent feature in the Liebherr automation division. Together, they form a good team in automating inputs and outputs from production lines.

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  • Half a century of Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH means 50 years of commitment to the machinery and plant engineering industry. Gear technology originated in the technology of the revolving tower crane. Hans Liebherr wanted to buy a gear hobbing machine for gear manufacturing, but could not find what he wanted – so he simply built it himself. It’s a typical Liebherr story, since many sectors in the company group have emerged in this or in a similar way. Taking things into one’s own hands: an attitude that can still be found at Liebherr today.

  • Bauer Gear Motor operates two new LC 180 gear hobbing machines at its facility in Slovakia, producing gearing for all facilities. These machines are characterised by their operational versatility, given that they are used to produce around 180 different components in a very wide range of different sizes.

  • “The fire pump is the heart of every fire truck”, explains Michael Schöftner, Head of Mechanical Production at Rosenbauer International AG, the global leader for fire service equipment. The equipment has to withstand enormous loads in cases of operation. Rosenbauer relies on an automation solution for pump manufacturing from Liebherr. The rotary loading system RLS 800 from the Kempten-based automation experts has been deployed in Leonding near Linz for around two years now.

Liebherr Academy “Gear Technology”: local presence

How do you get closer to the customer? For Liebherr the answer is simple: by increasing presence locally.

Autonomous travel through the factory

While we still have some way to go to achieve autonomous driving on the road, factories are miles ahead: AGVs (automatic guided vehicles) are already being used in the area of production.

Robot systems: workpiece handling with vision

It starts with a blank. But how does the workpiece get onto the line or into the machine? Depending on the state it is delivered in, this task can quickly become very complex. Reliable 3D object detection systems optically capture and evaluate data. Liebherr works with a variety of 3D vision systems to match the requirements and smoothly handles the supply of every randomly stored part with process precision.

Future challenge: modernisation of trade training for industrial mechanics

What challenges does Industry 4.0 present to companies and their apprentices? Liebherr is already working on the measures necessary for overcoming the technical obstacles of the future in order to train its own professionals.

Satisfied customers speak for themselves

E-cars are very demanding in terms of gear quality. Great Taiwan Gear relies on Liebherr machines.

Integration of measurement technology

Wenzel GearTec GmbH, a successful manufacturer of gear inspection machines, has been part of Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH since May 2019. The Karlsruhe-based company has specialised in the measurement of gears, gear cutting tools and other rotationally symmetrical workpieces since 2004 and has an innovative product range that perfectly complements Liebherr's own.

Top gear cutting tools, in-stock – with new material and coating

Simply order from the catalogue and two days later the new shaping tool will arrive: Liebherr makes the process as straightforward as this for customers and offers a broad range of stock tools available for immediate delivery. New: Instead of cutting material ASP2030 with a titanium nitride (TIN) coating, stock tools are now made as standard from ASP2052 with Alcrona Pro.

Only the best

Quality management has a special place at Liebherr, it protects the core of the brand. The following is an overview of the processes necessary for quality assurance provided by Christof Porsche.