DMG Mori delivers software solutions to digitalise Porsche parts
Performance, reliability and precision are factors that determine success or defeat in the world of motor sport, both on the racing track and in manufacturing. And this is precisely where Thomas Hauer, Production Manager at DECKEL MAHO Seebach, a subsidiary of DMG Mori, sees the challenge for DMG MORI as a parts supplier. He said, “Like in motor racing events, component manufacturing is also all about being faster and better than the others. And that can only be achieved by using the latest technologies.”
“As an App-based management and operating software package, DMG MORI enables consistent management, documentation and visualization of order, process and machine data as well as the management of the machine on the shop floor. In a unique way, CELOS, the software solution from DMG Mori, combines production planning and workshop into a highly efficient contractual service partnership,” Hauer said.
By the end of 2015, more than 60 different components with a total quantity of over 2,300 individual pieces had been manufactured by DMG MORI for the Porsche team. The parts range, amongst other items, includes complex housings for pumps and electric motors as well as sophisticated mounting elements for the innovative braking system. The developers from the racing team supply the necessary CAD data, while the machining experts in Seebach are responsible for the entire process.
CELOS
For DMG MORI and the Porsche team, CELOS, which simplifies and accelerates the process from the ideation to the finished product, has proven to be a cornerstone of their partnership. In the Motorsport CNC Competence Centre, all machine tools are equipped with CELOS. Moreover, the CELOS PC version is available to the team.
The CELOS PC version serves as the central planning and management software. The individual jobs are completely detached from the machines by a control console. The Job Manager combines NC programmes, the set-up plan and the tools into one job. Accordingly, no technical drawings or documentation in paper form can be found in the Porsche Motorsport CNC Competence Centre. The Job Scheduler then plans the job in detail and assigns it to a specific machine. The current status, as well as the effects of last-minute changes, can be viewed using the CELOS control console. Here CELOS helps to prioritise the work processes of the machine according to the respective delivery date. In addition to planning and management tools, as a control console, CELOS can retrieve data from all connected machine tools in real time. The stored data can then be used to carry out operational analyis to optimise production in the short and medium terms. The networking of the machines in combination with the continuous recording of real-time data is an important step towards Industry 4.0.
DMG MORI process chain
The one highlight of component production is the DMG MORI process chain. It includes design and programming as well as a subsequent 1:1 simulation of the NC programme in the DMG MORI virtual machine. As the components for the LMP1 are produced “from a solid block”, the implementation of the milling strategy takes on central importance. On the one hand, the required programming strategy is available for every task in the process chain, no matter how complex, and, on the other, the virtual machine monitors feasibility as well as 100% collision safety.
The importance of the DMG MORI virtual machine is comparable to that of the racing simulator for the pilots. “It enables 1:1 simulation of real machining on the PC – including machine kinematics and real control. This allows us to precisely adjust the machining process to the requirements of the individual component in order to continuously reduce our lap times,” explains Hauer.