Schaeffler and DMG MORI look to Additive Manufacturing for development of rolling bearings
December 1, 2016
Schaeffler and DMG MORI will look to use Additive Manufacturing for producing rolling bearing components
Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG and DMG MORI have announced further cooperation between the two companies, signing an agreement that has the objective of jointly pursuing development work in the field of Additive Manufacturing for producing rolling bearing components. In addition, a marketing partnership that began in 2016 has been extended to see Schaeffler remain DMG MORI’s marketing partner worldwide for rolling bearings and linear technology.
“Both partners complement each other perfectly to drive the future of machine tools as well as the continuing development of rolling bearing technology. Our joint “Machine Tool 4.0” development project has already demonstrated this with great success. Our cooperation in Additive Manufacturing means another very important strategic area for the future,” stated Dr Stefan Spindler, CEO Industrial of Schaeffler AG.
The basis for the joint development work will be a Lasertec 65 3D made by DMG MORI, a five-axis machining centre including a laser metal deposition welding unit, that will be used at Schaeffler. The goal is to develop the laser metal deposition welding technology so that it can be used for the flexible manufacture of rolling bearing components for prototypes and for small batch sizes.
The focus of the development work is on process issues as well as on the materials used and their suitability for the process. In laser metal deposition welding, a material is simultaneously melted and applied to a surface. In this case, the material is metal powder and the heat source is a high-performance laser. This AM process is combined with conventional five-axis machining in the hybrid facilities developed by DMG MORI so that the resulting components can be finished immediately afterwards.
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