Machinery Engineering
Up to 100 Parts per Minute: IMA Schelling Raises Drilling Technology to a New Performance Level
The IMAGIC HP by IMA Schelling is the latest modular high-performance drilling technology platform for high-volume manufacturing. With up to 100 parts per minute, the company is integrating this technology fully into its own lines for the first time. IMA Schelling is thus expanding its portfolio and evolving from a specialist to a full-service provider for large-scale industry.
Flexibly Scalable for a Wide Range of Series Production
The concept targets industrial series manufacturers in the furniture industry and related sectors. Designed for batch sizes starting from around 500 identical parts, the IMAGIC HP extends to very large series in the four- to five-digit range, as primarily demanded by corporations in the industry. In addition, the platform closes an important gap in the portfolio: With the new machines, narrow parts can now also be machined precisely.
“Our customers receive a seamless solution from a single source. This simplifies projects and increases the availability of the entire production lines,” emphasizes Jens Jeroch, Product Manager for Drilling and Stationary Technology at IMA Schelling. “In doing so, the IMAGIC HP is designed in such a way that it can be flexibly scaled from the modules. It thus also complements series production lines with drilling technology that do not need to deliver pure high performance.”
Modular Architecture and System Integration
The IMAGIC HP is based on a modular construction kit of standardized assemblies. These can be flexibly combined and enable different machine configurations for various applications. The strategic guiding principle and the supporting pillar of the entire development project is to be able to flexibly scale from precisely these modules to a performance of up to 100 parts per minute. “The technical core is modularity. We work with reusable assemblies that are recombined depending on the application,” explains IMA Schelling project engineer Angela Horst.
The background of the development was the increasing demand for complete solutions. With the IMAGIC HP, IMA Schelling now develops and supplies this technology themselves. This allows performance, control, and engineering concept to be fully coordinated with one another.
The modular design reduces development times and simplifies service. Processes are largely controlled via the operator panel, which significantly reduces mechanical interventions. Control, operation, service, and spare parts supply are closely interlinked.
The platform is part of a seamless system architecture within complete production lines. The development took around three years. In the meantime, additional projects and follow-up orders have been secured.
Performance
The machine covers a broad performance spectrum: It is versatile and achieves a peak output of up to 100 parts per minute. This puts it significantly above previous solutions, which achieved an output of up to 80 finished parts per minute in a dual-part processing mode. This performance leap is made possible by a highly efficient plant concept that realizes maximum output with material-friendly timing. “Through the integrated system architecture, machines can be operated more easily and utilized more efficiently,” says Jeroch.
The machines are servo-controlled and largely automated. Changeover and adjustment processes are strongly reduced; many adjustments are made directly via the operator interface.
The first plants of the prototype series have been successfully in operation since the beginning of the year. The platform creates the foundation for further customer-specific high-performance applications inindustrial series production – from flexible basic configurations to high performance.
Customer Benefits
- Higher quantities per unit of time with maximum scalability
- Expanded processing capabilities through the precise machining of narrow workpieces
- Reduced setup times and changeover efforts
- Lower unit costs in series production
- Higher plant availability during ongoing operation
- Seamless integration as a drilling module in production lines that do not require high-performance output
