Combating the skills shortage with efficiency and sustainability

With the CELOS X Factory in Bielefeld, DMG MORI demonstrates the full potential of Machining Transformation (MX) under real production conditions and supports its customers in implementing the concept.

The constantly growing variety of products, increasing quality pressure, resource scarcity and shortage of skilled workers pose major challenges for manufacturing companies. Against this backdrop, efficient and sustainable manufacturing solutions are more in demand than ever. With Machining Transformation (MX), DMG MORI is paving a future-proof path to a competitive future. Based on the pillars of Process Integration, Automation, Digital Transformation (DX) and Green Transformation (GX), the machine tool manufacturer realizes holistic manufacturing concepts from design to quality control. The CELOS X Factory in Bielefeld embodies this philosophy with additive and subtractive technologies, automation solutions and digitization products.

As a separate production area in Bielefeld, the CELOS X Factory is more than just an experience center or a demo factory. “We produce series components for use in DMG MORI machines, from simple turned and milled parts to highly complex components in metallic 3D printing,” explains Dr. Rinje Brandis, Head of CELOS X Factory. The DMG MORI machine tools and automation solutions are the heart of the CELOS X Factory. They are supplemented by machines from partner companies. This allows a wide variety of production processes to be mapped. Dr. Rinje Brandis adds: “In addition to machine technology, the CELOS X Factory also focuses on people. With tailor-made digitization solutions, we impressively demonstrate how assistance systems, no-code programming and artificial intelligence can be used to counteract the shortage of skilled workers.”

Fully digitized smart factory

What sets the CELOS X Factory apart from a pure demo factory is the end-to-end digitization of real production. With a view to the requirements of the future, this digital process world goes far beyond the current status quo. Dr. Rinje Brandis gives examples: “Orders can be tracked at individual part level, the CAD/CAM process chain extends into quality management thanks to PMI models and energy monitoring looks at individual process steps.” The digital transformation is therefore making a significant contribution to the green transformation. “Increased productivity, reduced energy consumption and careful use of resources make it easier to meet sustainability targets.”
 

Innovative manufacturing solutions for integrated processes

The extensive features of the CELOS X Factory are already evident in the engineering. SIEMENS NX acts as a hybrid CAD/CAM system for product development, design and production. The CELOS X Factory machine park includes a CTX beta 1250 TC for 6-sided turn-mill complete machining as well as a DMU 40 and DMU 50 for 5-axis simultaneous milling. A Robo2Go Milling enables automated handling on the DMU 40. In additive manufacturing, the CELOS X Factory team uses several LASERTEC SLM machines, including a LASERTEC 30 SLM 3rd Generation, which will celebrate its world premiere at Open House 2024 in Bielefeld.
 

Leading companies as partners of the CELOS X Factory 

In post-processing, depowdering systems such as the SFM-AT350 from Solukon clean the additively manufactured components. A FOBA M2000 laser marking device marks the components for clear identification and a FANUC ROBOCUT α-C600iC wire EDM machine enables precise cuts. A CREAFORM HandySCAN 3D Black Elite is used for three-dimensional scanning of free-form surfaces and complex geometries in quality control. A Mitutoyo CRYSTA is used as a coordinate measuring machine. “These partners are among the leading companies in their respective sectors. This enables us to use a future-oriented production environment with innovative solutions and provide this for our customers’ applications,” says Dr. Rinje Brandis, assessing the selection of partners in the CELOS X Factory.

Focus on people – reducing complexity with digitization

The CELOS X Factory represents a real production environment with a variety of different machine technologies and operating concepts. In times of an ongoing shortage of skilled workers, digital solutions such as CELOS X and the no-code platform TULIP are more important than ever for creating customized apps to digitize work processes. All machines in the CELOS X Factory are connected to the TULIP-based MES system. This is supplemented by assistance applications that provide people with targeted support and thus significantly reduce the complexity of modern production systems. The experience gained from the CELOS X Factory forms the basis for customer projects for digital transformation.
 

“Bring your own idea“: Processing individual customer projects

Customers also benefit from the CELOS X Factory. Under the motto “Bring your own idea”, they can bring their own tasks from their day-to-day production into this modern environment. In individual workshops, the DMG MORI Academy supports these customers in the development of initial solution concepts, which are tested in practice in the CELOS X Factory. This is precisely where Dr. Rinje Brandis sees the added value for customers: “On the one hand, the end-to-end digitized and automated process chain shows companies how sophisticated components can be manufactured more efficiently and sustainably. On the other hand, such manufacturing concepts reduce the demands on personnel, which also counteracts the shortage of skilled workers.”

Original source DMG MORI