A Single Deburring Tool Replaces
Labor-Intensive and Time-Consuming Manual Deburring
Somic Packaging, headquartered in Amerang, is a leading provider of shelf-ready packaging machines and line technology for complete end-of-line automation solutions. Founded in 1974, the family-owned company expanded rapidly, establishing additional branches and representatives, including in the USA and Thailand. The production site in Haag, Upper Bavaria, was taken over from a contract manufacturer in 2019 to meet its own quality standards and increase manufacturing depth. This enabled Somic not only to raise the share of in-house production to nearly 70% but also to acquire extensive expertise in turning and milling.
High Degree of Automation as a Competitive Advantage
Unlike many other companies that rely on lean structures and a high proportion of purchased parts to reduce costs, Somic takes a different approach. With a high manufacturing depth, highly specialized packaging machines can be developed that are unmatched in terms of variability and flexibility. This is also why Somic is a market leader in these areas today. The conclusion is to continuously optimize its own manufacturing processes by automating as much as possible.
The goal of automation is not only to increase manufacturing speed but also to improve quality. Automated manufacturing steps can be performed with consistently high quality without fluctuations. Time-consuming rework, which would otherwise mostly be done manually, can thus be eliminated.
Deburring is often neglected and carried out in downstream processes, which are frequently linked to manual operations. The aluminum extruded profiles used by Somic for building its own machines, which receive their shape through a die in pre-processing, are then cut to length and the end-face surfaces are trimmed with a milling cutter. Depending on the design, the finished profiles form the base frame of the packaging machine or are used as pure braces or equipped with linear guides and belt drives as linear actuators. Due to the soft alloy type, significant burr formation occurs during this operation, which previously had to be removed manually. The many braces of the profile made the task even more challenging, so during the CNC complete machining of a component, an employee was occupied with fully deburring the previously manufactured component by hand within the cycle time.
The ibex deburring system replaces the entire manual deburring task of an employee, who can now be deployed on other machines.
Internal company attempts to automate this process and program the individual ribs on the end faces to be machined and deburred on the CNC machine failed due to excessive dimensional variations in the components. This led to contact with Waldemar Freund from the technical field service of the deburring specialist KEMPF, who had a tailor-made tooling system for this task. The "ibex deburring system", consisting of a compensating holder and specially ground deburring cutters, is the better solution precisely when dimensional variations make the use of CNC-programmed, contour-bound tools impossible. For undefined contours and edges, such as in cast or formed components, the ibex compensating holder can compensate up to 10 mm in tension and compression, effectively “absorbing” dimensional variations. Available in three pressure settings (soft, medium, and hard), it also enables process-reliable machining of harder materials. With the ibex “Flex” type used at Somic, these pressure settings can even be adjusted directly on the tool, allowing a wide range of materials to be machined with a single tool. Because it compensates for dimensional variations in the component, contour-accurate programming is unnecessary, and the risk of tool breakage is essentially eliminated. After the first automated deburring trials with the ibex deburring system, it was clear that manual deburring could be dispensed with in the future.
Since implementing the tooling system into the machining of the extruded profiles, these have been fully machined and deburred in a cycle time of about 30 minutes. The subsequent manual deburring process has been eliminated. This saves Somic approximately 90% of the previously required manual labor, and the machine operator can be assigned to other tasks during this time.
The clamped extruded profile in the CNC machine:
The already cut piece is used in this length for the construction of the in-house equipment.
Improved Quality and Reduced Injury Risk through Machine Deburring
In addition to the time savings, the reproducibility of deburring results increases, and the deburring process becomes more reliable. The specially ground ibex cutters with the specially developed Cross-Cut geometry contribute to long tool life and fewer tool changes. At Somic, the cutters are replaced after approximately 1,200 minutes of operation. Since the aluminum profiles serve different applications and are partially pressurized with compressed air in the packaging machines, absolutely no burrs may detach from them. The injury risk during final assembly is also significantly reduced by clean, burr-free edges, which additionally leads to less employee downtime.
What has so far been used in only one machine is planned to be expanded to additional machining centers with further ibex deburring systems, enabling Somic to fully machine deburr a wide variety of aluminum profiles in the future. Additionally, cast parts are also intended to be produced burrfree straight out of the machine using the KEMPF deburring system, which offers further optimization potential in other areas as well.
Ideal for Deburring Profiles
Using the ibex deburring system not only leads to process optimization for applications at Somic Packaging. Since this type of aluminum profile is used in many different variants at other companies as well and is usually further processed as a delivered blank, the "challenges" in machining are always the same. Due to the manufacturing process (a soft aluminum alloy is heated to about 500°C as a round bar and pressed through a forming die with a punch), dimensional variations usually occur after cooling that would be too large even according to standards to machine chamfers on unmachined surfaces or edges, for example, with pinpoint accuracy. Even after defined cutting to length, variations in material thickness remain, making NC deburring of the end faces with standard tools not readily feasible. The final dimensions almost always deviate from the CAD model, which in the worst case can lead to tool breakage. With the ibex deburring system, pinpoint contour tracing is not necessary; dimensional variations are compensated with process reliability, and a consistent chamfer or deburring can be performed machine-based even under these conditions.
To deburr the end faces, the spindle head moves to the side to be machined and swivels 90 degrees. The contours are then traced on both the top and bottom sides. This deburring process was previously performed manually with great effort and had to be completed within the machine cycle time. Now, the complete machining of each end face takes about 60 seconds longer, but the component comes #burrfree straight out of the machine.
Deburring System with Adjustable Pressure Setting
With the tool type used, the "ibex Flex," three pressure settings can be adjusted on the compensating holder via a knurled wheel. This type can compensate up to 10 mm in pressure, allowing dimensional variations in the component within this range to be balanced. The specially shaped and ground ibex cutter also redirects some of the radial forces axially toward the spindle, enabling the ibex axial compensating holder to absorb these forces as well.
Close-up of the end face of an aluminum profile before and after:
The blank is cut to the desired length and trimmed with a milling cutter. The resulting burr is visible on almost every one of the many webs and braces. Since the profiles must later serve various applications and sometimes also carry compressed air, and to prevent injury risks during final assembly, all edges must be deburred. After using the ibex deburring system from KEMPF, the contours are cleanly chamfered despite dimensional variations, and the components are completely #burrfree.
Increased Quality and Efficiency
With the implementation of the compensating holder in machine production, time and money will be saved in the future. Above all, the improved process reliability and quality are decisive factors for integrating the tooling system into additional machining centers.
The team behind the project:
From left to right: CAD/CAM Group Leader Albert Rosenberger, Milling Group Leader Fabian Schmeisl, and KEMPF Technical Field Service, Waldemar Freund.
ibex live in action
The clamped ibex deburring system from KEMPF deburrs the contours and ribs of the front faces of the aluminum extruded profile. This deburring process was previously performed manually with great effort and had to be completed within the machine cycle time. Now, the complete machining per front face takes about 60 seconds longer, but the component comes #burrfree straight out of the machine. A consistently successful project. Thanks to everyone involved.