SPECIALIST FOR SMALL PARTS AND SPECIAL SOLUTIONS.

Zander EMS GmbH | ACURA 65
Field of application: Contract manufacturing, automotive | Company headquarters: Schondorf, Germany | Employees: 10

Development, production and service of special machines and machine components are the mainstays of Zander EMS GmbH. Sophisticated devices and components are developed and manufactured for customers from the automotive industry in particular. Two HEDELIUS machining centres provide the necessary precision and flexibility.

"I am a down-to-earth entrepreneur," says Jürgen Zander of himself. This is also evident in the company and its philosophy. In 2007, he founded Zander EMS GmbH in Schondorf am Ammersee, where he began manufacturing components for regional customers from the automotive industry in a rented hall. Just four years later, the company moved into its own, larger production facility in Landsberg am Lech. Today, eleven years after the company was founded, Zander employs ten people who develop, design and manufacture special machines, systems and devices, produce Spare parts for machines or redesign existing parts. The former landlord has followed suit and is now a subtenant of Zander, but also a partner. "He has machines that we don't have, and vice versa. We help each other out. We work together as partners," says Managing Director Jürgen Zander. Two of the special machine manufacturer's machining centres from Landsberg come from the North German manufacturer HEDELIUS. An RS 605 K20 has been in use in production since 2013, followed by an ACURA 65 in summer 2017.

Draw, design and manufacture.

"We produce single parts and small series for our customers in the automotive industry, among others, but we also work for the food industry, the construction industry, the air and aerospace industry and for workshops for the disabled," says Jürgen Zander, describing the customer structure. The customers, some of whom are internationally installed, usually provide Zander with drawings on the basis of which parts are manufactured. However, it also regularly happens that the company's own drawings have to be created, parts developed, designed and then manufactured. This calls for flexibility. According to Zander, this was also the main reason for purchasing the RS 605 K20 from HEDELIUS: "We were looking for a machine that was as flexible as possible, with which both small and large parts could be machined and with a small footprint." For example, the combined 3- and 5-axis machining centre is used to machine inlet hinges that are only 3 x 7 mm in size, as well as 1300 x 1000 mm aluminium base plates. "We have also machined aluminium strips measuring 2600 x 50 x 50 mm. These were then simply pushed sideways through the loading opening," says Zander, praising the flexibility of the milling machine.

Accuracy as a decision criterion.

According to Jürgen Zander, the situation was somewhat different when he decided to purchase the ACURA 65 in 2017: "As we have an enormous range of parts, we needed a large tool magazine. This allows us to machine many parts without having to set up tools frequently." With 65 tools as standard, the magazine of the ACURA 65 5-axis machining centre with rotating/swivelling table is impressive. And with travel paths of 700 x 650 x 600 mm (x/y/z) and a clamping weight of 500 kg, the ACURA 65 can be used very flexibly. In order to be equipped for the various machining situations, the milling machine for Zander EMS GmbH was also fitted with a more powerful spindle with 14,000 rpm and 29.00 kW as well as an internal coolant supply.

At Zander EMS, the ACURA is used exclusively to machine smaller, demanding parts where accuracy is important. The variety of materials is quite large, ranging from POM plastic, aluminium and tool steel to hardened steel, brass and bronze.

Up to 16 hours lead time.

The fact that there is no monotony in production at Zander EMS is also clear from the lead times. The aluminium base plates sometimes run for just 25 seconds, while rotor mounts for helicopter models can spend up to 16 hours on a milling machine. The batch sizes are usually between one and ten parts. "For us, it is already a series if we have recurring parts," says Jürgen Zander with a smile and continues: "We have to be flexible and solution-orientated on the market. That's how we set ourselves apart from others." However, quality also plays a special role at Zander EMS, as parts for machines and systems are regularly improved, which then have to fulfil higher requirements. Another important reason for good quality work is open to question: "If we deliver quality for recurring Spare parts, the customer is satisfied and we can then also take over the service," explains Jürgen Zander. The required quality is achieved with the machining centres from HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik in Meppen.

"The service technician was sensational."

Both the RS 605 K20 and the ACURA 65 were equipped with a Heidenhain control system. "Our employees were already familiar with Heidenhain, so we wanted to stick with them," was Jürgen Zander's simple explanation. The down-to-earth entrepreneur also thinks practically when it comes to setting up the machines. Both HEDELIUS machines were installed at a 90-degree angle to each other, so that the distances are short. This means that one employee can operate both machines at the same time if required. Programming is mainly carried out using CAM software. Small, simple parts are also sometimes programmed at the machine.

In addition to the technical features of the machining centres, Zander was also impressed by the human element of the family-run company HEDELIUS: "We have few problems with the machines and when we do, the service is good. The service technician who installed the ACURA was sensational."