In 2024, the transport of the 330-tonne submarine U17 from the Technik Museum Speyer to the Technik Museum Sinsheim became a special event in southern Germany.
The challenge: How do you safely move a colossus of steel and iron that was built for use in the water over the road? Such heavy transports require special equipment - from special tractor units to low-loaders with up to 30 axles and numerous hydraulic cylinders that act as axle compensation cylinders and carry the enormous weight. These special hydraulic cylinders for heavy loads are manufactured by a hidden champion from Neuenstadt am Kocher - Neumeister Hydraulik GmbH.
Client
Neumeister Hydraulik - Tradition and innovation since 1929
Neumeister Hydraulik GmbH was founded in 1929 by Otto Neumeister in Neuenstadt am Kocher. The first product was a simple grease gun. The company continued to develop over the decades, and today employs around 300 people. Neumeister specialises in the development and manufacture of hydraulic cylinders for lifting heavy loads.
"All major manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles for moving heavy goods are customers of ours. With a suspension cylinder in particular, we can claim to be the market leader in this area," says Managing Director Karl Reinhard, describing the company.
Neumeister's main sales markets are in Germany and Europe, although America and Asia are also important regions. Stephan Reinhard, Head of Production Planning and authorised signatory, explains: "There is hardly a country where a Neumeister product is not on the road. They reach their sales markets via our customers."
Initial situation and challenge
The need for a new, efficient sawing solution
Neumeister invested in a BEHRINGER sawing centre back in 2000/2001. After more than 20 years of intensive use in two-shift operation, the gearbox broke down. Thanks to BEHRINGER's dedicated service team and co-operation with the gearbox manufacturer, the old system could be repaired. Nevertheless, it was clear that a long-term modernisation of the sawing system was necessary. The new investment was intended to further increase the degree of automation, reduce set-up times and increase system throughput. The challenge was that the system had to be replaced within a tight time frame.
Range of materials
Neumeister Hydraulik produces around 100,000 hydraulic cylinders per year for a wide range of applications. For cylinder production, mainly round tubes with outer diameters of 50 to 250 millimetres are sawn. The tube sections usually have a length of 1 to 1.2 metres.
In addition, many short sections with a length of around 20 millimetres are required for the production of flanges.
Solution and arrangement of the system
The new sawing solution in detail
The sawing centre is located in the transition area between the material warehouse and production. The tubes and rods, which can be up to nine metres long, are stored in high-bay warehouses and stanchion warehouses. They are loaded via an indoor crane, both for individual bars and for entire bundles.
Feed side
Chain magazine for bundles
Neumeister opted for a modern chain magazine that enables entire bundles to be efficiently loaded and easily separated. This reduced crane movements and simplified operation. In addition, the magazine has a remnant storage system to divert long remnants back to the infeed side and store them again. The entire material handling process is fully automated.
Sawing unit
High-performance band saw for maximum precision
At the heart of the new sawing centre is the HBM440A-PC-E high-performance band saw with a cutting range of 440 millimetres. Thanks to the PC control system, it is designed for fully automatic operation and is easy to use.
The SpeedCutting technology of the HBM440A, in combination with dynamic process control for pipes, significantly increases system throughput. The machine continuously adjusts the saw feed to the material cross-section and thus ensures optimum utilisation of the tool. This increases both the cutting performance and the service life of the saw blades.
Discharge side
Efficient sorting
On the discharge side, a cut-off sorting device consisting of a cut-off gripper, a double-sided push-off device and individual storage compartments ensures efficient sorting of the sawn parts. The discharge-side gripper enables the reliable disposal of even very short parts, off-cuts and remnants.
Automatic stacking with the magnetic gantry
One highlight of the system is the integrated magnetic gantry, which enables the sawn cylinder tubes to be stacked fully automatically in up to three mesh boxes. Depending on the material diameter, the system uses different stacking patterns and fills the mesh boxes to the defined filling height.
The result
Tangible benefits from the new sawing centre
The investment in the new fully automatic HBM440A-PC-E sawing centre from BEHRINGER brings numerous benefits for Neumeister Hydraulik. Fully automated processes and reduced staff retention counter the shortage of skilled labour and ensure the future viability of the company. Particularly noteworthy is the significant increase in system throughput thanks to the powerful band saw. The precise, repeatable processes ensure greater transparency in production and enable better planning.
Thanks to the high cutting quality, the allowance could be significantly reduced, which saves material and minimises reworking. The system was installed smoothly within a tight time frame and the saw is now running reliably in 2 to 2.5-shift operation - a complete success for Neumeister Hydraulik.