Competitive thanks to automation and complete machining
TITAN is the product brand of the Lenzen Group, which was founded in 1842. The fifth-generation family business is led by sole shareholder Peter Wilhelm Lenzen and employs 350 people at three German production sites and other sales companies abroad.
It is one of the leading manufacturers in the strapping industry. Its range of services includes the production and sale of high-quality strapping solutions for customers in all sectors, including the steel / metal, building materials and wood industries. As a solution provider, the Lenzen Group produces the complete range of strapping materials and machines, from strapping bands, hand tools and accumulators to special machines. The design, manufacture and final acceptance of the customized machines is carried out by TITAN Umreifungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Schwelm. To ensure the competitiveness of the site, the company relies on modern production concepts and fully automated unmanned shifts. One investment, in 2024, was in three automated production solutions from DMG MORI. Two NHX 5000 3rd Generation machining centers work fully automatically, connected via an LPP with 40 pallet spaces, as do two robotically-automated DMU 60 eVo machining centers and a CTX beta 1250 TC 4A turning center with the latest version of Robo2Go.
Strapping for all standard materials
Building materials, hay bales, rolls of steel or parcels in logistics – TITAN's intelligent solutions are as diverse as the goods that need to be strapped. “Our development department designs integrated special machines that meet the respective requirements optimally with regard to the size, speed and stability of the strapping,” explains Dirk Peters, Plant Manager at TITAN. The expertise required for this is the company's greatest strength. “The fact that we offer these solutions for strapping with all standard materials and all technology variants is our unique selling point.” What all solutions have in common is reliable strapping. Whether welded or pressed – the strapping must be able to withstand the highest tensile loads.
In addition to innovation-oriented development, the strict quality standards require high part quality in component production. The key units of the special machines are manufactured entirely on the factory floor. The batch sizes are naturally small, while the requirements for precision and complexity of the workpieces are high.
NHX 5000 3rd Generation: highly productive horizontal machining with lpp
“We have been using machine tools from DMG MORI for many years now, because they machine such workpieces perfectly,” says Dirk Peters describing his machine capacity. “Nevertheless, we had to find a way to make production significantly more cost-efficient in order to remain competitive.” TITAN has embarked on this path with major investments in automated machining. The greatest increase in capacity was achieved by two NHX 5000 3rd Generation machines. Connected via a linear pallet storage system with 40 pallet stations, the horizontal machining centers work without any significant idle times. Volker Hille, Production Manager, points to the two setup stations: “We load the towers with a wide variety of components while other pallets are being processed.” The orders can be managed transparently via the Cell Controller LPS 4. The NHX 5000s at TITAN are equipped with CELOS on SIEMENS.
CTX beta 1250 TC 4A: 6-sided turn-mill machining with Robo2Go and gearHOBBING
The latest highlight in automated production is a CTX beta 1250 TC 4A with Robo2Go. Equipped with the compactMASTER turn-mill spindle and a second tool carrier, the machine can cope with any challenge in 6-sided complete machining. The integration of several manufacturing processes extends to gear hobbing, as Volker Hille explains: “The gearHOBBING technology cycle allows us to use a hobbing cutter to produce the finest gear teeth on the components, which are responsible for transporting the straps.” This machining process was anything but trivial, recalls Dirk Peters: “The fact that DMG MORI found a machining strategy for this was a decisive factor for the investment.” DMG MORI installed a bar feeder and the latest version of Robo2Go Turning as an automation solution. The robot has a magazine cabinet with up to five drawers in which the raw parts and finished workpieces can be stored. One function of the new Robo2Go was developed by DMG MORI in collaboration with TITAN, says Volker Hille: “We wanted to integrate automatic remnant removal so that the machine can also change over to the next bar unmanned.”
DMU 60 eVo: flexible automation of 5-axis machining
Two DMU 60 eVo machines complete the range of new production solutions. Here too, the focus is on machining the components as completely and automatically as possible. Complex geometries that require economical 5-axis simultaneous machining are characteristic of many of TITAN's special designs. Autonomous operation is made possible by robot automation. Like the Robo2Go, it has a magazine cabinet for workpiece storage. There are an additional 38 pallet stations available on the other side of the cell. “This gives us maximum flexibility in the 5-axis machining of complex single parts and small batch sizes,” says Dirk Peters, assessing the added value for production.
Automation and process integration as standard
The substantial investment in the area of automated parts machining will quickly pay off for TITAN, as Dirk Peters confirms: “We can already see from the spindle hours, for example, that our capacity utilization has increased significantly.” That is why he intends to consider other manufacturing solutions from DMG MORI for future projects in order to ensure long-term success in the market for TITAN products. “The experience we gained with the first purchases has shown us that a high degree of process integration and flexible automation solutions are the standard for future-oriented production.” Securing the future viability and technological leadership of the company is the driving force for Peter Wilhelm Lenzen to continue to expand: “Modern manufacturing concepts based on automated production centers strengthen our position in Schwelm.” Valuable skilled workers are available during the day, while during late and night shifts, unmanned production comes into play. "The aim is to configure a factory that meets the challenges of the future in terms of employee satisfaction and the skills shortage.”
Titan Umreifungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG
Berliner Str. 51, 58332 Schwelm
Germany
www.titan-schwelm.de
