CHALLENGES

• Launch products faster
• Achieve high dimensional and operational precision of motion systems
• Fulfill demands for customized motion systems for a range of applications
• Develop bearings using exotic materials like ceramics
• Transition from component supplier to complete system integrator

KEYS TO SUCCESS

• Digitalize the manufacturing process, from design and simulation to machining and system assembly
• Provide access to the latest product information at each stage of the process
• Foster collaboration between designers, analysts and production engineers using integrated software, including NX, Simcenter and Teamcenter
• Read data from multiple CAD and CAE systems; visualize 3D models using JT data format
• Define and validate the manufacturing process using digital tools
• Leverage efficient machining strategies using advanced CAM software

RESULTS

• Ramped up production of new products
• Delivered the most accurate bearings in the industry
• Visualized the entire production process using a digital twin of parts, resources and systems
• Increased productivity through improved collaboration, reduced error rate and minimized machine downtime
• Reduced CAM programming time by 80 percent

PM-Bearings

PM-Bearings is an independent, family-run company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of linear bearings, linear slides and positioning systems. The philosophy is to be always technologically ahead and develop products that meet future requirements.

The integrated NX CAD and Simcenter 3D CAE platform helps us accelerate our daily tasks.

Supporting mobility

Humankind has been trying to improve the mobility of humans and materials through lowering friction among shifting factors for masses of years. The creators of the pyramids and Stonehenge had been capable of skip massive systems with the aid of setting cylindrical wood rollers under awesome weights to reduce the coefficient of friction and the pressure required to move them. These worldwide wonders have been made viable with the aid of a number of the earliest known programs of bearings.

Modern bearings with races and balls have been first documented within the fifteenth century by means of the use of Leonardo da Vinci for his helicopter version. Since then, the layout, mobility and precision of bearings have advanced dramatically in many software domains. In the semiconductor and clinical device industries, miniaturization and growing product complexity have revolutionized motion systems and their additives. The precision and accuracy of movement structures are rather relying on bearings assemblies and how they’re incorporated into structures. Precisie Metaal Bearings (PM-Bearings) is certainly one of only some producers in the global that offer immoderate-precision linear bearings.

A leader in precision bearings

PM-Bearings specializes inside the layout and manufacture of excessive-precision linear bearings, movement structures and positioning levels, and materials the excessive-give up semiconductor, clinical device and gadget tool industries. The enterprise turned into based in 1966 as a producer of linear bearings, and has increased to encompass design, manufacturing and assembly of custommade multi-axis positioning tiers with entire mechatronic integration. Located in the Netherlands at Dedemsvaart, the organisation employs one hundred forty humans and components clients international. The business enterprise’s merchandise range from very small bearings (10 millimeters in duration) as much as systems with footprints of one.2 to at least one.5 square meters with stroke lengths of one meter. The portfolio encompasses linear motion additives which include precision slides, positioning tables and bearings stages. PM-Bearings is a part of the PM institution, together with other businesses specialized in hightech machining. Its international customer base extends from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen.

Focusing on consumer needs

The range of customer desires presents some of challenges for the precision bearing producer. These consist of requests for personalisation (up to 80 percentage of the system layout in maximum instances), short time to market, and severe precision (for instance, easy motion of two microns according to meter). Additionally there are necessities for decreased bearing sizes and special materials, along with ceramics utilized in non-magnetic or ultra-excessive vacuum environments.

“When the consumer submits a specification, regularly the cut-off date is theoretically the day before today,” says Jan Willem Ridderinkhof, supervisor of research and improvement (R&D) and engineering at PM-Bearings. “Simple modifications like moving a hollow may be carried out with a few operations. But increasingly more, customers include a entire new device specification. The trend inside the semiconductor industry to make chips smaller and smaller additionally complicates our paintings.”

“On one of the wafer inspection machines with a 5-axis machine, we had a specification for a settling time of 500 milliseconds and vibrations within 50 nanometers at the same time as making a linear displacement,” Ridderinkhof continues. “Such excessive precision necessities have strong impacts on our enterprise version. We are moving from a precision bearing dealer to a totally included motion gadget integrator.”

To hold a competitive area, PM-Bearings knew that whole manipulate of the product recognition, from layout to transport, became vital. This is why the organization chose a comprehensive set of solutions from product lifecycle management (PLM) expert Siemens PLM Software. These encompass NX™ software program for computer-aided layout (CAD), Simcenter™ software program for overall performance prediction, NX CAM for laptop-aided production and Teamcenter® software for PLM to make certain that each one stakeholders use the identical information and workflows to make the proper selections. PM-Bearings has used these solutions for more than a decade, supported by the Siemens PLM Software reseller, playing cards PLM Solutions. “Having a nearby contact could be very beneficial to us,” explains Ridderinkhof. “They did a first-rate job in deploying and customizing Teamcenter. Also for Simcenter, they preserve contacts with Siemens PLM software program specialists.”

“At playing cards PLM Solutions, our intention is to permit customers make the satisfactory viable products,” says Erik Burghoorn, CEO of playing cards PLM Solutions. “We use our expertise to assist corporations enforce software program solutions that include first-rate practices to satisfy their necessities. Cards PLM Solutions permits organizations like PM-Bearings to increase performance by means of digitalizing their production processes.”

Realizing thoughts with NX

Does the linear motion bearing roll or slide? Will the sliding motion be simply linear or round? Is the driving pressure of the slide motorized or non-motorized? Which material − metal or ceramic − is fine acceptable for the working circumstance of the bearing? Walter Meijerink, mechatronic engineer at PM-Bearings, makes such knowledgeable decisions every day at the same time as using NX to design linear slides and positioning structures, considering the specs for precision, repeatability, loading and the running environment. “I am accountable for transforming clients’ necessities into very last drawings,” Meijerink says. “NX CAD allows me increase layout ideas hastily and successfully.”

Instead of classifying parts with the aid of alphanumeric codes, the component own family characteristic of Teamcenter enables PM-Bearings to categorise elements based totally on predefined criteria. It facilitates to embed accredited element variations and to impart defined metrics and layout requirements. For instance, similar elements of various lengths may be grouped under one component family. “Part family is a beneficial feature,” says Meijerink. “I can hastily assemble one of a kind parts and this saves lot of time.” The complete version may be effortlessly shared with design analysts and CAM engineers, making product improvement speedy and short. “Another key function of NX CAD that is essential for my task is the capacity to study layout statistics coming from customers who use distinctive CAD platforms,” Meijerink provides.

Automotive Lighting’s successes with Jack software program sparked a developing interest in other Siemens software merchandise. “We use the software program on a very extensive basis,” explains Bratránek. “At the instant we’re working on ergonomic and time statistical analyses, after which we will be using a hundred percent of Jack functionality. In the destiny we would really like to put into effect the Process Simulate solution in the Tecnomatix portfolio. This software program gives greater possibilities for use, has a effective graphic engine, and we are hoping that we ought to use it to increase the so-referred to as ‘digital dual’ of our production location – a three-D format that might serve for spatial studies with the purpose of getting greater meeting strains into our production. We are currently negotiating with Siemens regarding the installation of a month-to-month pilot model, as we need to test advantages that this product may want to bring to us.”

Accelerating evaluation iterations

“The incorporated NX CAD and Simcenter 3-D CAE platform facilitates us boost up our day by day tasks,” says Mathys te Wierik, R&D engineer at PM-Bearings. “Once the designs are entire, they should be analyzed for rigidity and overall performance. Simcenter excels at this. I can easily put together the geometry for simulation; if necessary, introduce geometry simplification like midsurfacing, mesh it, submit the undertaking to the NX Nastran solver and analyze the computed results.”

“If required, I can carry out geometry changes like shifting stiffening ribs on the fly, at once within Simcenter,” provides te Wierik. “Because all related components are updated routinely, I can solve it and compare analyses, which saves quite a few time. After a few design and evaluation iterations the demonstrated layout is despatched without delay to the CAM engineer, without exporting data to a exceptional format. ”

“In the past, we outsourced the finite detail calculation,” says te Wierik. “It took two weeks to get outcomes. Now with Simcenter, we can get the results in a depend of mins or hours, depending on the analysis complexity. This hastens many things. Doing simulation in house offers a lot of insights about our product.”

Nanometer precision

With intense necessities for dimensional precision and for minimizing vibration value down to nanometers, PM-Bearings faces unique manufacturing challenges. The accuracy, that is exceptionally depending on the machining procedure, impacts products’ overall performance and aesthetics. Efficiently machining specific transferring parts from 3-D designs requires specific manufacturing commands for the people and machines on the store floor. NX CAM, with its integrated CAD, NC programming and machining simulation talents, permits PM-Bearings to outline a whole manufacturing plan long earlier than the first production run.

Kenny Prins, laptop-aided manufacturing (CAM) engineer liable for planning and control of production at PM-Bearings, knows from enjoy that with the intention to set up the manufacturing run absolutely proper the primary time, one ought to plan it digitally. “In the start, all the programming was carried out at the device,” Prins says. “For every exchange we had to test and regulate the whole application, which become very time-ingesting and at risk of errors. The ensuing downtime of save ground employees and device equipment value us a number of money and time. Now, with NX CAM we will lessen programing time via up to eighty percentage the use of a virtual dual of the workpiece, tooling, and system, which allows us live competitive.”

Like many manufacturing companies, PM-Bearings needs to mill, flip, and finish better-pleasant products faster, at the same time as extending the tool life. “When I acquire a version for manufacturing from the layout crew, I first make sure that our gear and machines can deal with the process,” explains Prins. “A short verification of the operations in NX CAM software indicates whether the physical device and tooling might have troubles coping with the designed part. This is a totally effective functionality that facilitates us without problems put off any viable production hassle early in the making plans system. When we discover a manufacturability trouble, we paintings with the layout team to regulate the design. Our teams rely on Teamcenter software program for collaboration and information sharing. Using this closed-loop system, the design alternate automatically propagates through the analysis and planning steps, all the way to production on the shop floor.”

“Another functionality that I use each day are the flexible machining techniques in NX CAM,” Prins keeps. “Not all machining cuts are same. The precision of the very last part is immediately linked to the pressure precipitated through slicing operations. The machining techniques are exceptional while milling a huge metal block or small components with five-millimeter thickness. The software automatically proposes a device direction to cast off fabric, however it also offers us flexibility to apply our recognise-the way to regulate the machining strategy for pleasant outcomes. By taking pictures and re-using our revel in, we follow efficient machining techniques to attain excellent part first-rate whilst extending tool life.”

Precision through digitalization

“3-D version sharing and get entry to to the modern day information are the finest strengths of Teamcenter,” says Ridderinkhof. “The JT format permits version visualization not most effective for the CAM team, but additionally for the relaxation of the agency, along with the producing planning and store floor employees. Everyone blessings from being able to see those models, turn them round, see hidden components and notice how the structure is built up; even engineers in assembly use this records. It touches all of the stakeholders, from income demonstrating products to customers, to educating employees internally about the way to build matters. The attributes connected to the objects, consisting of the dealer call and the component variety, are used to generate the invoice of material automatically in the ERP device, extending our product digitalization procedure to the shopping branch and reducing any human errors.”

“We are committed to remain a high-cease precision machining organisation, so we need to live in advance of the opposition,” Ridderinkhof maintains. “In order to keep delivering the most accurate bearing and positioning slides, we digitalized our whole engineering and manufacturing manner the use of Siemens PLM Software answers. The more time we spend with the software program at the beginning of the production system, the better the output our agency manufactures. The basic efficiency of the organisation is increasing. We can deliver a range of bearings in less time whilst disposing of screw ups and improving great, which in flip improves our profitability.”