GF Machining Solutions' Machine Spindle Protection Earns Prestigious PRODEX Award

The Machine Spindle Protection smart machine module “MSP” for GF Machining Solutions’ Mikron HPM 600U and HPM 800U has earned the most prestigious Swiss technology innovation award in the field of manufacturing and production. The PRODEX award was presented during the PRODEX trade fair, a specific event for machine tools, tools and production equipment, this month in Basel, Switzerland.

With MSP, GF Machining Solutions has engineered a revolutionary spindle protection system that delivers considerable added value for customers by eliminating spindle damage, mis-aligned machine geometry, machine downtime, and their related costs in case of unwanted, unexpected spindle crashes.

The winners were selected by a panel of seven experts including representatives of university and industry associations, exhibition management, SMM Schweizer Maschinenmarkt, and MSM Le Mensuel de l’industrie magazine. Nominated products and processes were subjected to a thorough, independent evaluation, and only three prizes were awarded. 

MSP delivers value
The MSP smart machine module, available since April 2014, has garnered plenty positive attention not only at PRODEX, but at the 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in the United States and at the 2014 AMB international metalworking exhibition in Germany.

To understand the value of MSP, it is important to recognize how it operates:

Collisions mostly occur when a new computer numerical control (CNC) program is executed for the first time. MSP protects the machine and spindle during the setup process. With the MSP, the spindle is able to absorb axial and lateral displacements in case of spindle crashes. The MSP restores a perfect accuracy once the spindle returns to normal operating conditions after the crash.

During the set-up, the machine operates in safe mode with reduced feed rates that allows common cutting operations. The combination of MSP and reduced feed-rates ensures that the spindle and machine are protected against crash-related damage.

In production, fast feed rates are required, and the machine switches back to standard mode and can move the axes at full speed. The MSP secures protected machine geometry, reduced machine downtime, full cost control, reduced machine breakage insurance costs, and calcu­lable machine availability.

The always active MSP smart machine module is supplied with the 20,000 min-1 HPC 190 motor spindle built by GF Machining Solutions’ spindle manufacturer Step-Tec.