MAG and Samputensili will be integrating their gear-manufacturing offerings, with a portfolio of gear-cutting machinery, multi-purpose gear manufacturing centers, gear grinding machines and gear tools for various geared and screw-type workpiece applications and turnkey systems.
Machine-tool builder MAG has acquired the gear-machining product line of Samputensili GmbH in Chemnitz, Germany, as part of a broader alliance between the two companies. The purchase is subject to anti-trust approval, and the value of the acquisition has not been confirmed.
Samputensili, or SAMP ('Società Anonima Meccanica di Precisione'), is an engineering group based in Italy with three operating divisions: manufacturing cylindrical and bevel gears; manufacturing equipment for producing of steel and copper wire and cables; manufacturing equipment for the production of cylindrical gears.
MAG builds a full range of machine tools and manufacturing systems, including automated assembly, turning, milling, automotive powertrain production, composites processing, maintenance, automation and software, and core components.
SAMP’s gear-machining product line will be renamed "MAG Modul Verzahntechnik GmbH," and the group indicated it will include the gear-cutting portfolio, including the functionality, services and know-how for hobbing. It stated it wants to use the Chemnitz site's technological expertise, including the existing production workers there.
At the AMB machine tool expo in Stuttgart, Germany, MAG introduced a configuration of its VDM 1000, designed for workpiece sizes up to 1,150 mm diameter and 1,000 mm height. The machine is offered with 5-axis and multi-spindle options, as well as B- and Y-axis variants, driven tools, milling spindles, tool changing and workpiece automation options. The Y-axis hobbing unit is a new optional element and works with the B-axis bi-directional turn/mill spindle to provide complete machining capabilities for gears. For hobbing, two servo drives of the main spindle and the hobbing unit with a swivel range of ±30-degree work together simultaneously. Functionality and operator interfaces based on Samputensili software are integrated into the turning center’s control, so programming hobbing operations simple and intuitive.
A multi-tasking turning center also was introduced too, for complete machining of gears including turning, drilling, milling, tapping and hobbing.
Samputensili will continue to supply gear cutting tools and related services as a new company, Samputensili GmbH, also in Chemnitz. Samputensili products will focus on gear tools and multi-purpose gear manufacturing centers, as well as its gear grinding machines for gears and screw-type workpieces.
Also, MAG and Samputensili have formed a partnership to coordinate sales, application expertise and service operations for gear-cutting product lines. Their agreement includes a product development plan for a “new generation machining centers to combine soft and hard manufacturing processes in integrated machine tool solutions.”
Markus Grob, president MAG Europe, explained this move as part of a trend toward integrated solutions: "Both partners will benefit greatly from the partnership by expanding their range of offerings, allowing them to jointly open up new growth opportunities,” he said.
“This strategic alliance represents an important step forward for MAG in promoting its strategy of increasing core business activities by enlarging the portfolio and integrating complementary technology into its existing machine concept," according to Grob. "On a joint basis, the partners will be able to process turning and hobbing operations in a single machine, thereby saving valuable cycle time, setup and auxiliary times."
Samputensili chairman Antonio Maccaferri said the moves will allow both companies to present the latest market developments in gear manufacturing, “including all processes from the soft blank to the finished gear."