Automated Tool Grinding, for Performance and Productivity

“Our customers expect the highest precision and short lead times,” explained Florian Baldus, managing director of Spreyer Werkzeugtechnik GmbH, a family-owned cutting tool manufacturer in Limburg an der Lahn, Germany. “To achieve this, we combine craftsmanship with automation and invest continuously in the latest technology.”

For more than 50 years the company has been supplying new-tool manufacturing, tool regrinding, and comprehensive tool-management services to demanding customers in automotive manufacturing, mold-and-die production, and woodworking.

During the past three years Spreyer’s technology investments have included CNC tool-grinding technologies from ANCA, and specifically a complete set-up that includes ANCA’s FX7 Linear, CPX Linear, and MX7 Linear machines, supported by LaserULTRA, iView, RFID tool identification, and scripting automation. The installation has helped Spreyer enhance the precision of its processes, increase throughput, broaden production flexibility, and document measurable improvements in process efficiency.

Automation from set-up to production

ANCA’s FX7 Linear was chosen for its high-precision linear drives and versatility. By integrating iView and LaserULTRA, Spreyer automated what had been a time-consuming manual process.

“With iView and LaserULTRA, tool geometry is measured directly in the machine,” ANCA Europe sales engineer Dimitri Stepanow recalled. “This eliminates external gauging and allows automatic compensation of deviations at the micrometer level.”

Now, Spreyer’s set-up times have been reduced by over 20%, with very little scrap, and consistent tolerances even in multi-shift unattended operation. “Verification now happens automatically,” Baldus reported. “We can manufacture complex tools through the night and over weekends with confidence in quality.”

Higher throughput and surface quality

Next, ANCA and Spreyer installed the CPX Linear blank-preparation grinder. Using ANCA’s proven pinch-peel grinding method, the CPX grinds the blank between roughing and finishing wheels, which engage simultaneously on opposite sides of the workpiece. This configuration provides exceptional rigidity, minimal vibration, and superior material-removal efficiency.

“The CPX Linear allows us to produce carbide blanks ourselves - quickly, accurately, and with an excellent surface finish,” according Baldus. “We can handle both small and large batches without depending on suppliers, which gives us genuine independence and faster delivery.”

The CPX machine’s 43-kW spindle helps to achieve very high material-removal rates while maintaining surface finishes better than 0.2 Ra and run-out below 2 µm. Its BlankX software enables fast and error-free programming with geometry-based workflows, 2D simulation, and automatic wheel-wear compensation.

“BlankX makes set-up intuitive,” according to Stepanow. “Operators can create, verify, and simulate blank geometries in minutes, reducing cycle time and rework.”

To expand automation into regrinding, Spreyer implemented RFID-enabled dynamic tool loading on the MX7 Linear, in combination with ANCA’s RoboMate loader. This system replaces fixed pallet assignments with on-the-fly tool recognition via RFID chips embedded in the tool carriers.

In dynamic mode, each carrier contains a miniature RFID tag that stores a unique ID. When the RoboMate robot picks up a carrier, it passes it across a SICK RFID reader, which transmits the carrier ID to the CNC. Then, the control retrieves the corresponding tool file and loading parameters from the Dynamic Toolgroup Manager (DTM) database. The robot docks the carrier, loads the tool into the collet, and begins grinding.

The empty carrier is parked while the next one is fetched — maintaining a continuous, collision-free workflow.

“RFID removes the need to pre-program pockets or fixed tool groups,” Stepanow explained. “Mixed tools can be placed in any order, and if an urgent job comes in, it can be inserted straight into the queue without re-teaching the pallet.

“The RFID system was a decisive step,” Baldus continued. “We replaced two older machines with the MX and increased tool output by around 35%. We can now run mixed batches completely unattended — at night and on weekends — and insert urgent orders on the fly.”

Capturing expertise with ANCA scripting

Beyond machine automation, Spreyer uses ANCA Scripting to automate programming and standardize tool logic. Scripting allows engineers to encode geometry rules, apply parameter dependencies, and create custom wizards in ANCA’s iGrind environment.

“Scripts capture the logic behind how you grind a particular tool family,” according to Stepanow. “They allow automation of repetitive programming tasks and ensure that company know-how is consistently applied.”

At Spreyer, scripting automates recurring geometries and prepares jobs for the loader automatically. “We’ve shortened programming time considerably,” said Baldus. “Each tool now carries a data matrix code linked to its geometry and parameters, so it can be reproduced exactly. Consistency between shifts has improved significantly.”

Proven, quantifiable results

After three years, the collaboration between Spreyer Werkzeugtechnik and ANCA has delivered the following verifiable results:

• • +35% tool-output increase through RFID-enabled multi-shift operation
• • >20% shorter set-up times via in-machine measurement and correction
• • Virtually zero scrap, maintaining micrometer-level precision
• • Surface finish < 0.2 Ra, run-out < 2 µm on blanks ground with CPX Linear
• • Reduced programming time and higher process repeatability through scripting

“These technologies enable us to run production continuously with minimal manual involvement,” said Baldus. “We’ve shortened delivery times, reduced rework to almost zero, and achieved the process stability we need for future growth.”