EuroWire March 2023

Focus on Germany

In-line measurement system with integrated analysis

Fuhr therefore relies on tactile measuring systems, in which the wire is scanned with diamond-studded, high-resolution displacement measuring systems. Alternatively, instead of diamond styli, stylus rollers adapted to the wire geometry are available. The company has been developing and building these measuring systems for several years, and says they are characterised by precision and robust- ness. It is possible to integrate more than one of these systems into a rolling mill. By the end of 2019, Fuhr had brought its F-MAS data acquisition and evaluation system to market maturity. With F-MAS, two wire dimensions (eg width and thickness of a rectangular profile) are measured with a measuring frequency of 1,000Hz. The real data is displayed in diagrams, statistical values are calculated, and frequency distributions are shown; reports are generated and raw data is exported. Integration into customer networks is available, and export to standard data analysis software is possible via an OPC- UA interface. Also integrated is an FFT analysis that detects cyclical dimen- sional fluctuations and provides the opportunity for preventive maintenance.

As a manufacturer of rolling mills, Fuhr faces constantly increasing demands on the geometric precision of finished wire. Accuracies of Class 6 according to ISO 386 are almost standard. This implies a permissible deviation of ±0.003mm for small profile wires with a nominal diameter of up to 3mm. If a process capability (Cp or Cpk) is also required, a spread of only ±0.0015mm remains in production. To ensure that these requirements are met in daily production, the wire must be continuously measured while exiting the rolling mill, and the roll positions adjusted automatically. In multi-stage rolling processes it is necessary to measure and calibrate immediately after the pre-rolling stages. To accommodate this, modern high-speed rolling mills made by Fuhr are equipped with several measuring systems. Conventional laser shadow measure- ment systems, typically used in drawing round wires, have not proven to be successful in profiling lines, Fuhr states. On one hand, even a slight tilting of the wire changes the size of the shadow. On the other hand, laser systems cannot be used permanently in the wet area of the pre-rolling stages.

Fuhr tactile measuring system

The latest version, F-MAS 5.0, now features measurement system analysis (MSA) according to Type 1 study. Different calculation methods such as MSA3, MSA4 and VDA5 can be selected. The integrated analysis allows the sys- tem operator to provide the regular proof of test process capability required as part of the quality management system, directly in the machine and without using special software. A test protocol is created automatically. The measuring uncertainty of the system according to GUM is also determined within the scope of the MSA and, if required, displayed in the diagrams on the screen and in the protocols as a range of uncertainty. For the operator, it is clearly visible to which dimensional range the wire has to be produced in order to comply with the specified tolerances.

Fuhr GmbH & Co KG www.fuhr-wire.com

Supporting die shops Redies, a central European wire die manufacturer, not only delivers wire dies made from tungsten carbide, natural diamond and PCD, but also offers repolishing services for dies of any brand. Repair costs are an estimated one third of a new die’s price. The company also sells machinery and auxiliaries for customers’ die shops, but did not widely advertise this service until it celebrated its 40 th anniversary and opened its online store at www.die-shop.com. The store highlights the capabilities of the company’s three sites in Giussano (Italy), Aachen (Germany) and Vamberk (Czech Republic). Alongside the main product – wire dies – the company makes its own line of reliable ultrasound generators, transducers and tooling machines. The online store also lists stereo microscopes with Zeiss optics, various diamond abrasives, wire and rods for measurements and calibration, precision ground needles and calibration pins. Redies is also open to enquiries that go beyond the displayed items. Redies Deutschland GmbH www.redies.com www.die-shop.com

An overview of products available in the online store

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March 2023