Benjamin Mayer and Sebastian Mayer next to the fourth DMG Mori
Production line at Mayer & Cie. becomes increasingly automated
At the end of March, Mayer & Cie. put another DMG Mori lathe into operation. It is the fourth of a total of five state-of-the-art CNC lathes that Mayer & Cie. uses in the manufacturing process. With this major investment, the circular knitting machine company is taking an important step towards greater automation and efficiency. Customers and users benefit from the consistently high quality of the components, combined with experience and precision in assembly: This is reflected in the quality, reliability and durability of the circular knitting machines.
Automation in a core area of manufacturing
The new large lathes take over various work steps, from turning and drilling and grinding to thread cutting. This means that many central components of a circular knitting machine are produced on these machines, including support rings and needle beds. “These are parts that belong in the machine head, the heart of every circular knitting machine,” explains Benjamin Mayer, Managing Director of Mayer & Cie. “By automating these work steps, we have brought another core area of our production to a cutting edge level.”
Supporting rings are a major component of circular knitting machines – and made on the new DMG Moris
Needle bed hardening as another example of success
About three years ago, Mayer & Cie. successfully automated another core process: needle bed curing. The company had previously worked with induction hardening machines, in a largely manual process. When the procurement of spare parts became more difficult and the energy balance increasingly left much to be desired, the decision was made to use an automated solution with state-of-the-art control and laser technology. “This allowed us to improve quality, the entire process and energy efficiency,” summarizes Benjamin Mayer.
Modernization remains an ongoing issue
In the future, other areas of production and quality assurance are to be automated. “New technologies help us to automate repetitive and at the same time very time-consuming and demanding activities,” explains Benjamin Mayer. “This allows us to work faster and more accurately – and we are less dependent on staff shortages”
