BluePlus – STUDER helps its customers to use resources more efficiently

As global energy requirements are constantly increasing, it is imperative that the available energy is used more efficiently and effectively. Energy efficiency has therefore also become an important topic in machine construction.

Like all other companies in the UNITED GRINDING Group, STUDER qualified for the "Bluecompetence" label of the Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagebau e.V. (VDMA - German Engineering Federation) a number of years ago. The label is designed to establish energy-saving and resource-efficient products, technologies and processes.

Fritz Studer AG has gone a step further and created its own BluePlus label. Under this label, STUDER has developed the concept of the 4 BlueSteps. The aim is to develop and apply technologies, which save energy and costs in the construction and use of STUDER cylindrical grinding machines.

The 4 BlueSteps concept comprises the following steps:

◾ Step1: Optimal component selection and dimensioning of the machine.

◾Step2: Standby management optimized to customer requirements.

◾Step3: "StuderTechnology" software. This helps to bring the machine operator closer to an optimized grinding process straight away and thus saves optimization costs, increases productivity and reduces the energy costs per workpiece.

◾Step4: EE4C – a concept, which has been developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich/Inspire, to enable the optimal design of a machine's configuration with regard to the energy consumed for each produced workpiece.

Four examples are listed below, which show the specific measures taken by STUDER to make its cylindrical grinding machines more energy efficient:

◾ Granitan®

The manufacture of STUDER machine beds made of Granitan® requires less than 40% of the energy needed for a comparable iron cast bed.

◾StuderTechnology

"StuderTechnology" immediately optimizes finishing processes even more and reduces processing times by 50%.

◾StuderGRIND / StuderWIN

Thanks to a detailed process simulation for setup of a machine for new production tasks, down-times and spoilage can be avoided. Energy and raw material requirements are also reduced.

◾Machine components

More energy efficient equipment in the coolant and extraction system. Further physical saving-project measures are being developed all the time.