How DEUTZ and WENZEL have redesigned quality testing in engine production.
Founded in 1864, DEUTZ AG is the oldest engine factory in the world and one of the world's leading independent manufacturers of diesel engines. With around 5,000 employees, DEUTZ develops innovative engines and power units that meet the latest standards.
My colleague Lorenz Köper and I work in marketing at WENZEL . We have been invited to take a look behind the scenes at the Ulm site to see how quality assurance has been taken to a new level there by using state-of-the-art metrology from WENZEL . We are visiting a company that laid the foundations for global motorization, which is extremely fascinating.
The DEUTZ small series and service plant is located in Ulm on the edge of the Swabian Alb. The proud DEUTZ logo is adorned by the Ulm Minster. The experienced team in Ulm specializes in the assembly of air-cooled and liquid-cooled engines for a wide range of applications, whether in road transport, on construction sites, underground or in rail vehicles. Ulm is also home to the Xchange plant of DEUTZ AG. Under the DEUTZ Xchange brand, reconditioned engines and parts are used worldwide for service work on DEUTZ engines.
In the parking lot in front of the factory premises, we meet our colleague Benjamin Seyboldt, who, as Sales Manager for the Baden-Württemberg region, has been in charge of the project from the outset and is the first point of contact for DEUTZ. We are greeted at the factory gate by Mona-Lena Wolf, Head of Quality Assurance In-house Production. On the way to the measuring room, we get a first impression of the lively production at DEUTZ. There we also meet Moritz Laupheimer, team leader of the measuring room, and Robin Deutsch, an experienced measuring technician.
Here, where the tradition of engine manufacturing transitions into the modern age, crankcases, crankshafts with spur gears and engines are measured in an astonishing variety. Up to 500 features are recorded on some components. Mona-Lena Wolf explains another challenge to us: "100% measurement is required for crankshafts in particular, so as not to cause any bottlenecks in the production line."
It is interesting to learn that DEUTZ not only manufactures ultra-modern engines, but also measures 40 to 50-year-old parts. The DEUTZ AG Xchange plant is also located on the factory premises in Ulm. Under the name DEUTZ Xchange, around 4,000 engines are produced each year that are of the same quality as a new engine. This is of crucial importance, as around half of the engines produced are no longer available on the market as new engines.
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The previous measurement solution at DEUTZ in Ulm presented the team with considerable challenges. The CMM hardware and, in particular, the outdated software were simply reaching their limits. Moritz Laupheimer remembers these times: "The CMM was getting on in years and the measurements were extremely time-consuming. We had to make a lot of manual interventions and the numerous probe configurations were adventurous. It even happened that small probes came loose during the measurement process." The old solution was not only technically outdated, but also overloaded in terms of software. Separate 2D and 3D measurements had to be carried out, which further complicated the process.
The switch to measuring solutions from WENZEL was a turning point. With the new coordinate and gear measuring machines and the innovative WM | Quartis and WM | Gear measuring software, all geometries and gears can now be captured in a single measurement. This has not only significantly increased accuracy and efficiency, but has also drastically reduced manual effort, complexity and, above all, the number of probe configurations. The calibration times of the stylus configurations have also been significantly reduced. A major advance that has significantly improved the workflow at DEUTZ in Ulm.
The decision to introduce a new metrology solution was out of the question for DEUTZ. Various options were carefully examined, including the possibility of retrofitting the existing equipment. However, the costs for a retrofit proved to be too high, which made the search for a more effective alternative urgently necessary.
The requirements for the new solution were extremely demanding. The aim was not only to ensure 100% measurement of the crankshafts, for example, but also to achieve extremely precise and reproducible results in the range of up to 5 micrometers. In this rigorous selection process, WENZEL stood out for its outstanding quality, intuitive software and excellent support and service.
Mona-Lena Wolf emphasizes: "I already had experience with REVO and the Quartis software and was able to explain the advantages of the new solution for us." This experience and conviction played a key role in making the right decision for the WENZEL solution.
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At the end of 2022, the time had come - the ultra-modern measuring machines from WENZEL were introduced at DEUTZ in Ulm: An LH 1512 coordinate measuring machine with the REVO 5-axis measuring head from Renishaw and the GT 450 gear measuring machine with a motorized counterholder for components up to 1300 mm in length. The associated software WM | Quartis and WM | Gear rounded off the solution.
However, this implementation went beyond the mere replacement of equipment. The entire measuring room at DEUTZ was adapted to accommodate the new machines. These changes transformed the measuring room into a showcase of DEUTZ's production, which is proudly presented during factory tours.
Enormous improvement in throughput and measuring times
The introduction of the WENZEL measuring machines, in particular the REVO 5-axis measuring head and the WM | Quartis measuring software, has brought significant improvements. Robin Deutsch talks enthusiastically about the advantages of the REVO system: "A program that used to take six to eight hours now only takes three hours. The number of incorrect measurements has been drastically reduced."
Mona-Lena Wolf emphasizes: "Above all, we can now also program offline. We were already familiar with the Quartis software. The measuring software supports the gear measuring machine as well as the coordinate measuring machine."
However, the benefits went beyond pure efficiency. The new solution made it possible to convert the measuring room from two to three shifts, with one shift running fully automatically. The GT 450 gear measuring machine with its intelligent counterholder and pedal control made the work considerably easier. The software and new IT systems make it easy to archive the measurement data. And the site in Cologne can also benefit from the measuring room in Ulm when the measuring machines there are working to capacity.
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The REVO SFP2 also integrates roughness measurement into the measuring process of the CMM. Previously, sensors were used to determine roughness, which had to be placed manually or held in the hand, or the component had to be brought to a measuring device designed exclusively for this application.
"With the REVO multi-sensor measuring system, the roughness measurement is integrated into the measuring process of the CMM without having to reclamp the component," says Moritz Laupheimer. This unique function makes it possible to fully integrate the roughness measurement data into the measurement protocol of the component. The technology of 5-axis measurement in conjunction with the automated SFP2 roughness measurement therefore means considerable time savings, less effort for workpiece feeding and rapid amortization of the CMM.
"The introduction of the WENZEL solution was not just a modernization, but a real transformation of the entire work process at DEUTZ," explains Mona-Lena Wolf.
DEUTZ will continue to improve the quality and precision of its production in the future, while the development of engines is also moving in the direction of electric engines and hydrogen drives. DEUTZ will provide all the support it can at WENZEL , and there are already promising approaches for future projects.
Another exciting aspect of the future collaboration could be the use of REVO for gear measurement. This has already been implemented at WENZEL and was presented for the first time at the EMO in Hanover. This could be particularly important for specialized applications, such as the measurement of gear rims. The partnership between WENZEL and DEUTZ illustrates the shared values of both companies - quality, durability and sustainability. Together we are working to shape the future of metrology and manufacture high-quality products for industrial applications.
Author: Steffen Hochrein, Communications Manager
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