CNC cylindrical grinding The "Czech Rolls-Royce" produces 60 percent faster

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The Czech traditional company Wikov is a globally known manufacturer of high-quality gears and gearboxes. To handle the increasing demand in the rail vehicle sector, Wikov relies on the CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine S41 from Studer, thus increasing its production speed by up to 60 percent.

In the company-owned Wikov Museum in Hronov, Czech Republic, glossy polished legends line up: A fire-red racing car of the Wikov 7/28 type is just one of the showpieces. Like all the other vintage cars here, it features the iconic Wikov logo with the hammer-bearing worker. Anyone who considers these impressive engineering achievements from the first third of the 20th century understands why Wikov is known as the "Czech Rolls-Royce." However, the main business of the company "Wichterle & Kovářík," founded in 1918, was the production of agricultural machines, which made it the largest Czech factory in this field.

This proud history is still part of the Wikov Group, which also includes other Czech traditional brands. Today, Wikov, with over 1,000 employees and multiple locations, is a leading manufacturer of high-quality mechanical gearboxes and gears for the industry. In the factory here in Hronov, gearboxes for rail transport are primarily produced, and it is the largest production site of the group with around 400 employees.

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One of these employees is the grinder Jaromir Hornych. His blue work suit also features the Wikov logo, and he is currently standing a few dozen meters away from the automobile museum in a state-of-the-art production hall. Behind him rises a powerful CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine of the new generation from Switzerland: the S41 from Studer. With this machine, he has machined a pinion gear for a railway gearbox shaft and is now inspecting the shiny metal piece.

Intuitive operation

"The precision and surface quality are excellent, even in such a short processing time," says Hornych while checking important production data on the large 24-inch touchscreen. Thanks to the revolutionary hardware and software architecture C.O.R.E. and Studer's own software, the operation of the S41 is modern and intuitive.

Efficiency, precision, flexibility, and future-proofing through proven quality and modern technologies: these were the main reasons why Wikov decided to invest in a new S41 from Studer.

By using the S41, we were able to significantly speed up the grinding process with high process stability, in some cases by over 60 percent per component.

Dominik Sádlo, heads the technology department at Wikov

In addition, many machining processes can now be performed in a single operation, rather than in multiple individual steps as before.

In the Studer portfolio, the S41, with center distances of 1,000/1,600 millimeters (approx. 39,3/63 inches), center heights of 225/275 millimeters (approx. 8,8/10,8 inches), and a maximum workpiece weight of 250 kilograms, is among the largest machines. However, Wikov uses it for the production of its smaller components—after all, it concerns gearboxes for large rail vehicles. "Here, our order situation has significantly increased in recent years, and especially for the production of smaller gearbox components in large quantities, we were looking for a more flexible and productive grinding machine. The S41 was the best choice due to its high versatility, quality, and short setup times," says Sádlo.

The many advantages of the S41 are thanks to the accumulated know-how of Studer. The Swiss manufacturer of quality grinding machines, like Wikov, is an internationally established traditional company with over 111 years of history. Many components in the S41 were developed internally and continuously optimized. These include the high-precision, wear-resistant StuderGuide guide system in transverse and longitudinal slides, the configurable grinding spindle turret with an integrated B-axis with up to four grinding wheels for complete machining in the same clamping, as well as the patented machine bed made of mineral casting Granitan with its excellent thermal and damping behavior. Furthermore, Studer is one of the global innovation leaders in grinding machine technology for even more efficient, precise, and resource-saving production. Among the market-leading innovation technologies available for the S41 are, for example, the SmartJet cooling for up to 50 percent less energy and water consumption or the WireDress process for more precise and economical dressing of metal-bonded grinding wheels at full working speed.

A special focus of development at Studer is also on automation.

The ability to automate was an important criterion for us when selecting the machine, as the topic will become even more relevant for us in the future.

Dominik Sádlo, heads the technology department at Wikov

As in many industrial countries, the shortage of skilled workers is also worsening in the Czech Republic, and even now, night shifts are difficult to fill due to a lack of personnel. Only through intelligent automation can production be maintained or even increased in the long term without compromising quality. For the S41, Studer offers an especially economical standardized automation solution with easyLoad. This portal loading system with a V-gripper handles a large range of parts and easily prepares workpieces. It is operated via the machine control, and no robot programming knowledge is required. Additionally, customer-specific automation solutions are also possible.

"Despite all the technology, one thing should not be forgotten: for us, people are always at the center," says Pavel Branda, Studer's regional sales manager for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. He is responsible for technical sales in the region. When the S41 was acquired, Branda provided Wikov with competent advice and continues to be in regular contact with his customer for all kinds of questions. "The excellent customer care in our native language is a great advantage of Studer. This aspect is particularly important in the initial phase of technology implementation," explains Sádlo. After all, modern cylindrical grinding differs from other production processes.

We were able to learn from competent professionals at Studer how to achieve the desired results with the S41 for our specific components. Cylindrical grinding at Wikov is now on a whole new level.

Dominik Sádlo, heads the technology department at Wikov

"In addition to the optimal configuration and installation of the S41, training the operators was very important to us so that they can use all the machine's capabilities efficiently and achieve optimal grinding results," confirms Branda. Wikov grinder Jaromir Hornych even traveled to the Studer training center in Thun, Switzerland, for this purpose. Later, an in-depth follow-up training was also held at Wikov in Hronov. "We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly our people learned to operate the S41 at Studer and achieve high-quality grinding results," says technology chief Sádlo, adding: "The S41 and the collaboration with Studer have brought our production to a better level, significantly contributing to Wikov's continued success."