This year’s HERMES AWARD winner is German company SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG. The HERMES AWARD is one of the world’s most prestigious industrial technology awards, and SCHUNK a global leader in innovative gripping systems.

This year’s HERMES AWARD winner is German company SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG. The HERMES AWARD is one of the world’s most prestigious industrial technology awards, and SCHUNK a global leader in innovative gripping systems. SCHUNK is both an owner-operated German family business and a global player. The award was presented during the HANNOVER MESSE Opening Ceremony on 23 April by Germany’s Minister for Education and Research, Johanna Wanka.

“The company’s award-winning solution supports human-robot collaboration, making it a vital part of the smart factory tool kit. It is therefore a perfect fit for HANNOVER MESSE, which this year will once again play a key role in reflecting and driving the ongoing development of Industry 4.0,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler as the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member in charge of HANNOVER MESSE.

SCHUNK’s JL1 co-act gripper is an intelligent modular gripping system for human-robot collaboration that is capable of directly interacting and communicating with its human operator. The JL1’s integrated sensor systems effectively envelop the module in its own safety “bubble” by continually tracking the proximity of humans and triggering evasive action to avoid any direct human-machine contact. They also enable the module to grip, handle and assemble objects of all geometries. The module’s jaws are able to measure gripping force and have tactile sensors, so their operation is highly adaptive and responsive. The sensor constellation also includes two cameras that enable the gripper to see its surroundings in 3D and help it to detect workpieces.

These are just some of the reasons why the JL1 impressed the HERMES AWARD jury, which was headed by Dr. Wolfgang Wahlster, CEO of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). SCHUNK’s self-learning gripping system is ideally suited to highly flexible Industry 4.0 manufacturing environments where humans and robots work collaboratively at close quarters.

“Safe and barrier-free human-robot collaboration in Industry 4.0 manufacturing operations with small production runs, high component diversity and frequent retooling is only possible if every part of the manufacturing system is intelligent, right down to the end effector level. SCHUNK’s JL1 is a perfect example of a state-of-the-art, smart end effector, which is why the jury has chosen it as this year’s winning entry,” explained Dr. Wahlster.

Apart from SCHUNK, the following companies were nominated for this year’s HERMES AWARD: AGS-Verfahrenstechnik GmbH (Stade, Germany), Augumenta (Oulu, Finland), Linz Center of Mechatronics (Linz, Austria) and Noonee AG (Zurich, Switzerland). The winning and nominated products and processes are on display at the respective company stands throughout HANNOVER MESSE 2017 (24 to 28 April). In addition, detailed information on the winning all the nominated entries and companies is available at the “tech transfer – Gateway2Innovation” showcase in Hall 2. The winning and nominated entries and companies will also be honored at a special presentation given at the “tech transfer – Gateway2Innovation” showcase by Germany’s Minister for Education and Research, Johanna Wanka, and Dr. Wahlster on Monday, 24 April (11:30 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.).

SCHUNK enlarges its program of 3-jaw quick-change chucks with the SCHUNK ROTA THW plus 400 offering more efficiency at medium sizes. Like all the lathe chucks of the ROTA THW plus family, the wedge bar power chuck is particularly designed for the production of small and medium-batch sizes. It is suitable for ID and OD clamping. With its optimized jaw quick-change mechanism, it ensures that CNC lathes, pick-up lathes and turn/mill centers can be converted to a new range of parts within a very short period of time. Due to the high jaw changing repeatability of < 0.02 mm, the already machined sets of chuck jaws can be used again and again.

All-rounder with a high operating and process safety
The large center through-hole with a diameter of 128 mm allows an extremely versatile use. The jaw stroke amounts to 8 mm, the clamping force to 240 kN, and the maximum speed to 3,500 RPM. The ROTA THW plus 400 is extremely flat and there remains enough space in the machine. For maximum operator safety when changing the jaws, an integrated ball mechanism ensures that the actuation key can be pulled only when the wedge bar has snapped into the base jaw. Moreover, a sophisticated lubrication system ensures that the most important guide surfaces are always optimally lubricated.

Until today it has been difficult to directly clamp on a quick-change pallet system large workpieces due to thermal dynamics, inherent stress or other difficulties in accurately mounting clamping pins for quick-change pallets. SCHUNK, the competence leader for clamping technology and gripping systems provides the right solution. The SCHUNK VERO-S SPD clamping pins compensate in a range of +/- 1 mm and pave the way to efficient direct clamping.

In order to use this effect, the SCHUNK VERO-S quick-change pallet modules are briefly open for finish machining, and therefore a tension-free state is achieved. When the modules are relocked, the flexibility of the VERO-S SPD clamping pins avoids that the workpiece will deform again, and high precision results are achieved. The flexible clamping pins are available in two versions: the SCHUNK VERO-S SPD-B, which allows the compensation of +/- 1mm in one direction, and the SCHUNK VERO-S SPD-C, which compensates +/- 1 mm in diameter. The flexible clamping pins can be used with every SCHUNK VERO-S NSE plus module. As all the SCHUNK VERO-S components, the SCHUNK SPD clamping pins are also manufactured from stainless steel. They are connected with the workpiece with standard (M10) screws. The holding force amounts to 35 kN.

Direct clamping has numerous advantages
For direct workpiece clamping with the SCHUNK VERO-S, users do not need conventional clamping equipment such as clamping claws or lathe chucks with several chuck jaws. Instead, mold plates, freeform plates and other workpieces are initially surface milled at the base plate to the same level with defined tapped holes and are then equipped with clamping pins of the quick-change pallet system. The parts can be exchanged in the machine with quick-change pallet modules within a few seconds, and are immediately precisely clamped. In comparison to the conventional clamping solutions, there are no interfering contours around the edges from chuck jaws or clamps in case of a direct clamping solution, so 5-sided machining with maximum accessibility is ensured. Plus unproductive downtimes just like time-consuming set-up, retooling, aligning or determining the zero point can be eliminated from the machine consistently. Direct clamping is similarly effective, if workpieces are repeatedly modified or have to be machined under deadline. Due to the existing tapped holes the parts can be exchanged on the machine very precisely and within a very short time.

Particularly for machines with BT dual contact interfaces, SCHUNK, the competence leader for clamping technology and gripping systems now offers the high-performance hydraulic expansion toolholder SCHUNK TENDO E compact in a version for simultaneous taper and face contact, which compensate for the weakness of steep taper interfaces. This allows the user to use the full performance potentials of the machine.

In the past, users who wanted to efficiently and economically machine with steep taper mountings, quickly met their tool’s limits. At an increasing speed, the spindle arbor expands and the contact surface between tool mounting and spindle is reduced. The consequences of this instability are serious: The system consisting of machine, toolholder and tool starts vibrating, the power transmission suffers, precision, and surface quality at the workpiece is lost, and tools wear out quickly. This weakness can be completely eliminated if machines with BT dual contact interface are combined with a SCHUNK TENDO E compact BT-DC hydraulic expansion toolholder. The taper and face contact system closes the gap between tool flange and end face of the machine spindle and a precise dual contact of the spindle at the taper and the end face of the machine spindle is given. At the same time, the system prevents the toolholder from drawing further back into the machine spindle, and stops motion along the Y-axis. Because of this radial rigidity and vibration strength of the whole system is maximized, and partly surpass the values of other standardized machine interfaces.

First-class quality and performance
TENDO E compact BT-DC with taper and face contact combines high clamping forces and an excellent vibration damping with an extraordinary bending and torsional strength. At an excellent machining quality and precision, the cutting parameters are increased, and in turn the machining time and costs are reduced. Comparable with a shock absorber, the world’s most powerful hydraulic expansion toolholder reliably absorbs vibrations, and provide for a quiet and exact cutting action. In heavy duty machining and drilling and reaming operations, the user benefits from an extremely high surface quality. Particularly the geometric three-dimensional precision of form and die are substantially improved. Moreover, the high run-out and repeat accuracy at the spindle interface ensures for long tool life, maximum protection of the spindle and for high process safety.

Up to 60% higher torques
At a permanent run-out accuracy of < 0.003 mm at an unclamped length of 2.5 x D, and a balancing quality of G 2.5 at 25.000 rpm, the SCHUNK TENDO E compact BT-DC with simultaneous taper and face contact seamlessly fits into the proven hydraulic expansion technology program from SCHUNK. Its clamping forces are about 20% higher than the ones of conventional hydraulic expansion toolholders. Compared with conventional hydraulic expansion toolholders, the TENDO E compact transmits up to 60% higher torques. For fast tool change, all that is needed, is an Allen key. All popular shank types, also Weldon or Whistle Notch shanks can be clamped. By using intermediate sleeves the clamping diameter can be flexibly reduced. Initially, the SCHUNK TENDO E compact with simultaneous taper and face contact interface will be available on a basis of BT 30 (Ø 20 mm). At the beginning of 2017, BT 30 (Ø 12 mm), and BT 40 (ø 12 mm, ø 20 mm) will follow.

With the SCHUNK TENDO Slim 4ax hydraulic expansion toolholder it is now possible to combine the complete outside geometry of heat shrinking mountings according to DIN 69882-8 with the proven qualities of SCHUNK hydraulic expansion technology. The slim precision mounting makes it ideal for use in series production, particularly in the automotive industry. It was particularly designed for axial operations, and shows its strength during milling close to interfering contours, countersinking, reaming and thread milling in 5-axis centers, prototype construction, and the die and mold industry. Test series prove that the

mountings with the vibration-damping properties of the hydraulic expansion technology have considerably improved the process during milling operation. The hydraulic expansion toolholder design reduces peak cutting ­amplitude of the force progression in Y-direction, which results in less deflection of the tool. By reducing the load of the cross cutter and the cutting edge, considerably longer service life can be achieved. Additionally, the user benefits from having exact gauges for holes and maximum precision at the workpiece.

Easy exchange via Plug & Work
As with every SCHUNK TENDO hydraulic expansion toolholder, the SCHUNK TENDO Slim 4ax also has permanently high run-out accuracies, perfect vibration damping, and a fast tool change with a wrench. Even narrow shape and position tolerances can be met precisely, therefore investments in high-priced peripheral devices are not required. Since the precision mounting can replace conventional heat shrinking toolholders by Plug & Work without having to reprogram the machine, the benefits can be tested in a real application. SCHUNK TENDO Slim 4ax can be used without expensive peripheral devices. The MQL-capable mounting is dirt-resistant and is extremely low-maintenance. In contrast to the heat shrinking toolholders, it has a permanently high run-out accuracy of < 0,003 mm at an unclamped length of 2.5 x D and a balance grade of G 2.5 at 25,000 rpm, the SCHUNK TENDO Slim 4ax seamlessly fits into the proven hydraulic expansion toolholder program from SCHUNK. In the first step, the mountings are available for the interfaces HSK-A63 with ø 10 mm/L1=120 mm, ø 12 mm/L1=90 mm, ø 12 mm/L1=120 mm, ø 14 mm/L1=90 mm, ø 14 mm/L1=120 mm, and ø 20 mm/L1=90 mm. Further variants with ø 6 mm bis 32 mm and L1-dimension of 90 mm, 120 mm, and 160 mm are already planned.