Wikov Advances Production with STUDER's Cylindrical Grinding Machine

The Czech company Wikov, renowned for producing top-tier gears and gear wheels, continues to uphold its prestigious reputation. Facing rising demand within the railroad industry, Wikov has turned to STUDER's S41 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine, enhancing its production capabilities by up to 60%.

In the factory's own Wikov Museum in Hronov, Czech Republic, legends are lined up one after the other, polished to a mirror finish: a fiery red Wikov 7/28 racing car is just one of the gems. Like all the other classic cars here, it is adorned with the iconic Wikov logo with the hammer-carrying worker. Anyone looking at these impressive engineering achievements from the first third of the 20th century will understand 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 machinery, making it the largest Czech factory in this field.

This proud history is still part of the Wikov Group, including other traditional Czech brands. Today, with over 1,000 employees and several locations, Wikov is a leading manufacturer of high-quality mechanical gearboxes and gears for the industry. The plant here in Hronov mainly produces gearboxes for the railroad sector and is the Group's largest production site with around 400 employees.

S41 Makes Production at Wikov up to 60% Faster

One of these employees is grinder Jaromir Hornych. His blue work suit is also adorned with the Wikov logo and he is standing just a few dozen steps from the automobile museum in a state-of-the-art production hall. Behind him stands a powerful CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine of the latest generation from Switzerland: the S41 from STUDER. He has used it to machine a pinion gear for a railroad gear shaft and is now inspecting the shiny piece of metal. "The precision and surface quality is outstanding, and in such a short machining time," says Hornych as he checks important production data on the large 24-inch touchscreen. Thanks to the revolutionary C.O.R.E. hardware and software architecture and STUDER's own software, the operation of the S41 is modern and intuitive.

Efficiency, precision, flexibility, and future viability through proven quality and modern technologies: 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 % per component," explains Dominik Sádlo, who heads the technology department at Wikov. In addition, many machining processes can now be carried out in a single operation instead of in several individual steps as was previously the case.

With center distances of 1,000 / 1,600 mm (39.4/63 inches), center heights of 225 / 275 mm (8.85/10.8 inches), and a maximum workpiece weight of 250 kilograms (550 lbs), the S41 is one of the largest machines in the STUDER portfolio. However, Wikov uses it for the production of its smaller components - after all, it is used for gearboxes for large railroad vehicles. "Our order situation has increased significantly in recent years, and we were looking for a more flexible and productive grinding machine, especially for the production of smaller gear components in large quantities. The S41 was the best choice due to its high universality, quality, and short set-up times," says Sádlo.

Proven Quality Components and Innovative Grinding Technology

The many advantages of the S41 are the result of STUDER's extensive know-how. Like Wikov, the Swiss manufacturer of quality grinding machines is a traditional international company with over 111 years of history. Many components in the S41 have been developed and continuously optimized in-house. These include the high-precision, wear-resistant StuderGuide guide system in the cross and longitudinal slides, the configurable wheelhead with integrated B-axis with up to four grinding wheels for complete machining in the same set-up and the patented Granitan mineral cast machine bed with its excellent thermal and damping properties. STUDER is also one of the world's leading innovators in grinding machine technology for even more efficient, precise, and resource-saving production. The market-leading innovation technologies available for the S41 include, for example, SmartJet cooling for up to 50% less energy and water consumption or the WireDress process for more precise and economical dressing of metal-bonded grinding wheels at full working speed.

STUDER also has a special development focus on automation. "Automation capability was an important factor for us when selecting machines, because this topic will be even more relevant for us in the future," emphasizes Wikov's Head of Technology Sádlo. As in many industrialized countries, the shortage of skilled workers is becoming more acute in the Czech Republic and night shifts are already difficult to fill due to a lack of personnel. Intelligent automation is the only way to maintain or even increase production in the long term without compromising quality. With easyLoad, STUDER offers a particularly cost-effective standardized automation solution for the S41. This gantry loader system with a V-gripper can handle a wide range of parts and makes workpieces easily available. It is operated via the machine control system and no robot programming knowledge is required. Customer-specific automation solutions are also possible.