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“Thanks to the WM | Quartis software, WENZEL coordinate measuring machines are very easy and intuitive to operate. We can touch points directly on the CAD model. We benefit from this not only when creating measurement programs, but also in our daily work.”
Measuring internally makes us more flexible and gives us advantages when developing new products,” says Martin Przibilla, Head of Quality at the Wuppertal plant of Vorwerk. The family business, which has always relied on direct sales of its products, is known in particular for its Kobold vacuum cleaners and attachments as well as for its Thermomix kitchen machines. The company's own global plant network with locations in Wuppertal, Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières/France and Shanghai/China produces in accordance with uniform specifications and strict quality standards. “All plants are autonomous and self-controlled, but there is close cooperation — including in quality assurance,” explains Przibilla. Among other things, quality assurance in Wuppertal as an internal service provider also performs measurement tasks for the Thermomix plant in France.
The quality assurance department at the Wuppertal plant consists of three teams: quality planning, which starts early on in development projects; quality assurance for series production and the measurement room with five employees. Przibilla has been managing the department since 2016, and since 2019, the measurement room has also been part of his area of responsibility. “Back then, I noticed that we have a lot of unused potential in the measurement room,” he remembers. “We have a great deal of employee know-how in measurement technology. At that time, the measurement room partially supported the development department and also carried out measurements in part during series production. But the bottom line was that the coordinate measuring machines were idle too often — which was also due to the fact that they were not technically optimal. The measurement programs were created using outdated software and took a very long time because every single movement of the coordinate measuring machine had to be written in the source code. ”
At that time, the development project for the new VK7 wireless cleaning system required a great deal of metrological tasks. “For us, this was the key to realigning ourselves in quality assurance and raising the measurement room to a new level so that we could measure a lot more internally than in the past. So we wanted to increase internal capacity utilization and our vertical integration,” says Przibilla.
At that time, the development project for the new VK7 wireless cleaning system required a great deal of metrological tasks: With this product, the aim was to increase the number of plastic parts produced in injection molding in Wuppertal by a factor of around 10. “For us, this was the key to realigning ourselves in quality assurance and raising the measurement room to a new level so that we could measure a lot more internally than in the past. So we wanted to increase internal capacity utilization and vertical integration,” says Przibilla.
He obtained support for this project from Klostermann GmbH, who has worked for Vorwerk for around 15 years — as a contract measurement service provider, but also as a supplier and service provider for measuring devices. Klostermann has also created measurement programs for Vorwerk, including clamping systems from Witte.
Klostermann recommended that Vorwerk replace the existing coordinate measuring machines step by step with WENZEL LH 87 portal measuring devices. Klostermann: “In the high-end sector, the hardware of coordinate measuring machines does not differ significantly from one another. The measurement software makes the difference today — and it is very easy to use with WM Quartis, the measurement software from WENZEL,” explains Christian Klostermann, managing director of the family company based in Remscheid. At Przibilla, he opened doors: “We had an ultra-high-precision coordinate measuring machine. With it, we were able to measure lessons, but we don't need that at all. The micrometer is not important for our measurement tasks; we mainly measure in the hundredth of a millimeter range. ”
The difference to the measurement software of existing coordinate measuring machines was immediately apparent after Vorwerk had put the first WENZEL LH 87 into operation. “Thanks to the WM Quartis software, WENZEL coordinate measuring machines are very easy and intuitive to operate, which has really proven effective. Today, we don't have to type in source code anymore, just click on buttons. We can touch points directly on the CAD model. We benefit from this not only when creating measurement programs, but also in our daily work,” says Przibilla.
With the new coordinate measuring machines, Vorwerk is now also measuring components for Kobold and Thermomix compared to the CAD model. This also allows the company to evaluate free-form surfaces. The Reference Points System (RPS), which supports WM Quartis, enables quick and easy alignment against CAD data. “Dataset-based scanning of elements is of course much faster today,” says Przibilla.
He is able to precisely calculate the benefits: “With WM Quartis, my employees can now create measurement programs much faster — in 20 percent of the time they used to take. This enabled us to program all measurement programs for the components of the new VK7 ourselves. This saves time when creating measurement programs, but also costs — around 40 percent. The bottom line is that this has made us significantly more flexible. ”
Przibilla also received this positive feedback from internal customers when developing the new Kobold vacuum cleaner VK7, which came onto the German market in October 2022: “The project managers praised us for providing the measurement data faster and that it is also more meaningful than before because we can present the measurement reports more clearly with WM Quartis — in direct comparison with the CAD data. Based on the color display, project staff can identify at a glance where there are dimensional deviations in shape and position tolerances, for example. ”
Vorwerk now has three WENZEL coordinate measuring machines in operation in the measurement room. Just under two years elapsed between delivery of the first and third device, as demand had increased due to the positive development of the Vorwerk Group's direct sales. All three WENZEL measuring machines are equipped with the PH10M/SP25M probe system from Renishaw for 2D and 3D scanning. Compared to the previous solution, this probe can be swiveled and therefore allows you to scan from the side as well. The SP25 also ensures very high scan speeds and high point rates.
“We could of course also use optical sensors and therefore multi-sensor technology on WENZEL measuring machines, but for us, tactile and optical measurement technology are still two different worlds with their own strengths and weaknesses,” says Przibilla.
He sees the fact that Vorwerk can now more easily exchange measurement programs with Klostermann — for example, to outsource wage measurement tasks to the company based in Remscheid during resource peaks. Klostermann is also testing the components on a LH 87. Both companies can draw on a database and even exchange devices. “In the end, it was this complete package from Klostermann that we were able to convince our management of the new investment. The new coordinate measuring machines make us significantly more flexible — and Klostermann is able to cushion peak orders from us even better. ”
“Of course, we see developments at Vorwerk with a laughing eye and a crying eye,” says Klostermann. “On the one hand, Vorwerk no longer commissions us to provide as many payroll measurement services as in the past. But on the other hand, with WENZEL coordinate measuring machines, we have helped Vorwerk to deepen its own value chain and become more flexible. And these strategic benefits for the customer outweigh them at the end of the day.” Przibilla adds: “We now process ten times more components in the measurement room. Machine utilization has therefore increased significantly. We have thus achieved the strategic goal of measuring as much as possible ourselves.” Measurements accompanying series to validate manufacturing processes are also easier today with coordinate measuring machines, as the measurement data can be compared with the CAD data sets.
Another figure also shows that the tandem with Klostermann works well: Of the 40 new measurement programs for WENZEL machines, Vorwerk created 35 itself, and Klostermann took over the rest. “The exchange of measurement programs and resources between employees and Klostermann works extremely well,” emphasizes Przibilla.
Vorwerk has also significantly improved service and support for coordinate measuring machines: This includes the further development of the measurement software, but also the service provided by Klostermann. “The machine projects also include so-called consulting days at Vorwerk, which make it easy for customers to access our support and knowledge within a short response time,” says Klostermann.
“Overall, Klostermann's advice is very valuable to us,” says Przibilla. For example, the measurement service provider and Vorwerk have jointly developed the idea of using clamping devices milled from full in the past by modular clamping systems from Witte to replace. “Although the investment was cost-intensive, it paid off very quickly thanks to the retooling options, i.e. the reuse of system components from devices that were no longer required, starting with the second project,” says Przibilla. Klostermann also trained employees from Przibilla's department on the new WENZEL machines.
“In the near future, we now want to make work within the department even more flexible so that the boundaries between measurements during development and series production are resolved even further. This will further increase efficiency in quality assurance,” says Przibilla. And further tasks are already in sight for his team: Vorwerk will invest in the construction of an additional Thermomix production facility in France in order to meet the rapidly increasing demand for Thermomix.
Vorwerk is a family company founded in 1883. In addition to Thermomix kitchen machines and Kobold vacuum cleaners, the company includes Neato Robotics and AKF Bank. Vorwerk is active in more than 60 countries and generated Group sales of 3.3 billion euros in 2021. In 2021, the year of its 50th anniversary, the Thermomix division's turnover amounted to 1.7 billion euros. The group's largest production site is Wuppertal with more than 1,000 employees.
All three WENZEL measuring machines at Vorwerk are equipped with Renishaw's SP25M probe system: for 2D and 3D scanning. This is used to measure a visible part for the current Thermomix
Martin Przibilla, Head of Quality at the Wuppertal plant: “Ultimately, it was the complete package from Klostermann that we were able to convince our management of the new investment. The new coordinate measuring machines make us significantly more flexible — and Klostermann is able to cushion peak orders from us even better. ”
Tim Fischer, Measurement Technology Team Leader at Vorwerk (left), and Klostermann CEO Christian Klostermann in front of one of WENZEL's three new LH 87 coordinate measuring machines: With them, Vorwerk has significantly increased throughput in the measurement room.
Thanks to the user-friendly WM Quartis measurement software, metrologists can create measurement programs in 20% of the time that old coordinate measuring machines used to take.
As a result of the new VK7 wireless cleaning system, Vorwerk in Wuppertal has increased the number of plastic parts that are produced and therefore also measured in injection molding production by a factor of around 10.
Vorwerk performs significantly more measurement tasks at its Wuppertal plant today than in the past. This is made possible by coordinate measuring machines from WENZEL, which can be used to quickly create measurement programs, and measurement service provider Klostermann, who provides support with contract measurements for WENZEL devices.
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