The Steinmüller Education Center (SBZ) in Gummersbach is perfectly positioned for the training of urgently needed metal skilled workers. In 2024, the responsible parties invested in eight high-quality milling machines – all from FPS. This allows the educational provider to cover the entire operating spectrum, from manual handwheels to simple linear controls to complex high-end CNC controls.
Metalworking companies often find themselves in a dilemma. There is a lack of qualified skilled workers in production. As a result, there is often no capacity to also free up personnel for the training of urgently needed young talents. The solution: partnerships with educational centers. The well-networked SBZ in Gummersbach serves as a role model, as it is in constant contact with regionally based companies and regularly produces between 40 and 80 well-qualified graduates in various metal and electrical professions in close cooperation with them.
According to Bernd Klein, industrial master and authorized signatory at SBZ, companies especially appreciate the high flexibility and modern technical equipment at his educational center. He explains: 'Our partner companies can send their young talents to us at any training time, as we offer the complete training in-house – from the basics of metal training to working on controlled machines, from handwheels to high-end CNC.'
'The trainee can then return to the company at any time and come back to us for exam preparation. No matter when or with what training goal, we are ready.'
Milling machine park renewed in 2024
This is possible not least because Steinmüller is technically perfectly positioned and has a wide range of equipment that metal processors have in similar use. To maintain this standard, Steinmüller invested again in 2024 and renewed the entire milling machine park. The decisive criteria for the tender were primarily the following: The machines must be robust, reliable, easily visible, user-friendly, and controllable in different ways – from handwheels to the most modern high-end CNC controls.
High manufacturing accuracy, good service, and minimal space requirements were also on the requirement list.
Before the investment, machines from various manufacturers were found in the metal sector, as Klein recounts: 'Some were almost scrap, others still in good condition, but no longer up to date.' Among the 'indestructible' were particularly the Deckel milling machines FP3 and FP4.
'I was already familiar with FPS as the successor company of Deckel for service and retrofit, and I knew that the company also develops and builds new machines. I had seen these at various trade fairs and knew that the equipment of the FPS machines is of high quality. I also assumed that the quality corresponds to the earlier Deckel machines,' Klein reports.
Machines from FPS perfectly meet the requirements
After various data comparisons and test comparisons as well as some discussions, the authorized signatory of SBZ confirmed his suspicion. Furthermore, not many suppliers could offer both manual milling machines that do not require an enclosure and high-end CNC-controlled universal milling machines that are available with controls from Siemens and Heidenhain. A visit to the Warngau FPS headquarters finally dispelled the last doubts, and it was clear:
Two FPS 500M-digital with linear control PT 8016 including touchpad operation (without enclosure) and six FPS 425M-NC Dualmaster with the latest high-end controls from Siemens and Heidenhain are being procured. 'Ordering, delivery, commissioning, service – everything went and is going perfectly,' the authorized signatory is pleased. He explains his decision for the two machine types from a trainer's perspective: 'Our trainees need to get a feel for the metal at the beginning.'
Therefore, after filing by hand, milling on an open milling machine is part of our training program. Only in this way can they experience up close how a milling cutter removes material from a workpiece – with the handwheel or simple linear control. If they dive in too quickly or too deep, the machine comments with a vibration or even a tool break. Such experiences they will never forget.'
Learning without enclosure – thanks to Heidenhain control PT 8016
The ability to learn without an enclosure while still having an integrated control that can be operated via touchscreen is offered by FPS, among others, with its FPS 500M-digital. The key to this is the equipment with a Heidenhain PT 8016 linear control. This allows for the batch processing of programs that were previously created in a simple manner. The Heidenhain PT 8016 is therefore ideal for basic training and introducing the logic of CNC programming.
Bernd Klein is convinced that he has the right machine-control combination: 'Our students are sufficiently challenged at the beginning with clamping the workpieces and processing a set. Once they master that safely, we take the next step with them – to the CNC-controlled FPS Dualmaster.'
The FPS 425M-NC used at SBZ are extremely compact, but offer everything a modern CNC training machine needs. Due to their stable construction, they are very robust, reliable, and of the highest precision. Another decisive point: the equipment with the latest high-end CNC from Siemens and Heidenhain. 'Almost all of our partner companies work with one of these two control types. Accordingly, our trainees are always in the same programming environment,' Klein confirms.
Close to practice – thanks to FPS Dualmaster with high-end CNC
With the touchscreen at the user unit, young trainees usually get along immediately. For industrial master Klein, this is a reason why they also make quick progress in CNC programming. The intuitive interfaces from Siemens and Heidenhain contribute to this. In doing so, the students learn to program various complex components using both G-code and step programming.
Once the CNC program is completed, they can view the machining process as a screen simulation. Typically, the master then releases the program, they close the non-moving complete enclosure, and press the start button.
Thanks to the large viewing windows, the milling process can be observed from different angles, and even in the event of a crash, nothing can happen, as the panes are tested and safe, according to Wilhelm Buchholz, regional sales manager at FPS. Bernd Klein confirms this from practical experience: 'It has actually happened that a trainee drove in the wrong axis direction at full speed. The flying tool crashed the pane but did not penetrate it. The young man was pale, but neither he nor the machine suffered any damage – apart from the broken pane.'
Incredible running smoothness and manufacturing accuracy
Even in retrospect, Bernd Klein and his trainers are convinced of the decision made in 2024. He still remembers well what impressed him most during his visit to FPS in Warngau: 'FPS manufactures about 80 percent of the parts used in-house, they hand-scrape the guideways and have an impressive quality management system. All in all, this leads to incredible running smoothness and manufacturing accuracy in all machines.'
This is also confirmed by Wilhelm Buchholz, regional sales manager at FPS, who adds: 'The concept of our machines – whether FPS 500M-digital or FPS 425M-NC – combines the advantages of a stable cast construction with those of linear guides and hand-scraped sliding guides. This achieves extraordinary machine rigidity and freedom from vibration. Our universal milling machines achieve positioning accuracies of up to 5 µm.'
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