BIG KAISER’s tooling systems helps BAM GmbH revolutionizes custom component and machinery production

BAM GmbH revolutionizes the areas of individual component production and custom machinery – relying on proven tooling systems from BIG KAISER.

Founded in 2011, BAM GmbH, based in Weiden, Bavaria, is a rapidly growing company. In just the last 18 months, it has increased the number of its employees from 30 to 150. This, of course, necessitates additional production equipment such as milling machines and the appropriate tooling systems.

up2parts – AI-driven manufacturing

The manufacturing and engineering industry is full of traditions, valuable experience and established conventions. However, some of these are now showing their age. “I wanted to fundamentally transform the way in which machine components are manufactured. This is why I decided to start my own business,” says Marco Bauer, a specialist in business informatics and Managing Director of BAM GmbH, the originator of the up2parts online platform.

“Our online platform www.up2parts.com is a revolutionary milestone in the world of manufacturing,” says Marco Bauer. “Today, it is very common for parts to be designed in 3D CAD systems. Unfortunately, customers often provide the manufacturer with two-dimensional PDF drawings of their desired fit and tolerance modifications.”

“The manufacturer’s CAM programmer then reapplies this information back into their 3D model. This can result in quality issues and discrepancies between the modifications in the 2D drawings and the original 3D models are not uncommon.”

“Furthermore, it can be extremely difficult to accurately draw modern, complex components in 2D. The main issue, however, is that preparing drawings and quotes costs valuable time, which equates to a loss of money for both customer and manufacturer.”

From standard production to full-service provider

The up2parts online platform transforms the component manufacturing process right from the initial enquiry. Customers upload 3D models of their individual components directly to up2parts.com, they specify any existing features such as fits, threads and tolerances, and then they order the production of the part directly online or generate a quote in PDF format.

“We are several steps ahead of the competition,” says Marco Bauer. “The up2parts platform is a software developer, online configurator and manufacturing company all-in-one. We produce every part that is ordered via up2parts.com at our Bavarian facility, using more than 40 production machines at the site.”

Automation needs process reliability

“We are already highly automated,” explains Stefan Bauer, Head of Production at BAM GmbH. “A robot takes standardized blanks from a magazine and clamps them in the appropriate production machine. A few moments later, we are holding the finished component in our hands. To ensure that all this works flawlessly, we use only premium systems from renowned brands such as DMG MORI and Hermle, and compatible tooling systems from BIG KAISER.”

“BAM must guarantee reliable thread tapping, which is essential for the smooth operation of automated processes,” says Armin Salbaum, application engineer at BIG KAISER. “When tapping threads by machine, the rotation speed of the tap must match the feed rate exactly.”

“In systems without length compensation, the tap often breaks off as a result of the high cutting forces. This not only disrupts the production process but can also ruin the workpiece,” says Salbaum. “Thanks to automatic length compensation, the MEGA Synchro holder from BIG KAISER compensates for synchronization errors during thread tapping. The resultant cutting forces are thus reduced by up to 90%.”

Stefan Bauer adds, “The slim, modular design of the MEGA Synchro holder gives us easy handling, quality and, above all, reliability. After all, a perfectly optimized automated process is not going to be of much use if I have to stop it to replace broken or prematurely worn out taps, or spend time removing them from workpieces. With reliable tools like the MEGA Synchro holder from BIG KAISER, we can easily meet our delivery deadlines.”

Custom-made precision

“Another important part of our business is custom engineering. This is where we design and manufacture virtually anything,” explains Marco Bauer. “From automated systems that screw together slatted bed frames to precise optical systems and 3D printers, BAM GmbH’s custom engineering department handles a huge variety of individual customer projects.”

“Precision is particularly important when it comes to optical systems,” emphasizes Stefan Bauer. “We like to use KERN machines to manufacture down to micrometer precision levels. With such tight tolerances, the entire precision chain must be finely tuned, right down to the milling or tapping tool and its holder. If something fails to align at any point along this chain, for example the concentricity, you can forget about precision. That’s why we rely on high-precision tool clamping technology from BIG KAISER.”

Innovation combined with Bavarian pragmatism

Marco Bauer summarizes, “The added value that we provide to our customers derives from superior processes. 2D drawings are no longer needed, and in the five working days that some of our competitors need to prepare a quote, we’ve quite often delivered the finished product to the customer.”

“All components are manufactured on-site at our premises. We have competent personnel at every step and utilize an extensive machine park consisting of DMG MORI, Hermle and KERN machines. The premium tools and tool holders that we use come from BIG KAISER. Our innovations are based on a rock-solid foundation of state-of-the-art machines, tools and production know-how.”

The right tool for every job

Production manager Stefan Bauer says, “Production runs smoothly and reliably on state-of-the-art machinery. Products that are ordered online exhibit the same level of quality and arrive on time.”

“Today, up2parts provides our customers with a milling solution for the digital age,” says Marco Bauer. “But this is just the beginning; we have recently automated the order calculation process, which is the step from the customer’s STEP file to a legally binding offer. Everything that comes after the CAM program now runs automatically as well.”

“In the next step, we want to create CAM programs automatically. Once we have that up and running, we’ll have achieved our vision of true digital manufacturing,” says Marco Bauer. “We expect to see continued rapid growth of our company and we will most certainly continue to rely on our solid partnership with BIG KAISER.”

For more information, please visit http://kaisertooling.com.