Total control with FANUC CNC technology

As one of many manufacturers specialising in the machining of complex turned and milled parts, market differentiation is key. In the case of Roland Erdrich GmbH, setting the company apart is its high degree of automation and digitalisation. At the heart of this offer is a machine park featuring 60 CNC machine tools.

“When we buy a new CNC machine tool, it’s very important that the machine has a FANUC control - it’s a key purchasing criterion,” states Managing Director Steve Erdrich, who together with brother Ken and sister Nelly, form the second-generation family management team of this progressive manufacturing business.

“My father bought our first machine to feature a FANUC control over 50 years ago and we are also convinced by FANUC CNC technology. That’s why almost all of our 60 CNC machine tools have a FANUC controller.”

FANUC CNCs on site at Erdrich include the Series 30𝑖/31𝑖/32𝑖/35𝑖-Model B for high-speed, high-accuracy machining. The company also has 20 FANUC industrial robots, including R-2000𝑖C and M-710𝑖C models, operating across various machining cells in floor and upside-down mounting positions.

Erdrich has an in-house IT team and uses proprietary production software. The software communicates with CNC machine tools on site via FANUC’s FOCAS (Factory Automation Communication Library) communications protocol, which permits external applications to access data from FANUC controls. FOCAS uses Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files to communicate with the CNC, typically via Ethernet or High-Speed Serial Bus (HSSB).

“A good example of how we use FOCAS involves the measurement of parts outside the machines,” explains Steve Erdrich. “The measured values are transferred to our software, which provides correction proposals. From these suggestions we can say “correct machine” in the software at the click of a mouse. This capability saves us having to perform calculations and manual typing on the control system. FOCAS works wonderfully and is very stable.”

He concludes: “Looking back, remaining loyal to FANUC technology was definitely the right step for the success of our business. The reliability and longevity of the controls motivates us to keep working with FANUC.”