Retrofit and Modernization Services
Even the best technology eventually starts to show its age. As a result, machines and plants can easily come up against their limits – especially today, with ever-growing requirements. Plant operators need intelligent concepts and solutions so that they can achieve their productivity and performance targets, while at the same time protecting their investments. This is precisely the goal of Siemens’ retrofit and modernization services.
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Protecting investments. Safeguarding the future.
Unscheduled downtime, low energy efficiency, high maintenance costs: When outdated machines and plants cause problems, the crucial decision for you as the operator is whether to invest in new equipment or to overhaul the existing equipment and upgrade it to the state of the art.Our experts will help you make the right decision for your situation so you can economically extend the lifecycle of your machines and plants. This is generally best achieved through modernization: in other words, with a complete package consisting of hardware, software, and mechanical components. Another alternative is a targeted retrofit, which involves replacing old components with modern ones. Both measures are key factors in long-term investment security, and each is a worthwhile investment in its own right. And each can pay off quickly, for example, through energy savings or by tapping into more optimization potential that help reduce your operating costs. You’ll be surprised how well your old machines and plants will perform after a systematic and qualified overhaul by our experts.
Systematically increasing machine availability
If the mechanical components of a machine tool are still in good condition but the control and/or drive section are no longer technically up to date, this is just the situation where our CNC retrofit measures are usually far more economical than a new investment. Our offer comprises the specific upgrading of individual components to the latest technical state of the art. This includes new Sinumerik and Sinamics control and drive technology, workshop-oriented programming, and if necessary a mechanical overhaul. The advantages come in form of greater productivity, thanks to reduced downtime and faster machining cycles, improved quality due to higher precision, and simpler operation and programming – and naturally, an assured supply of spare parts in the long term. Our solutions are precisely tailored to your specific requirements – when replacing control units and drives as well as implementing a mechanical modernization or complete solution.
Economic modernization for PC-based machine tools
The mechanical components in your machine tools often run reliably for decades. But during this time, the control and drive technology continues to evolve. By discontinuing these components, the supply of spare parts can be difficult, and older systems often do not meet the current IT security requirements. This also applies to machines with the PCU-based SINUMERIK 840D pl – therefore, with PCU Retrofit we offer an economical alternative to a complete retrofit or to the purchase of a new machine. Increase productivity with state-of-the-art hardware and secure spare parts availability, improve IT security and take advantage of new features.
Successfully increasing productivity
Flexibility in production and avoiding bottlenecks are key criteria for success. Especially with intensively used machine tools with a high load factor, achieving maximum utilization of the machine capacity brings great economic benefits. With Productivity Improvement, we provide an analysis and assessment of the production potential of your Sinumerik 840D-equipped machine tool. Productivity-boosting measures are then verified in a simulation before they are implemented on your machine tool.
Your advantages: speeding up and optimization of machine processes with productivity increase up to 15 percent, reduction of machining time with no loss of quality and therefore a direct reduction in unit costs, and short machine downtime thanks to systematic and time-optimized implementation by our specialists. Productivity Improvement reduces capacity bottlenecks in production and helps you satisfy your customers’ requirements. More optimization potential can be unlocked with Manufacturing IT measures.
Getting proven technology fit for the future
A retrofit is recommended for older production machines if the mechanical section contains a high proportion of steel or if the automation system is outdated and susceptible to fault. There are two reasons for this: first, because the cost of a retrofit is between 20 and 60 percent lower than for procuring a new machine – and also because of the often very long delivery time involved with to ordering a new machine.
With our technology and sector know-how, we’re the ideal partner for your retrofit project, offering everything from comprehensive consultation to on-schedule implementation. Our custom concepts are based on the very latest technology and follow a clearly defined implementation process – perfectly matched to your requirements, your timeframe, and your budget. They include designing and selecting the right drive units and motors and considering all safety requirements for personnel and machine. Our modular construction concept allows us to fulfill your specific requirements. The outcome: Your machine is restored to state-of-the-art condition with outstanding performance thanks to greatly enhanced availability, productivity, and energy efficiency.
Optimizing the entire drive train
Drive systems need to run safely and reliably – often for decades, and in some cases under harsh conditions. As a result, the drive train and all its components are subject to extreme wear and tear, and these factors also increase the risk of unscheduled downtime over the years. This risk can be averted with specific retrofit measures.
We offer a full range of options as part of our retrofit program – for Siemens and third-party products alike – that increase investment security and at the same time maximize the availability, reliability, and energy efficiency of the drives installed at your plant. Optimized energy efficiency also makes a positive impact on your company’s ecological balance sheet.
In our retrofit solutions for integrated drive systems (IDS), we take a holistic approach that focuses on the drive train in its entirety: motors, converters, and gear units. Our comprehensive retrofit program includes a large variety of options – one of which is bound to match your requirements.
Innovative services for long-term plant availability
In addition to preventive maintenance of the hardware platform, maintaining and updating of installed software components are key factors in the lifecycle costs of a PC-based control system. In order to maintain your components and the entire plant at the most up-to-date level, we use the innovative technologies from the IT environment: for example, data-based services, virtualization and cloud platform solutions. We work with you to unlock your plant’s complete potential and make it fit for the future through modernization.
