Tailor-made vibration damping technology saving costs and increasing quality in mechanical engineering and testing applications

In mechanical engineering applications (such as machine tools) vibrations have a detrimental impact on quality of products and tool life. Conventional solutions to reduce vibrations such as grey cast components are quite expensive and not individually adaptable for optimized vibration damping and client needs. The Austrian company developed a technology with excellent vibration damping characteristics to improve tool life, precision of mechanical operations, machine structure behaviour and sound emission levels significantly. The system consists of an innovative composite material, comprising a welded steel structure with high structural stiffness filled with special concrete. In comparison to grey cast components the new technology saves costs, especially for small batches and prototypes of machine tools, clamping plates etc. It also allows the integration of additional functionalities and components, such as heating or cooling coils, conduits for energy supply, hydraulics, pneumatics, anchors for lifting and many more. Compared to other composite material technologies (steel structure filled with polymer concrete) the novel system again has significantly better vibration damping behaviour and heat stability and does not contain epoxy resins (has less environmental impact). The special concrete can be adjusted to individual needs. Specific weight, damping characteristics, modulus of elasticity (E-modulus), compressive strength and other characteristics can be varied in a wide range to meet the particular client requirements. During engineering, the part's natural and resonance frequencies are determined and can be adjusted by design measures if they interfere with the overall structure or machine. Even possibly required vibration boundaries, such as vibration velocity and vibration amplitudes can be taken into account beforehand. The following types of the system are available and can be adjusted according to specific client requirements: - type 1: density up to 2,500 kg/m³; E-modulus up to 60,000 N/mm²; - type 2: density up to 1,200 kg/m³; E-modulus up to 12,000 N/mm²; - type 3: density 650 kg/m³; E-modulus approx. 5,000 N/mm²; especially suited for moving parts (slides, lathe slides, carriages etc.); - type 4: density 220 kg/m³; E-modulus approx. 100 N/mm²; especially suited for moving parts (slides, travelling columns etc.); Application areas: - The technology is currently in use in machine beds for machine-tools and machining centers (examples are turning, milling, grinding, lathing machine tools of all sizes). It is further applicable in structure parts, base frames and the like. - The system is also used in the testing industry, particularly in clamping plates, where it is engineered and designed for specific measurement tasks. Applications include testing of engines, transmissions, brakes, sound emissions etc. - The innovative compound material together with expertise in engineering and simulation are especially advantageous for developing prototypes of new machines. The SME is looking for: 1) technical cooperation partners: companies who want to optimize their new developments of machine tools, machining centers, industrial robots, industrial testing technology etc. by integrating the novel system for vibration damping. 2) research cooperation partners to enter into new R&D projects in the framework of funding programmes: R&D organisations with focus on thermal stability of machine tools and/or on the development/analysis of alternative filling compounds.