Manufacturing

A stand-out feature of our Hilchenbach and Mönchengladbach locations is the direct interaction between engineering and manufacturing. This naturally facilitates a continuous exchange of ideas between these departments for ongoing optimization of our products

Key to meeting your requirements is the skill of our employees. Future specialists start their careers at SMS as junior staff in special apprentice workshops. Every year, more than 170 young people embark on vocational training at SMS, learning their skills from the bottom up.

Components for metallurgical plants must withstand extreme static and dynamic stresses. That's why SMS uses a wide range of conventional and automated welding systems to ensure optimal welded joins. Our employees are experts in welding together different materials. You can rest assured that we meet all safety and quality assurance specifications.

All our manufacturing centers are equipped with latest-generation machine tools tailored to the specific requirements of heavy plant construction. Equally important, our equipment is CNC controlled. It's standard procedure for us to write the machining programs offline using a 3D-CAM system. Then we simulate the processes in advance so we can detect and correct errors even in extremely complex machining schedules. That ensures shorter lead times.

Operation under high loads, at low oscillation, and around the clock - these are requirements our gears take in their stride. Yet that's only possible because we achieve precise dimensions, shaping, and positioning. Simultaneously, all our gear parts feature high surface quality, especially on the toothing. To meet the exacting demands of these special products, we set up a dedicated production area in Hilchenbach. It covers a floor-space of 4,000 m^₂ and includes complete machining centers for tooth milling and grinding, plus quality assurance and assembly zones. A standalone measuring machine inspects the gearing and can handle gearwheels weighing up to 40 t with diameters of as much as 5,500 mm.

Depending on the order, our teams pre-assemble or fully assemble products in several dedicated halls. Also included in the assembly workshop program are functional tests and trial runs performed on our own test rigs. Next there is our pipeline field where you benefit from precise CNC bending, welding, and laying of various tube and pipe materials. Furthermore, we carry out surface treatment of components, i.e. painting and preservation, as well as preparation for shipment.

High production quality is our hallmark, with quality assurance an essential factor in achieving it. Here we apply our own standards, which go far beyond the usual norms. Our testing and inspection personnel is certified according to ISO 9712. This standard specifies principles for the qualification and certification of personnel carrying out non-destructive testing. To assure the quality of our corrosion protection and colour coatings, several employees are certified as coating inspectors in accordance with NS 476 FROSIO.

First and foremost, our modern workshops are dedicated to producing core products and components from the SMS group range. But it's also usual for us to take on external production orders, e.g. in the following fields:

• Complex manufacturing of large parts
• Small series up to a unit weight of 5 t
• Mechanical drive components
• Complete transmissions
• Hydraulic systems and pipe systems
• Assembly of components for machine tools and for general plant and machinery construction

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have, also during a personal meeting if you wish.

Consequently, SMS ensures top welding quality with employees who are experts in welding many different materials together. To carry out their work, they use welding machines for perfectly even seams. Our production shops hold the manufacturer's qualification for welding works according to certificate EN 1090-2 (comprehensive qualification certificate) as well as the extension according to DIN 15018. It's an approval which confirms that we meet all safety and quality assurance requirements for welding steel constructions.

Totaling more than 70 systems, our machine tool park is tailored to the specific requirements of heavy plant construction. Included on the shop floor are machining centers, turning and milling centers, center lathes, boring mills, and gantry-type portal milling machines for machining large parts as well as modern grinding machines that produce high surface qualities.

Depending on the order, our teams pre-assemble or fully assemble the various products in several assembly halls. The heavy components assembly hall can handle components weighing up to 250 t, and with additional hydraulic equipment, we can even move loads of up to 400 t.