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THE PRECISION FOR
SCANNING THE UNIVERSE

The KLARTEXT team is back on the road again. This time, our journey takes us to a startup operating in a highly demanding environment: the manufacture of ultra-precision components for major scientific projects and the aerospace industry.

As we step into the new production hall of Black Forest RMS GmbH, the scent of fresh timber fills the air. Constructed using timber-frame technology, the building is still a work in progress. Tradespeople are putting the finishing touches in place, cables are being installed, and much of the equipment has yet to arrive. Yet amid this atmosphere of new beginnings stands the centerpiece of the operation: a brand-new HERMLE C 650 equipped with an HS flex heavy handling system and the latest TNC7 control, fully operational on the hall’s pristine new floor. Although the relocation is still underway, the system is already up and running. The reason is simple: demand is high, and the first orders are already waiting.
 

WHEN MICRONS DETERMINE SCIENTIFIC SUCCESS

Black Forest RMS GmbH develops and manufactures high-precision aluminum and steel components as well as precision mirror surfaces. Over the coming years, the international ngVLA project (Next Generation Very Large Array) will see the installation of a total of 244 radio telescopes with diameters of 18 meters, and another 19 antennas with six-meter dishes, distributed across a distance of more than 8,000 kilometers. 

Black Forest RMS manufactures the highly precise panels for the telescopes’ subreflectors. These panels collect and focus the signals received by the telescopes and therefore must be produced to significantly tighter tolerances than the primary reflector panels, which are manufactured using a specialized forming process. The
rule is simple: the higher the frequencies that must be received, the more precise the reflective surface needs to be. And that is where the challenge begins.

FROM 200 KILOGRAMS DOWN TO EIGHT

In front of us lies a massive aluminum block weighing approximately 200 kilograms. After about four hours of machining, the machine produces a finished component weighing just eight kilos. The real achievement, however, is not the amount of material removed, but the level of precision attained. The finished panels achieve a form accuracy of less than three microns RMS. With complex freeform 3D surfaces featuring a mirror-like finish, even the slightest irregularity becomes visible. The goal is nothing less than to raise precision in the manufacture of aluminum mirror surfaces to a level that has never been achieved before.

“The transition from the iTNC 530 to the TNC7 was much easier than expected.“
Gerd Strössner Process Development Engineer

NEW MACHINE, NEW POSSIBILITIES

Gerd Strössner is responsible for programming. With his extensive experience in machining complex freeform surfaces, he immediately recognized the advantages of the new machine-and-control combination. For him, it represents a significant technological leap compared to the iTNC 530 previously in use. “The transition from the iTNC 530 to the TNC7 was much easier than expected,” he reports. After receiving training from the machine manufacturer, he was able to get up to speed quickly. Although the demanding components are programmed entirely using a CAM system, Strössner appreciates the expanded capabilities of the TNC7, particularly when it comes to highly dynamic machining processes and the control’s comprehensive measurement and compensation functions. The intuitive touchscreen operation, including smooth zooming of complex workpieces, is another feature that has made a strong impression.
 

AUTOMATION WITH A SENSE OF PROPORTION
Production at Black Forest RMS is strategically geared toward growth. The company’s goal is a highly automated manufacturing environment with minimal staffing requirements, supported by seamlessly integrated logistics and automation processes. The move into the new production facility has laid the foundation for that vision. Additional machine capacity has already been planned, and the infrastructure provides ample room for future expansion.