Brakes, Clutch & Chassis – Efficient Manufacturing of Safety-Critical Components

The machine picks up the workpiece itself - without a separate handling unit. On vertical pick-up turning machines such as the VL series, the work spindle picks up the component directly from the conveyor belt. This enables very short non-productive times, unobstructed chip removal, and a compact machine design. In link-up production lines for brake discs, brake drums, or wheel hubs, this achieves a high degree of automation with minimal footprint. 

Safety-critical components such as brake discs or outer races require the highest dimensional and geometric accuracy as well as reliable, reproducible manufacturing processes. At the same time, there is significant cost pressure in these segments: large quantities must be produced with short cycle times and minimal setup times. Ball raceways on outer races, require tight tolerances and defined surface qualities - both in the soft and hardened states. 

Depending on the component and requirements, different technologies are used. For brake discs and wheel hubs, turning, drilling, and milling are the primary processes - carried out on lathes or turning/milling machines. Outer races are machined by combining soft and hard turning as well as soft and hard milling of the ball tracks, sometimes in a single setup. Brake drums also undergo a balancing process, which is likewise integrated into the automated line. 

For large components such as truck wheel hubs and brake drums, the VL 8 is recommended, featuring a chuck dia. of 500 mm and up to 71.7 kW of drive power. For passenger car brake discs, DUO machines are often used; they enable simultaneous machining and short chip-to-chip times for large batches. Outer race journals are manufactured on the VSC series using combination machining of turning and milling. For smaller quantities and components with many variants, the VM 9 turning center offers the necessary flexibility. 

EMAG manufacturing systems for outer races enable tight tolerances in turning operations as well as excellent ball-track qualities - in both soft and hard milling. The base body of the machines used is made of Mineralit (polymer concrete), which ensures low-vibration machining. This directly contributes to long tool life and consistently high component quality.  

Cost savings arise on multiple levels: Combined machining in a single setup reduces clamping errors and eliminates setup times between operations. Compact, replicable manufacturing cells enable demand-driven scaling without expensive investments in new basic concepts. Predictive servicing via the EDNA platform reduces unplanned downtime. And firm commitments regarding takt and cycle times at project handover provide planning certainty for your production budgeting. 

EMAG’s manufacturing solutions for brakes, clutches, and chassis address both the passenger car sector and the commercial vehicle sector. With scalable production lines and flexible machine concepts, EMAG covers the entire spectrum of modern vehicle production—including the growing demands of electromobility.