Milestones of
METROM
Our history
It all began with an invention
METROM can already look back on over 25 years of success. It all began with one engineer, one person, one idea and one invention. The idea of building a robot-controlled CNC machine was ingenious at the time, but very complex due to the computing technology involved. The Hexapod fascinated many engineers in the 1990s. But it was not the optimum. Something had to be done so that this idea of strut kinematics could show its advantage over conventional CNC machines. And one night, Dr. Michael Schwaar came up with the idea of taking a strut from the Hexapod and calling it the Pentapod. With the Pentapod machine, the strut can be tilted by 90° on one side so that complete 5-sided machining is possible.
1996
First developments
The Fraunhofer IWU developed the 6-struts parallel kinematic machine tool MIKROMAT 6X HEXA
Parallel kinematic CNC machine tools have been on the market since 1970. These machines were developed out of the need to produce complex tool shapes from forming technology with such kinematics. The major advantage here was the low mass to be moved (spindle) and the resulting high performance.
However, such a machine with this level of precision and suitable control technology was not available on the market at the time. Fraunhofer decided to develop a parallel kinematic machine tool that would meet these requirements. The result was the MIKROMAT 6X HEXA 6-axis parallel kinematic machine tool.
2001
Foundation of METROM
Invention of the Pentapod machine (P-series) and foundation of METROM Mechatronische Maschinen GmbH
The invention of our P-series Pentapod machines naturally originated at the Fraunhofer IWU. Dr. Michael Schwaar worked at the Fraunhofer IWU and was already involved in the development of the MIKROMAT Hexapod back then.
He therefore came up with the idea of using only 5 struts instead of 6. This allows the spindle to be tilted up to 90° on one side. He opted for this approach and founded his own machine tool company, METROM Mechatronische Maschinen GmbH. He is considered the inventor of our innovative Pentapod machines. At the time, he was 5 to 10 years ahead – a high-performance CNC industrial robot.
2008
First PM series
Development and construction of the first Pentapod CNC machine (PM-Series) for mobile CNC machining
Following the success of the Pentapod P series machining centers, a new machine series was born, which is nothing more than a simplified Pentapod CNC machine for mobile use – the PM series.
This machine arose from the requirement to mechanically repair a very large component. It quickly became clear that the structure of our Pentapod machines is basically in two parts. The upper part of the machine determines the process (icosahedron hood and strut kinematics) and the lower part accompanies the process (frame, tool changer, machine table, etc.). These two parts were thus structurally separated, resulting in a flexible machine that meets the high requirements of a conventional machine tool but can also machine oversized components in any position.
2010
Headquarter
Since 2010 we are at the new company headquarters in Hartmannsdorf, Saxony
Having previously built our machines in an industrial hall in Chemnitz, we have had a new company location in the industrial area of the small town of Hartmannsdorf in Saxony since 2010. A new company complex was built with a production and assembly hall as well as offices for our engineers. This site is used jointly with millfax GmbH, which carries out contract manufacturing on METROM machines.
This means that the production of components and the construction of our Pentapod machines take place under one roof. Thanks to our central location in Saxony, we are also closely networked with other companies and research institutions in the region.
2011
INTEC award
We won the INTEC award for “Companies with less than 100 employees”.
The INTEC trade fair is a trade fair for manufacturing technology and special mechanical engineering that takes place every two years in Leipzig.
In 2011, we were awarded the prize in the category “Companies with less than 100 employees”. The reason for this was the then new mobile 5-axis machine from the PM series. Machining very large components mechanically with high precision in 5 axes thanks to a special measuring system was and still is unique worldwide.
2016
CEO Susanne Witt
Ms. Susanne Witt has been the CEO of METROM since 2016
In 2016, Ms. Susanne Witt, the daughter of the inventor and founder of METROM, took over the management of the company.
In this year, Ms. Susanne Witt and METROM decided to take a new path as a machine tool manufacturer for milling machines – additive manufacturing. This marked the start of a new major challenge for our Pentapods.
2019
INTEC award
Awarded the INTEC award for the second time
Word of the integration of additive manufacturing into our Pentapod machines spread quickly and was awarded in 2019.
To this end, the SEAM (Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing) 3D printing tool developed by Fraunhofer IWU was mechanically adapted to our machine spindle, enabling the 3D printing of large components with our 5-axis machines. This made us one of the first machine tool manufacturers in the world to be able to manufacture additively and subtractively in one machine.
2021
20 years
METROM celebrated 20 years of successful mechanical engineering history
We celebrated 20 years of successful company history. Over these many years, METROM has proven that the inventor and founder, Dr. Michael Schwaar, has very well a right to exist in the large machine tool industry with the Pentapod machines. Thanks to Susanne Witt’s young management team, the vision is being continued and adapted to the new times and the demands of technology. We have new and big goals that are still a vision today and will soon be reality tomorrow.