Hembrug BV: Decoder of Micro-Vibrations, Jointly Shaping the Silent Revolution in Precision Machining

In Zaanstad, the Netherlands, in the 1960s, a well-known industry challenge lurked beneath the hum of high-precision machine tools—micro-vibrations generated when tools contact workpieces, like untamable phantoms, leave imperceptible ripples on nano-scale machined surfaces. As a pioneer in precision hard turning technology, Hembrug BV discovered while machining reference mirrors for optical institutions: even when equipment rigidity reached its peak, certain vibrations still occurred randomly, preventing surface finish from breaking the critical threshold.

At that time, the mirror base Hembrug machined for the 3.6-meter telescope project of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) consistently showed local micron-level vibration marks in laboratory tests. These marks were harmless under regular observation but scattered incident light from the high-power telescope, reducing imaging clarity. More perplexing was that the vibrations occurred without pattern and could not be eliminated by traditional shock absorption technology. For Hembrug, whose mission was to "surpass the limits of the naked eye," this was not just a technical bottleneck but a fundamental questioning of precision philosophy—when errors stemmed from the physical nature of materials themselves, was there a theoretical limit to precision?

While Dutch engineers tried to "suppress" vibrations with higher rigidity structures, the HMS team proposed a disruptive research path: "If vibrations are the natural language of materials, can we translate them into interpretable signals?" This question gave birth to the "Vibration Acoustic Signature Analysis System." In the laboratory of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the two parties coupled an acoustic sensor array with cutting dynamics for the first time, constructing a correlation map between vibration behavior and material microstructure by capturing the phase relationships of vibrations at different frequencies.

HMS’s Insight:True precision stems from a profound understanding and coexistence with the nature of matter.

We believe that the most outstanding manufacturing art lies not in opposing physical laws, but in understanding their deep-seated language and transforming it into a new dimension of precision.

When your machining process touches the boundaries of physical laws, what kind of partner do you need? We look forward to exploring the underlying logic of precision manufacturing with you.