Tool automation. HEDELIUS STANDBY magazine.

BL Lasertechnik GmbH turned a disaster into a success story. Despite the devastating fire that destroyed its production halls, the company opted for a quick restart. Thanks to the support of partners such as HEDELIUS, production was resumed and even expanded in a very short space of time.

The powerhouse for heavy-duty machining - a TILTENTA 10-3600 from HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik in Meppen - has been in the production hall just outside the gates of Eindhoven for a year now. The long-established Dutch company De Rooy machines very large, often complex workpieces from a wide variety of materials.

"Never change a winning team" - this could be the headline for the collaboration between HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik and automation specialist BMO at the Dutch manufacturing company Edumar Metaalbewerking. On the way to even more flexible unmanned production, the choice has now been made for the second time in favour of a joint solution from the two manufacturers.

"In 2012, we were faced with the challenge of having to modernise our entire CNC chipping process," says Tim Sprenger, Production Manager at BAADER, looking back. "We wanted a supplier who was just as interested as we were in a partnership-based collaboration and who would approach the issue with us on an equal footing. We found what we were looking for with HEDELIUS."

The factory halls of Kreiselmeyer Umformtechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Nuremberg are dominated by systems for laser cutting, pressing, turning, edging and welding steel plates. However, with the increasing shift towards the production of complete assemblies, chipping is also becoming increasingly important. With the TILTENTA 7 from HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik in Meppen, Kreiselmeyer has found the right milling centre.

WFT Werkzeug- und Frästechnik GmbH** specialises in the precise production of pre-series and series tools for the plastics processing industry. The company's example impressively demonstrates what can be achieved with the right automation solution - and why employees also benefit from it.

MFC - Modell- und Formenbau Chemnitz manufactures aluminium moulds for the plastics processing industry and devices and gauges for vehicle construction on two TILTENTA machines: small, fine workpieces during the day, large workpieces with long running times at night.

Anyone visiting WuM Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH in Mühlhausen, Thuringia, will get an impression of the end products that are manufactured using their tools from the entrance lobby. WuM machines high-precision stamping tools for the automotive industry on a TILTENTA 7, an ACURA 85 and a FORTE 11.

Founded as a supplier to the textile industry, MEM Maschinenbau GmbH from Ahaus is now closed in special machinery, systems and steel construction. With the purchase of an ACURA 65 MARATHON in 2021, the operation led by Managing Director Hans-Jürgen Marx took the plunge into production automation - and it is paying off today.

"We at WVG Alu tec from Bad Arolsen have known HEDELIUS for many years and are already something of a family. And where do you trust each other more than within a family?" That's why Gruhs is proud of the "latest achievement", as he puts it: the TILTENTA 7-3200 5-axis machining centre with swivelling spindle and two integrated NC rotary tables.

"After work, the ACURA 65 EL and the BMO Platinum continue to work for us." Jan Inboden and his colleagues are delighted with the reliable technology from HEDELIUS. ERO GmbH from Simmern in Hunsrück is a prime example of a family business that has grown healthily.

Tscharner Mechanik AG is a small manufacturing company in Prättigau. From the very beginning, founder Bruno Tscharner has focussed on automation. The latest investment is a fully automated production cell with the ACURA 65 5-axis machining centre from HEDELIUS.

Just over 20 years ago, master mechanical engineer Thomas Claaßen took the plunge into self-employment. Today, the Claaßen Group from Scharrel in the Oldenburger Münsterland region employs 250 people in four companies. A clear philosophy and continuous investment, including in automated machining centres from HEDELIUS, have made this development possible.

The SOLLICH KG is the worldwide market leader for chocolate processing machines. The family business from Bad Salzuflen in East Westphalia faced a major challenge when it came to modernising its chipping machinery. Increasingly complex single parts in a wide range of sizes and lengths have to be manufactured flexibly and efficiently. In HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik, the company found a partner who could make this possible.

The Trissler & Kielkopf GmbH is located in Reutlingen, at the "gateway to the Swabian Alb". Since the early 1990s, Peter and Christel Dorau have been at the helm of the contract manufacturing company, which will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary. The Swabian medium-sized company has been relying on HEDELIUS machining centres for 22 years.

The town of Georgsmarienhütte is named after the local steel company, which grew out of the local mining industry. Today, mining vehicles, special machinery and medical technology are manufactured in one of the former industrial halls of Georgsmarienhütte. Here and at another site, Wendt Maschinenbau GmbH und Co. KG manufactures a broad range of parts, machines, steel structures and devices on behalf of customers.

At WERNERT-PUMPEN GmbH, a specialist in the pumping of demanding liquids, the average batch size is between 1 and 100. In mechanical production, a TILTENTA 7-3200 from HEDELIUS with a large contact surface, mobile work area partition, standby magazine and zero-point clamping system creates the best conditions for flexible and productive machining of pump parts of different sizes, numbers and materials.

WKT-Wernemann Kunststofftechnik GmbH** is a second-generation family business that has continued to grow at its founding location in Geeste-Dalum. Since 1994, the company has been manufacturing GRP parts for a wide range of applications and in all shapes, from threaded rods to complete insulating housings. For precise chipping, the company relies on 3-axis and 5-axis machining centres from HEDELIUS.

Development, production and service of special machines and machine components are the mainstays of Zander EMS GmbH. Sophisticated devices and components are developed and manufactured for customers from the automotive industry in particular. Two HEDELIUS machining centres provide the necessary precision and flexibility.

The toolmakers at Gemü rely on the ACURA 65 EL from HEDELIUS for the pre-milling of their tool components. The universal milling machine performs with a robust travelling column construction on a very small footprint. Thanks to the large tool store, automated production also brings great advantages.

It is already the fourth HEDELIUS that Alwin Lamping, owner and managing director of LWM Werkzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH, has in his machine park. The toolmaker from Vechta did not hesitate for long when making his latest investment. He experienced the ACURA 65 live under chip removal at the last AMB in Stuttgart and was immediately impressed by the extremely compact high-performance machine.

Martin CNC-Präzisionsteile, a contract manufacturing company based in Asslar, Hesse, has opened up its chipping operations to machines from HEDELIUS, thereby significantly expanding its product range. Another benefit: the high level of accuracy thanks to five-sided machining.

Sheet metal processing is the core business of the 150-strong medium-sized company mech-tron from Roding. In order to meet the constantly growing customer requirements, one of the leading manufacturers of housings for electronic and embedded equipment has also grown in other technology areas, particularly in milling.

The innovative Metallverarbeitung Uwe Ebertz GmbH is based in Sinn-Fleisbach, Hesse. Since its foundation, the family business has undergone a transformation from a sheet metal processor to a comprehensive service provider in metal processing. Modern technologies made in Germany are used, such as the Tiltenta 7-3200 machining centre from HEDELIUS Maschinenfabrik GmbH.

The idyllic landscape around Lake Chiemsee invites you to relax and unwind. The region is very popular with holidaymakers. Where others go on holiday, Georg Pfisterer and his 20 employees work on high-precision components for laboratory and medical devices. An ACURA 65 from HEDELIUS has also been in use since 2017.

Starting out as a small contract manufacturing company, the company from the tranquil community of Weißenstadt with its 3000 inhabitants now employs 25 people and offers national and international customers from a wide range of industries innovative complete solutions in the areas of mechanical engineering, metal and electrical engineering, automation and special machine construction.

Within just a few years, SD Automotive GmbH has developed into a specialised service provider for the automotive industry. By constantly expanding its machinery, the company has been able to master the high demands placed on milling in particular. The latest technology in the chipping range comes from HEDELIUS in Meppen.

Since its foundation in 1986, D+P, Dosier- und Prüftechnik GmbH has been developing and producing highly complex standard products and customised systems for applying and dispensing liquids, greases and pastes as well as for assembling components and testing functions. The products of the 60-strong company are mainly used in the automotive and electrical industries as well as in mechanical engineering, assembly technology and the air and space industry.

At Edumar Metaalbewerking in Someren, the Netherlands, spindle hours count and production is planned to be highly efficient. Many of the metalworking company's turning and milling machines are therefore equipped with automation solutions. At the beginning of the year, an ACURA 65 EL from HEDELIUS was put into operation with a Titanium 180 from BMO Automation. In combination with the automation system, the 5-axis machining centre is expected to achieve up to 8,000 spindle hours per year.

The wind tunnel system at European Transonic Windtunnel GmbH is currently being modernised and its range of capabilities expanded. This also includes the modernisation of the workshop, for which a Tiltenta 6-2300 from HEDELIUS was purchased. This means that full and half models of aeroplanes up to 2.30 m in length can now be machined in a single set-up.

Förster Sondermaschinen GmbH**, based in Lindlar, not far from Cologne, specialises in the manufacture of customer-specific precision components. The batch size of the milled parts produced is usually between 1 and 10: Thanks to a highly flexible, customer-oriented production organisation, the customer can call off the parts as required.

The BAADER Group, which has been in existence for almost a hundred years, has been family-owned since it was founded in 1919 and now employs a good 1100 people worldwide, 500 at its headquarters in Lübeck alone. The centre of gravity at the northern German site is clearly on the production of fish processing machines.

The success story of Bathon GmbH began over 40 years ago with toolmaking as a sideline. Today, the family business has closed its doors as a versatile service provider in the metalworking industry. Flexible production is an important success factor. A HEDELIUS machining centre is also used for this purpose.

In the highly competitive sheet metal processing market, BL-Lasertechnik GmbH has successfully made a name for itself. By expanding the value chain to include the milling range, the company is on course for growth and currently employs 90 people.