Advanced presses for vacuum technology company

Wickert Maschinenbau has supplied J. Schmalz GmbH with three WKP 4000 S vacuum chamber presses. Schmalz, which claims to be one of the world's leading companies for vacuum technology and manual handling, uses the presses in its new plant in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and in the technical center at its headquarters in Glatten in the Black Forest.

In Bydgoszcz, Schmalz uses the presses to manufacture components for vacuum cups made of rubber and silicone. These parts are used in many industries - including at Wickert itself in press construction.

The WKP 4000 S has heating plates with a surface area of 600 x 600 millimetres and offers a pressing force of 4,000 kilonewtons. Their vacuum chambers prevent air inclusions during the pressing process, which reduce quality. This means that the parts of the elastomer suction cups in contact with the product in sizes between 20 and 400 millimetres are produced cleanly and reliably.

Markus Odermatt, Head of Production at the Plastics Center at Schmalz, praises the high production quality, the precise temperature distribution and the solid "Made in Germany" design. He particularly appreciates the customer-oriented implementation: Wickert has tailored the presses precisely to Schmalz's product range and requirements.

Special requests such as interior lighting, central discharge and an integrated compressed air booster were quickly implemented. The stable fixed piping is also an important plus for Odermatt: "The risk of hose ruptures is eliminated. Wear is reduced and safety is increased."

According to him, a key argument for the investment was the fixed working height of the upper piston presses. As the elastomer parts manufactured by Schmalz became larger and larger, employees found it increasingly difficult to operate the previous presses in view of the changing working heights. Odermatt emphasizes: "Ergonomics are important to us. That's why we paid particular attention to it."

Dominik Haug, an employee in the Global Operations Network department, particularly likes the remote access to the control system. This means that a technician at Wickert's headquarters in Landau can directly operate the machines in Bydgoszcz, around 1,000 kilometers away, if required.

"Even an on-site visit is less complicated these days, as it can be done by car and there is no language barrier," says Haug. "If necessary, a competent Wickert employee is there quickly." He finds the bilingual user interface particularly practical: "Switching between Polish and German makes it much easier to communicate with the Polish employees at the machine."

At the technical center, Schmalz uses the press for sample parts, tool testing, and evaluating technical improvements. Among other things, an integrated monitoring system measures the energy consumption per part. "This could be exciting for the future," says Odermatt.

Wickert has been using vacuum suction cups from Schmalz for material handling on its presses for years. Now Schmalz itself is becoming a Wickert customer. For Steve Büchner, sales engineer at Wickert, the relationship is more than just a classic supply relationship: "We are united by our pursuit of quality and innovation. This makes the collaboration particularly pleasant and fruitful."