24/7, 8 employees

24/7, 8 employees

In the wire-cutting of mould components, SD Formentechnik banks on customer loyalty and machines from Mitsubishi Electric.

Jens Dryzynski and Holger Schulte, managers of SD Formentechnik KG, have included the FA20-S Advance V wire-cut erosion system from Mitsubishi Electric in their machine park.

If you drop in on SD Formentechnik KG, Schalksmühle, during the lunch break, you can sense the team spirit wafting over to you from outside the production shop. Its managers Jens Dryzynski and Holger Schulte enjoy the break together with their staff in the yard. “Our small team is big enough to respond flexibly,” Schulte explains. “This is a key advantage in terms of our company philos­ophy that stresses strong customer loyalty,” Dryzynski adds.

The small mould cores in a multi-workpiece clamping oper­ation are machined step-by-step by wire-cutting, die-sinking and repeated wire-cutting.

SD Formentechnik has also created the basis for long-term business relations with the quality of its work and high man-ufacturing depth. All this is backed up by punctuality as well as swift reaction in the event of any problems, unforeseen repairs or tight delivery deadlines. Thanks to this rapid response, customers benefit from virtually continuous processes and planning security.

Sights set on win-win situations

Customers also appreciate the advice given by the company founded in 2003. This is based on experience and on the resultant expertise. In the building of injection moulds, SD Formentechnik covers all the planning, development and realisation stages, from the initial design through to the finished injection moulding. Holger Schulte goes over to a glass cabinet containing products of his customers. These include interior components for cars, electrical and electronic components, syringes and cannulae for medical technology, and assembly parts for the construction industry. “With our expertise, we’re able to produce moulds for a wide range of industrial sectors and applications, and always with high precision and reliability. And this can be a new mould or the repair or modification of an existing one. We’re often able to produce injection moulds with simpler and less expensive designs. In all this, one thing always stays the same: our aspiration to achieve a win-win situation.”

Mould core for a household wiring box.

What set the company apart from its competitors in the region are its more advanced machine park and mould sizes with basic lengths and widths of up to 900 and 600 millimetres respectively. A unique selling point in the immediate geographical surroundings is that the company develops and produces injection moulds not only for thermoplastics but also for thermosetting plastics, materials that are more stable dimensionally and temperature-wise than thermoplastics.

Unmanned night and day

The company’s machine park has included a FA20-S Advance V wire EDM machine from Mitsubishi Electric since July 2008. The machine is equipped with a wire-threading system that reliably and automatically threads the wire in ten seconds, a ten kilo wire station and a wire chopper. The machine can run unmanned and hence around the clock. Jens Dry­zynski shows us small mould cores in a multi-workpiece clamping operation. “The same also applies to these complex parts that we machine step-by-step by wire-cutting, die-sinking and repeated wire-cutting.” The operator has the chance to monitor the unmanned system via remote control and a data line. This tool can also be used for controlling the system in real time.

This complex collapsible core with a middle seg­ment and outer con­tour parts is required in injection moulds for internal undercuts so that, for example, threaded parts with mould contours can be released.

A new robot system for 5-axis milling will soon be installed here

On top of this, the FA20-S Advance V is equipped with the Teleservice tool via that enables Mitsubishi Electric’s After-­Sales Service to carry out remote diag­no­sis if desired and access the machine controls online to eliminate faults. In this connection, SD Formentechnik draws attention the manufacturer’s excellent service, stressing that it’s always quick to arrive and provides a hotline that works really well. The service staff also make a competent impression. What’s more, the caller isn’t simply passed from one service technician to the next, as is usual elsewhere.

The competent service can always send someone round quickly and provides a hotline that really works well.

Jens Dryzynski types in a command via the PC keyboard of the Windows-XP-based Advance CNC control. The 15 inch touchscreen then displays a 3D sim­ulation of the component that he wants to cut next. “The machine is straightforward, reliable and user-friendly. We were impressed by its concept with dual direct distance measurement, workplace design and the sealing of the lower arm, which is nevertheless easily accessed for maintenance.” What really clinched the decision in favour of the machine, however, was the test cut that SD Formentechnik carried out on all the wire-cut EDM machines shortlisted for purchase. “The machine from Mitsubishi Electric proved to be one of the few that passed the test without any reservations,” Jens Dry­zynski explains. “What’s important for us is that the FA20-S Advance V is equipped with a more powerful generator. This means we can machine higher workpieces at higher cutting rates. And it’s easier to erode graphite electrodes even with coarser grain sizes.” The reason for this is the high-performance generator’s higher voltage that permits erosion rates of up to 500 square millimetres per minute. Another advantage of the FA20-S Advance V quoted by SD Formentechnik is the high quality of its finer cuts. This puts the company in a position to carry out wire EDM tasks of this kind, even under subcontract.

Complex components

Holger Schulte picks up a collapsible core with a middle segment and outer contour parts to demonstrate the complexity of the components he produces. “The collapsible core is required in injection moulds for interior undercuts so that, for instance, threaded parts with mould contours can be demoulded. To this end, the middle segment retracts and draws the outer contour part inwards, thus exposing the undercut, and the product can be released. “The components that the company produces for injection moulds are made essentially of steel. Their dimensions range from the size of a pin to 1050 x 800 x 295 millimetres (W x D x H), the maximum size for which the FA20-S Advance V is designed. Thanks to the machine’s in­credible versatility, all the challenges that arise in mouldmaking can be mas­ter­ed with ease. Virtually all workpieces are cut with 0.25 millimetres bare brass wire without any compromises in surface quality.

Confident about the future

The flexibility resulting from the compa­ny’s team spirit permits a high standard of deadline compliance and short response times. These attributes combined with the quality of the component and the consultation services provided by SD Formentechnik yield a win-win situation and ultimately strong customer loyalty. In view of this positive situation, Jens Dryzynski and Holger Schulte are confident about the future. “We invest and continue to grow. It’s something you can see happening.” Dryzynski points to part of the shop where building is going on. “Here, for example, where we’re setting up a new robot system for 5-axis milling.”

Interview