Portrait of an all-rounder: Compounder, plastics processor, and moldmaker

Craemer produces high-tech plastic pallet boxes in various designs – with molds from the in-house mold shop. Ralf-Peter Finke, Technical Manager Plastics (left), during the plant tour with Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul from Schmalkalden University.

Strategie und Organisation

Wirtschaft

Schröder, Susanne

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Dienstleistungen

Werkzeug-, Formen- und Modellbau

Werkzeugbau

On the Spot at Craemer

1001 molds: injection molding and blow molding from barn floors to electronic parts

Complex injection mold for an aircraft landing gear component, built in Mawick’s in-house mold shop.

Spritzgießen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

On the Spot at Mawick

In-house tooling, injection molding, and goblins.

High-quality surfaces and a classy design are top priorities at Vorwerk. The core business consists of two product families: The Kobold vacuum cleaner and the Thermomix.

On the Spot at Vorwerk

During this year’s pandemic, maintaining supply capability has become a key necessity among processors. Closer involvement of suppliers is only logical in these circumstances. In toolmaking, new challenges are emerging for services related to molds.

Tool qualification in the test center in Bahlingen, Germany. After that, the tool is ready for the “site acceptance test”, i . e. for the acceptance on site directly at the customer

The Advantages of a Network for Global Qualification for Injection Molding

Erstbemusterung, Erstmusterprüfbericht

Qualitätssicherung

Werkzeug- und Formenbau

Qualitätsmanagement

Inline- / Online-Messsysteme

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Fast and Effective Start of Production

The article describes the underlying Citi technology, which features a cube mold with integrated turning inserts. The new process saves production space, energy and cycle time.

The sprockets of the circular Citi tool elements interlock with each other and provide the vertical rotation. The entire cube then rotates horizontally.

16:9

Foboha presented mold technology at K 2022 that could change the market for disposable beverage containers in the next few years.

Mehrkomponenten-Spritzgießen

Turning out 3-Component Parts  under Torque

Interview and image gallery: Chrome, silicone – and when to say "no“

In conversation: Commercial CEO Peter Pakulla (left), Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul from Schmalkalden University, and Petra Brochhagen from Pakulla.

On the Spot at Pakulla

Rud exhibits smaller variant of the proven Tecdos mold flipper.

For molds weighing up to 5t: the new Rud Tecdos TM 08/10–5. 

Cooler Move – Even for Five-Tons Molds

Reichle and Gollmann are presenting a project live at Fakuma that, together with eight other project participants, shows how important cooperation is.

“Crumpled” look: The special design requires extensive know how – from surface processing to demolding.

Lasertechnik

Cup with a Wow Effect

Unforeseen downtimes in serial production are always accompanied by high costs, making it essential for machines to be serviced in time. Because sensor, transmission and data storage technology have taken a big leap forward in recent years, predictive maintenance has already been realized in some industries, demonstrating a tangible benefit of Industry 4.0. The WZL and the WBA have developed a guideline for this.

Fig. 1. The guideline for the development of predictive maintenance solutions is divided into three phases: analysis, design and implementation

Guideline to the Development of Predictive Maintenance Systems for Serial Producers and Toolmaking Companies

Industrie 4.0 für die Qualitätssicherung

Industrie 4.0

Instandhaltung

Condition Monitoring / Prozessüberwachung

Sensoren verschiedener Messverfahren

Fertigungsautomation

Sensorik / Aktorik

Fernwartung / Ferndiagnose

Machine Learning

Datenanalyse

Dienstleistungsqualität

Industrie 4.0 für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Instandhaltungsmanagement (TPM)

Vorbeugende Instandhaltung für die Qualitätssicherung

Machine Learning für die Qualitätssicherung

Symbiosis of Toolmaking and  Serial Production

In cooperation with Haidlmair, Wittmann Battenfeld will produce a cup with lid at its booth. Haidlmair‘s mold is designed optimally for processing Bornewables material from Borealis.

A hybrid mold insert optimizes cooling in the mold, which is designed for recycled materials.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Moldmaking Know-How for Injection Molding with Recycled Materials

Simulation from Sigma for optimized mold temperature control.

Temperature distribution shortly before demolding: On the left, conformal cooling produced by the 3D printer (only half visible), on the right, conventional cooling. 

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkzeuge für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Dynamische / variotherme Temperierung

Conventional and Conformal Cooling Compared

Live production and a large product range: What there will be seen on the Meusburger booth during Moulding Expo.

On its Moulding Expo booth, Meusburger exhibits a wide range of standard mold parts and hot runner technology. 

Normalien und Heißkanaltechnik

Komponenten für die Kunststoffverarbeitung

Everything around the Cavity

Inspections, repairs, and maintenance and cleaning work can be carried out directly on the work surface with the mold opener.

Normalien

Mold Opener for Molds up to 2.5t

Twenty robots occupy the order picking workplaces and enable around 720 picks an hour.

The new innovative autostore system has a capacity of 24,000 boxes, each with a maximum weight of 35 kg.

Automatisierungstechnik

Unternehmen

Hasco Invests in Small-Parts Warehouse

Chinese moldmaker expands offerings with service in Germany

KK Mold Managing Director Huang Zhiqiang (left) and and KTK Mouldtec Managing Director Georg Kneißl are looking forward to their future together.

Automotive

Fahrzeugbau

KK Mold expands

Medium-Sized Companies  that Are Emboldened

To ensure that everything runs smoothly in series production, injection molds are needed that deliver consistent quality – even with millions of cycles sometimes. Apart from reproducibility, all this should also be economical. Kunststoffe wanted to know how a moldmaker should position himself for the future. As part of the team of authors, we visited six companies that have very different perspectives on the industry.

Moldmaking road trip: Kunststoffe visited six companies to find out how a moldmaker should position himself for the future.

Well, it’s always a thing with trends. Must I follow every trend? Have I missed something if I don’t react now? If not now, when? Isn’t perseverance also a sensible virtue that is ultimately rewarded by the customer? Don’t always appear to be fickle, show a certain composure, be predictable and authoritative. Not jumping through every hoop that is held out to me – absolutely difficult. Once the train has left the station, I only see the red lights ...

What definitely helps is to make a decision that is binding for me, my actions, and my company for a foreseeable period of time. In short, simply knowing what’s going on and why. With what goals? Being informed. How and with what the objectives will be achieved. Transferring this information to my business, evaluating it for myself, that’s the secret to success. We are not necessarily talking about “best practice” here – often unattainable, but about “good practice”. This is where it is important to keep an overview.

For the following report, we visited and interviewed different protagonists around the topic of injection molds. Classic moldmakers, plastics processors with their own moldmaking shop, but who also buy in molds externally, to companies that “only” finance the molds because they “only” need the plastic components from the molds but do not produce them themselves.

Flexibility Required:  Business Models in Transition

At Pakulla Werkzeugbau GmbH, the constant is change. Initially, the company manufactured molds for bellows and connecting hoses. “After customers shifted these orders toward Portugal and Mexico in the mid-1990s, we focused on molds for components with high surface quality, i.e. anything for trim or trim strips in automotive interiors. Many items were subsequently chrome-plated,” says CEO Peter Pakulla. Ultimately, the electroplating sector generated 80 % of sales – until new environmental regulations were introduced. Many manufacturers revised their opinion, and today very few chrome-plated components are found in automotive interiors. Once again, the company had to reinvent itself. Today, it specializes on multi-component molds for hard/soft joints. Molds for LSR or the TSG are now also part of the product range.

Since entering the plastics processing business in 1958, Craemer GmbH has focused on plastic containers and pallets. “Our breakthrough in plastic pallets came in the 1990s, when the meat processing industry opted for a pallet development from our company,” says Craemer CEO Siegbert Geldner. Since then, the Euro H1 hygiene pallet has been the standard. It can be cleaned easily – and with up to 300 cycles is much more durable than the wooden pallet used three times.

Today’s high-tech pallets are available in many variants, up to and including digitalization by means of RFID transponders. Geldner: “Our toolmaking department makes a major contribution to know-how as a think tank. The art is to design the mold so that every gram of plastic is actually in the place where it makes sense. Short cycle times and shot weights that are not too high are required. Rework must also be avoided; the product should come out of the machine as good as possible.”

At Vorwerk Elektrowerke GmbH & Co. KG, the central products remained the same with the Kobold vacuum cleaner and the Thermomix – but the role of the in-house moldmaking department underwent a change. Christoph Heck, a trained moldmaker, is now responsible for moldmaking and procurement at Vorwerk. “Twenty-two years ago, we had a large internal mold shop,” Heck reports. “However, it was not always working to capacity. Attempts to find external customers failed. When I took over the injection molding shop in 2018, and eventually the mold shop, we were faced with the consideration of closing the mold shop completely. Fortunately, however, we managed a turnaround,” explains Heck.

Insourcing was the solution. At that time, capacity utilization in the injection molding shop was only 45 %. Gradually, more orders were brought back in-house. Currently, around 135 molds are running in the shop. As a result, the maintenance department in the mold shop has more work to do.

Today, 22 employes work in the mold shop – and the workload in the mold shop and injection molding shop is well balanced. In recent years, EUR 1.5 million have been invested in the mold shop’s machinery, so that today it can also reliably be the “fire department” when molds fail. “In the past, entire mold sets were kept in stock twice to prevent machine downtimes. We’ve done away with that, too,” says Heck.

Formconsult Werkzeugbau GmbH was founded in 1991. Today, the moldmaking company employs about 50 people. Since then, the business model has changed. “Today, it no longer makes sense to offer in “one big pot”. There will always be someone who is cheaper,” reports Formconsult CEO Stephan Hoffmann. “We have specialized in high-tech molds.” And meanwhile, that not only includes the mold, but a complete package.

Multi-component and preform molds, blow molds or press and injection compression molds are now part of the Thuringian portfolio. Frequently, the wheat is separated from the chaff as early as the product development phase. For feasibility studies, simulation or variant design, the CEO relies on experienced employees. “Complex orders require many years of experience. The knowledge a moldmaker has after 15 years is priceless. That’s where the know-how sits.”

In addition to modern machinery in an air-conditioned production facility, a technical center with 3-component injection molding machines and 3D measuring technology is also available. “All these offerings make the mold package complete,” Hoffmann is certain. Directive-compliant documentation, which is required in medical technology, for example, is also part of the offer.

Oliver Brück, Head of System Engineering at Heraeus Medical GmbH in Wehrheim, Hesse, Germany, is also active in the field of medical technology: “Our product is bone cement for joint replacements and the spine; everything else is really just a means to an end.” In 1959, the PMMA bone cement “Palacos” was introduced to the market and has been continuously developed ever since. The two PMMA components, one liquid, the other powder, are mixed together during surgery. It is important to ensure the correct homogeneity and that the process is carried out without errors, in the correct sequence, and with a minimum of germs. To simplify this handling, Heraeus has developed a complex application system consisting of a good 40 individual plastic components.

The system provides a self-contained mixing process isolated from environmental influences. Powder and liquid are mixed under vacuum by a manual piston movement. Things must now happen quickly, because the components crosslink within a few minutes. The mixing cylinder is inserted into a cement gun (similar to a silicone gun) so that the surgeon can apply the cement accurately.

What role does toolmaking play here? It often takes many years to develop a new medical product from the initial idea to the series tool. Brück: “We need consistent quality over decades. In medical technology, it is not uncommon for a product to have a life cycle of ten to 20 years. Accordingly, the qualification of the tools, the validation and the consistent quality must be right.” Heraeus usually buys the components together with the tools, since the entire quantities are not produced at once. The molds for the application system are designed for a shot count of 600,000.

The team at Josef Mawick Kunststoff-Spritzgusswerk GmbH & Co. KG takes a different view of moldmaking. Among other things, the plastics processor produces chassis and lighting components for the automotive industry, electrical assemblies and plastic gratings for high-quality flooring systems in barns. Water filters for household use are produced in the specially controlled cleanroom. About 30 employees in the in-house toolmaking department take care of provision, maintenance, and modifications. Likewise, some of the newly built molds are also manufactured here.

Commenting on trends in toolmaking, Benedikt Ostermann, project manager at Mawick, says: “Today, we show a lot of things in more detail in advance, with the help of CAD systems or simulations. Many molds have become more precise or more complex.” Another point: “Today, we sometimes offer not just a product or a tool, but a turnkey process. Such a project is a higher risk for us, but the added value is also higher.” Therefore, it is necessary to properly estimate in advance what the mold life is and how many shots can be produced over what period of time with the mold. “Chassis components are produced in the same mold for about ten years, we must guarantee the quality for this runtime,” says the moldmaker.

“In the past, molds were built much more simply,” also says Christoph Heck from Vorwerk. Today, there is much closer contact with suppliers. Molds are more stable, with much higher accuracies, he says. In the past, reworking was often necessary. “Today, the molds are complex, including sophisticated slide mechanics. You also need a different machine park for this – today we manufacture our molds with high precision down to 5 µm. Concisely, we now produce plastic parts that would not have been possible to manufacture in the past.”

What makes a good mold? Heck: “Process stability. We design our molds for 1 million shots. When I start up a new component, it should still run after 24 hours without the process having to be readjusted. Every part is like the other.”

Milling, die-sinking EDM, wire EDM: Peter Pakulla sees a great challenge in utilizing his machinery evenly. All molds are unique. “Getting this optimum mix right is something I’ve never managed to do in my life,” he says. Cooperations with other moldmakers to even out peaks have been tried. “But often it fails the day you have to decide whether your tooling must wait for the other guy.”

Standards would be very helpful for the moldmaker, but flexibility is usually required. Pakulla: “Every customer ticks differently. And he ultimately determines which hot runner system or color table is used.” The customer is king.

Pakulla sees a tricky issue in consulting. Here, the company first makes an advance payment free of charge, for example for a feasibility study and a filling simulation. It’s annoying when the customer then goes to a competitor with these results. Ultimately, there is no patent remedy for getting around this problem. “We rely on regular customers and trust,” says Pakulla.

Wide Bandwidth Leads to Balancing Act with Customers

Mawick’s regular customers come from a wide variety of industries. “30 % of our customers come from the automotive sector. Here, many criteria must be met, such as traceability by means of a data matrix code or tight shape and position tolerances. However, customers from other industries do not want to pay for the expensive measuring technology required for this,” says Ostermann. “On the other hand, of course, we have the advantage that we are more able to cope with cyclical dips in individual industries, because we are broadly positioned.”

For Craemer, raw material procurement is an important issue with the daily quantities required. Geldner: “In addition to the manufacturing strategy, a good purchasing strategy is also important. That is certainly no secret. That’s why we have large silo capacities to keep appropriate quantities of raw materials on hand.”

Circular Economy in Practice:  Use of Recyclates

A special feature at Craemer is the in-house material processing. Extruders with a capacity of several dozen tons per day produce high-quality compound comparable to virgin material from discarded Craemer products and production scrap with the addition of certain additives for the manufacture of new products.

The reprocessing of regrind has also been practiced at Mawick for a long time. What is new is that customers, for whom this was previously unthinkable, are now also specifically asking about the use of recyclates, e.g. from the automotive sector. “But we make a point of having a data sheet” says Werner Drees, Head of Project Management & Toolmaking at Mawick. “We must guarantee process reproducibility. We process polystyrene and PP from the silo – there must be no snags. We prefer to invest more money in the material so that we can then manufacture without any problems,” explains Drees.

By reprocessing with its own granulator, Vorwerk produces around 130 t of recyclate per year which is reused for the production of interior parts. In some cases, Vorwerk has the material reprocessed with 60 % glass fiber content by external service providers. Although virgin material continues to be used for the high-quality design surfaces, Heck says: “Overall, we save around 500,000 euros in material value per year by recycling our own waste.”

Craemer sees great potential in digital networking. “We network all the silos, all the different software, all the machines and peripherals in production. And we do it in real time,” says Torsten Kersting, deputy head of toolmaking at Craemer. “And the data generated there is made available to the right employees at the right time in the right quality.” Because only through transparency can design and maintenance learn from mistakes.

Retaining know-how is becoming increasingly important, says CEO Geldner: “We must be careful that we don’t lose any knowledge. We have many employees who have been working here for decades. When someone like that leaves, that knowledge must stay in the company. This is ensured by appropriate knowledge management.”

What makes a German moldmaker fit for the future? “I think our customers appreciate our arrangement of reliability, flexibility, service and quality,” says Peter Pakulla, summing up his formula for success. For the CEO, however, two things are essential for survival: “On the one hand, we must not get caught up in the downward price spiral during a poor order situation – in case of doubt, there is always someone who offers even cheaper. On the other hand, the rule ‘be careful when choosing clients’ also applies. We’ve parted company with some existing customers who only paid their last partial invoices after years.”

Fit for the Future –  with Partners Abroad?

Vorwerk is positioning itself for the future of toolmaking with a clear commitment to Germany as a location – and is thus keeping the know-how in-house. Although, before Covid, it was planned to move parts of the production to China. With the onset of the pandemic, the company back-pedaled, and placed the focus at the Wuppertal, Germany, plant on a smaller, more effective team. 5 % of new tooling is produced internally, another 70  % externally in Germany, and the rest in Portugal. For Heck, however, one thing is certain: “For our plant in Shanghai, we buy the molds in China. That would be too costly for production in Europe.”

In the medical sector at Heraeus Medical, molds from Asia play a secondary role: “We have always remained in Europe. The speed and reliability in mold production that we expect is mainly to be made in Germany and the surrounding area. That’s how we see it,” says Brück.

Due to pressure from customers, Mawick also had to offer molds from abroad. “But we are playing with our cards very much on the table,” explains Drees. “There are offers for molds from Europe and China. As a rule, however, we then fly to the supplier for acceptance. We are in direct contact with them, there are no agents. Today, we can make a good qualitative assessment of the level at which our suppliers are operating.” According to Drees, the risks here are the fulfillment of all requirements from the mold specifications as well as the transport.

If molds from abroad are cheaper – why do you need German moldmakers? Especially for the construction of new molds, Mawick keeps the know-how in-house, says Ostermann: “Our people are also very keen for complex new projects. And we learn a lot as a result.” German moldmakers are also necessary for another reason, Drees emphasizes: “At Mawick, we have 1000 molds that are permanently in operation. If a mold is broken, we are simply asked ‘Please repair immediately!’ And only a moldmaker can do that.”

Formconsult’s Stephan Hoffmann, a trained moldmaker, is fully committed to R&D projects. That is why the company is also a founding member of the FDWF, the research association for mold and die making. Formconsult is currently involved in up to four research projects in parallel. An impressive number for the size of the company. “We can only keep toolmaking alive in Germany through innovations,” Hoffmann is convinced. And there are several positive effects. For example, there are research funds, which represent an important financial basis. In addition, one also creates a name for oneself with such projects, and makes new contacts.

“We manufacture in cleanroom classes ISO 6 and 7,” says Oliver Brück from Heraeus. “We need a moldmaker who understands the issues of medical technology, who really thinks in the long term, and knows how the components can be manufactured in terms of quality over a long period of time without malfunctions. And knows which materials may be used or which lubricants.”

Ultimately, it’s also about development support and expertise in the production of plastic articles. Brück: “What inline checks do I make during production for the components that fall out of the mold? How do I ensure that critical points don’t become a problem – we have specified breaking points of 0.6 mm wall thickness, for example. Those are, of course, prone to wear.”

The risk assessment of the mold is also important. In some cases, three to four qualified cores are kept on hand to prevent machine downtime.

Changes in the Market:  the Amazon Prime Phenomenon

Mawick recognizes a trend toward smaller batch sizes. “In the past, we had machine run times of 300 to 500 hours, and the molds were often on the machines for a whole week. Today, it’s only 50 hours in some cases. We often have to retool after one or two days,” reports Drees. What’s the reason for that? “On the one hand, the migration of volume items to low-wage countries, and on the other hand, the Amazon Prime phenomenon”, Drees continues. “It’s a society problem. Customers no longer plan for long terms, weigh the risk of high material prices ... They prefer ordering today, and expect delivery the day after tomorrow.”

Pakulla brought in a consultant at the end of 2022 and had his company’s carbon footprint calculated. We have switched completely to green electricity”, explains the company boss. “The fact that we can also supply the entire design and milling department with our photovoltaic system unfortunately no longer has an effect on the footprint.” Does the customer honor that? “Yes and no. It is not yet mandatory, but there are more requests. I think everyone needs this certificate sooner or later to continue getting orders and stay competitive.”

One might think that, as a result, they all have different points of view. What almost all of them have in common is the credo “Reproducibility, reproducibility, reproducibility under economic requirements!” Ensuring reproducibility is one of the most important points in terms of a sustainable manufacturing strategy. Reproducibility binds less incalculable capacities. Ties up less human resources that are not available anyway, especially with the high shortage of skilled workers. Requires optimization into capable processes. No digitalization of processes without reproducibility. In short, it simply brings much more peace and predictability to production processes, which are becoming increasingly complex, as well as functionally diverse.

“Turnkey”, significant in the context of injection mold procurement. The mold shops we visited all had their own pilot plant to qualify the injection molds, up to and including pre-validation of the mold in an integrated injection molding process. But it starts with the design of the mold and the process simulation. These competencies are no longer freestyle, but mandatory in mold design. Both relieve the customer’s area of responsibility and go hand in hand with an ever increasing responsibility of the moldmaker. The reasons for this are manifold. The shortage of skilled workers on the part of the mold procurer is certainly a major one.

“Solve your customer’s problem!” Understand what is happening to the part that is being produced with the tool. Understand what the critical quality characteristics of the product are, which the customer uses to earn his money. This sounds so simple, but it is far from being normal practice in the supplier relationship between moldmaking and mold procurement. Here, a trusting cooperation in the business relationship helps.

The Game Is Getting Faster  and More Complex

“The game is getting faster and more complex!”, the ever-increasing complexity in molds goes hand in hand with increasingly delicate mold components. This requires more technology in the tool. If you want to get everything wrong here, the easiest way is to operate an investment backlog in the minds of employees and in the design and production area for injection molds.

“Specialization!” provides the necessary “background noise” in mold production. All coupled with innovation and research. All the mold shops we visited have created core competencies that be purchased freely. This is a competitive advantage that is necessary in terms of utilization. In addition, flexible interaction with different industries and their specific needs and requirements guarantees success on the prom.

Craemer GmbH  

https://www.craemer.com

Hochschule Schmalkalden  

https://www.hsm-fernstudium.de

Pakulla GmbH  

https://www.pakulla.de

Vorwerk Elektrowerke GmbH & Co. KG  

https://www.corporate.vorwerk.de

Josef Mawick Kunststoff-Spritzgusswerk GmbH & Co. KG 

https://www.mawick.eu

Ausgabenartikel

The model shows where the cement (light green) is inserted. It fixes the implant securely in the bone by mechanical interlocking.

On the spot visit to Mawick for research for this article. From left: Co-author Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul, Benedikt Ostermann (project manager), Susanne Schröder, Werner Drees (head of project management & toolmaking) and Klaus Mawick (managing partner).

Use of recyclate: Many companies operate mills and extruders to recycle their scrap in-house. Shown here is the corresponding plant at Vorwerk, where 130 t of recyclate are produced per year. 

The entire product group of the bone cement application system consists of some 40 plasticcomponents.

Toolmaking think tank: R&D is also carried out here in almost all companies. Shown is a cavity for a fan wheel at Vorwerk – additively manufactured with the help of Hermle MPA technology.

The design panel for the Thermomix is produced at Vorwerk in this 3-component mold.

A pallet box – a combination of pallet and container – is also a high-tech product: The hygiene boxes for the food industry meet the highest standards. Shown at left is Ralf-Peter Finke, Technical Manager at Craemer, on the right Prof. Dr. Thomas Seul.

Tool detail from Pakulla toolmaking: This will be used to make a component for the automotive industry.

Technical center at Formconsult: These 3-component injection molding machines including removal robots have just been made. The subsequent quality control by means of CT, among other things, is also carried out in-house. 

Supporting equipment from Heraeus Medical for mixing and applying bone cement.

Hauptartikel Trendartikel Wzbau

Crises and opportunities: on-the-spot report by the Kunststoffe editorial team from 6 companies

Trend Report Moldmaking |  Medium-sized Companies that Are Emboldened

In the run-up to this year’s Moulding Expo, the Kunststoffe editorial team took to the road and visited six companies. Co-author of the series:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Seul is Professor of Production Engineering and Mold Design at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He is also President of the VDWF Association of German Tool and Die Makers.

Oliver Brück is Head of System Engineering at Heraeus Medical GmbH. The medical division with 450 employees is an independent offshoot of the family-owned Heraeus company. The company’s most important product, bone cement, requires a whole range of supporting equipment, most of which is made of plastic.

Werner Drees, Head of Project Management & Toolmaking, and Benedikt Ostermann, Project Manager, work at Josef Mawick Kunststoff-Spritzgusswerk GmbH & Co. KG in Werl-Sönnern, Germany. About 240 employees produce plastic injection molded parts as well as blow molded parts for well-known manufacturers from various industries such as automotive, agricultural, electronics, household goods and children’s vehicles. In-house toolmaking employs 30 people.

Siegbert Geldner is the CEO of Craemer GmbH. The in-house mold shop acts as a service provider for the two business areas of plastics and metal forming. The product range includes plastic pallets, storage and transport containers, and large waste containers.

Christoph Heck works as head of injection molding, moldmaking and series support at Vorwerk Elektrogeräte GmbH & Co. KG in Wuppertal, Germany. 22 employees work in the toolmaking department.

Stephan Hoffmann is managing partner of Formconsult Werkzeugbau GmbH in Schmalkalden, Germany. The external moldmaker with some 50 employees specializes in the design and construction of highly complex multi-component tools.

Peter Pakulla is commercial CEO at Pakulla Formen- und Werkzeugbau GmbH. Among other things, the external moldmaker with 30 employees in Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany, produces high-tech multi-component tools.

Links to On-the-Spot Reports with  Picture Galleries

<ul><li>Craemer: <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/specialistarticle/on-the-spot-at-craemer-4777115" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4777115</a></li><li>Formconsult: <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/specialistarticle/on-the-spot-at-formconsult-4826858" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4826858</a></li><li>Heraeus: <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/specialistarticle/on-the-spot-at-heraeus-medical-4771453" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4771453</a></li><li>Mawick: <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/specialistarticle/on-the-spot-at-mawick-4808546" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4808546</a></li><li>Vorwerk: <a href="https://en.kunststoffe.de/a/specialistarticle/on-the-spot-at-vorwerk-4810389" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4810389</a></li><li>Pakulla: <a href="http://www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4772381" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe-international.com/a/article-4772381</a></li></ul>