Ski edges with precision

INITIAL SITUATION AND PROBLEM

Waelzholz International in Götzis, Austria, specialised in the production of profiled edges made of hardened and unhardened steel. These products are used in particular in the ski and snowboard industry, for which approximately 40,000 km of steel edges are produced each year. Thanks to the combination of extremely homogeneous materials and a specially developed manufacturing process, Waelzholz International produces uniform profiles for particularly high demands. The special feature here is that the ski and snowboard edges are stamped in the hardened state. This ensures tighter tolerances and higher quality. But that's not all. Products are also manufactured in Götzis for other companies, such as an international company specialising in the production and distribution of furniture accessories. It is therefore possible for a wide variety of products to be manufactured on the same production line.

Zehnder & Sommer came into contact with Waelzholz International, who were looking for a replacement feeder for an existing press that could meet all the requirements.

The problem with the existing feeder was that it did not meet the requirements in terms of precision. In addition, the adjustments to be made for the different materials (if at all possible) were difficult to adjust. In addition, spare parts and support were effectively non-existent.

SOLUTION

Zehnder & Sommer installed an EV 122 TM precision roller feeder with an interface to the press control at Waelzholz International.

"We were looking for the perfect solution", says Mr. Oberhauser, production/maintenance foreman at Waelzholz International. Today he is very satisfied with the choice of the new feeder.

The installation and the two-stage operation, also in combination with the entire line with the decoiler, straightener and press, are self-explanatory, he says. So far, the feeder has lived up to its promise. The adjustment options for the various band dimensions, the communication with peripherals such as the press control, the precision and speed, including the pilot release, are enormous, and to his surprise, also intuitive and very simple.

"But there is always potential for optimisation on this line", says Oberhauser with a smile. The key words in this context are the mounting of the feeder on the press, the straightening device, the functions for centring the band on the feeder and the integration of peripherals such as oiling, band cleaning and the decoiler.

Zehnder & Sommer is looking forward to developing and implementing further solutions for this customer in the future, thanks to an extensive portfolio of constantly improved feeders, and we are already looking forward to a constructive and rewarding collaboration in the future.

Thanks to the new Zehnder & Sommer equipment, a significant increase in productivity has been achieved. The most important thing, however, is to demonstrate the reliability of the process and the rapid restart of the production line. The new roller feeder from Zehnder & Sommer simply does what it is supposed to do perfectly.

The fact that Waelzholz International can continue to operate an ageing press in combination with a new feeder is therefore economical and environmentally friendly, as it corresponds to current technical progress while providing the precision and speed required by the company.