Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle, which emerged in1992 from its predecessor company “Elektronische Bauelemente Dorfhain”, is a family-owned and owner-managed enterprise in the second generation. The company’s founders, Karl-Heinz Berthold and Hartmut Baumgart, are still supporting its present Managing Director Tom Berthold in an advisory capacity. With a workforce of more than 70 employees, Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle manufactures at its location in Klingenberg high-precision punching and injection molding tools, as well as parts in the area of punching and plastics technology for use in electronic systems. The latter are mostly metal-plastic combinations and micro parts. The products are used primarily in interiors and engine compartments of motor vehicles. But components are also being produced for the watchmaking, solar and furniture industries, as well as for the energy sector and optical transmission systems. The majority of the company’s customers are based in the Saxony region.
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from the left: Dirk Koch (Sales WITTMANN BATTENFELD); Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle |
Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle scores among its customers above all with the high-quality standard of its products, its flexibility and reliability as well as the know-how from its many years of experience. The majority of its injection molded products are highly complex, sophisticated parts, which are required to meet high standards of precision and load capacity. Especially in the automotive sector, the components are often exposed to extreme environmental conditions.
In its injection molding department, Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle is currently operating 24 machines, more than half of which have come from WITTMANN BATTENFELD, including two micro injection molding machines and four vertical machines.
The most recently acquired machine is a vertical model in a multi-component version from the new VPower series. This machine, a VPower 120/130H/210V, is the first 2-component VPower installed in Saxony. This VPower sets itself apart from previous models mainly by its innovative 2-tie-bar rotary table design which, by dispensing with the central tie-bar, provides optimal accessibility. Thanks to the center of rotation being designed without a tie-bar, there is sufficient space available below the rotary table for cooling water supply, hydraulics, compressed air and electrical equipment. The generously dimensioned rotary tables are combined with a 2-tie-bar portal clamping unit equipped with two external traveling cylinders for fast opening and closing. The rotary tables come with servo-electric drives for short rotation times and high-precision positioning. The “Uniforce” compensation plate system between the crossbars of the clamping unit and the mold platen area ensures even, gentle force transmission to the mold. Due to its open design, this machine is particularly well suited for the integration of automation systems with insert feeding and finished parts removal.
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2-component assembly with inserts (photo: Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle GmbH) |
Since this company makes primarily smaller series and consequently a great diversity of products on the one machine, Eric Mende, Production Manager at Winkelmühle, seeks first and foremost a high level of flexibility in the system whenever purchasing new machines. Moreover, every machine must be easy to operate, with short cycle times and, above all, ensure a high level of repeatability.
In view of the increased energy costs and the company’s environmental standards, the energy efficiency of injection molding machines is another very important issue for Werkzeugbau Winkelmühle.
Possibilities for integrating auxiliaries are also becoming more and more significant. Eric Mende comments: “The machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD fulfil the criteria we require in every respect. What is more, they come with a compact design and are extremely energy-efficient.”
