Dates 2021

13^th April 2021

• Interim Meeting 2021 @ Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen University

31^th August and 01^th September 2021

• Annual general meeting 2020/21 @ Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen University

History/Retrospective

Interested in
a free guest-membership?

. . . . . . .  . . . . . . .

AKF at a glance

The Working Group (AKF) is a strategic research tool for innovative companies in the field of fineblanking technology, founded by WZL Aachen GmbH. The combination of experts in the field of fineblanking technology and the expertise of companies from the fields of tooling, lubricantion, materials and press technology creates an excellent basis for demanding joint research. The organisation and processing of the research projects is carried out in cooperation with employees of the WZL of RWTH Aachen University. Participating companies are enabled to integrate current and future trends efficiently at an early stage in their research activities and to implement the latest findings in their own operations.

Idea

Cost-effectiveness and precision are the two essential features of fineblanking technology that make this a cutting-edge technology. In order to extend this lead over alternative technologies, fineblanking companies must serve current trends that are described by keywords such as higher strength materials, geometrically highly complex forming and cutting processes, environmentally-friendly lubricants or digitization of the value chain in the context of the topic fineblanking 4.0 .

This results in many technological challenges with which every fineblanking operation is confronted in a similar form. In everyday industrial life, it is often difficult to meet all challenges equally.

The combination of experts in the field of fineblanking technology creates an excellent basis for sophisticated joint research. By combining the various technical expertise, the technologically complex interactions in fineblanking can be researched and discussed at the highest level. This enables well-founded scientific research under industrial boundary conditions. The contents and results of the research projects are treated confidentially and are only made available to the members of the fineblanking working group.

From your questions and interests the annual research program arises.

Organisation

The organisation and research work within defined research projects is carried out in cooperation between the WZL Aachen GmbH and the employees of the WZL of the RWTH Aachen. With the active cooperation of the members, each research project is accompanied by a steering committee. This gives member companies the opportunity to participate in and actively shape the projects. Projectm implementation is characterised in particular by the cooperation of companies from the various sectors.

Your Benefit

Your benefit lies in the generation of a technological lead through the targeted processing of relevant research projects in order to provide you with a sustainable competitive advantage. You can actively participate in the development of new technologies and the early establishment in practice independently of your day-to-day business. The working group is also a forum for the lively exchange of experiences between end users, fineblanking producers, Tool and material manufacturers und lubricant manufacturers. In addition, this working group offers you the possibility of an open and cooperative community research in a professionally competent network.

Central body

The central body for organizing the working group is the two-day general meeting, which takes place annually. The results of the projects carried out are presented and discussed here. Building on these findings, but also motivated by the day-to-day challenges of the companies involved, the projects for the new research period are then defined. The research results will be presented in the form of talks at the respective conferences in Aachen. In addition, the results will be written down in the detailed conference documents.

Main areas of research

• Increase in economic efficiency due to wear reduction

• High-performance coatings for fineblanking

• High-performance lubricants for green fineblanking

• Challenges in fineblanking of stainless steel

• Reliably fineblanking of high-strength and ultra-high-strength sheet materials

• Increase in stroke rates: Consequences for toolmaking

• Fineblanking 4.0 - Big Data Analysis for fineblanking

• Increase of dimension and shape tolerance of complex shape elements

• Data and services - fields of business of the future

• Increase in productivity in high-wage countries

• Electric mobility - Opportunities and risks for fineblanking

• Process robustness - uncertainties control

• Carbide - the tool material for fineblanking

• Zero-errors strategies - Overcoming geometric limits

Interested in
a free guest- membership?

. . . . . . .  . . . . . . .

Research agenda

The research agenda of the AKF is elected every year at the annual general meeting by majority resolution by the members. For this purpose, WZL employees elaborate proposals for topics and a possible test program based on the requirements of the members and present these at the annual general meeting. If a proposed topic is defined, its test program will be concretized at a subsequent kick-off event and finalized. For this purpose professional expert groups are formed, which can be joined by all member companies that are interested in this topic.

Each year, the members define a total of three topic proposals, of which two are experimental-numerical projects and one is a survey/study.

Reserach agenda 2020/21

The current research agenda for the research period 2020/21 deals with the topics:

Retrospective

Interested in
a free guest- membership?

. . . . . . .  . . . . . . .

Membership

In the research period 2020/21 we welcome 35 full members to the AKF.

Adient Components Ltd. & Co. KG	ART Fine Press Technics B.V.
voestalpine Böhler Edelstahl GmbH Co. KG	Bosch Transmission Technology B.V.
Brockhaus Stahl GmbH	C.D. Wälzholz KG
Ceratizit Deutschland GmbH	Dömer GmbH & Co. KG
DURA Automotive Systems Rotenburg GmbH	Egon Grosshaus GmbH & Co. KG
Feintool Technologie AG	Feintool System Parts Lyss AG
Fuchs Wisura GmbH	Heinz Hänggi GmbH
Holifa Fröhling GmbH & Co. KG	HOERBIGER Penzberg GmbH
Hubert Stüken GmbH & Co. KG	Hugo Kern u. Liebers GmbH & Co. KG.
Karl Scharrenbroich GmbH & Co. KG	Malvestiti S.P.A.
Mendritzki Holding GmbH & Co. KG	Mubea Tellerfedern GmbH
Platit AG	Precision Resource Inc.
Raziol Zibulla & Sohn GmbH	Sanjo Fineblanking
Hydrel AG	Scherdel Feinschneidtechnik GmbH
technotrans AG	Teckentrup GmbH & Co.KG
Thyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg GmbH	voestalpine Stahl GmbH
ZF Friedrichshafen AG	Zapp Materials Engineering GmbH

Fee

The annual membership fee (as of 2019/20) is EUR 9,445.00 (plus VAT). For inflation compensation there is an annual 2% adjustment of the membership fee. The research period is defined from October to September of the following year. For new members a one-time nominal fee of EUR 11.500,- (plus VAT) will be charged. In return, the new member gets an insight into the previously worked out research results. The membership fees are earmarked for the performance of the research work.

Services

Research projects and studies are defined depending on employee capacity and number of members. As of 2019 two research projects and one study will be conducted in the research year 2020/21. The research results will be presented in the form of talks at the general meeting in Aachen. In addition, the results are summarized in a annual report. Furthermore, all annual reports of the working group since its foundation in 2016 as well as the presentations of the last years are available for download on a Server. Every member has access to the exclusive member area through his personal access data.

Additional services

Preferred participation in WZL events as speaker or participant (seminars, conferences, workshops,...). Early and preferred consideration in the co-design of national and international research projects. Short-term implementation of bilateral research projects.

Admission requirements

Applications for membership must be made in writing to one of the contact persons listed below or using the form below. The applicant receives a provisional membership as guest depending on the voting result according to § 3 paragraph 3 of the general agreement of the fineblanking working group. With the status guest, the applicant receives insights into the working group and can participate in the first day of the annual general meeting (presentation of results). At the general meeting on the second day of the annual general meeting, the full members vote on the applicant's final accession. Participation of the applicant at the general meeting is excluded.

Contractual parties

Your contractual partner is WZL Aachen GmbH. The rights and duties of ordinary members are laid down in the statutes of 23.09.2016. Since 13.09.2017, the Articles of Association have been referred to as a general agreement.

Interested in
a free guest- membership?

. . . . . . .  . . . . . . .

Become a member, how to contact us and how to find us

You can submit an application for membership at any time by e-mail or the following form. As a rule, you will first receive a guest membership and can thus attend the annual general meeting. Your final admission will then be voted on at the annual general meeting.

Applicant person (one per company)

*Gender:
Ms. Mr. *

Title:
Dr. Prof. Prof. Dr.

*First and last name: Position: *E-Mail: *E-Mail wiederholen:

Applicant company:

*Company/Institute: Division: *Street + number: *Zip + City:

I accept the liability committee and/or the data protection declaration, in particular that my name and my business address will be included in the subscriber directory and electronically processed and stored for the organizational purposes.

Contact persons WZL Aachen GmbH

Dr.-Ing. Andreas Feuerhack
Abteilungsleiter Umformen
Geschäftsleitung des AKF
Steinbachstraße 25
D-52074 Aachen
Telefon: +49 (0) 241 80 27965
E-Mail: a.feuerhack@wzl-aachen-gmbh.com

Contact person Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen

Felix Weiser, M. Sc. RWTH
Leiter Grundlagenforschung Umformende Fertigungsverfahren
Organisation des Versuchsprogramms
Campus-Boulevard 30
D-52074 Aachen
Telefon: +49 (0) 241 80 24980
E-Mail: f.weiser@wzl.rwth-aachen.de

Hotels

Hotel stays are not included in the membership fee. The RWTH has concluded agreements with the following hotels: Holiday Inn Express Aachen, Kasteel Vaalsbroek und Kasteel Bloemendaal. We also recommend the hotels Pullmann Aachen Quellenhof*****, Aquis Grana Cityhotel****, INNSIDE Aachen****, Novotel Aachen City****, Mercure Hotel Aachen am Dom***, Hotel 3 Könige*** oder Hotel Lousberg. Further accommodations can be found hier.

Map

How to find us (printable).

By plane

• Flight to Cologne, Düsseldorf or Maastricht

• Rental car (from Cologne or Düsseldorf approx. 100 km, from Maastricht approx. 35 km)

• By train to Cologne main station or S-Bahn to Düsseldorf main station, train journey to Aachen

By train

• Train journey to Aachen main station or Aachen West

• Then by taxi to the institute or

• Bus line 3A to the bus stop Campus Melaten

By car

• Motorway junction Aachen

• A4 direction Antwerp

• Exit Aachen-Laurensberg

• Feeder road in the direction of Aachen

• Exit direction Maastricht

• Exit RWTH-Melaten

Parking facilities

Only a limited number of visitor parking spaces are available directly at the institute. We recommend that you use the parking facilities on the Forckenbeckstraße. In order to use the parking facilities, you need a valid guest parking permit. If you need a guest parking permit, you can apply for one for free.

Interested in
a free guest- membership?

. . . . . . .  . . . . . . .

Links and partners

The AKF is carried out in cooperation with the Werkzeugmaschinenlabor (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University. The Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) is a research institute in the field of teaching and research for production technology, consisting of four chairs of the engineering discipline mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University. Through the cooperation of Chairs of Production Metrology and Quality Management, Production management, Manufacturing Technology and Machine tools all core topics in production technology are covered under one roof in six research areas. The WZL with its 850 employees is jointly managed by the holders of the four professorships mentioned above.

Further working groups

Have a look at our other Working Groups:

• Working group Grinding

• Working group Tool technology

• Working group Kühlschmierstofftechnik

• Working group Elektroerosive Bearbeitung

• Technology Working Group

Basic technology seminars

We also offer beginners and professional seminars for users, machine operators, foremen as well as employees from work preparation, production, service and sales, cross- or newcomers and as refresher courses.

• Seminar Zerspantechnik

• Seminar Forming technologies

• Sseminar Grinding technologies

• Vertiefungsseminar Spitzenlosschleifen

• Seminar Digitlisierung und künstliche Intelligenz in der Fertigungstechnik

• Methodenworkshop Operative Technologieplanung

Interested in
a free guest- membership?

. . . . . . .  . . . . . . .