Welcome to the
Working Group Fine Blanking
21th May 2019
Interim Meeting 2019 @ Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen University
03th and 04th September 2019
Annual general meeting 2018/19 @ Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen University
Dates 2018
30th October 2018: Kickoff for planning projects
5th/6th September 2018: Second annual general meeting, presentation of results of the research agenda 2017/18. We are very pleased to welcome Zapp Materials Engineering GmbH as new full member.
23th August 2018: Interim Report Project Lubricants
22th August 2018: Interim Report Project Stainless Steel
20th August 2018: Interim Report Project Cemented Carbides
24th Juli 2018: Interim Report Study Traceability
10th Juli 2018: Interim Report Project Stainless Steel
20th Juni 2018: Interim Report Project Lubricants
15th Mai 2018: Start of the experimental test series in the project Stainless Steel
04th Mai 2018: Start of the experimental test series in the project Cemented Carbides
25th April 2018: Start of the experimental test series in the project Lubricants
12th April 2018: Interim Report Study Traceability
Dates 2017
27. Oktober 2017: Kick-off meeting for the research agenda 2017/18 @ Audimax
12./13. September 2017: First annual general meeting, presentation of results of the research agenda 2016/17. We are very pleased to welcome Bosch Transmission Technology, Carl Bechem, Malvestiti and Precision Resource as new full members.
28. Juni 2017: Commissioning and press inauguration at Rotter Bruch
Dates 2016
09. Dezember 2016: Kick-Off-Meeting for the research agenda 2016/17
23. September 2016: Founding event of the AKF (Press release)
24. März 2016: Information event on the establishment of a working group
Interested in a free guest-membership?
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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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 ina free guest- membership?
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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.
The current research agenda for the research period 2018/19 deals with the topics:
Fine Blanking with cemented carbide - continued
Noise sensors for the determination of wear
New materials for fine blanking (study)
Research agenda 2017/18
Fine Blanking with cemented carbide (repeat project from the research period 2016/17)
Fine Blanking of stainless steel
Comparative evaluation of lubricants for fineblanking of high-strength sheet grades
Traceability of components along the production process - technologies and challenges (study)
Research agenda 2016/17
Fine Blanking with cemented carbide
Experimental numerical investigation of die-roll
Electric mobility - opportunities and challenges for fineblanking technology (study)
Interested ina free guest- membership?
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In the research period 2018/19 we welcome 37 full members to the AKF.
The annual membership fee (as of 2018/19) is EUR 9,260.00 (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.
Research projects and studies are defined depending on employee capacity and number of members. As of 2017 two research projects and one study will be conducted in the research year 2017/18. 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.
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.
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.
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 ina free guest- membership?
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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.
Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt.Ing. Daniel Trauth Abteilungsleiter Schleifen, Umformen und Technologieplanung Manager of the AKF Steinbachstraße 25 D-52074 Aachen Fon: +49 (0) 241 80 27999 E-Mail: D.Trauth@wzl-aachen-gmbh.com
Dr.-Ing. Andreas Feuerhack Leiter Industrieforschung und Arbeitskreise Umformen, Schleifen und Technologieplanung Organization of the AKF Campus-Boulevard 30 D-52074 Aachen Fon: +49 (0) 241 80 27965 E-Mail: A.Feuerhack@wzl-aachen-gmbh.com
Robby Mannens, M. Sc. RWTH Leiter Grundlagenforschung Umformende Fertigungsverfahren Organisation of the AKF-trials Campus-Boulevard 30 D-52074 Aachen Fon: +49 (0) 241 80 28244 E-Mail: R.Mannens@wzl.rwth-aachen.de
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.
How to find us (printable).
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
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
Motorway junction Aachen
A4 direction Antwerp
Exit Aachen-Laurensberg
Feeder road in the direction of Aachen
Exit direction Maastricht
Exit RWTH-Melaten
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 ina free guest- membership?
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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.
Have a look at our other Working Groups:
Working group Grinding
Working group Tool technology
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.
Certificate course Fine Blanking Expert
Seminar Forming technologies
Seminar Grinding technologies
Professional seminar Centerless grinding
Interested ina free guest- membership?
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