Good perspectives for the termoconformado

The sector of the termoconformado is crossing good moments. Illig (Represented by Helmut Roegele), one of the big in this sector, reached a record of sales in 2011, closed 2012 with excellent results and expects to continue the tendency in 2013, to fault of definite data to finals of November. Kiefel (Represented by STX), by his part, another of the important companies in this sector, grew a 10 % in the first quarter of 2013.

The tendencies in the field of the termoconformado for containers are related with greater hygienic requirements and with the care of the natural resources and, of course, technically speaking, with the reproducibility of the quality of the final product and the high productivity.

For 2014, as it indicates Karl Schäuble, general director of Illig, does not expect a significant increase of the activity. The markets of the west Europe still are suffering the damages caused by the financial crisis and the investments do not flow with ease, something especially true in the south Europe. Neither the east countries of Europe are being able to to reach the levels of investment of before the crisis.

In fact, the future growth of Illig will produce in other geographic zones, where already sell 60% of the machines, in countries of Asia, Arab countries and in all America.

In the case of Kiefel (group Brückner), that manufactures machines for termoconformado destined to the car industry, frigorífica, of the medicine and of the packed, the economic situation also is healthy, with a volume of sales in 2012 of 78 million euros. Between his customers find companies like Volkswagen, BMW, Magna, Johnson Controls, BSH, Electrolux, Baxter and Fresenius. In the first quarter of 2013, the company presented a growth of the 10 %. According to the manager, Thomas J. Halletz: “It corresponds with what expected. We gladden us that every year it go back to increase the volume of sales and the number of requests”. The volume of sales divides , like average, in a third in each one of these sectors: medicine, packed and car/refrigerator.

Like sample of the good expectations of the sector of the termoconformado, in 2012 Kiefel inaugurated the “campus”, a new centre for customers, marks and technology that with his open and cordial architecture and his extensive green zones provides a creative atmosphere. For the realisation of the projects, the specialists of Kiefel have also of a technological centre widely instrumented. In addition to basic proofs with new materials and controls of quality in laboratories, the range of provision covers, among others, specific developments of the customers as well as the optimisation of processes and procedures.

Thanks to the new organisation and to the zones of production and storage, the company increased his efficiency a 20 % in the setting and a 30 % in the storage.

With the end to be able to keep growing in the future, Kiefel purchased a wide terrain of 17.000 square metres beside the campus. The complete project of the campus and the purchase of the terrain adjust to the strategy of growth of the group Brückner. Our aim is to follow developing Kiefel like a company leader in technology during long."

The intelligence in the production, a concept in which they work already numerous industrial states, also has arrived to the termoconformado. Illig Has launched his control IC – Intelligent Control Concept- thought to improve the productivity, the reproducibility, the availability of the team and the ease of handle of the machine. Like part of the concept is the optimisation of the process of some machines that nowadays are already instrumented with servomotors.

The advantages of the series RDK (conformed and coined combined) and RDKP (conformed and coined separate) for the manufacture of trays and of the automatons to produce glasses of the series RDM-K are numerous. The servomotors for all the movements ensure speed, precision and energetic efficiency and his precision in the positioning makes possible the reduction of dead times. In comparison with previous models can attain reductions of cycles of until 30%.

Kiefel By his part, with diverse machines headed to applications very different, no only acts in a classical sector for the termoconformado like the one of the packaging, but also in others very demanding like the one of the appliances, the medicine or the car. In this last sector offers, like sample of the high technology that is arriving to this method of transformation of plastics, systems of simulation of the termoconformado, that reduces the costs in the phase of development and in the production in series.