Stanztec Presents Stamping Technology in All of its Facets

Precision stamped parts made of steel, copper, brass, aluminium and other materials are used in all important everyday objects: from automotive parts right on up to electronic components and housings. All renowned players in the field of stamping technology will meet at the Stanztec trade fair for stamping technology at the Pforzheim Congress Centre from the 19th through the 21st of June, 2018.

The specialised industry meet is known for its high standards. You won’t find any manufacturers of cheap or mass-produced parts here. International high-tech stamping enterprises with high levels of vertical integration and the most up-to-date technologies are at home in and around Pforzheim. And thus it’s only logical that “Stamping Valley” serves as a venue for Europe’s most important stamping event. Manufacturers and distributors of stamping technology equipment, tooling and peripherals, as well as expert visitors from all over the world, meet at Stanztec.

For example plug connectors – which are frequently produced as stampings – are installed in electric and conventional cars, LED technology, medical devices and consumer appliances. This necessitates highly precise manufacturing and tolerances down to hundredths of a millimetre and less. High-end stamping technology and stamped products provide the basis for increasingly complex mechatronic and micro-systems components, assemblies, subsystems and complete devices.

High-performance stamping machines with either fixed or adjustable strokes are required to this end – which can be run seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Highest possible rotational speed with top precision only works with high-end tooling, efficient quality monitoring and a perfectly matched feed function, for example roll feed or servo feed. “In particular there’s great demand for quality assurance technology which can be integrated into the manufacturing process”, observes Stanztec project manager Georg Knauer of trade fair promoters P.E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG. Modern camera technology, which will also be showcased at the industry event, is helpful for sorting out bad parts before processing has been completed.

The tolerances are getting tighter and the stamped parts are becoming smaller – there’s no doubt about this in the meantime as far as the experts are concerned. The world of smartphones and compact electric devices, as well as smaller cars and production machines, makes it necessary to pack more and more technology into ever smaller spaces. Stamping technology must keep up with the pace in this respect and continuously develop new innovations where precision and toolmaking are involved. At the same time, users expect flexible machines which support quick tooling changeovers, and have a small footprint and a long service life. Furthermore, it should also be feasible to process as many formats as possible without retooling. And they should be usable as standalone machines on the one hand, as well as in combination with handling technology, for further processing and in intra-logistics processes on the other hand. “The standards achieved by the exhibition offerings for stamping technology are so impressive that they’re capable of meeting all demands”, says Knauer optimistically.

The upcoming trade fair is already booked out and several dozen companies are on the waiting list. This is due to the fact that the limited space available at the Pforzheim Exhibition Centre once every two years for Stanztec is bursting at the seams. Roughly 150 exhibitors from five countries will present their offerings on 37,000 square feet.