14 15 14 3...electronic components industries. petr mik – kovo, which began in a large garage with...

Achieve more...

Megatrends offer clues into what cars will look like — and feel like — three to five years down the road, says Han Hendriks, Vice President of Product Development, Product Group Interiors, with Johnson Controls Automotive Experience, the leading design and development partner to automakers worldwide.

KEY AUTOMOTIVE TRENDS :SUSTAINABILITY, ADAPTABILITY

Human-centered, technology-driven

solutions are the hallmarks of Johnson

Controls’ ie:3 demonstrator vehicle.

The Global Customer Newspaper

MARKET REGION ASIA 3

MIllING TEChNOlOGy 14

lASER TEChNOlOGy 15

ApplICATION MASTERy 14

Newest EDMproducts setthe standards

A clean solutionfor making yourdistinct mark

More performance,more precisionin Milling

helping customersexceed goalsfor three decades

ENGlIShEDITION

06

+ fortell / KoVo | 4-5GF AgieCharmilles drivessuccess in lanškroun

+ hydrobel | 6-7 Blazing a new pathwith high-tech strategy

+ bennett Int. | 8-9 Strong customer focusspurs company’s growth

+ Uft | 10-11 Demonstrating technology leadership

+ Polygon | 12-13 Five-axis Milling meansboth speed and success

+ fIVecustomer successes

Johnson Controls, Inc., a vertically integrated Fortune 500 company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., US, employs more than 150,000 people in 1,300 locations worldwide. Johnson Controls’ 2010 net revenues of $34.31 billion are evidence of the company’s commitment to bringing value to customers, including automakers of all sizes. Automotive Experience, Building Efficiency and Power Solutions comprise Johnson Controls’ three business units.

Hendriks, who joined the company in 1999, said consumers want their cars to be more than a way to get from point A to point B. As people spend more time in their cars, the interior experience becomes more important.

“What’s exciting for me on the near horizon of three to five years is the combination of emotion and technology,” he explained. “Electronics integration lets you do more in the car interior than just drive. We see that ambiance and personalization of the auto interior — through, for instance, interior features like new lighting and surface materials, and functionalities like driver assistant electronics systems — are becoming more important. The automotive interior is a full brand experience.”

NEW MATERIALS, STANDARDIZED PROCESSES AHEAD

Consumers’ demands go beyond the mere appearance of their vehicles, he emphasized.

“The drive for more sustainable vehicles means using lightweight materials, with reduced petroleum-based ingredients like plastic. We have quite a few of those materials — natural fibers for instance — in our portfolio already,” Hendriks said.

While exceeding consumers’ expectations, Johnson Controls and its customers also must be profitable, Hendriks said. One way of doing that is by standardizing the interior automotive parts that aren’t visible to the end user.

“This entails guaranteeing, in a global way, the same processes

and components across all platforms, and balancing this standardization with an increased level of personalization of the visible areas of the auto interior,” he said. “In this way, we maximize the opportunity for differentiation in the parts you do see.”

INNOVATIVE PARTNER WELL INTO THE FUTURE

Further, just as Johnson Controls is committed to being an innovative partner to automakers in Europe and North America, the company is developing its product portfolio to meet the specific expectations of the growing Asian market.

“We have our own consumer research department in Shanghai, design studios in Pune, India, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo, and engineering teams on the continent,” he said.

Five to 10 years in the future, Hendriks foresees increased adaptability of vehicles from both emotional and functional points of view. Innovations like drive by wire — where traditional mechanical control systems are replaced by electronic controls systems — will become increasingly common. Automated highways — already in the works in Tokyo for 2016 use — are also on the not-so-distant horizon.

With such dramatic changes afoot in the auto industry, it’s an exciting time to be at the auto interiors design forefront.

“Design is all about the future,” he said.

DEAR READERS,

Welcome to the latest edition of Results Today, where we bring together compelling evidence of the added value GF AgieCharmilles brings to tool, mold and die makers and producers of high-value parts.

In this edition, you will read about our customers’ successes in growing market segments like automotive, medical and dental technologies, aerospace and aeronautics, information and communication technology, and electronic components. you will get expert insights about emerging trends relevant to the machine tool industry, and news about GF AgieCharmilles’ latest Milling, EDM and laser products, along with our comprehensive, world-class Customer Services.

Today more than ever, GF AgieCharmilles is a global source of strength to customers of all sizes and across many specialties and industrial areas. That’s because we deliver much more than machines and maintenance. Our application expertise and deep under-standing of your unique processes accelerate your productivity and profitability.

At GF AgieCharmilles, we have one overarching goal: to drive our customers’ success. Everything we do is aimed at ramping up your results. That’s the plus of GF AgieCharmilles.

Jean-pierre Wilmes,president GF AgieCharmilles

EDITORIAl

« What’s exciting for me on the near horizon of three to five years is the combination of emotion and technology. »Han Hendriks, Vice President, Product Development, Product Group Interiors, Johnson Controls, Inc.

Inspired efficiency is at the heart of Johnson Controls’ ie:3 demonstrator vehicle,

shown here by Han Hendriks, Vice President of Product Development,

Product Group Interiors, with Johnson Controls Automotive Experience.

Johnson Controls’

ie:3 demonstrator

vehicle showcases new

technologies in efficient,

lightweight automotive

interiors.

For more information, visit: www.jci.com

GF AgieCharmilles | Results Today | 06

AuTOMOTIvE | JOhNSON CONTROlS 2

“It is no exaggeration to describe Asia as a land of opportunity,” said Armando Pereira, Head of GF AgieCharmilles’ Market Region Asia. “Compared to other parts of the world, the growth here is remarkable in both speed and size. There is an entrepre-neurial approach, a greater will-ingness to take risks than is seen in Europe or the US — and that may be because the life cycles of products manufactured here are shorter and they have to continu-ously adapt to economic changes happening around the world and directly impacting the region.”

PARTNERSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST

With more than three decades of local presence in Asia and a manufacturing footprint in Beijing since 1995, GF AgieCharmilles is no longer a foreign company doing business on the continent.

“We have built long and success-ful relationships. Many of our customers in Asia have grown up with GF AgieCharmilles products and application expertise. Many started their businesses with just one of our machines and continue

to expand their GF AgieCharmilles machine bases as they grow because we have proven so committed to their success,” said Pereira.

Customers in Asia can easily see a return on a capital investment like a new EDM, Milling or LASER machine in one or two years, he said, and they see fast returns on knowledge capital after partnering with GF AgieCharmilles, as well.

“We are very close to our custom-ers in terms of collaboration and know-how transfer, and our customers benefit quickly from this partnership,” he explained. “They have great respect for the Swiss tradition of precision and know-how, and are very sensitive to the benefit they can get by hav-ing equipment of Swiss origin in their manufacturing facilities.”

A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND A GROWTH DRIVER

As a result, GF AgieCharmilles is a key source of strength to manufacturers in rapidly devel-oping industrial areas like ICT (Infor mation and Communication Technologies), automotive, home appliances, aerospace, and medical technology.

“Our customers face tremen-dous pressures both locally and abroad : huge manufacturing cost pressures, time to market constraints, fierce competitors and labor supply issues to name a few,” said Pereira. “But they’re flourishing. Our customers have to produce better quality tools, faster and with less impact from workers. They also have to produce increasingly complex, high-quality products from start to finish — and they’re more

and more often benefiting from GF AgieCharmilles EDM, Milling and Laser technologies as well as application competencies to more quickly achieve higher levels of competiveness.”

The creative solutions GF AgieCharmilles brings to its customers in Asia are highly valued, he said.

“Putting together accumulated ‘savoir faire’ and manufac-turing best practices from GF AgieCharmilles with the region’s extraordinary confidence in the future, helps our customers achieve impressive results very quickly,” Pereira said. “Finding creative ways to help to drive success is welcomed here, and its one of the things we do best.”

IN BOOMING MARKET REGION ASIA, THREE DECADES OF PARTNERSHIPGF AgieCharmilles’ success is best illustrated by its customers’ success and in booming Asia — the world’s largest land mass and host to 60 percent of the earth’s population — some of the continent’s most successful customers have flourished over the past three decades thanks to the Group’s local presence, EDM and Milling products and application expertise.

« Many of our customers in Asia have grown up with GF AgieCharmilles products and application expertise. »Armando Pereira, Head of Market Region Asia

With the Shanghai skyline as a backdrop,

Armando Pereira says GF AgieCharmilles has been

a source of strength to customers in Market Region Asia

for more than three decades.


MARKET REGION ASIA | GF AgieCharmilles 3

PRECISION, RELIABILITYESSENTIAL SUCCESS DRIVERSWith about 25 mold and die manufacturers concentrated in a 20.5-square-kilometer area, competition in Lanškroun, Czech Republic, can be fierce. That’s one of the reasons there is at least one GF AgieCharmilles machine in almost every mold and die shop in Lanškroun.

Mold and die makers fortell s.r.o. and Petr Mik – KOVO, both established in 1995, are two of those successful Lanškroun mold and die businesses. They differ in size and production focus but both rely on GF AgieCharmilles’ products and application expertise to ensure superior results for their customers.

With 110 employees, annual turnover of € 7 million and a 4,500-square-meter production plant built in 2008, fortell s.r.o. is a full-service mold and die manufacturer offering development and design services, injection molding and metal stamping, production of injection molds and stamping tools, and quality management. Private ownership and a streamlined decision making structure make fortell s.r.o. a reliable research and development partner. Their customers are in auto-motive, medical technology and consumer goods.

HELPING CUSTOMERS REACH FULL POTENTIAL

Petr Mik – KOVO, with 11 employ-ees, is a family business with an intense focus on first-in-class mold and die repair and manufac-turing services for customers in

the automotive, information and communication technology, and electronic compo nents industries. Petr Mik – KOVO, which began in a large garage with the produc-tion of tail lights for bicycles and toy building blocks, was among the first Lanškroun mold and die

shops to use computer numeri-cal control machine tools. Today, the business inhabits a renovated, former supermarket building and is proud to offer — thanks in part to its GF AgieCharmilles machine base — machining accurate to five microns.

“We began as a technical and design office for mold and die. We gradually expanded to metal stamping with automatic presses, production on eccentric presses, mold and die production and, since 2003, testing of molds which led us to start our plastic

Preparation of a workpiece on the CUT 2000 at Petr Mik – KOVO

Photo by Jiřina Straková

View into fortell s.r.o.’s full-service mold and die manufacturing facility


EuROpE | FORTEll / KOvO 4

+ [email protected] + www.fortell.cz

Petr MIK – KoVo

T. G. Masaryka 467,

563 01 lanškroun

Czech Republic

phone: +420 467 322 659

Fax: +420 467 322 659

fortell s.r.o.

Nádražní 1111

563 01 lanškroun

Czech Republic

phone: +420 465 466 500

Fax: +420 465 466 599

Contact

petr Mik, owner

[email protected]

Contact

František Jiras, Financial

and Commercial Director, CEO

[email protected]

gf AgieCharmilles machines

1 FI 440 CC

1 CuT 2000


1 CuT 3000

2 AC Classic 2S

1 AT Innovation

petr Mik, owner of petr Mik – KOvO, reviews technical drawings for plastic injection molds. František Jiras (center), Financial and Commercial Director and CEO at fortell s.r.o.,

discusses a machining strategy with sales and marketing manager Filip Ambrož (left)

and machine operator Lubomír Kubíček (right).

« We continue to invest in GF AgieCharmilles products because we are focused on first-class machining services so we need first-class machine tools. »Petr Mik, owner, Petr Mik – KOVO

« Our GF AgieCharmilles machines allow us to produce precise tools. This gives our customers confidence in their relationship with us and our ability to fulfill their needs. »František Jiras, Financial and Commercial Director and CEO, fortell s.r.o.

injection molding workshop,” said fortell Financial and Commercial Director and CEO František Jiras, adding that GF AgieCharmilles has been part of his company’s continuous growth. “Even before we moved into our new facility in 2008, we were using top-class Swiss machines.”

Jiras said fortell s.r.o.’s mold and die shop produces highly precise stamping dies and spare parts with micron level accuracy — a success factor that continues to drive the growth of the business.“Thanks to the high precision

of our die production, we can produce specific parts by punching instead of traditional machining on automatic lathes,” he said. “Our GF AgieCharmilles machines allow us to produce precise tools. This gives our customers confidence in their relationship with us and our ability to fulfill their needs.”

GF AgieCharmilles’ products and know-how are also key success factors at Petr Mik – KOVO.

“There is a GF AgieCharmilles machine in nearly every mold and die shop in Lanškroun. We bought our first GF AgieCharmilles wire-cutting EDM machine, the FI 440 CC, in 2008,” said owner Petr Mik. “We continue to invest in GF AgieCharmilles products because we are focused on first-class machining services so we need first-class machine tools. I appreciate GF AgieCharmilles’ good field references, European origin and the confidence the machines bring to our processes and customers.”

BEYOND MACHINES : KNOW-HOW IS CRITICAL

GF AgieCharmilles products and know-how are part of both companies’ business strategies.

“Thanks to our new GF AgieCharmilles machines and Customer Services support, we gain the competitive advantage of good reliability, minimal downtime and good availability of spare parts,” said fortell’s CEO Jiras.

Mik said his shop’s new GF AgieCharmilles CUT 2000 is directly linked to customer satisfaction.

“Our CUT 2000 investment helps us maintain a good relationship with our customers and concentrate on our core business: high quality molds and dies,” Mik explained.

In the final analysis, Jiras and Mik agreed, GF AgieCharmilles delivers success-enabling results for them and, most important, their customers.

Stamping die

produced by Petr Mik – KOVO

An electrical contact for automotive,

produced by fortell s.r.o.


EuROpE | FORTEll / KOvO 5

LASER TECHNOLOGY HELPINGHYDROBEL BLAZE NEW PATHAfter more than 32 years as a respected manufacturer of hydraulic equipment, Belgium’s Hydrobel s.a. is venturing, with the creation of a new CNC machining and reverse engineering department, into new, high-tech markets in Belgium, France and Germany. GF AgieCharmilles is Hydrobel’s partner of choice as it stakes its claim in new application areas.

Situated in Herstal, close to Liège in Belgium’s Ardennes region, Hydrobel employs a highly skilled, 10 – person workforce. With an eye to the future, the company is pursuing new application areas in mold making and mechanical production machining.

“A year ago, Hydrobel made a strategic decision to diversify and pursue high-tech subcontracting work for other companies. We created a new department dedicated to high-tech applications,” said Michel Deboutez, Manager of Development and CNC machining. He specified the majority of the new department’s employees have more than 20 years of experience in tire mold manufacturing and production machining. Deboutez began his career as a specialist in mold conception and joined Hydrobel to lead the new department.

SKILL, QUALITY, RESPECT ARE CORNERSTONES

“The high level of skill among Hydrobel employees is one of our success factors, along with real attentiveness to quality and respect for our customers’ deadlines,” he explained.

Those qualities, Deboutez explained, are the cornerstones of quality products.

“The particular strengths of our products are consistently high quality, long experience in simultaneous five-axis machining, electric discharge machining (EDM) and Laser technologies,” he said. “Furthermore, our investment in quality control yields perfect results for our customers.”

In just a year, Hydrobel has become a partner to customers in general mold making, the arm

industry and other application areas, in Belgium, France and Germany. The pieces produced as part of Hydrobel’s focus on high-tech applications are used in thriving industrial areas like automotive and aerospace and aeronautics.

Already a satisfied owner of several GF AgieCharmilles products — including a MIKRON HSM 600U high-speed Milling center, a MIKRON HPM 800U HD high-performance Milling machine, a highly precise and productive CUT 3000 wire-cutting EDM solution, and a DRILL 20 hole-drilling EDM machine, it was only natural for Hydrobel to con-sider GF AgieCharmilles’ LASER products for texturing molds and many other applications.

Reverse engineering by laser interferometer can be used to reproduce forms and

textures with GF AgieCharmilles Milling and LASER machines.


EuROpE | hyDROBEl 6

Hydrobel depends on GF AgieCharmilles’ Milling, EDM and Laser

products as it ventures into new, high-tech subcontracting work.

+ www.hydrobel-usinage.com

GF AgieCharmilles’ reputation and reliable after-sales service and application support, along with the results

yielded by its Milling, EDM and laser products play a role in hydrobel’s success, says Michel Deboutez, Manager of

Development and CNC Machining.

With quality and precision as factors differentiating Hydrobel from its

competitors, it’s not surprising to find a GF AgieCharmilles CUT 3000 in

Hydrobel’s workshop.

LASER : NEW POTENTIAL FOR DIFFERENTIATION

“We choose GF AgieCharmilles products for their reputations. Although Milling is not so present in this area, EDM is very well known and has a good reputation,” Deboutez said. “When we were looking for texturing solutions, we chose GF AgieCharmilles’ LASER 1200 5Ax five-axis texturing machine because it represents a new technology.”

“GF AgieCharmilles’s Laser technology offers a lot of advantages over conventional

etching techniques, including repeatability, a fully digitized process and unique advantages for texturing. With the LASER 1000 5Ax, we can differentiate ourselves from our competitors in a wide range of applications,” said Deboutez, adding that a

bonus of Hydrobel’s partnership with GF AgieCharmilles is its competent sales network.

Deboutez said GF AgieCharmilles’s after-sales and application support are highly important because they help Hydrobel

maintain continuous production. GF AgieCharmilles’ brand promise, “Achieve more…” is perfectly aligned with Hydrobel’s values, too, he said.

“GF AgieCharmilles’ innovative nature, the indisputable

reputation for Swiss quality, and reliability are additional fundamentals of our relationship,” he said. “Our GF AgieCharmilles machine base increases our competitive edge by delivering speed, reliable workpiece results and the surface quality we want.”

« GF AgieCharmilles’s Laser technology offers a lot of advantages over conventional etching techniques, including repeatability, a fully digitized process and unique advantages for texturing. »Michel Deboutez, Manager of Development and CNC Machining, Hydrobel s.a.

GF AgieCharmilles’

Laser technology can be

used to texture special

symbols, like this one

on a tire mold indicating

that the tire is designed

for rainy conditions.

An example of the

intricate detail enabled

by GF AgieCharmilles

LASER products.

hydrobel s.A.

parc Industriel des hauts-Sarts,

Zone 1

4e avenue, 11

B-4040 herstal, Belgium

phone: +32 498 86 18 78

Contact

Michel Deboutez, Manager of

Development and CNC Machining,

[email protected]

Giovanna Romano,

Commercial Administrator

[email protected]


MIKRON hSM 600u

MIKRON hpM 800u hD

CuT 3000

DRIll 20

lASER 1200 5Ax


EuROpE | hyDROBEl 7

Today, Bennett Internacional is a specialist in tooling, spare parts and machines for the production of electric stators for Spain and for export to 30 countries on five continents. What has not changed in the half century since the company was established is its focus on meeting customers’ needs. The company and its 18 employees are passionately focused on their customers’ success.

Josep Benito, General Manager and Sales Manager, has been with the company founded by his father since 1978. When his father retired in 1987, Benito took over the company with responsibility for both general and sales management.

“Between 1972 and 1985, Bennett gained a lot of experience and know-how in manufacturing winding tools and inserting stators. This led to our expansion into new commercial markets,” Benito explained. “The key to our

success is the success of our customers. This means we must adapt quickly to technological innovations and give our customers the best and most innovative solutions and products. These principles drive our success and contribute to our customers’ success.”

That can-do approach serves Bennett — and its customers — well. Nearly 53 percent of the company’s products are used in the production of household appliances. About 23 percent of Bennett’s products support the automotive sector, and 24 percent of the company’s products are used in other areas related to electric stators. Eighty-five percent of Bennett’s turnover comes from overseas sales.

GF AgieCharmilles HELPS DRIVE SUCCESS OF BENNETT INTERNACIONAL

In 2000, Bennett observed big growth potential in its global market, identified opportunities and initiated an action plan. Part of that action plan was to offer an integral service to customers.

“We saw an opportunity to jointly develop new winding tools for high-efficiency stators. Another objective was to reduce to a minimum the delivery times for spare parts,” Benito explained. In August 2000, in order to fully realize these objectives, Bennett moved to a new campus: two buildings with 1,300 square meters of floor space.

The company’s relationship with GF AgieCharmilles took root in 2002, when Bennett began making important investments in new, high technology machines

FOR BENNETT INTERNACIONAL,CUSTOMERS ARE THE FOCUSBennett Internacional S.L. has come a long way since its founding 57 years ago in Barcelona. In theearly days, the company made molds for plastic and aluminum injection and, in 1972, began laying thefoundation to become a leading tool producer for manufacturing electric stators for domestic and industrial applications.

Bennett machine operator Carlos Almansa checks the parameters

on a MIKRON VCE 800 Pro.

An automatic transfer machine

for winding electric stators.

All tooling was manufactured by

Bennett Internacional.


EuROpE | BENNETT INTERNACIONAl 8

for the production of highest quality tooling and spare parts.

“We had high-quality and innovative products, but we needed a partner at our level,” said Bennett. “I compared various machine tool proposals and from all of the offers, I chose GF AgieCharmilles. GF AgieCharmilles is a Swiss company, a leading global supplier of machine tools with wide experience and know-how in EDM and Milling. Due to their precision, speed and reliability, GF AgieCharmilles machines have increased our efficiency and productivity and reduced our operating costs.”

LOCAL SALES PRESENCE A KEY DECIDING FACTOR

GF AgieCharmilles’ reliability and local presence in Spain are other key factors in Bennett’s choice.

“GF AgieCharmilles’ direct subsidiary in Spain has a qualified and trained Customer Services department that provides us with expert and direct technical service, an efficient supply of consumables and spare parts, and application expertise,”

Benito added. “Thanks to our GF AgieCharmilles machines, we have achieved a big leap forward in technology, quality, job process optimization and reduced costs and time. Plus, these machines allow us to develop innovative applications and spare parts that previously were beyond our reach.”

Bennett’s growth strategy entails increasing production in Barcelona and its sales network and presence in Asia, the Americas and Eastern Europe. GF AgieCharmilles will continue to play a role in the com-pany’s success.

“By increasing our competitive-ness, GF AgieCharmilles supports our growth strategy,” Benito said. “GF AgieCharmilles understands our business perfectly.”

Chief of Operations David Ruiz prepares to cut parts

on the GF AgieCharmilles wire-cutting machine.

+ www.bennettinternacional.com

bennett InternACIonAl s.l.

polígono Industrial la Clota

C/. Or 18

p.O. BOX 304

08290-Cerdanyola del vallès

Barcelona, Spain

phone: +34 93 692 56 98

Fax: +34 93 692 37 47

Contact

Josep Benito, General Manager

and Sales Manager

[email protected]


Agiecut Classic 2S

Agiecut progress 2

Agiecut progress 2

MIKRON vCE 800 pro

MIKRON vCE 800 pro

Bennett Internacional team members include General Manager Josep Benito, machine operator Carlos Almansa,

and Chief of Operations David Ruiz.

« Due to their precision, speed and reliability, GF AgieCharmilles machines have increased our efficiency and productivity and reduced our operating costs. »Josep Benito, General Manager and Sales Manager, Bennett Internacional S.L.

Bennett Internacional

uses GF AgieCharmilles

Milling and wire-cutting

EDM technologies to

produce tooling for

winding electric stators.


EuROpE | BENNETT INTERNACIONAl 9

“UFT started in my garage. My brother and I sold our motorcycles and got a loan from our father in order to buy our first Milling machine. Our initial focus was on machining and tooling services,” said Edvaldo Tonini, UFT Commercial Director. He and his brother, Eduardo, are partners in UFT. Eduardo is the company’s industrial director.

Today, UFT has its own 10,000-square-meter headquar-ters in São Paulo’s Várzea Paulista industrial district, a subsidiary in Manaus, and 150 employees. The secret to UFT’s success: integrity and collaboration along the whole industry chain.

“We always work with sincerity and partnership: with suppliers, employees and customers,” said Edvaldo Tonini. “We also do very high quality work, and we continue to invest in technology, personnel and the continuous improvement in everything we do.”

UFT’s vision is to be a benchmark in technological solutions in the area of design and construction of devices, tools and aerospace machining.

UFT FOCUSES ON BEING THE BEST AT ALL THAT IT DOES

“Our strong point is that we always work toward being the best at what we do,” Eduardo Tonini added. “That means we are focused on being the best at designing and building devices, engraving tools and precision parts.”

Aerospace is a key driver of UFT’s business. The company machines structural parts, fuselage components, and stainless steel rails for aircrafts’ wing flaps for commercial, executive and defense aviation customers on several continents.

But UFT’s expertise doesn’t stop with aerospace. The company also makes tools and parts for motorcycles, automobiles, manufacturing machinery and the

cosmetics industry.“We manufacture parts and subassemblies to international aerospace standards, and this gives our customers the

confidence that the precision parts they get from us are of the highest quality,” said Edvaldo Tonini. He pointed out that UFT is ISO 9100 and ISO 15100 certified.

AT UFT, FIVE-AXIS MILLINGMEANS SPEED, EFFICIENCYBrazil’s Usinagem Ferramentaria Tonini Ltda. (UFT) has come a long way since its humble beginnings in its founder’s garage. UFT today is Brazil’s leading designer and builder of devices and tools for aerospace machining — and GF AgieCharmilles is UFT’s exclusive supplier of five-axis Milling machines.

GF AgieCharmilles’ products play a key role in the success of Brazil’s Usinagem Feramentaria Tonini Ltda. (UFT).

uFT, situated in São paulo’s várzea paulista industrial district,

is a partner to manufacturers of commercial, executive and

defense aircraft on several continents.


AMERICAS | uFT 10

GF AgieCharmilles’ five-axis MIKRON Milling machines help drive UFT’s success.

“Not many of our competitors here use five-axis machining, so our GF AgieCharmilles MIKRON Milling machines add value to our business by giving us greater efficiency and speed in our operations,” Edvaldo Tonini explained. “GF AgieCharmilles is our exclusive supplier of five-axis Milling machines.”

That partnership extends beyond machines to preventive and corrective maintenance through GF AgieCharmilles Customer Services. Eduardo Tonini said UFT’s preventive maintenance contract with GF AgieCharmilles guarantees maximum machine uptime and optimal performance which, in the final analysis, mean faster turnaround time for UFT’s customers.

EVIDENCE OF QUALITY, REASON FOR PARTNERSHIP ARE IN THE RESULTS

Moreover, the Tonini brothers agreed, GF AgieCharmilles application expertise and understanding of UFT’s particular processes help the company gain market share. With a solid base in aerospace, UFT is growing in other markets, too, like printing machine manufacturing.

“GF AgieCharmilles’ sales and technical teams always strive to support us with technical challenges and give us the best deals when we are expanding our machine base,” Edvaldo Tonini said.

Eduardo Tonini said the Group’s focus on ensuring that customers get the best results from their MIKRON five-axis Milling machines is another factor in their long partnership with GF AgieCharmilles.

“GF AgieCharmilles is a very strong brand, and our customers are impressed with the precision parts machined with GF AgieCharmilles’ Milling technology,” he said. “We are proud to be GF AgieCharmilles’ biggest customer in Brazil. GF AgieCharmilles puts its customers first by delivering equipment on time, helping us resolve challenges in our production process, and allowing

us to machine increasingly complex parts. The fact that we have seven MIKRON milling machines in our workshop is proof of the strength GF AgieCharmilles brings to our business.”

+ www.uft.com.br

uFT Commercial Director Edvaldo Tonini and uFT Industrial Director Eduardo Tonini are brothers

and business partners.

« Our GF AgieCharmilles MIKRON Milling machines add value to our business by giving us greater efficiency and speed in our operations. »Edvaldo Tonini, Commercial Director and Partner, UFT

« GF AgieCharmilles puts its customers first by delivering equipment on time, helping us resolve challenges in our production process, and allowing us to machine increasingly complex parts. »Eduardo Tonini, Industrial Director and Partner, UFT

Since 1991, UFT has grown to 150 employees and two locations, including

this 10,000-square-meter headquarters and workshop in São Paulo’s

Várzea Paulista industrial district and a subsidiary in Manaus.

UFT used GF AgieCharmilles machines to produce this flap rail

for an aircraft wing.

Executive aircraft arm drive pedal machined by UFT

using MIKRON five-axis Milling technology.

An aviation connection machined on a MIKRON five-axis

Milling machine.

An aircraft wing rib machined

on a GF AgieCharmilles five-axis

MIKRON Milling machine.

Uft

Marginal Rio Jundiaí, 440,

Área Industrial várzea paulista

São paulo, Brazil, 13221800

phone: +11 4595 7019

Fax: +11 4595 8305

Contact

Edvaldo Tonini,

Commercial Director and partner

Eduardo Tonini,

Industrial Director and partner

[email protected]


5 MIKRON uCp 800 Duro

1 MIKRON uCp 600 vario

1 MIKRON hpM 800


AMERICAS | uFT 11

Established in Singapore in 1987, Polygon specializes in the development and production of high-precision injection molds and molding products. With six mold manufacturing bases in China, Polygon demonstrates its commitment to developing and producing high-precision molds for connectors, precision electronic parts and optical lenses for its customers throughout Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia and China. Polygon (Chengdu) Precision Mold & Plastic Co., Ltd. is one of the most important manufacturing bases of Polygon Precision Group.

“We produce high-end LED lead frames for Tyco, Molex and other global brands,” said Polygon (Chengdu) Precision Mold & Plastic Co., Ltd, Managing Director Xi Gang. “We also supply connectors for intelligent security systems in the automotive industry, and backplane connector molds for 3D base

stations for Huawei, Lucent and other big customers in the communications industry.”

STAYING ON TOP IN A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY

In fact, Xi said, one of the most important connectors in two of Apple’s most popular products — the iPhone 4 and the iPad tablet computer — are made by Polygon.

“To stay in the top level of competitiveness, we must continuously improve our precision manufacturing capabilities and take ‘providing our customers with high-precision molds’ as our core competence,” he explained.

At Polygon, GF AgieCharmilles machine play a leading role.

“Polygon Precision Group has many machines from GF AgieCharmilles.

In the most important manufacturing base, Polygon Chengdu has many machines from GF AgieCharmilles as well,

especially high-end machines. Our Chengdu mold manufacturing base has three MIKRON HSM 500 high-speed Milling machines and

a MIKRON HSM 400U high-speed milling machine to produce electrodes,” said Xi. He said the MIKRON HSM 500 symbolizes

MARKET REGION ASIA’S POLYGONIS WINNING BY PRECISIONPrecision can make the difference between success and failure. That’s why Polygon (Chengdu) Precision Mold & Plastic Co., Ltd. — partner to some of the best-known brands in electronic component manufacturing — relies on GF AgieCharmilles’ process expertise and machine tools.

Polygon used GF AgieCharmilles machines to produce this honeycomb-like copper electrode.

The FO 350 MS helps Polygon

stay competitive in the fast-

paced world of high-precision

mold production.


ASIA | pOlyGON 12

Polygon’s solid step forward in high-speed cutting technology and, in comparison to conventional milling machines, significantly reduces processing time.

The MIKRON HSM 500 significantly improves surface quality and eliminates the need for manual polishing. With 0.1 mm diameter carbide cutting tools, it can be used for extremely fine machining. Xi said Polygon’s five-axis MIKRON HSM 400U machining center equipped direct drive rotary torque table ensures high-speed machining on all five axes and greatly improves production efficiency.

Polygon’s Chengdu operation also has several GF AgieCharmilles FO 350 MS die-sinking EDM machines. Polygon first uses its MIKRON HSM machines to produce the electrode for precision connectors, then uses the FO 350 MS for the die-sinking work process. The result: connectors with an inner radius of 0.01 mm and a surface finish of 0.07 mm.

Precision and quality ensure Polygon’s outstanding performance in the production of optoelectronic products such as high-level scanning engines, the key electronic components of two-dimensional code scanners,

precision parts in the nuclear industry, and optical lenses.“In the electronic components industry, accuracy has become the most important factor in the success of the final product,” Xi said. “The FO 350 MS guarantees us the accuracy, speed and productivity we need.”

ACCURACY : PROOF IS IN THE COMPLEX PARTS

Accuracy is so important to Polygon and its customers that the company’s Chengdu production plant has a dedicated showcase featuring its high-precision parts: 3C connector

mold parts, with an interior, angular radius of 0.01 mm, machined by the FO 350 MS; precision parts machined on the HSM 500 by using a cutter with a 0.15 mm diameter to produce parts as accurate as 5 μm.

Those parts are the pride of Polygon and help the company win more orders.

On-site application expertise means a lot, too, Xi said. For example, when Polygon needed to produce a connector according to customer require-ments, GF AgieCharmilles’ Swiss application engineers helped Polygon reduce the processing

time for that connector from 18 hours to nine hours.

“With the rapid development of demanding electronic products, Polygon has a promising future in precision manufacturing,” Xi said. “GF AgieCharmilles will continue to be an important partner in our precision manufacturing.”

+ www.polygon.com.cn

Polygon (ChengdU) PreCIsIon

Mold & PlACtIC Co., ltd.

N° 315, GuNan St, Western of

hi-tech Ind Development Zone,

Chengdu, China 611731

phone: 86-28-87938080

Fax: 86-28-87938081

Contact

Jerry li, Sales Manager

[email protected]


3 MIKRON hSM 500

1 MIKRON hSM 400u

3 FO 350 MS

Xi Gang, Managing Director of polygon (Chengdu) precision Mold & plastic Co., ltd., says his company’s

high-precision molds depend on GF AgieCharmilles’ Milling and EDM products, application know-how

and process expertise.

The MIKRON HSM 500 was used to produce these parts used in nuclear

industry with 5 μm accuracy.

« GF AgieCharmilles will continue to be an important partner in our precision manufacturing. »Xi Gang, Managing Director, Polygon (Chengdu) Precision Mold & Plastic Co., Ltd.

These high-speed backplane connectors with an inner angular radius of

0.03 mm were produced by Polygon using GF AgieCharmilles’ die-sinking

FO 350 MS die-sinking EDM machine.


ASIA | pOlyGON 13

GF AgieCharmilles exceeds customers’ expectations with its new CUT 2000 OilTech wire-cutting EDM solution that extends the advantages of machining in oil to an even wider array of applications. The CUT 2000 OilTech enables the use of oil as a dielectric fluid in, for example, the machining of tungsten carbide tools for mass production of Information and Communications Technology components and parts for luxury watches.

Performance and flexibility are the hallmarks of the new FORM 200 mS die-sinking EDM machine. It masters all aspects of micro machining, from molds for integrated circuits and cavities for LEDs to the detailed forms of connectors. Optimized for speed and performance, the FORM 200 ms boosts productivity with the addition of the new, modular, 16- to 160-position Rotary Tool Changer (RTC). The FORM 200 mS is specifically designed to enable perfect geometric quality.

The new die-sinking FORM 300 vP represents new dimensions in autonomy and flexibility. The machine features a powerful Vision control, flexible data management, problem-free work insertion and an exclusive GF AgieCharmilles feature : direct data downloading using a script file to send complete design data for electrodes and parts from the CAD/CAM system to the control unit. With the addition of the new System 3R WPT1+ part and tool changing solution, the FORM 300 vP enables new levels of autonomy and flexibility.

The DRILL 300 hole-drilling machine features a GF AgieCharmilles’ powerful ISPG generator and CNC, high flexibility in production and Automation, ease of use, and a compact design. It is a winning solution for a variety of applications like drilling cooling holes for aerospace and aeronautics and starting holes for wire-cutting EDM in mold and die. The DRILL 300 machines holes in various diameters and profiles in mass production.

MIKRON HSM 600U LP : FOR ACCURACY AND PRECISION

GF AgieCharmilles’ new MIKRON HSM 600U LP is the perfect Milling solution for a wide range of applications, from prototype, mold and die production to low-volume serial production where accuracy and finish are key success drivers. The MIKRON HSM 600U LP’s accuracy and precision are especially welcome news to a variety of industries including automotive.

The new machine can be optimally used on free-form aluminum parts or intricate mold work. Superior jerk and acceleration capacity make it possible to reduce time and operating costs and achieve smooth and precise performance on high-end molds.

With the MIKRON HSM LP series GF AgieCharmilles ensures that quality and efficiency are your starting points. The MIKRON HSM 600U LP yields an accurate mold with extremely good surface quality, reducing the need for hand polishing to an absolute minimum.

MIKRON HPM 450U PAVES THE WAY TO NEW HORIZONS

High performance, a compact footprint even with Automation, and unique work-piece access are among the impressive characteristics of GF AgieCharmilles’ new five-axis Milling solution, the MIKRON HPM 450U. It features a new torque rotary tilting table for unlimited five-axis machining, and a cleverly conceived spindle variation. Accommodating a wide range of workpieces, the MIKRON HPM 450U ably handles simple drilling,

complex five-sided jobs and five-axis simultaneous machining.

The new torque rotary tilting table brings together power, dynamics, precision and reliability to position users for entry into industrial areas like medical technology, automotive, energy and power generation, and general machining. With the MIKRON

HPM 450U’s 20,000 rpm spindles featur-ing through-spindle coolant, customers can take high-speed cutting technology strategies to the maximum.

Across a wide range of applications in seemingly diverse market segments, GF AgieCharmilles’ new EDM products are setting new standards for precision, flexibility and autonomy.

GF AgieCharmilles’ new MIKRON HSM 600U LP and HPM 450U offer distinct advantages across many application areas, from automotive to medical and dental technology.

NEW EDM PRODUCTS : APPLICATION MASTERY

GREATER PRECISION, GREATER PERFORMANCE

The CUT 2000 OilTech : extending machining

in oil to wider variety of applications.

The FORM 200 mS: mastering all aspects of

micro machining.

The FORM 300 vP: new dimensions in

autonomy and flexibility, Automation ready.

The DRILL 300: powerful generator and CNC,

high flexibility, ease of use.

The MIKRON HSM 600U LP features superior

jerk and acceleration, precise material

removal, sophisticated thermal management,

and Intelligent Tool Management.

The MIKRON HPM 450U boasts high performance,

a compact footprint and unique workpiece access.


NEWS | GF AgieCharmilles 14

DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF WITH LASER

GF AgieCharmilles’ clean, fully digitized and highly accurate Laser technology offers both a continuum of products and the application expertise to help you differentiate your components from those of the competition. GF AgieCharmilles high-precision Laser solutions — including select Automation-ready models — bring the machining process full circle. That makes it easy for you to texture, engrave, microstructure and label simple two-dimensional and complex 3D geometries.

The highly rigid machine concept and integrated rotary axis of GF AgieCharmilles’ LASER products mean even big workpieces like transfer molds for airbag compartment covers, truck and auto tires and molded interior parts are easily textured. Our Laser technology masters the finest details and continuous 3D textures, freeing you to incorporate up to 256 grayscale layers into your surface designs.

FULLY DIGITIZED, CLEAN PROCESS

It all starts with a digital bitmap/grayscale file created in-house or derived from a natural surface by reverse engineering via 3D scanner. Our software package eliminates the guesswork, allowing our LASER machines to create — based on data provided by a mapping system and with the help of a pulsed laser — your distinct designs on large and complex surfaces with overlapping focal ranges.

From hardened steel and carbide to aluminum and copper, the perfection is in the details. And because our process

starts with an eight-bit grayscale image of your design with a minimum resolution of 1270 dpi, the design is infinitely repeatable over countless iterations.

Because the texturing tool is a fiber laser, you never have to sharpen the tool or worry about breakage.

Plus, GF AgieCharmilles’ Laser technology is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional etching and engraving techniques.

When it comes to making your mark in the automotive industry and other segments where design plays a key role, GF AgieCharmilles’ expertise can make all the difference.

GREATER PRECISION, GREATER PERFORMANCE LASER TEXTURING :MAKE YOUR DISTINCT MARK

The LASER 1200 5Ax is an ideal solution for adding

distinct textures to tire molds.

GF AgieCharmilles’ LASER machines are a clean,

fully digitized texturing solution.

Electrodes Feasibility studies and test cuts Service interventions Customer training

GF AgieCharmilles knows by heart the needs of the tool and mold making industry and manufacturers of precision parts, and our Customer Services staff knows that your service strategy is a key success factor. That’s why the GF AgieCharmilles Customer Services offering includes three levels of support. You choose the services that best fit your specific needs.

OPERATIONS SUPPORT IN DAILY OPERATIONS

Achieving optimum levels of performance and precision in your daily operations is a must. Our Operations Support plays a key role by bringing you the certified consumables and original wear parts necessary to the your everyday operations.

For die-sinking and drilling EDM, GF AgieCharmilles Customer Services offers a wide range of consumables: copper, graphite and tungsten electrodes,

dielectric fluid and drilling tubes. Other consumables include chemicals, deionization systems, lubricants, filters and adhesives. Milling consumables include cleaning and anti-corrosion chemicals, filters and coolants.

MACHINE SUPPORT: MAXIMIZE UPTIME

With Machine Support, we offer the original spare parts, technical support and preventive services to keep your equipment in perfect operating condition.

Our original spare parts guarantee delivery of the best results in terms of productivity, accuracy and reliability. Our preventive services help reduce unproductive hours and maintain the value of your equipment.

BUSINESS SUPPORT TAILORED FOR YOU

With Business Support, GF AgieCharmilles offers busi-ness solutions tailored to your needs to help you keep up with

the ever-changing business and market environment.

Business Support includes feasibility studies, training and other services to ensure that you benefit from our ever-expanding base of expertise throughout the lifetime of your GF AgieCharmilles equipment.

GF AgieCharmilles comprehensive Customer Services offering includes fast technical support, preventive services, business solutions, consumables and spare and wear parts.

CUSTOMER SERVICES ENSURES YOUR SUCCESS

Imprint

Publisher Agie Charmilles Management SA, Geneva, SwitzerlandEditor in chief: Rolph LucassenManaging editor: Melody M. Corrieri

© Agie Charmilles Management SA, 2011. The technical data and illustrations are not binding. They are not warranted characteristics and are subject to change. 259.805.192

Editorial board Rolph Lucassen, Elke P. Magnin, Melody M. CorrieriLayout: David Hirsbrunner

Reporting Shirley Dai, Willi Glatter, Tomas Langer, Silvio Mitsunaga, Marga Toro

PhotographyMarinus van Breugel, Shirley Dai, Tomas Langer, Silvio Mitsunaga, Ferran Santandreu, Paul Thickett, Bennett Internacional, fortell s.r.o., Johnson Controls Automotive Experience, Petr Mik – KOVO

Translations Atlantis AG, Karsten U. Timmer

Print Tipografia Poncioni SACirculation : 15,000 copies


NEWS | GF AgieCharmilles 15

www.gfac.com

Milling + EDM + Automation + Laser + Customer Services

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We offer innovative Milling, EDM, laser, Automation, and Customer Services solutions. Talking to one expert is what we call “More efficiency,” and that’s a big plus.

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