Cold forming parts. Efficient precision.

www.obtec.eu

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Sauerland

Sauerland:Competence in metals in the country

Hills, forests and dams – that is far from being all that the Märkisch-Sau-erland region, the home of OBTEC, has to offer. Over centuries, metal-working and a specialisation in tool construction have developed here. Even in the Middle Ages, the collecting of iron ore and its

further processing into worked parts and wire was of significant strategic importance. This is because all of the key elements, such as wood for the smithy's fire and water power to drive the hammers, were available in Sauerland.During the process of industrialisation,

this was the basis for a unique range of metalworking industries to develop in a small area. For this reason, the area of southern Westphalia is renowned for having only extremely short distances between a variety of specialists – in-cluding experts in tool construction and hardening through to surface coating.

A metal specialist in every valley

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With more than 100 years of experience in the field of metalworking, OBTEC can offer its customers expert technical support in the design of fastenings such as bolts, screws and studs. OBO Bettermann, the parent company of OBTEC GmbH, has been in existence since 1911. Shortly after its founding, namely from 1918 onwards, Franz Bettermann began to manufacture fastening elements for electrical and sanitary installations. This means that OBO has manufactured screws and bolts for use in its own products for an extremely long time.

Since these early days, the product range has been expanded continuously and the manufacturing processes adapted to meet the very latest develop-ments and standards. Today, OBTEC can offer cold extrusion parts, such as welding studs, screws and bolts, semi-tubular parts with and without internal threads, as well as all types of customised parts.

Having started in 1911 – we v́e been doing this for a long time.

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Hi-tech in a rustic setting

A high level of resistance and energy-efficient machining – these are just two of the countless benefits of solid cold forming. Our fastening elements are ma-chined without cutting. This offers tangible benefits compared to CNC machining.

The basic material – the wire – is machined in a strand. When working with wire in a cold state, the original structure remains intact. Here, the fibres are not des-troyed, because the material is compressed in a cold state. This means that the elements to be machined have an even higher level of resistance, up to class 6.8.

CNC milling, on the other hand, causes sharp edges which can suffer from notching. In these areas, the material is weakened and cannot support such high loads.

Comparison of structuresFrom left to right:Wire as the raw materialCNC-milled turned partCold-formed extrusion part

• Maintaining the structure• Improved material properties• Material saved• Efficiency increased

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Efficient production, perfect propertiesLow material consumption as well as the efficient use of energy make solid cold forming an excellent method. Fas-tening elements with excellent properties can be produced using as few work steps as possible.

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Possible? Possible!

Our cold forming specialists check each order in detail to see if it can be imple-mented. Based on customer drawings, the application technicians ensure that the cold forming process is the right one for the specific component. The aim of the planning phase is always to try and use as few pressing operations in production as possible.

Experience is the most important precondition. Our experts have comprehensive knowledge, gained from daily practical work. In their technical consultation, the aim is always to offer the most economical solution possible for the customer: the optimum interplay of technical feasibility, the necessary quality and a fair price.

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Pushing out and not removing – that’s what solid cold forming is all about. In contrast to CNC machining, the material's structure is not destroyed to reach the desired shape. The massive forces affecting the material during machining cause it to change its flow direction. This cold forming method allows a high level of accuracy with dimensional tolerances of a hundredth of a millimetre.

The machining process can be chosen according to the complexity of the prod-uct. It ranges from a simple double extruder through to a highly complex five-level press. No matter how many steps the method has, it can always offer high speed and a minimal use of materials.

Extreme forces – extreme precision

BET Test Centre

The large BET Test Centre is part of the OBO group of companies. A wide range of required material and load properties can be tested here, on-site, even during devel-opment or production.

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Hidden, versatile, omnipresent

Welding studs surround us in everyday life, without us ever seeing them. This can be in a variety of different places, such as in the interior of a coffee machine, underneath the car bonnet or in many household appliances that are used daily.

The component materials are as varied as their uses. Whether steel, V2A or V4A stainless steel, brass, copper or aluminium – we can fulfil almost every requirement. Even special materials can be machined. The perfectly matched products ensure safe connections – in any place and at any time.

No matter which material you choose, it all starts with wire. This comes into the production facility on largeand can be used to create components with diame-ters of between two and 20 millimetres and a maximum length of 100 millime-tres.

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Quality doesn't just happen …

Acceptance check Even on arrival, the material goes through a series of tests. After an initial visual inspection, there is a check for surface damage and a dimensional test. The results are saved directly in the goods acceptance system. There then follows a comparison of the order with the material certificate. The material, and later the product created, can be traced throughout its entire life cycle at OBTEC using the barcode produced, which also con-tains the batch number.

DocumentationAt OBTEC, each production step is documented in great detail. It is possible to trace back products fully at any time. Further tests are also carried out at regular intervals.

… it comes from OBTEC. The material and the product are tested in each step of our production process. This has also been proven through QA certifica-tion to DIN EN ISO 9001:2008. Our participation in national and international standardisation committees means that we are not only up to speed with the latest developments in the sector, but also play an active role in steering them. Thanks to our operational data recording system, we can monitor each individual production step, thus optimising processes yet further.

Testing in the production processOBTEC uses a camera-supported SPC system. This re-cords all the relevant dimensions at adjustable intervals. When combined with data on the order number, the date and the responsible employee, this ensures that the product is always visible.

Final check: 100%Camera-supported systems also carry out the final check of the products. This means that even the smallest errors can be detected.

7.5 mm

A properly functioning production sequence also needs well-trained employees. It is for this reason that we invest in their regular further training.

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Large forces are involved in each pressing operation in the production facility. Only in this way can the materials be formed when cold. Thus, within a very short period of time, wire becomes a cold-formed part. Short, consecutive impact thuds – that’s the noise within the production halls. You can actually hear the sound of speed and precision.

OBTEC keeps control of all the steps. This starts with tool development according to our specifica-tions. The tools are manufactured by renowned manufacturers, and the finished tools are then used in the presses and rollers of our production facility. Forming may be followed by a hardening process or surface coating. Well packed, the products then go off to dispatch and to the address required by the customer. Thanks to this closed production process on our premises and with our partners, we can guarantee the highest level of quality in every work step.

You can hear the efficiency.

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PressesA total of 20 pressing machines are used in OBTEC's product facility. They range from the double press, through the rotation press with a speed of 400 units per minute, and on to the five-level press. All the machines were made by renowned manufacturers such as Salvi, Sacma, Hilgeland and National.

Reworking After pressing comes rolling. Here too, OBTEC, with ten thread rolling machines for external threads, is well situated. It doesn't matter which thread is required – the product range runs from standard threads to special threads of between M3 and M12. Even during the rolling of the cold-formed parts, no cutting processes occur. Even the internal thread is formed with a non-cutting method, which means that no shavings can get trapped in the drill hole.

Hardening and surface treatmentDepending on the area of use, refinement of the fastening elements is required. The products are subjected to heat treatment, according to the desired resistance class. Joint operations with highly specialised hardening and galvanising shops within a radius of 50 km mean that all kinds of refinement steps are possible. The produced articles can be annealed, hardened or tempered and, in the field of surface coatings, can be alloyed with zinc, zinc/nickel or zinc/iron, or also cop-per-plated. Stainless steel parts are additionally pickled.

PackagingAll the articles are packaged fully automatically – in boxes, bag, cartons, KLT containers or to individual customer requirements, according to demand. Each packaging unit is then given a label. Using the data stored there, it is possible trace back each packaging unit at any time. On request, the label can also be given an individual design.

OBTEC GmbH

P.O. Box 112058694 MendenGERMANY

Tel. +49 (0)2373 89-1166Fax +49 (0)2373 89-1238

info@obtec.eu

www.obtec.eu

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