Investment in the future of manufacturing

Nägeli Swiss AG is making the largest machinery investment in the company's history and is commissioning a hydraulic 200-ton press for the production of deep-drawn parts. (© Image source: Nägeli Swiss AG)

With a pressing force of 2000 kN, a draw cushion with controlled counterforce, and a controllable forming process, complex forming operations can be produced with high part quality. (© Image source: Nägeli Swiss AG)

Through the large tool room, pulling heights of up to 150 mm are possible. (© Image source: Nägeli Swiss AG)

A fine adjustment machine relaxes the metal strip up to four millimeters thick and 300 mm wide from coil and enables the production of components with the highest flatness requirements. (© Image source: Nägeli Swiss AG)

"With the new hydraulic press, we strengthen our position as a think tank for tricky tasks and processes in the development and manufacturing of sheet metal parts," emphasizes Niklaus Nägeli, mi. (left: Dominik Nägeli, right: Christoph Nägeli) (© Image source: Nägeli Swiss AG)

Nägeli Swiss AG is undertaking the largest machine investment in the company's history and expanding production for deep-drawn parts. A new hydraulic 200-ton press increases the flexibility of the Swiss innovation hub. The feed height for series parts nearly quadruples, and the part quality reaches fine-cut standards. The modern tool clamping system accelerates changeover processes and shortens delivery times. This allows the company to respond to market demands by quickly manufacturing increasingly complex series parts.

"With the new hydraulic press, we strengthen our position as an idea factory for challenging tasks and processes in the development and production of sheet metal parts," says Niklaus Nägeli from the management of Nägeli Swiss AG. The Swiss company is making the largest machine investment in its history and has commissioned a Lauffer RZU 200 draw press in June of this year. The press features a cut impact damping system and a modern operator interface connected to the ERP system.

New press significantly expands manufacturing spectrum

Thanks to a contour monitoring system, a draw cushion with controlled counterforce, and precise speed regulation, complex forming processes can be produced with high part quality. A fine-tuning machine relaxes metal strips up to four millimeters thick and 300 mm wide from coil, enabling the production of components with the highest flatness requirements. The control is managed by a Siemens S7. Based on this, Lauffer has integrated the new visualization "LaHMI," which manages the band feed and press operation. This allows the system to be easily, safely, and intuitively programmed via the large touchscreen.

The new press enables Nägeli Swiss AG to reliably, repeatedly, and efficiently realize their creative and sometimes unusual solutions for sheet metal parts. The Swiss company also expands its capabilities regarding part size and complexity. Coil material can now be formed into integral parts with a draw height of up to 150 mm. The excellent surface quality and fine-cut edges of the series parts are achieved thanks to the draw cushion with controlled counterforce. Together with the controllable forming process via force and speed regulation and the hydraulic concept of the press, which applies maximum force at every point, nearly ready-to-assemble components with tight tolerances are produced.

Customers benefit from more possibilities

The head of the stamping department, Fritz Rüegg, is convinced that "we can significantly increase our potential and offer our customers much more in terms of component geometry and material utilization." With the connection of the new machine to the in-house ERP system, manufacturing orders can be directly fed into the press. In return, real-time information from the press to the system ensures that Industry 4.0 becomes a reality at Nägeli Swiss AG. The responsible personnel are enthusiastically embracing these new challenges.