Wickert Maschinenbau at the DKT: Press solutions for efficient manufacturing of high-quality elastomer moldings

Compression press WKP 100000 for the production of large-area parts. (Copyright: Baumann/Wickert)

For mass production of small and very small precision parts, Wickert transfer molding presses like this WKP 2000S are recommended. (Copyright: Wickert)

Wickert offers manually operated presses as well as complete systems including automation. (Copyright: Wickert)

Elastomer molded parts manufactured on Wickert presses (from left to right, top row): Shut-off valves for oil or natural gas drilling, rubber membrane, (bottom row) lip seals, O-ring, coupling made from a rubber-metal composite with a diameter of 2 meters. (Copyright: Wickert)

Customized pressing systems for the efficient manufacturing of high-quality elastomer parts are at the center of Wickert Maschinenbau's presentation at this year's DKT in Nuremberg.

The extensive portfolio includes systems for small batch sizes as well as for mass production, ranging from simple, manually operated hydraulic presses to highly customized, fully automatic production systems.

Available manufacturing processes include Compression Moulding (CM), Transfer Moulding (TM), and Injection Transfer Moulding (ITM). Micro and precision parts can be produced on elastomer presses just as well as thin-walled and large-volume components – if necessary, under vacuum and in cleanroom conditions.

The machine manufacturer will showcase product examples and press concepts at the DKT from July 1 to 4 in Nuremberg in Hall 9 at Stand 9-517.

From component development to turnkey solutions

In addition to the always customer-specific presses, Wickert offers its customers a comprehensive range of services. This begins with component development, followed by concept and feasibility studies if needed. Furthermore, the machine builder takes over the overall planning and general contractor responsibilities for the systems – optionally also as part of turnkey solutions.

Worldwide technologically leading manufacturer

The elastomer presses of the manufacturer, which claims to be the world's technological leader, are used wherever high precision and exact processing temperatures are required alongside high dynamics. Therefore, the machine builder sees itself as a performance leader in elastomer processing presses, appreciated both in industry and in cutting-edge research.

Fast, precise, and very hot

One of the key features of these presses is a very homogeneous temperature distribution with accuracy up to ± 0.3 K on the heating plate surface. Additionally, the highly precise planparallelism of up to 0.05 mm is a special characteristic. The company also has decades of experience with cleanroom presses for rubber processing under vacuum, which is why many pharmaceutical presses are manufactured in Landau.

And the fastest heating-cooling press in the world also comes from Landau. It reaches a peak temperature of up to 450°C with the currently unique heating rate of 55 K/min; cooling is even faster at up to 100 K/min. It is used at the Institute for Structural Lightweight Construction at TU Chemnitz. There, scientists develop, among other things, large-scale technologies for processing high-performance thermoplastics. The focus is on structural components for aircraft and automotive manufacturing, components for electromobility, and hybrid products made of plastic and metal.