It s A Kind Of Magic
In a whirlwind tour of Germany from Frankfurt to Stuttgart, Walter took members of industry and the press on an exciting road trip though Germany in Summer. In the sweltering heat of summer, Walter had an exciting story to tell how it came back from the brink of disaster: when a fire ravaged its factory in T端bingen, it rallied its experienced staff and skilled technical experts to set up a new state of the art cutting tool factory in M端nsingen. It was a magical journey, as the guests were regaled with a moonlit dinner at the foot of the black forest.
Caption: (l-r) Sam Lim, xx, yy, Ramlan, Melvin Yap, Tan Chee Tiong, V Mahesh Kumar (please check with walter missing names)
The sweltering heat played its trick on the eyes of enthralled guests, and indeed some of the guests claim to have seen garden gnomes running between the dinner tables. But that is another story.
The one we would like to tell is about Walter has come back from disaster stronger than ever, with advanced powder metallurgy and over 100 years of insert tool making expertise, Walter has developed an exciting new range of cutting tool inserts to celebrate and reward its loyal customers who have not deserted it in its time of difficulty. Tale To Tell In an engineering feat that brings the talents of its engineering team to bear, Walter setup an advanced insert and power coating production plant in nine months, after a fire incapacitated its original factory in T端bingen. Carrying off a sleight-of-hand in production planning, current orders were fulfilled with what was left of the equipment at the M端nsingen factory as the engineering team sought a new location for its temporary premises. WALTER bought out the factory from its owners and moved some of its equipment from the T端bingen factory. It also added new machines to boost its production capability.
Caption: Mirko Mielo, Executive Vice President, Walter AG
Caption: (l-r) Peter Witteczek, President, Walter AG; President, Sandvik; G체nther Oettinger, Minister-President, Baden-W체rttemberg <try to get picture from walter> Caption: Gunnar B책telsson, Vice President of Finance, Walter AG At the same time, a new state of the art green manufacturing facility in Tuerbingen was conceptualised. At the facility, discharge air treatment systems provide for better air recirculation, resulting in a more pleasant working environment. Cooling circuits for cooling lubricant contribute to environmental protection. The CO2 discharge was reduced by 75 percent, the consumption of fuel oil and natural gas for hot water and heating was reduced substantially.
Caption: The sintering facility
Caption: Gas farm
Designed from the ground up using advanced CAD systems and simulation, the new plant allows Walter to produce powders using a patented technique which allows the physical vapour deposition of Al2O3 coatings on stainless steel inserts. Gas Farm An innovation is the storage of gases like hydrogen, nitrogen or hydrocarbon used for manufacturing of the coatings. These gases are not delivered in a gaseous, but in a cryogenic liquid condition and are stored in vacuum-insulated, double-walled tanks. Due to the liquid physical condition, assay of the gasses is considerably increased and a constantly high product quality is being guaranteed, said Mr Oliver Morlok, person in charge of the gas farm. Significant savings in transportation expenses are also realised. Enroute to Bad The whirlwind technology tour took the visitors past the Neckar, where the Holderlin Tower was situated alongside famed river, where the revered German poet, Friedrich HĂślderlin, was holed up for 36 years and died, mentally deranged, but it was also along the serene and picturesque river that the poet was inspired to produce some of his best works. Quite like the nectar in beautiful wild flowers that sprout up alongside the Neckar, so the poetry flows. At the Bad WĂźrttemberg Town Hall, the clock tower could be seen. In a marvel of Germanic ingenuity and innovation of the town s forefathers, the horological clock actually indicates the
occurrence of an eclipse when the clock hands are aligned. The Mayor of Bad Württemberg made a speech on the economic resurgence that progressive industrialisation has brought to the small town. In an impassioned appeal, he called upon German industrialists to contribute to progress in nation building by taking advantage of the resources available in small towns like Bad Württemberg.
Caption: The illustrious young Mayor of Baden-Württemburg Werner Schmitt PKD-Werkzeug Niefern-Öschelbronn produces special brazed tools, where experienced technicians, akin to skilled artisans, carefully attach using a soldering method, diamond insert edges according to customer specifications. These inserts are used for the hard machining required in typically, industries such as the aerospace and automotive sectors where special alloys are being used to produce components to exacting specifications. Werner Schmitt gives Walter the flexibility to cater to the one-off orders and specialised applications, usually in small lot sizes of 5-10 pieces. Prototyp Prototyp produces solid carbide drills, reamers, hobbs and insert-tipped drills for tapping, forming and milling and thread cutters as well as specialised non-brazed tools. They complement Walter s value proposition in metal cutting. Here, the latest insert geometries are conceived and realised, including designs for tool holders. Heidelberg Castle One of the welcome pit stops along the gruelling technology tour was Heidelberg castle. Offering a scenic view of the city of Heidelberg, the scenic beauty and awe inspiring landscape edifies the spirit and is reminiscent of the landscapes of the great icon of German Romanticism, Caspar David Friedrich. The tale of Heidelberg castle is a romantic allegory that is filled with both pathos and inspiration. It is also a story about a passion of one man for beer Friedrich V. Indeed within the confines of the castle walls are gargantuan beer barrels several in fact that defies the imagination.
Gunther & Co The Titex-Prototyp technology centre located at Gunther & Co GmbH runs some of the development programmes that bring the Titex product range to fruition. The centre carries out development of small diameter solid carbide drills that are coated with TiN amongst other coating materials. The drills are designed for applications such as deep hole drilling with metals such as cast iron, steel and nonferrous metals such as aluminium, copper and magnesium alloys. Mercedes Museum The feelings for the trip can be summed up the visit to the futuristic Mercedes Benz Museum. It is a showcase of German technology and industrial design. Like a tin can sprouting out of Martian landscape, it completes the strangely surreal landscape, that is at once quixotic, yet appropriate. The contours of the sprawling grounds outside the museum are at once curvilinear, yet mathematically defined.
Inside the museum, futuristic elevators move people from floor to floor. The architecture of the building must surely be a feat of German industrial architecture. Vintage cars of yesteryear and postmodern concept cars stand out in startling contrast to the stark grey concrete walls. What better way to highlight cutting edge technology? The same can be said of the WALTER technology tour. Amidst the rustic charm of the German countryside in summer, state of the art factories and machine shops develop and produce best in class insert and cutting tool technology that is an allegory of human progress and innovation.