trendgineering
The carefree complete package
| Petra Rehmet
Promotool in Austria operates exclusively machines from KraussMaffei
The name indicates the origins: Promotool. When searching for a qualified moldmaker, the Pichler family of the Rudi Göbel Group took over the Austrian company in 2005. Since then, Promotool has developed from moldmaking to being a system provider and has been offering all production steps in-house since 2018, from development of parts to their manufacturing. 100 percent of the machines operating in the Promotool molding department are from KraussMaffei.
Seven CX and one PX run in 24/5 operation and manufacture technically challenging components for the automotive industry, power electronics and medical technology. The customers of Promotool expect a complete package, so in the area of injection molding machines the company from Styria relies on KraussMaffei as its preferred supplier, which programs the manufacturing cells including the handling system and peripherals.
It is important to us to have only one expert contact.Gerhard Reisner
Promotool Operations Manager
Maximum wear resistance required
At the location in Knittelfeld, the nearly 70 Promotool employees are currently producing approximately 90 different articles, often made of materials with flame retardants and high glass fiber content, which make the melt abrasive and corrosive. This is why all the machines have the highest possible wear resistance - KraussMaffei is known in the industry for its particularly long service lives for the plasticizing units, the heart of an injection molding machine.
Flexibility required:
Promotool produces technically challenging components for the automotive, power electronics and medical industries. The portfolio currently includes approximately 90 different articles
Experience with components from the area of power electronics, such as elements for control cabinets, as well as from the automotive area is paying off for a promising field of activity: electric cars. E-mobility is one of the strongest growth drivers for Promotool. In addition, the company is applying itself to the somewhat specialized (interior) components for limited series.
The eight injection molding machines have clamping forces ranging from 500 to 3000 kN and are equipped with LRX linear robots, which remove the articles and deposit them on the conveyor belt. Sometimes even inserts are placed in the mold. The company itself builds the grippers for this, and sometimes molds for the parent company Rudi Göbel (Helmbrechts)—likewise a loyal KraussMaffei customer—are created here.
High degree of automation:
All eight injection molding machines are equipped with LRX linear robots from KraussMaffei
Compact and efficient using minimum floor space
Even though there is still space in the molding department, which was built in 2018, the company decided on the CX partly due to its compact dimensions. The two-platen machine offers more production volume in the same area as comparable types, so it has an important unique selling point. In addition, peripherals such as tempering units can be located under its cantilever clamping unit, which further optimizes the use of space.
Carefree all-inclusive package: Florian Eilhardt (Sales Germany South KraussMaffei), Gerhard Reisner (Promotool Operations Manager), Kerstin Bann, (Promotool Materials Planning), Nihat Arslan (Sales KMAT) and Enrico Seibert (Promotool Head of Production) value their trust-based collaboration (from left to right)
With its BluePower servo drive or frequency-controlled asynchronous motor and the ecoPack insulation, the CX at Promotool is cutting-edge in terms of energy efficiency. The all-electric PX 50, which was put into operation specifically for a medical technology project, was located in the clean room.
Due to the high product quality standards, Promotool has not used any recycled materials to date, but is already equipped for this as far as the machinery is concerned. The APCplus function balances fluctuations from environmental influences and varying percentages of recycled material by calculating the melt viscosity and regulating the changeover point and holding pressure level from cycle to cycle.
Best utilization of space:
The two-platen machines of the CX series from KraussMaffei offer more production volume in the same area as comparable types
Best service and fast response times
The satisfaction of Promotool has a lot to do with the contacts at KraussMaffei. As the responsible Sales Engineer for Germany, Florian Eilhardt has also been taking care of the parent company Rudi Göbel for quite some time already. Nihat Arslan is the man on-site at KMAT. Gerhard Reisner praises in particular the good service network and the short response times.
Spare parts for maintenance come from Vienna or Munich - both routes are equally fast.Gerhard Reisner
Promotool Operations Manager
The operations manager would still like two additional machines to cover the strong growth. It can be assumed that these, too, will come from KraussMaffei.
