In April 2014, Schuler (
www.schulergroup.com) delivered the first servo press — a 400-tonne MSD 400 — to Alzner Automotive, which is based in Grafenau, near Stuttgart.
An order for an MSD 250 came less than a year later, followed by another MSD 400, an MSD 630 and a 500-tonne hydraulic HPX press.
A second 630-tonne machine was ordered in July of last year, and an order for a second HPX 500 in late 2019 brought the total to seven Schuler presses in just five and half years.
In addition, Alzner Automotive is equipping the presses with the IIoT connector from Schuler.
This allows the operating status of the press lines to be checked from anywhere and at any time, along with information about the die running, the current stroke rate, the press force, and the lubrication and cooling circuits.
Alzner is currently installing an automated high-bay die storage system, and it is considering the purchase of Schuler’s camera-supported monitoring system for dies (Visual Die Protection).
The thriving business at Alzner is being ‘fuelled’ by the shift towards electro-mobility.
Managing director Hans-Martin Tekeser said: “We’re getting a lot of business in electromobility, both from our existing customers and from new ones.
“Whether it’s mechanical components for battery cells and engines or safety-critical reinforcing panels, the list of potential products in this segment is extremely diverse.
“We also talk to the automotive manufacturers about how parts can be designed more efficiently — for example, by using a sheet of metal instead of a tube shape as the starting material.”