On July 1 and 2, Meusburger once again hosted its design engineers’ meeting at its Hohenems location, and around 80 experts from the mold and stamping die industries accepted the invitation. For two days, the focus was on how processes in the industry can be further optimized—from design, through manufacturing and simulation, to materials, sensor technology, and digitalization. Plenty of material, then, for a lively professional exchange.

The first day kicked off with a focus on mold making. Richard Gane from Servomold discussed servo-electric movements in injection molds, before Martin Nikel from Hermle Maschinenbau presented the company’s proprietary MPA technology as an additive manufacturing service for the manufacturing industry. Thomas Mann from Plexpert then demonstrated how simulation can help validate mold designs even in the early stages of development.

In the afternoon, the participants traveled to Wolfurt: During a tour of the standard parts manufacturer’s headquarters, they gained insights into ongoing production. Afterward, Dr. Thomas Mitterlehner from Moldsonics explained how ultrasonic sensors can be used to determine the optimal demolding time directly within the mold. Manfred Faßnacht from Meusburger concluded the technical portion of the day with a presentation on the role that standardized mold components play in cost-effective mold designs. The day concluded with a group dinner at the Vorarlberger Museumswelt, where technical discussions continued in a relaxed atmosphere and a few new contacts were made.

The second day was devoted to die and tooling design. Sebastian Denz of Stampack opened the session with a presentation on an end-to-end digital workflow, from strip layout to the finished tool design, while Michael Wenk of WKK Kaltbrunn used specific application examples to demonstrate what modern progressive dies are capable of today. Tony Britze from Oerlikon Balzers Coating presented the latest coating solutions for stamping and forming dies, before Thomas Weber from Marposs Monitoring Solutions showcased intelligent monitoring solutions for progressive dies and presses.

Following the plant tour, Markus Peter of Hirschmann Automotive addressed the question of what role simulation, artificial intelligence, and acoustics will play in toolmaking in the future. The technical portion of the event concluded with a presentation by Thomas Enz of Meusburger, who discussed current developments in powder metallurgical steels and explained the key considerations for selecting materials suited to specific applications. The day also came to a pleasant close—with a ride on the historic Rheinbähnle and a group dinner.