News

News and events at a glance

Fully informed and up to date: Read on to find out what is happening at Druckguss Westfalen and what we are working on. We look forward to seeing you – here on our website, or on visit at our foundry.

Second prize in International Aluminium Die Casting Competition 2020

HV booster housing for a Porsche Taycan charging unit

The big moment came during the evening opening ceremony for the EUROGUSS 2020 die casting trade fair in Nuremberg on 13 January 2020. The German Aluminium Industry Association (GDA) and its partner organisation the Federation of German Foundry Industry (BDG) jointly announced the winners of the Fourth International Aluminium Die Casting Competition.

Druckguss Westfalen is pleased to have secured second place for its entry – a diecast HV booster housing, which is part of the battery charge management system on the Porsche Taycan.

The opening evening of the trade fair saw the award-winning castings showcased for the first time in a 360° video which attracted a great deal of attention from the trade public and press.  The castings can also be seen until 16 January during EUROGUSS 2020 in Nuremberg (NCC Ost) and again in October at ALUMINIUM 2020 in Düsseldorf (6-8 October 2020).

The International Aluminium Die Casting Competition has been a proven platform for exhibiting the high quality standard of aluminium diecast products since 2014. As well as stimulating interest in aluminium as a versatile material, the award also serves to highlight additional application areas. Judging criteria for the entries include casting-compatible and resource-efficient design.

The jury singled out the HV booster housing for quality, topicality, innovative engineering and technical advancement. The award once again underscores Druckguss Westfalen’s position in the premium aluminium segment.

The Porsche Taycan HV booster housing not only meets high standards of leak tightness. The microstructure of the EN AC-AlSi10MnMg alloy chosen for reasons of strength also added to the challenging nature of the component. The task was to find the best possible casting system with optimum mould temperature control. An additional distinguishing aspect alongside the casting process is the precision machining.

Automated insertion of enclosed parts

An ongoing focus at Druckguss Westfalen is on automating the casting process. In recent years, we have fully automated the removal of components after casting. Each of our die casting machines is implemented as a die casting cell. Now in 2017 we have moved on to the next step. A safety-relevant part features a number of axles that are enclosed inside the cast. These are now automatically inserted into the mould by an additional robot. This improves process reliability and ensures compliance with quality.

Clamping force capabilities extended

As part of our continuous investment in innovation at Druckguss Westfalen, we upgraded the machine pool in 2016 with an additional die casting machine in the 660 metric ton range – an efficient, fully automated casting cell with robot and press brings us fully up to date in this machine class.
We have also closed the gap between 1100 and 1800 metric tons casting force with a fully automated Bühler 1400 ton machine.

Heiligenhaus and Velbert foundries merged

Following on from the successful acquisition of the zinc die casting company Behringer Druckguss GmbH & Co. KG in Velbert, which operates today as Druckguss Westfalen Behringer GmbH & Co. KG, we are now pleased to announce the merger of the Heiligenhaus and Velbert foundries. The two foundries’ operations are being amalgamated at Velbert from 1 July 2017 and the Heiligenhaus plant is to close in the near future.

Druckguss Westfalen acquires zinc die casting foundry in Velbert

On 1st April 2016 Behringer zinc die casting in Velbert will be added to the DW family. The acquisition allows us to expand production to 14 machines and extend our product portfolio. Further benefits of the acquisition include enhanced production efficiency and greater flexibility in order fulfilment.

www.behringer-druckguss.de

Druckguss Westfalen honored at EUROGUSS 2016

The GDA announced the price winners of the international aluminium die casting competition during EUROGUSS 2016.

Mr. Baier and Mr. Cramer received the the "special recognition" award on behalf of the entire DW team. The
recognition was awarded to DW as a result of DW's development of a water pump assembly component for gasoline engines. The GDA, in awarding DW with it's "special recognition", highlighted the minimum volume of porosity in the construction of the component, the systematic and methodological approach of the project and the design of the tool.

Druckguss Westfalen at EUROGUSS 2016

Druckguss Westfalen attended EUROGUSS 2016 in January.

The largest EUROGUSS trade fair so far concluded with a new attendance record on January 14, 2016 in Nuremberg. More than 12,000 trade visitors (2014: 11.187 visitors) from Germany and abroad came to the EUROGUSS trade fair seeking information on pressure die casting, foundry equipment, processes, updated technology and products from suppliers in this industry.

We would like to thank all of the numerous visitors who attended our exhibit this year and look forward to welcoming you again at EUROGUSS 2018.

Druckguss Westfalen at EUROGUSS 2016

Druckguss Westfalen will once again be exhibiting at Europe’s biggest trade fair for die casting and die casting processes. The die casting industry meets at Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from 12 to 14 January 2016. This year, the International Trade Fair for Die Casting: Technology, Processes, Products expects over 550 exhibitors and upwards of 12,000 trade visitors.

Come to Nuremberg to see our production capabilities and learn about our enhanced portfolio. Simply drop by in Hall 7A Booth 527. We look forward to seeing you!

www.euroguss.de

‘Holistic’ training at Druckguss Westfalen

From 4 January, Jonas Barkey, apprentice industrial clerk, can be found working in the procurement department. Nothing special about that, you might think. True, but in the last few months the trainee, who joined us on 1 August 2015, has worked ‘on the other side of the fence’ in production and consignment to learn about workflows and products outside of his future work area.

Up to the end of September he was deployed in the foundry, where he helped with machine setup and retooling. Our trainee spent October in the machining department, where he got to know the CNC milling machine, once again assisted with machine setup and retooling, and for the first time was also put on administrative tasks. November and December saw Jonas Barkey gain an insight into the consignment department. His tasks there included warehouse work and packing orders ready for sending. He also made acquaintance with the TimeLine business software.

What the trainee made of the fuller-than-usual picture he was able to gain of ‘his’ company? “It has been a very varied experience, and I have had a good look at the work of the different departments that a product goes through. You could say I got to know the whole process from the aluminium pig through to the consignment-ready product. That was really interesting, and of course important for me too as it will be a good basis for when I start on the commercial side. I also came into contact with a lot of people and already feel well settled-in after only a short time here.”

And what have we made of it? Anyone who has gone through all departments has a far better idea of our products, how they are made and what our customers want.

Three new casting machines and three CNC machining centres installed in 2015

In a continuation of our established strategy at Druckguss Westfalen, we once again augmented our machine park and technical capabilities in 2015. Three new casting machines were installed in the 340 to 420 metric ton range, along with three new CNC machining centres. Our state-of-the-art machinery ensures improved cycle times, constant quality and tighter tolerances. We are pleased to announce this capacity expansion to the benefit of our customers.

Season of goodwill: Christmas fundraising campaign

Christmas is the time for good deeds: In place of Christmas presents, Druckguss Westfalen has once again launched a fundraising campaign in 2015 for the children’s home in its home town of Störmede. Managing Director Franz Baier  looks forward to handing over the collected funds to the children’s home in January.

Designer vacancy for die cast mould development and design

To reinforce its successful team, Druckguss Westfalen is looking for a design employee with any of the following qualifications: Bachelor in Engineering / Dipl. Ingenieur(in) (TF/FH) / Techniker(in) / Meister(in).

Further information

Foundry mechanic apprenticeship

Applications still in progress for 2016 apprenticeship year: Druckguss Westfalen is looking for an apprentice foundry mechanic specialised in die casting and chill casting. Foundry mechanic – Giessereimechaniker(in) – is a recognised training occupation under the German Vocational Training Act.

Further information