The VDWF WBA Practical Forum on Toolmaking in Schwarzenberg

The fifth iteration of the “Praxisforum Werkzeugbau” – conceived jointly by the VDWF and the WBA – took place on September 26 in Schwarzenberg in the Ore Mountains. Current trends and promising industry topics for the were highlighted in five lectures. The even focused on both the technical aspects and the social interaction of toolmaking. 

What makes the mold making industry tick? “The people!” exclaimed VDWF President Prof. Thomas Seul during the welcome speech. ‘We are here to combine social exchange with the communication of high-tech.” Interest in the event was very high even before the event: Well over 150 people registered for 75 available seats. The Ratskeller in Schwarzenberg – the so-called pearl of the Ore Mountains – was correspondingly well attended.

Discussing topics of the future

“What does the future of the industry look like, how are requirements changing, and what differentiators can there be? The practical forum would like to provide insights and suggestions here,” explained WBA CEO Prof. Wolfgang Boos. His comments were followed by five specialist presentations addressing topics such as CO2 footprint accounting, digitization, machine learning processes, additively manu­factured stamping tools, and augmented reality. “Our aim was to offer a broad range of topics that would be discussed just as widely,” Boos continued. The success of this endeavor was proven both by the presentations and the fact that “participants in the practical forum took home many catalysts for the further devel­opment of their own businesses” says Boos. 

Both the pre-event dinner and breaks between presentations provided opportunities for discussions and networking. “Together, the WBA and the VDWF aim to be trailblazers – bringing people together to exchange ideas on industry topics and developing creative ideas in the process” Seul added. This also seems to have succeeded: Moldmaking representatives from various automotive sectors enjoyed talking with one another in Schwarzenberg.

Practical insights at Porsche Werkzeugbau

In the afternoon, there followed a visit to Porsche Werkzeugbau, which the WBA was able to win over to host the practical forum this year. The Schwarzenberg site employs 460 people, and tools for the automotive industry have been manufactured there for over 120 years. Today, Porsche design is given its shape there. The site is constantly pushing the bounds of processing possibilities as it also produces large tools for exterior plating and complex aluminum or steel inner parts are also produced for other OEMs. Porsche Werkzeugbau offers complete system solutions for stamping plants, such as mechanization equipment for parts transport and storage, as well as test gauges and measuring tools for quality and parts evaluation. During the plant tour, Porsche toolmaking Managing Director Carlo Modesto and his team showed how Porsche deals with the topics of augmented reality, folding simulation, or virtual clamping during part measurement using live demos. The organizational processes of toolmaking and the sustainable path to the “Zero Impact Factory” were also made clear. 

Thus, the practical forum ended in the late afternoon with concise and very exciting practical insights. “Obviously, we were not able to cover each forward-looking topic in detail, but we definitely made noteworthy points that participants will remember,” concluded Boos and Seul as they celebrated the successful event and look forward to the next round. The next Praxisforum Werkzeugbau will take place at the Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences and will focus on plastic injection molds.