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12/19/2023
Markets & Industries
Further processing of castings
Interview
"Every component has its own challenges"
Aluminium castings often contain porosities that come to light during the leak test after the casting process. These parts must be "impregnated" with liquid plastic, which hardens and seals leak paths. Godfrey & Wing, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is a partner to practically all major car manufacturers and the global market leader in vacuum impregnation. We spoke to European head Ralf Versmold about his company's achievements and future expectations.
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Mr Versmold, Godfrey & Wing is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year: What does the company stand for?
Ralf Versmold: Our motto is "simply better". It has driven the company since it was founded in 1948. The best example of this is that around 20 years ago, Godfrey & Wing completely dismantled the previous impregnation process and developed a new technology from it. That was a major paradigm shift and others later followed the same path. And we are not standing still. We are keeping pace with production development, especially in the automotive industry, which continues to be our biggest customer. Every component has its own challenges and you have to create the best combination of existing tools.
What characterises your company?
Our systems can be fully integrated into the customer's production process. We are directly involved in the line and the OEM places a raw part at the front and receives a really dense, finished, clean component at the back, which can be further processed in the production cycle.
Ralf Versmold: Our motto is "simply better". It has driven the company since it was founded in 1948. The best example of this is that around 20 years ago, Godfrey & Wing completely dismantled the previous impregnation process and developed a new technology from it. That was a major paradigm shift and others later followed the same path. And we are not standing still. We are keeping pace with production development, especially in the automotive industry, which continues to be our biggest customer. Every component has its own challenges and you have to create the best combination of existing tools.
What characterises your company?
Our systems can be fully integrated into the customer's production process. We are directly involved in the line and the OEM places a raw part at the front and receives a really dense, finished, clean component at the back, which can be further processed in the production cycle.
Impregnation system from Godfrey & Wing.
What new developments are currently taking place in the field of impregnation technology?
At the moment, it's all about impregnation 4.0, i.e. the connection to the customer's IT systems. We integrate our process data there so that the customer is able to recognise at which point which parameters change. Keyword "full traceability". In the end, the OEM can tell which core was made from which grain of sand, to put it bluntly.
At the moment, it's all about impregnation 4.0, i.e. the connection to the customer's IT systems. We integrate our process data there so that the customer is able to recognise at which point which parameters change. Keyword "full traceability". In the end, the OEM can tell which core was made from which grain of sand, to put it bluntly.
What does the advance of electromobility mean for your company?
The cast parts in cars are getting bigger and bigger. Whereas we used to deal with parts that were perhaps 70 by 50 centimetres in size, the battery trays of trucks now have dimensions of 2.10 by 1.50 metres. They contain high-voltage electronics and if water were to get in, it would be suboptimal. You can't get anywhere with a standard approach. New concepts need to be developed and refined so that they are marketable. That is still a big issue overall.
Then there is a second aspect: in an electric car, some cast parts no longer exist and therefore also their impregnation. That is why we are now also moving into other areas such as fuel cells and rupture discs. Here, too, we are currently at a very good level in terms of drastically reducing production times. We not only work for car manufacturers, but also for the aerospace industry and many other industries. Impregnation is used wherever liquid and gas-tight cast parts are required - for example gas valves or bathroom fittings.
What are your tasks in the company?
Together with the customers and our engineers, I develop the concept for new production lines. And that includes everything from sales and installation to the entire after-sales area.
Will Godfrey & Wing be exhibiting at the next EUROGUSS here in Nuremberg in January?
Yes, of course. We are exhibiting together with partners from the processes upstream of impregnation: with Piller Entgrattechnik, which does high-pressure water jet deburring, with Köster, which is active in the field of automation and leak testing, and the measuring technology company van Dongen.
The cast parts in cars are getting bigger and bigger. Whereas we used to deal with parts that were perhaps 70 by 50 centimetres in size, the battery trays of trucks now have dimensions of 2.10 by 1.50 metres. They contain high-voltage electronics and if water were to get in, it would be suboptimal. You can't get anywhere with a standard approach. New concepts need to be developed and refined so that they are marketable. That is still a big issue overall.
Then there is a second aspect: in an electric car, some cast parts no longer exist and therefore also their impregnation. That is why we are now also moving into other areas such as fuel cells and rupture discs. Here, too, we are currently at a very good level in terms of drastically reducing production times. We not only work for car manufacturers, but also for the aerospace industry and many other industries. Impregnation is used wherever liquid and gas-tight cast parts are required - for example gas valves or bathroom fittings.
What are your tasks in the company?
Together with the customers and our engineers, I develop the concept for new production lines. And that includes everything from sales and installation to the entire after-sales area.
Will Godfrey & Wing be exhibiting at the next EUROGUSS here in Nuremberg in January?
Yes, of course. We are exhibiting together with partners from the processes upstream of impregnation: with Piller Entgrattechnik, which does high-pressure water jet deburring, with Köster, which is active in the field of automation and leak testing, and the measuring technology company van Dongen.
