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6/19/2024
Technology & Processes
Die casting process
Interview
Wiedenegger: ‘You shouldn't be satisfied with “just okay”’
Rethinking traditional methods and improving production processes in the foundry industry through innovation and collaboration – Armin Wiedenegger, Managing Director of the voestalpine Additive Manufacturing Centre, talks about this in an interview. Wiedenegger specialises in 3D printing in toolmaking and discusses why many companies are hesitant to invest in new technologies despite the clear advantages.
Mr Wiedenegger, give us a quick catch-up. What is the role of 3D printing in aluminium die casting?
Armin Wiedenegger: Our core segment is 3D-printed mold inserts with optimised cooling channels to improve the aluminium die casting process. In other words, we reduce local overheating in order to balance the thermal properties of the mold. This protects the mold, improves cycle times and reduces production costs. The entire process becomes more efficient. The economic benefit for toolmakers or die casters is then particularly evident in the overall costs of the aluminium components.
What does economic benefit mean in this context?
Wiedenegger: If we think as far as the cast component, the question is: What do aluminium parts that are found to be good after reworking cost? And how can I influence this positively? Often – not always – the answer is new technology. Surprisingly, however, companies do not invest even when the benefits are clearly measurable. And I think that's a serious problem.
What are the main reasons why companies stick to traditional methods?
Wiedenegger: This is due, for example, to organisational hurdles or the fact that traditional methods are preferred because they are tried and tested and ‘actually quite okay’. But you shouldn't be satisfied with ‘just okay’. This inefficiency puts us at a disadvantage in global competition because our aluminium components are more expensive than those of our competitors.
Global competitors are much more risk-averse, they just ‘give it a try’, invest in mold technology and can therefore reduce part costs - despite having less casting expertise. The European foundry industry knows the better solutions, but is having the wrong discussions.
How can the gigacasting trend be explained then, Mr Wiedenegger?
Wiedenegger: Gigacasting is the perfect example. In just a few years, companies with zero experience in casting have mastered a technology where the masses have said: That makes no sense. Why? They didn't know ‘as usual’. They had to rely on the expertise of their suppliers and were able to develop solutions that were innovative and economical much more quickly.
I would go as far as to say that innovations are not driven by dominant companies, but by newcomers. Sooner or later, every product and every technology become obsolete. And only very few companies manage to continuously innovate. There is also too little cooperation in the value chain. This is an additional obstacle to innovation.
Why is it that cooperation in the value chain often doesn't work?
Wiedenegger: There are many reasons. For example, efficient collaboration would require close coordination, which often fails due to mistrust. Often, however, not everyone involved benefits equally from process optimisation. This also makes the implementation of new technologies more difficult.
Can the Executive Circle, for example, offer added value here?
Wiedenegger: The Executive Circle can provide a platform where the people involved can get to know each other and exchange ideas. This creates trust and certainly promotes collaboration. Ultimately, however, it is up to the companies themselves to turn this familiarisation into cooperation and to integrate and use it in their business processes.
To summarise, what do you think are the most important measures to drive the foundry industry forward?
Wiedenegger: In a nutshell: innovation through cooperation. The German or European foundry industry has been successful for a long time, but times are changing. Companies should stop trying to do everything on their own and accept the expertise of suppliers and partners. Cooperation and an open innovation process are crucial and the technologies that emerge from this pay off.
Armin Wiedenegger: Our core segment is 3D-printed mold inserts with optimised cooling channels to improve the aluminium die casting process. In other words, we reduce local overheating in order to balance the thermal properties of the mold. This protects the mold, improves cycle times and reduces production costs. The entire process becomes more efficient. The economic benefit for toolmakers or die casters is then particularly evident in the overall costs of the aluminium components.
What does economic benefit mean in this context?
Wiedenegger: If we think as far as the cast component, the question is: What do aluminium parts that are found to be good after reworking cost? And how can I influence this positively? Often – not always – the answer is new technology. Surprisingly, however, companies do not invest even when the benefits are clearly measurable. And I think that's a serious problem.
What are the main reasons why companies stick to traditional methods?
Wiedenegger: This is due, for example, to organisational hurdles or the fact that traditional methods are preferred because they are tried and tested and ‘actually quite okay’. But you shouldn't be satisfied with ‘just okay’. This inefficiency puts us at a disadvantage in global competition because our aluminium components are more expensive than those of our competitors.
Global competitors are much more risk-averse, they just ‘give it a try’, invest in mold technology and can therefore reduce part costs - despite having less casting expertise. The European foundry industry knows the better solutions, but is having the wrong discussions.
How can the gigacasting trend be explained then, Mr Wiedenegger?
Wiedenegger: Gigacasting is the perfect example. In just a few years, companies with zero experience in casting have mastered a technology where the masses have said: That makes no sense. Why? They didn't know ‘as usual’. They had to rely on the expertise of their suppliers and were able to develop solutions that were innovative and economical much more quickly.
I would go as far as to say that innovations are not driven by dominant companies, but by newcomers. Sooner or later, every product and every technology become obsolete. And only very few companies manage to continuously innovate. There is also too little cooperation in the value chain. This is an additional obstacle to innovation.
Why is it that cooperation in the value chain often doesn't work?
Wiedenegger: There are many reasons. For example, efficient collaboration would require close coordination, which often fails due to mistrust. Often, however, not everyone involved benefits equally from process optimisation. This also makes the implementation of new technologies more difficult.
Can the Executive Circle, for example, offer added value here?
Wiedenegger: The Executive Circle can provide a platform where the people involved can get to know each other and exchange ideas. This creates trust and certainly promotes collaboration. Ultimately, however, it is up to the companies themselves to turn this familiarisation into cooperation and to integrate and use it in their business processes.
To summarise, what do you think are the most important measures to drive the foundry industry forward?
Wiedenegger: In a nutshell: innovation through cooperation. The German or European foundry industry has been successful for a long time, but times are changing. Companies should stop trying to do everything on their own and accept the expertise of suppliers and partners. Cooperation and an open innovation process are crucial and the technologies that emerge from this pay off.
