Materials expertise in great demand
On the occasion of the "Blechexpo" trade fair in Stuttgart, the Swiss precision manufacturer etampa AG from Grenchen conducted a survey on the subject of materials expertise. The results are revealing: 62.4 percent of those surveyed expect detailed materials consulting, and over 50 percent make regular use of it. And: active co-engineering is gaining in importance.
According to the company, the results of the survey on the subject of materials expertise conducted by the Swiss precision manufacturer etampa AG on the occasion of the recent Blechexpo in Stuttgart are revealing. During the trade fair, 125 people were questioned (anonymously). The question of whether the survey participants expect competent and detailed materials advice from their stamping and fineblanking manufacturer was answered in the affirmative by 62.4% of the respondents; 32% have a partial expectation, only 5.6% have no expectation at all here. 27.2% of the respondents have used this advice once so far, over 50%, namely exactly 54.4%, already several times. 60% of the survey participants were satisfied with the quality of the material recommended to them by their supplier, 32.8% even very satisfied.
However, there are also deficits in consulting: 43.2% of the participants complained about a lack of quality and depth in consulting; as many as 40.8% of the survey participants have already been forced to change the material during ongoing series production. The reasons for this included strength problems, insufficient durability or insufficient mechanical properties.
Daniel Brügger, etampa CEO: "This survey provides us with a fairly accurate barometer of sentiment and clearly shows how filigree and precise the stamping and fineblanking requirements must be considered. Especially the interaction of different materials in combination with various surface and thermal treatments together with the forming processes have to be closely examined." The fact that almost 41% of the survey participants have already had to interrupt series production due to material defects is clear proof for Brügger that there is still plenty of room for improvement: "There is clearly room for improvement.
On the other hand, the etampa CEO is very pleased with the fact that active co-engineering, i.e. cooperation between manufacturer and customer at a very early stage of development, is becoming increasingly important. Brügger: "Here, customers can definitely benefit from the know-how of their supplier during joint product development. A good 40% of the respondents attach very high importance to this form of cooperation; as many as 23.2% would like to involve their manufacturer to some extent, while 34.3% of the respondents prefer to develop the product themselves." This is also in line with the company's own experience: "The proportion of active co-engineering in product development has increased significantly in recent years.
