Fiberdur runs now 12 CNC and conventional machines by KNUTH for the production of glass fiber reinforced pipe systems.
Fiberdur runs now 12 CNC and conventional machines by KNUTH for the production of glass fiber reinforced pipe systems.
What convinced them to turn to KNUTH?
Machine portfolio: comprehensive offer - machines for various
workpiece formats
Consultation: individual, customer-oriented and honest
Service: reliable, quick and pragmatic
Fiberdur, based in Aldenhoven, has equipped 43 percent of all cruise ships worldwide with GRP pipe systems for their scrubber systems. The company is one of the European market leaders in the field of glass fiber reinforced pipe systems for the industrial, marine & offshore and powerplant sectors.
Fiberdur has been operating in the maritime sector for more than 60 years , advising and suppling customers such as the Meyer Werft in Papenburg or the Fincantieri Group, which operates18 shipyards worldwide. “GRP is a very durable material, and unlike steel, it is seawater-resistant, maintenance-free and significantly lighter,” says Roman Scholler, Marketing and Sales, Fiberdur, explaining the advantages of the composite material. “However, we are not only a manufacturer, but we develop for and in cooperation with our customers complete system solutions, from design to ready-to-use installation on board. For the GRP composite, reinforcing fibers made of glass fiber are impregnated with duroplastic resin and bonded via cross-winding technique. After hardening, the material is no longer deformable even at high temperatures. It can withstand high mechanical loads and can be used in almost all industry sectors thanks to its resistance against corrosion and chemicals.
GRP piping systems are the result of innovative technology and superior craftsmanship. However, the material and layered structure pose special challenges for precision machining in series production. Since 2011, KNUTH machines have also been used for turning and drilling within the machining processes for flanges, fittings and pipe ends, or for total production tasks.
“We also use these CNC machines for the production of aluminum dies for our casting processes to produce workpieces per customer specifications with custom inside contours, e.g. for the use in filters, etc.”, explained Frank Fietz, who is Technical Manager at Fiberdur since 2017.
In his search for a small CNC lathe, he initially also looked at products of other suppliers, but without success. He finally found a promising machine in the KNUTH catalog and consulted with KNUTH’s customer care representative Tobias Hamann, Field Service Technician Division West. ”During the demo at our headquarters in Wasbek, we switched to the Roturn 400 C, since it covered the machining dimensions for Fiberdur even better,” remembers Hamann. “I was able to try out the machine right away with our materials and tools and the result was convincing,” said Fietz. After visiting the production facility of KNUTH customer SEEGER-ORBIS GmbH & Co. OHG, who has been using the machine since 2018, he decided on the large VDL 800 CNC lathe. The vertical lathe has been designed in such a way, that workpieces with large diameters and a weight of up to 600 kg can be loaded and unloaded quickly and safely and machined precisely.
For Fiberdur the lathe was equipped with an additional hydraulic lathe chuck. Thanks to the intuitive operator interface of KNUTH CNC machines, only one day was needed to train up to ten employees and have them ready for full production. ”The use of these CNC machines led to a significant increase in the repeatability and resulted overall in an easier and cleaner work process,” says Fietz, citing noticeable improvements. He also observed these improvements with the use of conventional KNUTH machines. ”You get good value for your money and the production accuracy is great.“
Demonstration customer with conviction
He never regretted his purchase decision. “The service is always excellent. Calls are answered quickly or are returned in a timely manner,” he says. Service and the procurement of spare parts have been necessary from time to time over the years but have been solved quickly and without problems. Tobias Hamann returns the compliment: ”The open communication and the mutual quest for fast and pragmatic solutions make both the selection of machines and the further cooperation with regards to service pleasant and successful.”
Frank Fietz gladly shares his experience as customer reference and appreciates the resulting information exchange with other production operations. He is often asked about the price-performance ratio of KNUTH machines. His answer: “It fits! At Fiberdur we have only had good experience. We can absolutely recommend these machines!
With the VDL, we can machine large workpieces with big diameters and workpiece weights up to 600 kg. The design with upright work spindle enables particularly safe and fast loading and unloading. For Fiberdur the lathe was equipped with an additional hydraulic lathe chuck. The Siemens 808D Advance control is one of the best entry-level CNC solutions on the market.
This ROTURN C Series machine has all the features of a classic compact CNC production lathe. The fully equipped inclined bed lathe perfectly covers all machining dimensions for the applications at Fiberdur, and it immediately convinced the customer during the test runs.
The Roturn M is also available with C-axis and driven tools upon request.
KNUTH radial drill presses feature easy handling and constant drilling capacity. The tool moves to the workpiece: The boom swivels around the column, and the long throat allows machining of one side of large work pieces without having to move or reclamp the workpiece. The RV series is the modern advanced version of the classic radial drill press and has been one of the most requested KNUTH models for more than 15 years.
KNUTH machines in Fiberdur Production Processes
DM 1000 A - Mechanics Lathe
Turnado 280x2000 - Lead Screw and Feed Shaft Lathes
BFT - Drill Cutter Grinder
HB 200 C - Semi-automatic Horizontal Band Saw
HB 200 Basic - Semi-automatic Horizontal Band Saw
SSB 32 Xn - Column Drill Press
KSB 50 CNC (Si 808D) - Drill Press Y axis 550 mm
KSB 50 CNC (Si 808D) - Drill Press Y axis 550 mm
R 60 V - Radial Drill Press
Roturn 400 C (Si 828D) - Inclined Bed Lathe
Sinus 400/3000 D - Precision Lathe
VDL 800 8NC (Si 808 D Advance TTL) - Vertical Lathe
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