For more than 20 years, Karl Etzel GmbH in Mühlacker, Baden-Wuerttemberg / Germany, has been producing high-quality parts for the automotive industry with injection molding machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD. The newer machines from the PowerSeries score at Etzel primarily with their high energy efficiency.

Karl Etzel GmbH was established by Karl Etzel in 1976. In 1995, Andreas Schürrle and Rainer Bauer took over the company; Andreas Schürrle has been the sole proprietor of Karl Etzel GmbH since 2000. At its location in Mühlacker, the company manufactures parts from all common thermoplastic materials with about 300 employees on 30,000 m² of production space with currently 128 injection molding machines ranging from 150 to 20,000 kN in clamping force. Between 50 and 60 tons of granulate are processed daily, in part with up to 50% fiberglass content. More than two thirds of the products are parts for the automotive industry, primarily components for vehicle interiors. The remainder goes to the medical industry, the electronics industry and building construction. The company’s customer base includes famous brands such as Daimler, Lear, Greiner, Johnson Controls and Kärcher.

from the left: Andreas Schürrle, Owner-Manager of Karl Etzel GmbH with Erwin Neugebauer, Sales WITTMANN BATTENFELD Deutschland GmbH (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD)

The company is certified according to the IATF 1949:2016 automobile standard and supports its customers from the initial idea to series production. In addition to conventional injection molding, it offers 2-component injection molding, lightweight technology, component assembly, direct lasering of plastics surfaces as well as painting, flocking and chrome plating in long-standing cooperation with partners.

According to the company’s proprietor and CEO Andreas Schürrle, the success of Karl Etzel GmbH is based on the high quality of its products and service, as well as on the good cooperation with its customers. As Andreas Schürrle explains: “The entire package must be a perfect fit, from the products and logistics all the way to personal customer support.”

Stability and reliability of deliveries are vital success factors above all in the automotive industry. Consequently, Etzel’s most important requirement for an injection molding machine is stable and trouble-free operation. In addition, Andreas Schürrle attaches very great importance to environmentally compatible production and saving resources. Of the 128 injection molding machines currently installed at Karl Etzel GmbH, just under 90 are from WITTMANN BATTENFELD. The most recently constructed hall 7 is equipped exclusively with large machines from the MacroPower series and machines from the servo-hydraulic SmartPower series with clamping forces ranging from 3,500 to 20,000 kN, some of which are multi-component models. The first large multi-component machine from the MacroPower series with 20,000 kN clamping force manufactured by WITTMANN BATTENFELD, a MacroPower 2000/12800H/350L, was delivered to Karl Etzel GmbH at the beginning of 2018. Meanwhile, Karl Etzel GmbH has installed a second machine with 20,000 kN clamping force from WITTMANN BATTENFELD as well.

Hall 7 equipped with machines from the MacroPower and SmartPower series from WITTMANN BATTENFELD (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD)

Besides multi-component technology, the CELLMOULD^® foam injection molding process to make light-weight parts is also used at Etzel. This technology is a process developed by WITTMANN BATTENFELD for the production of structured foam parts by direct gas injection with a physical foaming agent. Structured foam parts feature a compact shell and a foamed core. With CELLMOULD^® light-weight technology, extremely light molded parts can be produced with high rigidity and without sink marks. This makes these parts interesting above all for the automotive industry, where both quality standards and weight play an important part. The entire machine technology for this process, including the plasticizing barrel unit, injectors, gas regulator and gas generator, has been developed and produced by WITTMANN BATTENFELD.

Servo-electric screw drive on a MacroPower 2000 (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD

Removal and depositing of a wheel arch liner by a WX173 robot from WITTMANN (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD)

Loading sill cover (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD)

Support for a passenger car center console (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD)

Storage compartment for passenger car (Photo: WITTMANN BATTENFELD)

What Andreas Schürrle appreciates about the compact injection molding machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD apart from their high quality is primarily their low energy consumption. Comparative energy consumption measurements carried out at Etzel on machines of other brands have confirmed that in this respect the machines from WITTMANN BATTENFELD are on a high level and distinguish themselves from competitors’ products. Andreas Schürrle shows himself just as much satisfied with the cooperation with WITTMANN BATTENFELD, which has now lasted for more than 20 years, as with the company’s machines and technologies, saying: “Just like to our customers, the overall package is important to us, too, and here we have found a partner in WITTMANN BATTENFELD where this package meets our requirements in every respect.”

The WITTMANN Group

 The WITTMANN Group is a worldwide leader in the production of injection molding machines, robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics processing industry, headquartered in Vienna/Austria and consisting of two main divisions: WITTMANN BATTENFELD and WITTMANN. They jointly operate the companies of the group with eight production plants in five countries, and its additional sales and service companies are active with 34 facilities on all important plastics markets around the world.

WITTMANN BATTENFELD pursues the further expansion of its market position as an injection molding machine manufacturer and specialist for state-of-the-art process technologies. As a supplier of comprehensive, modern machine technology in modular design, the company meets both present and future market demands for plastics injection molding equipment.

The WITTMANN product portfolio includes robots and automation systems, material handling systems, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, temperature controllers and chillers. With this diversified range of peripheral units, WITTMANN offers plastics processors solutions to cover all production requirements, ranging from independent production cells to integrated plant-wide systems.

The syndication of the various segments under the umbrella of the WITTMANN Group has led to complete connectivity between the various product lines, for the benefit of plastics processors with an increasing demand for seamless integration of processing machinery with automation and peripherals.

For more informations visit www.fortuna.gr