Opening up new markets with ULTRASONIC

Peter Heinrich and sons

Quartz glass, borosilicate glass and all types of ceramics are the materials used in the daily business at Aachener Quarz-Glas Technologie Heinrich. The family-run high-tech company founded in 1973 manufactures top quality, precision workpieces from these advanced materials. Its 67 employees combine the classic craft of glass working with state-of-the-art production methods such as ULTRASONIC machining on machine tools from DMG MORI. Its latest investments in this field include an ULTRASONIC 20 linear and an ULTRASONIC 50 linear.

An additional oscillating kinetic movement on the tool is generated by the ULTRASONIC technology, which superimposes the actual rotation resulting in a considerable reduction of the effective process forces.

The diverse range of products and services offered by Aachener Quarz-Glas Technologie Heinrich starts with the process development phase. Production, assembly and the packaging design – high-quality fragile goods need special care during transport – round off the offer. The employees use a multitude of different technologies in production, including water-jet cutting, grinding processes, laser cutting as well as glass equipment construction and 3D measuring technology. “Forty percent of our production performance comprises machine cutting”, adds Manfred Müllejans, making reference to the machining centres and lathes.

In recent years Aachener Quarz-Glas Technologie Heinrich has invested in an ULTRASONIC 20 linear and an ULTRASONIC 50 linear for ultrasonic machining. The fundamental principle here is based on an ULTRASONIC HSK actuator system which transfers the ultrasonic frequency inductively from the spindle to the tool holder. This generates an additional oscillating kinetic movement on the tool, which superimposes the actual rotation resulting in a considerable reduction of the effective process forces. Spindle speeds of up to 40,000 rpm and an internal cooling system also contribute to the machine’s high level of precision. “This enables us to achieve the necessary surface qualities demanded of our products on the ULTRASONIC machines”, says Manfred Müllejans about the machining quality. In addition the reduced process forces result in a noticeably higher service life of the tools and this in turn, of course, means lower incidental costs.

As Aachener Quarz-Glas Technologie Heinrich expects the demand for sophisticated products made of hard-brittle materials with high requirements on complexity and precision to rise in future, efficiency in production will also gain in importance. So Manfred Müllejans is already expressing interest in the further mechanical development of ultrasonic machining: “With the new ULTRASONIC 20 linear as a mill-turn machine we will be in a position to expand complete machining even further.”