Biberach an der Riß, in December 2015 – Herford-based company Schäffer uses almost exclusively Vollmer machines for sharpening carbide- and PCD-tipped circular saws and precision tools. For over 40 years the East Westphalian family-owned business has been using products manufactured by the Swabian grinding and eroding specialists. Schäffer's production facility is fitted out with machinery that includes the Vollmer QXD 400 erosion machine and CHD 270 grinding machine. These will soon be joined by a QF 270.
Around 15 km to the north east of Bielefeld lies the Hanseatic town of Herford, home to the headquarters of Schäffer Präzisionswerkzeuge GmbH & Co. KG. Founded in 1971 as a tool-grinding workshop by Magarita and Egon Schäffer, the family-owned business now has 22 employees and generates an annual turnover of around €3 million. Among its biggest-selling products are carbide- and PCD-tipped (polycrystalline diamond) circular saw blades and diamond milling tools for machining wood, plastic and light metal – materials that are used predominantly by the local furniture industry in the East Westphalia-Lippe region in North Rhine-Westphalia.
"Our customers not only include German furniture, boarding and flooring industries, but increasingly, international customers too," says Heike Rieso, daughter of the company's founding couple, who runs the business along with her sister, Britta Aleth. "Thanks to the cost-effectiveness and quality of our circular saws and precision tools, we rank among the market leaders. This is something we also attribute to our long-standing partnership with Vollmer, which has been around almost as long as our company – over 40 years now."
Sharp, sharper, Schäffer
The Herford-based company has been reaping the benefits of Vollmer's products since 1972. The sharpening machines that Schäffer currently uses are almost exclusively manufactured by the Swabian grinding and eroding specialists. Vollmer's achievements include production lines with the CHF and CHD models, which boast the CHD 270 sharpening machine among their number. These models allow carbide-tipped circular saw blades to be sharpened with precision, and without the blades having to be clamped in more than one position.
"When it comes to deciding on which new products to invest in, our employees generally vote for Vollmer because the machine control systems can be programmed by the user, and because we are very happy with the after-sales support, the technical support over the phone and the quick response times when servicing is required," says Heike Rieso.
With the Vollmer CHD 270, the entire grinding unit is robustly mounted on a central main structure, forming a compact assembly. This monoblock construction ensures that the machines are precise and run smoothly for the complete machining of carbide-tipped circular saw blades. Thanks to its clever design, the CHD 270 is easy to use and allows easy access for maintenance. Together with an ND handling system and corresponding loading carriage for automatic loading, the machine is in operation around the clock. Schäffer's production facility also includes the Vollmer QXD 400 disc erosion machine for the complete machining of PCD-tipped tools. For their wire erosion operations, the company uses the QWD series.
Investing in the future with Vollmer
Schäffer is planning on investing in a Vollmer QF 270 for automatically measuring and eroding the tooth sides of PCD-tipped circular saw blades. This disc erosion machine can also be loaded by the ND handling system. By increasing the level of automation used in production processes, Schäffer hopes to boost its output by around 25 per cent in the coming years. To further this goal, there are also plans to establish a worldwide sales and distribution network.
"With our innovations and products, we seek to provide the maximum level of sharpness and precision cuts in wood, metal and lightweight materials," explains Dr.-Ing. Stefan Brand, CEO of the Vollmer Group. "The great many long-standing relationships we have with customers such as Schäffer, who use Vollmer machines for their sharpening operations, bear testimony to this."
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