Knarr: The right partner provides the tailwind

FU-KS Formenbau in Lemgo stands out with its broad customer portfolio – ranging from OEMs from the automotive and household electrical sectors to start-ups or dedicated inventors. This flexibility is achieved with experienced and committed employees, a high-performance machine park and suppliers in partnership. When it comes to standard parts, the company always relies on KNARR quality.

At FU-KS Formenbau in Lemgo, injection moulds are mainly produced for the technical sector, also for the automotive, advertising, aviation, furniture and computer industries and many others. The dimensions of the injection moulds built here range up to 1000 x 800 mm.
“The spectrum ranges from pre-series moulds made of aluminium to threading tools, elastomer and thermoset moulds to complex multi-component moulds in a wide variety of designs,” explains Wilhelm Fedorow, one of the company’s managing directors along with Stephan Lück and Klaus Siekmann. “Quality is our focus – and yet we are very flexible and fast.”

A wide variety of materials are machined. Most of them are the classic tool steels, but copper, brass, hard-tough materials or graphite are also machined here. The relatively young team at FU-KS Formenbau is highly motivated and always open to new experiences.

The mould makers’ machinery is very efficient – for milling, the company now prefers to use Hermle machines, and the latest eroding machine comes from OPS Ingersoll. And the in-house programming allows the toolmakers to react very flexibly to the demands and wishes of the clients.

The machining experts at FU-KS Formenbau are not only well-known in the industry: In addition to toolmaking customers from a wide range of industries, founders, start-ups and many inventors are often among the clients. But there are also private individuals with a wide variety of concerns. The spectrum ranges from everyday objects to be repaired to professional projects.
“I think it’s great that there are people who deal with such things,” explains Fedorow. “But universities also like to come to us – there, for example, it’s about very special parts for racing cars or for research projects. We are equally available to all our customers with our expertise.”

This openness at eye level pays off: “Even from the smallest projects with private clients, you can always draw ideas and experience that then help you in your day-to-day business,” Fedorow explains the toolmakers’ policy. “And even if it’s just an exotic material that you learn more about. We have a very young, committed team that likes to take on challenges.”

The necessary flexibility for large and small projects enables the mould makers to have reliable partners who can deliver quickly and without complications. Fedorow’s team is increasingly turning to standard moulds from the manufacturer KNARR from Helmbrechts in Upper Franconia.

“KNARR has continuously developed its product range over the past few years,” explains Fedorow. “In the past, the standards specialist was primarily known for its ejectors. But now I get everything I need to build an injection mould there. That also applies to our more complex projects, such as the multi-component moulds.”

The first part that the Lemgo mould makers ordered from KNARR about 13 years ago was a stepless ejector sleeve – it is still in the programme. In the meantime, almost the entire spectrum for the mould is ordered from KNARR – from the ejector to guide columns and plate material.
As an alternative to 1.2311/1.2312, the plates at KNARR are now often made of Toolox 33. From time to time, however, FU-KS also uses the quenched and tempered material Toolox 44. “Among mould makers, there is sometimes the opinion that this Swedish engineering and tool steel is much more difficult to machine than the usual standard tool steels 1.2311 or 1.2312,” explains Fedorow. “We see it differently – we worked with Toolox 44 right from the start on a trial basis and were very sceptical at first because it is a quenched and tempered material. So we were positively surprised at how well it can be machined. In the meantime, we work primarily with Toolox 33, which can be machined very well and is the better alternative for us to the otherwise common tool steels.”

When machining the material, the right drilling tool is also crucial – which they quickly found with their tool partner Gühring. “And now machining in this area is also absolutely problem-free,” explains the managing director. “We have a very good grip on the material. You just have to deal with the peculiarities, as with every new material. Then it works. And Toolox is a material we like to work with and whose share we want to further expand in the long term.”

Because the material is already given between three and five weeks in the steel mill to relieve any stresses from the casting and rolling process in an annealing process, there are no more nasty surprises due to distortion during machining.

Milling usually runs very smoothly. “Particularly with 1.2312, there are sometimes still stresses in the material – we’ve had one or two milling cutters come apart,” reports Fedorow. “That doesn’t happen to us in Toolox.”
The quenched and tempered steel Toolox 44, on the other hand, is predestined for all those tool parts that are exposed to great wear. Here its properties ensure reliable, low-maintenance and durable tools. And when repairs are due, the use of the prehardened Swedish steel saves important time.

The specialists at FU-KS Formenbau consistently use this to the advantage of their clients: “If the field is on fire again, we can react very quickly with Toolox 44,” emphasises Fedorow. “With our philosophy, the high flexibility of our qualified employees and the powerful machinery, we have also made a good name for ourselves for quick repair jobs. And for all other tasks where we don’t need quenched and tempered steel, Toolox 33 is clearly the better alternative to conventional tool steels for me.”

In addition to the high quality and stock availability of the components, the practitioners appreciate their partner’s fast and very uncomplicated way of dealing with orders. “We now often simply send the parts list from the design department to our contact person at KNARR,” explains Fedorow. “She makes sure that the right components are put together for the mould. If something is not plausible, then she asks. It’s good that we can be sure that there’s someone at our standards partner who thinks along with us and keeps a watchful eye to make sure everything fits together.”

That saves time and helps to avoid mistakes. Especially in today’s world, where deadlines in mould making are usually very tight, this is an advantage that should not be underestimated. At KNARR, the toolmakers in Lemgo can be sure that the package from Helmbrechts contains the right articles.

“In addition, everything is done very quickly at KNARR – immediately,” explains Fedorow. “That means very short distances. As a rule, one phone call is enough. So I don’t have to search for a long time or ask around for the right expert. I often don’t have the time for that in my day-to-day business. The contact persons at KNARR know exactly what we tool and mould makers need. And that we usually need it very quickly. Immediately.”

The pricing policy at KNARR is also rated very positively. “It is very transparent,” explains Fedorow. “Despite the rising raw material prices, KNARR refrained from raising prices during the Corona period. This is a very solidary attitude towards us mould makers, since we are increasingly under price pressure. And we appreciate the transparent pricing – we don’t even have time to renegotiate prices with the sales representative every time.”

The mould makers in Lemgo are very satisfied with KNARR. They have continuously expanded the share of standard parts they purchase from Helmbrechts in recent years and have also added new areas time and again.

“As a tool and mould maker, it is true that you should not depend on just one customer,” Fedorow emphasises. “Which is just as true on the supplier side. However, KNARR is a very strong, reliable and very cooperative supplier. It is no secret that we like to order our standard parts in Helmbrechts. This is due to many more factors than just the high quality of the products. It is a genuine partnership that is lived day in, day out”.

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