Knife Blade Blanks made in Solingen
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Continental Engineering Services rely on High Speed Wire EDM by KNUTH for their 3D-printed production. High Speed Wire EDM NeoSpark 500 High precision and quality plus excellent price/performance ratio. Workpiece length × width × thickness (max.) 1300 × 800 × 500 mm Cutting Technology for Metal 3D-Printing High Speed Wire EDM Virtually no pressure on the component Delicate structures can be machined without the risk of deformation or Perfect balance between cutting accuracy and high cutting speed Significantly more cost-efficient than conventional wire EDM Long wire life = high productivity and minimal downtimes Continental Engineering Services has nothing to do with automotive tires. Based in Frankfurt, Germany, this company generates most of its sales from development services for automotive and industrial applications. Continental Engineering Services (CES) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental and develops new solutions for technologically challenging tasks in the specialty fields of automotive interiors, drivetrains and chassis applications. They also adapt large series productions, so customers can fulfill their special requirements. Their operation is focused on driver assistance systems, automotive electronics, electrical drive systems, and control systems for conventional drives. With 1,500 employees – mostly engineers and technicians – at their German headquarters in Frankfurt/Main and at international sites in Europe, Asia, and America, CES ensures optimum proximity to their customers. “The secret to our success lies in the transfer of automotive expertise in a wide variety of applications and industries. As one of the few development service providers, we not only offer consultation and develop- For more information, please visit www.knuth.de ment services, but also have in-house manufacturing possibilities,” said Markus Schnell, Product Solutions Expert at Continental Engineering Services. This full-service provider not only offers customized developments, but also implements manufacturing, including prototype and small batch productions at their close-by Continental production site in Karben, Germany. Complete Solutions for a Clean Cut “At our Technology Center, we have access to state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and can execute many different process steps in a relatively small space. This will benefit the customer in regards to quality, flexibility, and speed,” Schnell added. Schnell works in Additive Design and Manufacturing (ADaM). They employ additive production, also called 3D-Printing, to produce pipes, brake calipers, holders or frames attached to a metal plate, where the metal plate subsequently will have to be separated from the component. Initially, the manufacturing specialists used a saw for this purpose. But they never were truly satisfied with the results, since the cut surfaces never were smooth and had to be reworked. So the team was looking for a better solution and researched wire electric discharge machines as an option. Schnell described the requirements as “the need for a complete solution and a robust machine that could quickly cut different and also very hard materials, such as aluminum and stainless steel”. Perfectly Cut Solid Materials A first look at the market indicated that CES would have to make a considerable investment to find a solution for this relatively minor task. “But then we found the KNUTH NeoSpark 500. For more information, please vi

The NeoSpark 500 cuts even high-alloyed tool steel with ease. The NeoSpark 500 can be operated via remote control. Contrary to similar products, it could be used for many different materials and came with an unbeatable price-performance-ratio,” Schnell remembered. “The price-performance ratio was impressive. Still, we were a bit skeptical, if the machine really would be able to fulfill our needs.” In 3D Printing, it often is necessary to separate solid metal plates with diameters up to 300 mm. “The NeoSpark 500 can be used for workpiece lengths up to 1,200 mm and width up to 700 mm,”...