Ten students, trainees and employees from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering gained direct insights into current developments in tool technology during a training course at the Emuge-Franken company near Nuremberg.
Five students and two trainees accompanied Prof. Dr. Stefan Hesterberg and two employees from the production technology laboratory and the mechanical workshop at Fachhochschule Dortmund on the three-day trip. Emuge-Franken, a manufacturer of threading, drilling and milling tools as well as clamping technology, offered the entire production team application-oriented product training at its locations in Lauf an der Pegnitz and Rückersdorf.
Study directly at the source
Topics of the training: Possible applications and limitations of solid carbide milling tools as well as their production in the factory. Companies usually present their new products at trade fairs or during visits to the production laboratory at Fachhochschule Dortmund. This training course on the factory premises of Fachhochschule Dortmund's cooperation partner offered the first opportunity to get to know the products directly at the source.
For the return journey, Prof. Hesterberg had organized a factory tour at the Otto Fuchs company in Meinerzhagen. In addition to premium car rims, the company manufactures numerous aerospace components from aluminum, titanium and nickel-based alloys. The participants experienced numerous manufacturing processes in real industrial workflows: for example, continuous casting, extrusion, ring rolling, flow forming, drop forging and open die forging. "Otto Fuchs is practically a textbook of production technology in practice," summarizes Prof. Hesterberg.
Not just on the side: networking
The students had exclusive opportunities to network with industry partners. They learned from the companies' HR marketing departments about specific offers for internships, student traineeships and thesis collaborations and found out how they could join the company after graduation.
Prof. Hesterberg emphasizes that access to cutting-edge research and development projects in the industry in the fields of coating technology, cutting edge design and medical technology gives students valuable insights: "They can test tools here before they become available on the market."
The trainees have also set themselves a new goal: they have registered as a team for the "Mind Meets Metal" competition organized by Emuge-Franken. They want to develop a production proposal by September and present it at the leading trade fair AMB in Stuttgart.