References Application examples from the field

The English city of Doncaster is home to the medium-sized tool manufacturer Systco-Unilap. The company has 22 employees and manufactures circular saws and rotary tools. Eleven VOLLMER machines form the basis for production – three of which were delivered by the Biberach-based sharpening specialist in 2022. With the new CHX 840, QXD 250 and VGrind 260 machines, Unilap has been able to take its automated tool machining to a new level. The tool manufacturer is also a good example of how the British grinding market will remain of interest to VOLLMER even after Brexit.

InduGrind, based in the western German city of Bochum, is a young company that can look back on a long tradition – it came into being in 2022 following the takeover of what was formerly known as Hommel Schleifmanufaktur (Hommel Grinding Manufacturing). Today, the tool manufacturer produces shank-type and special tools and maintains gear cutting tools and hobs. In early 2023, InduGrind commissioned a VOLLMER VGrind 360 grinding machine to automate the machining of its carbide tools. VOLLMER also supports the start-up as a partner in technological matters.

At the US company Phillips Saw & Tool (PSAWS), almost everything revolves around the circular saw: The company produces them, sharpens them and distributes them across a total of 48 US states. For over 25 years, the company from Frankfort (Indiana) has used sharpening machines and automations from VOLLMER and their subsidiary Loroch to machine their carbide-tipped and high-speed steel circular saws. In the past year alone, the globally active VOLLMER GROUP has sent three new sharpening machines on the journey overseas to PSAWS.

The Holzwerk Baur saw mill, based in Wain, Upper Swabia, processes around 180,000 solid cubic metres of wood each year, and exports its products across the world. Sustainability is a key priority for the saw mill. The wood is sourced in the region, and every last shaving is put to use. To ensure the wood is cut efficiently, Holzwerk Baur runs around 250 saws every day, kept sharp using machines supplied by Biberach-based sharpening specialist VOLLMER. Amongst the many machines in the filing room is a VOLLMER CHD 270 grinding machine for carbide-tipped circular saw blades, set up with an automated system to run around the clock.

The Chinese tool manufacturer Beijing Wisdom Mechanical Technology manufactures carbide tools from the Skywalker brand. To machine their milling cutters, drills and reamers, the company puts their trust in technology from VOLLMER. In the past three years, the Swabian sharpening specialist has delivered nine grinding machines to Skywalker: Six VGrind 360E machines and at the start of 2021, three VGrind 360 machines. With these machines, the company from China hopes to double the production of their tools by the end of 2022 – within the past year, the Skywalker brand has achieved a turnover of around €20 million.

The Danish tool manufacturer's name, TN Værktøjsslibning, is a bit of a mouthful, so they often shorten it to TN Slib. The word "Værktøjsslibning" means "tool grinding" in English, and that is exactly what the company does: It produces coated, solid carbide milling cutters and drill bits, which can be made to order or can be chosen from more than 50 standard models. It also offers resharpening services and advice. At the beginning of 2020, TN Slib decided to purchase the VGrind 340S tool-grinding machine, which VOLLMER had brought to market a year earlier. The VGrind 340S is a newer iteration of the time-tested yet highly innovative machine concept on which the VGrind series is based.

For years, India's economy has been growing at a rapid pace. In 2014, the "Make in India" economic initiative was developed specifically for this purpose. One of the key manufacturers taking part in the initiative is Basco Tool Industries from Faridabad, to the south of New Delhi. The company manufactures carbide-tipped circular saw blades and has relied on sharpening technology from VOLLMER for more than 15 years. The Biberach-based specialist in grinding and erosion machines has previously supplied seven machines, including sharpening machines from the CP and CHP model series.

Steep mountain passes and narrow, winding roads – despite a difficult journey, the first VOLLMER sharpening machine found its way through the Northern Italian Alps more than 25 years ago. Its destination was the saw blade manufacturer Moreschi in the small town of Vilminore di Scalve. A strong partnership has linked the two companies since then. Moreschi relies on VOLLMER's grinding machines from the CHD, CHF and CM model series for sharpening carbide-tipped circular saws with precision and Loroch machines (from the KSC-710 model serie) for sharpening HSS circular saws.

In the city of Tomsk in West Siberia, the toolmaking company Tomsky Instrument is relying on the sharpening technology from VOLLMER, the specialists for grinding and eroding machines based in the Swabian town of Biberach. Tomsky Instrument is using two VGrind 360 tool grinding machines to manufacture carbide rotary tools. The milling cutters, drills and reamers produced by the Russian manufacturer are used around the world in car, train and aeroplane manufacturing. Primarily, however, the company supplies the domestic metal industry and the West Siberian oil and gas sector, as well as West Siberia's large wood industry.

Hwaseong lies on the coast of the Yellow Sea in South Korea – approximately 50 kilometres from Seoul. The region is a popular sunny holiday destination and has also made sporting headlines. Cha Bum-kun – the best Asian footballer of the 20th century – was born here in 1953. In the 1980s, he played over 300 games in the Bundesliga and scored almost 100 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen.

Dutch company Kinkelder has made a name for itself on the global arena with its carbide-tipped circular saw blades, high-speed steel circular saw blades and segmental circular saw blades. For producing and resharpening saw blades, Kinkelder has a fleet of more than 20 sharpening machines manufactured by Swabian grinding and erosion machine specialists VOLLMER. The VOLLMER CHD, CHF and CM sharpening machines are among their most recent acquisitions.

"In two years' time, we would like to be the German number 1 in milling cutter development," says Andreas Vratny, CEO of Hofmann & Vratny and son of the company's co-founder Zdenek Vratny. "Our top priority is ensuring the highest quality and precision possible. This was one of the reasons for choosing the VGrind 160. Thanks to its automation, we can continue production at any time of day, on a three-shift basis."