Fecken-Kirfel runs two identical RoboJob Towers on Mazak Integrex i-200S machines

Key facts

• Company: Fecken-Kirfel GmbH & Co. KG
• Location: Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Founded: 1870
• Employees: approx. 200 (Aachen)
• Industries: Machine construction
• RoboJob products: Tower (2×)
• CNC machine brands: Mazak
• Automated machines: Mazak Integrex i-200S (2×, identical cells)
• RoboJob customer since: 2018
• Key results: unmanned production at night and at weekends; reloading without interrupting production

Cutting machines from Aachen since 1870

Founded in 1870, Fecken-Kirfel has been developing and producing high-quality cutting machines in Aachen since the 1950s. They process flexible foam, solid plastics such as rubber and neoprene, rigid foam, cork and other special materials for the mattress and furniture, packaging, automotive, construction, sports and leisure, aviation and medical technology industries.

Fecken-Kirfel is a technology and innovation leader in its field, with the motto “Tradition – Innovation – Future”. Development and production stay in Aachen, with an in-house production ratio of more than 90%. Around 200 people work at the site.

Automated production since the 1980s

Fecken-Kirfel has consistently automated its production since the mid-1980s, with reliable, productive and flexible machines that allow unmanned processing overnight and at weekends.

In 2016 and 2017, the company looked for a better way to produce small components, which until then were made on two CNC lathes and a CNC milling cell. The new solution had to be state of the art, increase productivity, secure production through redundancy and make even the smallest batches economical. Complete machining and shorter set-up times were also on the list, and with fewer qualified people available on the labour market, automation was a must.

Mazak and RoboJob: a proven partnership

After thorough market research, Fecken-Kirfel chose the Mazak Integrex i-200S turning and milling centre combined with RoboJob automation.

Fecken-Kirfel wanted fully flexible automation with safe, precise workpiece handling, able to adapt to different dimensions, gripping forces and positions. The company was so convinced by the RoboJob Tower concept that it was one of the first customers to order it.

From Turn-Assist to two identical Towers

While the first Tower was still in development, the first Integrex i-200S started production with a RoboJob Turn-Assist 250. A year later, a second, identical Integrex followed, this time with a Tower. That gave Fecken-Kirfel a unique chance to compare both systems side by side.

The Turn-Assist made unmanned production possible immediately after installation and raised productivity from day one. The Tower took a little longer to commission, because it offers far more functionality, capacity and flexibility. But the productivity gain was significantly higher: more storage capacity, the ability to exchange clamping devices, flexibility to switch between very different workpieces, even in small quantities, and loading and unloading without stopping the machine.

With RoboJob’s second-generation servo gripper adding even more flexibility, Fecken-Kirfel replaced the Turn-Assist with a second Tower. Today, two identical Tower cells run on the two Mazak Integrex i-200S machines.

The result: complete machining, unmanned

For Fecken-Kirfel, the Integrex can only deliver its full potential for complete machining with the right automation. The Towers make that possible, at night and at weekends. Production planning and scheduling have become even more important, and Fecken-Kirfel is convinced that the Tower takes its production to the next level.