LATEST INFO ABOUT BIHLER

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In the news section, you will find up-to-date information about our company, our trade fair appearances and the latest products and services. In the technical articles and user reports, you can find out how our customers from a wide range of industries use Bihler technology to produce successfully and secure their future.

Find out more and be inspired.

News from the Bihler world

Bihler Digital - Connecting Possibilities

Halblech, 11.03.2024 - Market and customer requirements are changing rapidly. The digital transformation is helping to master the tasks ahead. With our intelligent, fully networked automation solutions and innovative digital services, you can tap into new potential for a successful future.

Experience at WIRE how Bihler combines the real world of stamping and forming technology with the digital world. We will be presenting our latest machine, tool, and control technology in combination with smart digital products – all for greater transparency, higher productivity and reproduced top quality in your production.

Visit us at our stand F18 in hall 10. We look forward to seeing you there.

Mathias Bihler
(President)

Learn more

 

Precision Meets Performance

Halblech, 29.02.2024 - As automotive OEMs push to introduce electric vehicles, the need to produce components such as busbars, switches, hairpins, etc in volumes has increased.

Profit from Bihler’s decade-long experience in component and assembly production for the automotive industry and many other sectors. Bihler automation solutions deliver faster production speeds, high OEE, low manual intervention, and fast change over times.

Our UK and Ireland representative M.I. Automation along with our experienced staff will be on hand to discuss the solutions being showcased at MACH 2024 and to discuss with you, how Bihler can support your company's future growth, development and aspirations.

We warmly invite you to our stand 6-579 at MACH and look forward to welcoming you there.

 

Bihler Forum Brno 2024

Halblech, 08.02.2024 - Rising raw material and energy prices, strict climate requirements and ongoing supplier difficulties - more than ever, material- and energy-efficient manufacturing is of strategic importance.

At the Bihler Forum Brno, you will learn at first-hand how Bihler technology can best prepare your production for future tasks. We cordially invite you to the SONO Hotel in Brno on March 14, 2024.

In compact presentations, our speakers will present:

  • the perfect Bihler machine and tooling solution for your requirement
  • the new LM 2000 machine platform for new production dimensions with linear tool technology
  • efficient and sustainable manufacturing solutions for components in e-mobility
  • as well as new modules and functions of our bNX software and novelties in welding technology

Use the event also for an intensive exchange of experiences and networking with our experts. Simply register by March 7, 2024 in the online form.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Learn more

 

Intelligent removal of isolation from hairpins

Halblech, 26.01.2024 - Thanks to a new process, Bihler is making the removal of isolation from hairpins even more reliable and efficient.

The solution centers around the innovative sensor unit, which continuously measures the enameled copper wire. The downstream isolation removal station then uses this data to strip the isolation from each hairpin individually and with the utmost precision – with minimum loss of cross-section and in a way that ensures pure metal surfaces.

Learn more

 

Read the new "b on top" online now

Dear Sir or Madam,

The world is changing and the metalworking industry, in particular, is faced by ever more complex tasks. These include changing market requirements, personnel shortages, high raw materials and energy costs, as well as increasingly stringent climate and environmental protection regulations, inflation and global conflicts. All companies have to come to terms with the consequences of this change. The challenge is to react to changing markets, to make the best possible use of the available resources and to efficiently exploit the available potentials for optimization. The only way to stay successful in the future is to actively address the tasks of the present.

The many different custom portraits in this edition of “b on top” illustrate how people and companies are reacting to the current situation as well as the specific solutions they are implementing in response to it. With Bihler, they have chosen the right course towards a successful future and, as a reliable partner, we support them with high-performance solutions, products and services. In doing this, our aim is always to offer you, our valued customers and partners, maximum value added in your production operations and to strengthen your competitiveness in the global market. We have been doing this successfully for the last 70 years. On the occasion of this anniversary, I should like to thank you most sincerely for your continuing trust and confidence.

We hope you enjoy reading the current edition.

Mathias Bihler
President

 
Click here for the online edition

 

Bihler celebrates 70th anniversary

Halblech, 24.10.2023 - Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik celebrated its 70th anniversary last week with 350 invited guests from Germany and abroad under the motto "Common beat".

The royal ambience of the Festspielhaus Neuschwanstein provided the perfect setting for the gala event. In his speech, company boss Mathias Bihler expressed his heartfelt thanks to all customers and partners for their cooperation, some of which has lasted for decades, and invited everyone to celebrate this together in a fitting manner. At festively laid tables, culinary specialties and delicious drinks left nothing to be desired. The supporting program with rousing show interludes took everyone on a journey together, looking back to the beginnings of the company, experiencing groundbreaking innovations and taking an exciting look into the future. One of the highlights was a late evening performance by the "Bihler Choir", which gave an atmospheric rendition of the Bihler song composed especially for the anniversary. As part of the anniversary celebrations, over 150 guests also visited the plants in Halblech and Füssen.

Click here to watch the video

 

Bihler at Blechexpo - Trade fair Stuttgart - November 7 - 10, 2023

Now you can manufacture linear stamped and formed parts in mass production even more precisely - using the new generation of Bihler modular high-performance linear tools. Stop by our booth at Blechexpo 2023 and experience for yourself the many advantages of the rigid forming modules featured on the Bihler LM 2000-KT linear machine.

We will also be demonstrating our latest digital services and products - including the new “Bihler Animation.” With this exciting new digital tool, you can easily visualize and completely animate your manufacturing processes. If you want to add even more value to your production efforts, we encourage you to ask about our ability to conduct virtual commissioning and plant training on a digital-twin version of your Bihler machine. And we hope that you’ll ask us about the latest features of the VC 1 control, and of our bNX design software.

Please come and visit us at our booth 6208 in hall 6 - we look forward to seeing you!


Click here to visit our Blechexpo website

 

New Dimensions in Manufacturing

Halblech, 21.08.2023 - At FABTECH 2023, you will be able to see firsthand all of the advanced manufacturing capabilities that the newest Bihler machine and tool technologies have made possible. Bihler will proudly present the pioneering 4 SLIDE-NC machine, as well as powerful Bihler servo modules.

Bihler 4 SLIDE-NC machines take four slide manufacturing, and metal forming and stamping technology, to new levels of efficiency, reliability, performance, and productivity. Bihler 4Slide-NC advanced solutions let you manage your metal forming and stamping operations to best match your work processes to your production needs.

Stamping, forming, tapping, joining screws, welding contacts, etc. Bihler's strength has always been the perfect interaction of as many processes as possible on a machine - and this via the central control platform VariControl VC 1. Standardized, powerful servo process modules and peripherals can be integrated modularly into production concepts on Bihler production systems and allow for highest flexibility and value added.

Please be sure stop by the Bihler booth – D41711. It will be a great opportunity to see all of our latest developments, and to learn about the wide range of offerings we have in Service and Support - all of which add value to your production activities.

We very much look forward to seeing you there!

 

TechDay at Dräxlmaier

Halblech, 26.07.2023 - At the TechDay on 17.07.2023 at Dräxlmaier in Vilsbiburg, the participants experienced a concentrated load of high-tech.

In six technical presentations, the Bihler team presented the latest developments and trends. These covered the benefits of standardization in stamping and forming technology, the exploitation of value-added potential with Bihler technology, the integration of various welding processes into manufacturing solutions, and the comprehensive support & service for Bihler users. In their presentations, the speakers from automotive supplier Dräxlmaier highlighted their requirements for a machine and system supplier. In addition, they offered an outlook on the future of their company.

Intensive knowledge transfer

There were information stands for all the main topics of the presentations, where an intensive exchange of knowledge took place during the breaks. CMC Engineers was also present and provided insights into the digital Bihler world. "For Bihler, it was a premiere to hold a TechDay of this intensity at a customer's premises," sums up Martin Lehmann. "We are already drawing a very positive balance and are trying to win over further customers for events of this kind."

 

Virtual commissioning of Bihler plants

Halblech, 14.06.2023 - Bihler creates digital twins of complex manufacturing solutions and commissions the entire system virtually in advance. This allows the machine to be configured optimally, increases the quality of the software and ensures fast, smooth initial commissioning and optimization of the production system.

Bihler creates a digital twin of all its high-tech manufacturing solutions, such as the BIMERIC servo production and assembly system, creating a virtual image of the entire manufacturing process. This permits the virtual commissioning of the machine long before the start of productive assembly. Virtual commissioning provides valuable insights throughout the entire life cycle. It allows a wide variety of production processes to be run through and tested in their entirety. Malfunctions and sources of error are thus quickly revealed and can be eliminated as early as the design phase. Virtual commissioning thus makes real commissioning far easier and ensures problem-free assembly.”

Learn more

 

Successful Bihler Forums 2023

Halblech, 05.05.2023 - The four Bihler Forums this year were very well attended. In Attendorn, Barcelona, Birmingham and Gothenburg, participants learned first-hand how they can use Bihler technology to make their production more material- and energy-efficient and best position themselves for future projects. In addition, the participants also used the events for an intensive exchange of experience and networking.

A big thank you to everyone who took part.


You can find all event and trade fair dates here.

 

70 years Bihler machines

Halblech, 15.03.2023 - UFA 1, KRM, RMP 25, BSA 45, ORM 0 or GL 3000. Who still remembers the old types? It's been a while. All these machines have contributed to the success story of Bihler.

At the very beginning the machines still seemed simple in their construction. But even then, the basic concept was the same as in today's stamping and forming machines. Many things have been improved and optimized over the decades. The result are pioneering manufacturing systems such as the GRM-NC, the BIMERIC Modular or the new LM 2000 linear machines. What has remained unchanged is the unique "Bihler quality". What really lies behind all the abbreviations and numbers?

Learn more

 

70 years of success in the market

Halblech, 29.01.2023 - This year, Bihler celebrates its 70th anniversary. Seven decades in which we have helped our customers succeed with creativity and passion. This is reason for us to be proud of what we have achieved and to face the challenges of the future with unwavering optimism.

Today‘s company and the history of Bihler are inseparable from the founding father Otto Bihler. A pioneer straight from the book. A man who lived his American dream in the Allgäu. Learn more about the life of Otto Bihler and the beginnings of our family business.

Click here for the article

 

One platform, two technologies

Halblech, 01.11.2022 - The LM 2000 platform is the latest addition to Bihler's portfolio of stamping and forming machines. The machine platform is available in two variants, the LM 2000-KT and the LM 2000-NC.

These two machines are state-of-the-art, linear machine tools that use cams or servo units in the production of stamped or formed parts from strip material. The LM 2000-KT is designed for use in medium- and large-size batches, while the LM 2000-NC is intended for use in small- and medium-sized batches. Where classic mechanical stamping and forming machines are limited to the use of only individual tools, the LM 2000-KT and the LM 2000-NC are fully tool-compatible with standard linear tools - such as LEANTOOL Linear - or with parts from LEANTOOL Linear, or with the user's linear tool standard.

In accordance with the ‘plug & produce’ concept, you can simply transfer your stamping and forming tool - one-for-one - and can then immediately continue production. The machines offer cycle rates of up to 500 1/min., and with a total machining length of 2,000mm on the machine plate enabling fast setup and rapid changeover, you will realize maximum added value in your production activities.

Learn more

 

New Bihler Modular Series - Plug & Produce

Halblech, 01.11.2022 - The new Bihler Modular Series helps you to master the ever-increasing demands inherent in production activities. The Modular Series offers five of the latest generation of highly standardized machine types.

All of the machines are equipped with uniform interfaces in the forming areas, and as a result, they are fully compatible with one another in terms of the linear stamping and forming tools that are used. That compatibility adheres to the "plug & produce" principle, and provides you with machine-independent use of each of the tools - thereby significantly reducing the variety of solutions and machines you would need. If your production requirements should change, either in terms of batch size, or in terms of further processing steps, you have the ability, at any time to reuse, transfer, or adapt the forming tools between the five machines.

The flexibility of the machines represents an opportunity for an enormous savings in terms of production planning effort. It also provides a stable basis for more efficient job planning, and it enables you to utilize your machinery to full capacity. In addition, a uniform design guideline enables you to develop any necessary forming tools - quickly and easily - and independently from the machine itself.

Brochure - "Modular Series"

Plug & Produce - consistent, modular and compatible

New manufacturing dimensions with linear tool technology

Halblech, 15.10.2022 - At EuroBLECH 2022, you can witness the newest manufacturing capabilities in Bihler linear tool technology. Bihler will proudly present - for the first time - the LM 2000-KT and the LM 2000-NC - the next generation of standardized linear machines.

The cam / servo-controlled LM 2000-KT and the LM 2000-NC are designed to offer the widest range of applications, and the maximum in performance capability.  A total machining length of 2,000mm is available on the machine plate, enabling fast setup and rapid tool changeover.  

With the new modular Bihler product line, and its application of the “plug & produce” concept, the manufacturer can, depending upon their requirements, simply transfer their linear stamping and forming tool - one-for-one - to the appropriate machine. They can then immediately resume production, saving both time and costs, and optimizing the usage of their machine park.

Click on the image and experience our trade show appearance.

Learn more

 

Bihler at WIRE 2022 - Efficient automation solutions for wire manufacturing

Halblech, 27.05.2022 - Look to Bihler technology to enhance your production and to increase your profitability in the future. Our modular, standardized machine and tool technology offers you efficient automation solutions for a wide range of wire forming manufacturing processes for many types of products - including, for example, such items as hairpins made of enameled flat wire, or sophisticated tension strap hangers made of steel wire. You will have the chance to view this advanced Bihler technology "live" at our booth at the WIRE Trade Fair.

You will also have the chance to see the new "Bihler Cockpit" digital tool, which is being exhibited for the first time. The “Bihler Cockpit” allows you to analyze your production processes easily and quickly, and to fully utilize the valuable optimization potential your Bihler machines offer. And the optimized bNX "forming study" is now even more intuitive and safer to use with new developments.

Click on the image and experience our trade show appearance.

 

Efficient automation solutions for e-components

Halblech, 09.11.2021 - Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik has been offering modular platforms and technologies for the production of e-components for central components in the drive, battery and power supply to the market for many years.

These include automated solutions for battery cell and module connectors completely mounted in carrier frames, ZSB circuits in hybrid motors, shielding sleeves for charging plugs, conductor rails and bus bars for power distribution and hairpins, connection pins and I-pins for stators. Hairpin technology in particular enables the type-flexible mass production of drive motors for electric vehicles in cycle times similar to those of a combustion engine. The use of hairpin-shaped coil segments and a high degree of automation makes it possible to manufacture high-quality stators.


The new White Paper "Electromobility" will explain:

  • How hairpins can be manufactured flexibly and economically using Bihler servo technology.
  • The competitive advantages offered by standardized and modular machine and tool technology in the production of e-components (shielding sleeves, bus bars).


Here you can download the White Paper free of charge.

 

German Ski Association tests skis on Bihler equipment

Halblech, 29.06.2021 - To ensure that our DSV skiers race down the mountains even faster in the future, the Bihler team developed a special machine for the perfect racing ski.

At the 2021 World Ski Championships in Cortina, the German racers impressed with four medals at once. This is the result of the conscientious work of the ski pros, their coaches and, for a good two and a half years, the DSV Technology Center in Berchtesgaden. Here, specialists are working on how to further improve the mechanical properties of the racing material. Since the beginning of June, Bihler's new TBM 1 torsion bending machine has been making a decisive contribution. The special machine, nicknamed "Ski-Tobi", forms the first step towards the perfect racing ski. It simulates a wide variety of force influences on the ski and thus provides important, technical data on the various models. This data provides information on how a new model behaves in comparison to a tried-and-tested one - without the need for test runs on the slopes. In this way, it is possible to determine in advance which athlete will achieve the best results with which model.

From left: Alpine skiing athlete Dominik Schwaiger, Karlheinz "Charly" Waibel, head of the DSV Technology Center, Mathias Bihler and Alpine skiing athlete Josef Ferstl.


Article in "b on top": Interview with Wolgang Maier, Alpine Director of the DSV

 

Modernize your machinery!

Halblech, 21.01.2021 – Upgrade your existing Bihler machines for new tasks. With the cost-effective BC R Retrofit package, this can now be done quickly and easily in three steps:

- We deliver the required machine components to your site.
- Service technicians will then retrofit your machine and install the BC R control system.
- Commissioning and approval.

Time required for the entire process: approximately one week!

The advantages of doing the retrofit: The machine is up to date, with full spare parts support, and as an option, network-capability for the digital age.


More info about BC R

 

A passion for Bihler technology

On September 21-22th Swedish and Danish Bihler technicians met for a reunion in Denmark. The eight men are managers, tool designers and tool makers with an overall experience of more than 300 years in Bihler technology.

They have come together regularly every year since 2003, one year after their mentor Fini Malmros so tragically passed away. All of them have a background at Lesjöfors Fjäder AB. Today some of the members are at Lesjöfors and others are in other businesses, but still, with connections to Bihler. The team thanks Roland Nielsen for hosting them in Denmark.

Front row: Guiseppe Campora Denmark, Mr. Finn Rasmussen Denmark and Mr. Jonny Andersson Sweden.
Rear row: Mr. Roland Nielsen Denmark, Mr. Bjarne Petersen Denmark, Mr. Stig Nord Sweden, Mr. John Sörensen Denmark, Mr. Bengt Persson Sweden.

 

Bihler runner-up at the Best of Industry Award

Halblech, 03.07.2019 – Bihler took second place in the Best of Industry Award in the metal forming category for its newly developed LEANTOOL system.

This time, a total of 31 companies from eleven categories were put forward for the vote with their innovative products and solutions. The decision was made by a jury of experts from industry and research and the trade editors of "MM Maschinenmarkt", as well as more than 17,500 private voters, each with a 50 percent share.

The jury of experts and the Bihler voters were impressed by the many advantages of the standardized modular tool system. With the LEANTOOL system, users can now realize their new tools for stamped and formed parts from strip material more easily, twice as quickly and up to 50 percent more cost-effectively. In conjunction with the GRM-NC automatic servo stamping and forming machine, they benefit from very fast "time to market" and highly flexible production.

Image (from left: Oliver Barthel (MM Publisher), Christoph Schäfer, Marc Walter, Mathias Bihler (Managing Director), Pedro Gato López

Learn more about the LEANTOOL

 

Supplier Innovation Award for Bihler and Schürholz

Halblech, April 29th, 2019 – At this year's Brose Technology Days in April, Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG and Schürholz GmbH received the Brose Supplier Innovation Award.

The two companies received this award from the world's fourth-largest automotive supplier in recognition of their outstanding innovative achievements and excellent cooperation. Together with Brose, Bihler and Schürholz developed a pioneering production technology for manufacturing housings for actuation motors. Bihler's modular BIMERIC servo system served as the platform for a wide variety of machining and assembly processes such as stamping, bending, laser welding and the patented joining of covers and housings. The innovative combination of these processes has led to cost reduction, material saving and weight reduction.

Mathias Bihler, Managing Partner at Bihler, emphasizes: “The award highlights the great innovative strength of the Old Economy in mastering essential issues such as material efficiency”.

Learn more

Bihler in specialist media

Contact

Vinzenz Hörmann
Press officer

Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik
GmbH & Co. KG
Lechbrucker Str. 15
87642 Halblech
Germany

Tel.: +49(0)8368/18-280
E-mail: