Deckerform to demonstrate high-speed mouldmaking at Fakuma

Deckerform Technologies will demonstrate approaches to faster product development and mouldmaking at Fakuma. At stand A5-5205 in hall A5, the Aichach-based company will present its newly established in-house plastics workshop, its cooperation with Possehl Consulting and a live application developed with co-exhibitor Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG. The presentation addresses a challenge identified by the company in the international plastics market: development projects are expected to progress increasingly quickly, while bureaucratic hurdles, lengthy coordination and delayed approvals can extend the path from an initial idea to a market-ready product. Deckerform, a family-owned international supplier of product development, mouldmaking and injection moulding technology, says it applies agile processes and direct material testing to reduce these lead times.

A central element of this approach is the new plastics workshop at the company's headquarters in Aichach. The dedicated practical laboratory provides a permanent setting for interdisciplinary work directly with materials. The 55-person team saws, screws, mills, bends, foams and tests prototypes to assess technical limits at an early stage. Activities include bending tests, 3D printing, trials with new materials and work on complex material combinations. Rather than relying exclusively on simulated technical properties, the team evaluates physical samples. According to Deckerform, this approach is intended to reduce costly correction loops during later project stages and improve process certainty early in development.

Cooperation with Possehl Consulting

Deckerform will also present its partnership with Possehl Consulting, the medium-sized enterprise consultancy of the Possehl Group, which has an office in Augsburg. The cooperation originated at networking meetings and focuses on reducing bureaucracy, streamlining projects and accelerating implementation.

Under the term "China Speed", Possehl Consulting examined why Chinese companies often bring new products to market in a fraction of the time commonly required in Germany. Its analysis identifies internal waiting periods between decisions, approvals and departments as a key obstacle for German industrial companies. Rather than reproducing Chinese working hours, the consultancy focuses on the operating model. Its proposed measures include small decision-making groups with clearly assigned responsibility, cross-functional teams, early supplier involvement and parallel rather than strictly sequential development.

Possehl Consulting describes its approach as "from medium-sized enterprises, for medium-sized enterprises". As part of the Possehl Group, which includes numerous medium-sized industrial companies, the consultancy states that its team draws on practical experience in manufacturing and product development. Its work extends from analysis to implementation, while Deckerform applies similar principles in day-to-day mouldmaking.

Live five-axis hot-stamping application

At the Deckerform stand, Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG will show a new foil finishing and hot-stamping system used to decorate the Catwalk Integral cat staircase. A newly developed five-axis hot-stamping machine will handle the component and apply decoration to the staircase steps during live demonstrations.

The application combines contour-following roll-on hot stamping with injection moulding technology. It is intended to demonstrate how precise component handling and surface finishing can be integrated when decorating three-dimensional contours.

Six-week and eight-week project examples

Deckerform will illustrate its development approach using two customer projects. In a thin-wall labelling application with IMD Slimline transfer technology, six weeks elapsed between the joint project decision and the shipment-ready result. The concept and engineering were completed within one week. Design and surface structuring, including precise laser engraving, required a further four days, while development of the final design film took three weeks.

The second example concerns a seat cushion spring. Deckerform completed product development, analysis and production of the first injection-moulded spring within eight weeks. Product development and analysis took two weeks. Mouldmaking and delivery of the first defect-free sample part were completed during the subsequent six weeks.

Integrated services and Toyo injection moulding machines

Deckerform combines product development, mouldmaking and injection moulding technology within one organisation. Its portfolio also includes the exclusive distribution of all-electric Toyo injection moulding machines in German-speaking markets. The machines are developed and manufactured in Japan, with efficiency and low energy consumption stated as key characteristics. The company will present its exhibits and live applications at Fakuma in hall A5, stand A5-5205.