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High technology & special applications

Where the real challenge only starts behind the drawing: too thin, too complex, too delicate – or just five pieces that have to be exactly repeatable. From the single part and prototype to the recurring small batch.
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What really makes special manufacturing demanding.

Some parts do not sit sensibly in any conventional industry. They are too thin, too complex, too delicate, or made from a material that calls for particular experience. A design may have to be vacuum-tight, may be allowed almost no weld distortion, or may need a defined surface. Perhaps only five pieces are needed – and they have to be exactly repeatable. For tasks like these, stainlesstec combines CAD-based production planning, modern laser and CNC manufacturing and the experience of specialist staff.

Complex geometries

Not every geometry can be solved with a single process. Laser cutting, punching, forming, straightening, welding and finishing therefore often have to be thought of as one whole at the production planning stage. stainlesstec joins these steps up within a broad in-house chain – including laser and punch technology, CNC bending, levelling and CNC-controlled 3D laser welding.

Thin-walled structures and distortion

The thinner a part, the greater the effect of the heat put in by welding – and high-technology components in particular often carry tight geometric and visual requirements. One example from our own shop is a 1 mm, splittable motor cover for centrifuges, laser welded and meeting high visual standards at the same time. It shows why high technology is not just a matter of “a modern machine”: welding sequence, clamping, heat input and finishing all have to match.

Materials that do not behave like standard stock

Duplex steel, the various stainless grades and aluminium each place their own demands on forming, welding, heat input, surface treatment, tool selection and material segregation. Our duplex centrifuge drum is a good example: 4 mm holes punched in 5 mm material stress the plate so heavily that a controlled straightening operation is needed afterwards.

Vacuum technology: when the surface becomes part of the function.

In vacuum, and in high vacuum especially, a vessel is not simply “tight”. Material, weld, surface condition, trapped volumes and cleanliness all affect the vacuum attainable. UHV chambers are often made in austenitic stainless steel because it can be welded vacuum-tight, resists corrosion and outgasses little. Inside welds are preferred, and designs that trap gas in cavities and can cause “virtual leaks” are avoided. Just as important are smooth, thoroughly cleaned and degreased internal surfaces, because outgassing from the surface largely governs how quickly and how far a chamber can be evacuated.

For manufacturing that means, for example:

  • suitable material selection
  • a welded design suited to vacuum service
  • avoiding trapped volumes
  • defined surfaces
  • clean processing
  • tightness testing to the project specification

We manufacture to your vacuum and component specification.

Material segregation · surface requirement · cleaning condition · protective film · handling · packaging

When cleanliness is part of the product specification.

In semiconductor, optics, analytical and cleanroom applications, particulate or chemical contamination of a surface can already matter – the ISO 14644 family expressly covers surface cleanliness and the suitability of equipment for cleanroom use. In sensitive applications a visually clean surface is therefore not enough: material segregation, processing, cleaning, packaging and handling can all be part of the customer’s specification. stainlesstec settles requirements like these per project before production starts – with segregated production as the starting point, where stainless steel and aluminium are worked with no contact with other types of steel.

From CAD model to repeatable process

1

Understand the data

STEP, DXF, drawing and specification are not simply imported: geometry, tolerances, material, surface and functional requirements are reviewed for manufacturability.
2

Fix the process

Which sequence keeps re-clamping and distortion to a minimum? What gets laser cut, punched, bent or welded? Where will straightening or dressing be needed?
3

Generate manufacturing data

Customer data become repeatable programs and work sequences.
4

Specialists take over

Where material behaviour, welding sequence or surface finish call for experience, the data set alone does not decide.
5

Check the result

Dimensions, surface, tightness or other defined characteristics are checked to the project specification.

Typical tasks our shop is suited to

Vacuum & analytical technology

Chambers, frames, housings, flange structures and vacuum-tight welded assemblies.

Measurement & test technology

Precision housings, fixtures, mountings, frames and bespoke test rigs.

Centrifuge & separation technology

Drums, screens, covers and complex components with high demands on geometry and material.

Automation & robotics

Machine parts, covers, housings, assemblies and system components.

Laser, optics & sensor technology

Housings, brackets and precision structures with defined surfaces in small quantities.

Cleanroom-adjacent applications

Stainless steel and aluminium components with particular requirements for material segregation, surfaces and cleanliness.

From prototype to small batch.

High-technology projects evolve: part revisions change, first designs are tested, details optimised and then reproduced in small numbers. This is exactly where a mid-sized specialist is of more interest than a shop optimised for mass production. A part today need not be exactly the same part in six months’ time – what matters is that changes are taken into production under control.

Prototypes and one-offs

For testing, development and validation.

Pre-production and small batches

To a released drawing revision.

Variant manufacturing

For different versions of one basic product.

Repeat parts

Based on existing manufacturing data and defined processes.

From the shop floor

Hole diameter smaller than the plate thickness

Duplex centrifuge drum

Challenge: 4 mm holes in 5 mm material.
Manufacturing: a punching process that stresses the material heavily, followed by precision straightening.
What makes it high technology: not the punching alone, but mastery of the whole process through to the required geometry.
1 mm wall thickness, laser welded

Thin-walled motor cover

Challenge: just 1 mm thick, a splittable design and high visual standards.
Manufacturing: laser welding with controlled heat input and a high-grade finish.
Welded design, surface, tightness

Vacuum chamber & vacuum frame

Challenge: high demands on welded design, surface and tightness.
Capabilities: stainless steel manufacturing, specialist welders, high-grade surfaces and experience with pressure- and vacuum-bearing parts.

Technical capabilities

Laser and punch technology

CNC bending

CNC-controlled 3D laser welding (8 axes)

TIG/MIG welding

Straightening & levelling

Surface finishing

Assembly

Let’s talk about your project.

Send us your drawing or CAD data by email – together with material, batch size and your requirements. We will come back to you with a sound assessment.

Send an enquiry by email

or write directly to info@stainlesstec.de – simply attach your drawing, STEP or DXF file.

DIRECT LINE: +49 5121 690 85-0