Manufacturing of gear trains for the watch industry and development of CNC gear-cutting machines for micro-gearing
Affolter Group SA
2735 Malleray/Valbirse (CH) · Shanghai (CN)New on Amplifa
About Affolter Group
Affolter Group SA is a family-owned company founded in 1919 by Louis Affolter (4th generation) headquartered in Malleray/Valbirse in the Bernese Jura, Switzerland. The company manufactures high-quality gear trains, pinions and wheels for the watch industry as well as micromechanical parts – from small series and prototypes to large series of several million parts. The value chain includes CNC and cam-controlled turned-part production, gear cutting on its own CNC gear-cutting centers, stamping with self-developed Plancheuses, heat treatment, burnishing, polishing (circular grinding, fluting, sun grinding, notching) as well as assembly and riveting of complete gear trains. In addition, Affolter develops and produces CNC gear-cutting machines (including AF110, AF110 plus, AF160) and its own CNC controls (Leste, Pegasus) for the worldwide market of small and micro motors. Materials include, among others, steel 20AP, Finemac, stainless steels X35ST+ and 4C27A, copper-beryllium, brass, Durnico and nickel silver. With more than 300 automated and traditional machines, Affolter supplies industries such as the watch industry, automotive, aerospace, medical technology, servo motors and robotics; a sales and customer service office is located in Shanghai.
- Site
- Malleray/Valbirse
- Processes
- Gear cutting (gear hobbing) on CNC gear-cutting centers, Worm Screw Power Skiving (WSPS), Turned-part production (CNC and cam-controlled automatic lathes, axles and pinions from steel bars), Stamping (stamped wheels, including manufacture of the stamping dies), Burnishing, Polishing (various polishing methods, polishing of flanks/teeth on wooden discs), Circular grinding, Fluting
- Materials
- Steel 20AP, Steel Finemac, Stainless Steel X35ST+, Stainless Steel 4C27A, Copper-Beryllium, Brass, Durnico, Nickel Silver
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015
- Founded
- 1919
- Employees
- 160
- Industries
- Watch industry, Micro motor industry, Automotive, Aerospace, Servo motors, Dental and medical technology
- 01
Turned-part production (CNC and cam-controlled automatic lathes)
- 02
Gear cutting (CNC gear hobbing, Power Skiving)
- 03
Stamping / automated wheel manufacturing (Plancheuses)
- 04
Heat treatment
- 05
Burnishing
- 06
Polishing / circular grinding / fluting / sun grinding / notching
- 07
Cleaning processes
- 08
Quality control (SPC)
- 09
Riveting and assembly of gear trains
Materials and Processes
Steel 20AP
Material for axles, pinions and turned parts from steel bars
Steel Finemac
Material for micromechanical turned parts and gearings
Stainless Steel X35ST+
Stainless material for corrosion-resistant gear trains
Stainless Steel 4C27A
Stainless material for demanding watch components
Copper-Beryllium
Alloy for wheels and workpieces with high elasticity
Brass
Standard material for wheels, gear trains and gear hobbing or WSPS machining
Durnico
Material for turned parts and gearings
Nickel Silver
Material for stamped wheels and cerclage/moulurage on Plancheuses
Locations
Malleray/Valbirse
CHHeadquarters, gear train production, development and manufacturing of CNC gear-cutting machines
- Lot size
- Prototypes, small to large series (up to several million parts)
- Materials
- Steel 20AP, Finemac, X35ST+, 4C27A, copper-beryllium, brass, Durnico, nickel silver
- CNC gear-cutting machine AF110
- Gear-cutting center AF110 plus
- Gear-cutting center AF101
- CNC machine tool AF160 (Power Skiving)
- Plancheuse (automated wheel manufacturing)
- Loading system AF71 for 24-hour automatic production
- Cam-controlled automatic lathes
- CNC and cam-controlled automatic lathes
- CNC control Leste (up to 12 axes)
- More than 300 automated and traditional machines
Shanghai
CNAffolter China Co., Ltd – sales and customer service office
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gear cutting (gear hobbing) on CNC gear-cutting centersMachining | – | 90 mm (max. cutting length AF110) × 60 mm (max. part diameter AF110) | – | Small series – up to several million | Steel, Brass |
| Worm Screw Power Skiving (WSPS)Machining | – | – | – | – | Brass, Steel |
| Turned-part production (CNC and cam-controlled automatic lathes, axles and pinions from steel bars)Machining | – | – | – | Small series – Large series | Steel 20AP, Steel Finemac, Stainless Steel X35ST+, Stainless Steel 4C27A, Copper-Beryllium, Brass, Durnico, Nickel Silver |
| Stamping (stamped wheels, including manufacture of the stamping dies)Forming | – | – | – | – | Brass, Nickel Silver, Steel |
| BurnishingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Polishing (various polishing methods, polishing of flanks/teeth on wooden discs)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Circular grindingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| FlutingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sun grindingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Heat treatmentHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Cleaning processesSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Riveting and press-fitting of axles, wheels and workpieces (gear train assembly)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly of friction wheels, notchingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Helical gearing up to 45°Machining | – | – | – | – | Steel, Brass |
| Cerclage/Moulurage (automated on Plancheuses)Forming | – | – | – | – | Brass, Nickel Silver |
| Quality control according to the SPC methodTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Development and manufacturing of CNC gear-cutting machines and CNC controls (Affolter Leste)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Modernization of cam-controlled automatic lathes with own CNC controlsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC gear-cutting machine (Gear Hobbing) | Affolter AF110 | – | Max. module 1.5 mm; max. cutting length 90 mm; max. part diameter 60 mm; up to 12 axes | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| Gear-cutting center | Affolter AF110 plus | – | Workpiece spindles up to 12,000 min⁻¹, module 0.3–1.5 mm (WSPS) | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| CNC machine tool for milling micro gearboxes (Power Skiving) | Affolter AF160 | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| Gear-cutting center | Affolter AF101 | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| Plancheuse (special machine for automated wheel manufacturing) | Affolter | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| Loading system for 24-hour automatic production (two grippers) | Affolter AF71 | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| CNC control (up to 12 axes) | Affolter Leste | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| Cam-controlled automatic lathes (with integrated Affolter CNC controls) | – | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| CNC automatic lathes | – | – | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
| Automated and traditional machines in the machine park | – | over 300 | – | – | Malleray/Valbirse, Switzerland |
Additional services
Quality
Quality control is performed using the SPC method with modern measuring instruments, closely aligned with customer requirements; the Geneva Seal (Poinçon de Genève) quality is guaranteed on manufactured wheels. The quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015.
| Evidence | Malleray/Valbirse |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 |
History
- 1919
Foundation of the company by Louis Affolter in Renan; 1927 registered in the commercial register as 'Louis Affolter, fabrique de pignons et pivotage en tous genres'
- 1985
Handover of leadership to the third generation (Marc-Alain, Jean-Claude and Michel Affolter)
- 1991
Foundation of Affolter Electronique SA (R&D department), renamed Affolter Technologies SA in 2005
- 1993
Construction of an industrial building at Grand-Rue 74 in Malleray
- 1999
Expansion of the industrial building at Grand-Rue 74
- 2004
Foundation of Affolter Holding SA and AFManagement SA
- 2006
Construction of a new industrial building at Grand-Rue 76 in Malleray
- 2008
Opening of a sales and customer service office in Shanghai
- 2011
Acquisition and renovation of the industrial building at Grand-Rue 62; total area 8,000 m²
- 2013
Foundation of Affolter China Co., Ltd in Shanghai; receipt of ISO 9001 certification
- 2016
Handover of leadership to the fourth generation: Grégory Affolter, Nicolas Curty, Vincent Affolter
- 2017
Foundation of Affolter Innovations SA to centralize research and development
- 2019
100 years of company and family history in the Bernese Jura
- 2021
Merger of the group companies (Affolter Zahnräder SA, Affolter Technologies SA, Affolter Innovations SA, AFManagement SA) into Affolter Group SA
- 2025
Expansion and renovation of the industrial site in Valbirse (Grand-Rue 74) until 2027: +2,750 m², total area 10,500 m²