Precise surface finishing of ceramic, glass, and metal via lapping, grinding, and polishing in Forchheim.
SCHWEIZER OFB GmbH
Forchheim (DE)New on Amplifa
Surface Finishing as a Specialty
SCHWEIZER OFB GmbH, headquartered in Forchheim, specializes in high-precision surface finishing of hard materials and metals. The range of services includes planar lapping, grinding, and polishing, cylindrical grinding, centerless grinding, honing, drilling, milling, and sawing, as well as the processing of spherical radii from R2 to R1000. The company primarily processes technical ceramics such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, and zirconium dioxide, as well as glasses like borosilicate and quartz glass, in addition to metals such as steel, V2A, aluminum, brass, and copper, as well as ferrites and plastics. Tolerances up to ±0.005 mm and surface finishes from rough to high-gloss polishing are realized, from single-piece manufacturing to large series. Customers come from Automotive, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Technology, Aerospace, Electronics, and Pump Construction. The 5,500 m² production facility is a subsidiary of A. SCHWEIZER GmbH, founded in 1840, whose roots are in optical manufacturing. Since 2003, the company has been DIN ISO 9001 certified.
- Site
- Forchheim
- Processes
- Lapping (Plan processing), Grinding (Plan processing, ceramics only), Polishing (Plan processing), External Cylindrical Grinding, Internal Cylindrical Grinding, Centerless Grinding, External Polishing (Cylindrical), Spherical Radius Processing
- Materials
- Al2O3 (Aluminum Oxide), AlN (Aluminum Nitride), Piezo ceramics, Porcelain, Si3N4 (Silicon Nitride), SiC (Silicon Carbide), Steatite, ZrO2 (Zirconium Dioxide)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015
- Founded
- (Subsidiar
- Industries
- Automotive, Mining, Electronics Industry, Research and Development, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace
- 01
Order review and technology selection
- 02
Processing of cast material (Lapping, Grinding, Polishing, Cylindrical Grinding,
- 03
Ultrasound Cleaning (5-chamber)
- 04
Crack and damage inspection as well as optoelectronic quality control
- 05
Consolidation and packaging
- 06
Delivery with quality certificates
Forchheim Site
Forchheim
DEHeadquarters and Production
- Part weight / size
- Discs up to Ø1400 mm, round parts up to Ø250 mm, lengths
- Lot size
- Single-piece manufacturing to large series
- Materials
- Ceramics, glass, metals, ferrites, plastics
Processed Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lapping (Plan processing)Surface | ±0,005 mm · Ferrite Ra 0,4; small parts from 0,01; | 480 mm (diagonal or Ø) | – | Single-piece manufacturing – Large series | Ceramics, Glass, Metals, Ferrites, Plastics |
| Grinding (Plan processing, ceramics only)Surface | ±0,01 mm · Ra from 0,01 mm | 200 mm (diagonal or Ø) × min. thickness 1 mm | – | – | Ceramics |
| Polishing (Plan processing)Surface | ±0,01 mm · small parts from 0,001; large parts from | 400 mm (diagonal or Ø) × min. thickness 0,2 mm (>4" min. 0,25) | – | – | Ceramics, Glass, Metals, Ferrites, Plastics |
| External Cylindrical GrindingMachining | ±0,015 mm (Ø) · Ra from 0,2 mm | 900 mm × Ø max. 440 mm × Ø min. 1 mm | – | – | Ceramics, Glass, Metals |
| Internal Cylindrical GrindingMachining | ±0,015 mm (Ø) · Ra from 0,4 mm | 120 mm × Ø max. 400 mm × Ø min. 6 mm | – | – | Ceramics, Glass, Metals |
| Centerless GrindingMachining | ±0,010 mm (Ø) · Ra from 0,4 mm | 300 mm × Ø max. 90 mm × Ø min. 0,8 mm | – | – | Ceramics, Glass |
| External Polishing (Cylindrical)Surface | ±0,010 mm (Ø) · Ra from 0,05 mm | 170 mm × Ø max. 80 mm × Ø min. 2 mm; <Ø5:70 | – | – | Ceramics, Glass, Metals |
| Spherical Radius ProcessingSurface | Ra from 0,5 mm | R 1000 × R 2 min. | – | – | Ceramics, Glass |
| CNC Machining (Milling, sawing, drilling, grinding, honing, special processing)Machining | ±0,01 mm · Ra from 0,01 mm | 800 mm × W x H max. 400 mm × W x H min. 5 mm | – | – | Ceramics, Glass, Metals |
| Cylindrical Grinding (CNC Grinding Machines)Machining | – | 450 mm × Ø 1 mm to 250 mm | – | – | Ceramics, Glass |
| HoningSurface | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Metals |
| DrillingMachining | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Metals, Glass |
| Ultrasound Cleaning (5-chamber)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
17 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Disk Machines (Two-disk Lapping/Fine Grinding Machines) | – | – | Disc sizes Ø450 mm to Ø1400 mm | – | Forchheim |
| Single Disk Lapping Machines | – | – | Disc diameters up to Ø1200 mm | – | Forchheim |
| CNC Cylindrical Grinding Machines | – | – | Ø1–250 mm, lengths up to 450 mm | – | Forchheim |
| Centerless Grinding Machines | – | – | Ø1–80 mm, lengths up to 150 mm | – | Forchheim |
| CNC Special Processing Machine for Internal and External Cylindrical Grinding | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| CNC Milling Machines | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Machining Centers | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Honing Machines | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Polishing Machines | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Cup and Flat Grinding Machines | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Machines for manufacturing hemispheres and caps | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Spherical Radius Processing Machines | – | – | R2–R1000 | – | Forchheim |
| Sawing and Drilling Machines | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| 5-Chamber Ultrasound Cleaning System | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Consolidation Systems | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Crack and Damage Inspection Systems | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
| Optical/Electronic Control Systems for Quality Testing and Assurance | – | – | – | – | Forchheim |
Additional services
Quality Management
Since 2003, the quality management system has been certified according to DIN ISO 9001:2015 (LGA InterCert GmbH, valid until 02.07.2027). All technical values are fully documented; quality certificates are issued upon order according to customer specifications, supported by crack and damage inspection as well as optoelectronic control systems.
| Evidence | Forchheim |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 |
History of A. SCHWEIZER and SCHWEIZER OFB
- 1840
Founding of A. SCHWEIZER GmbH (as Asif in Fürth) by master jeweler Abraham Schweizer.
- 1877
Start of own mirror glass production in Forchheim.
- 1907
Company moves to Forchheim; the Fürth location is abandoned.
- 1937
Transformation into a capital company (A. SCHWEIZER, optical factory).
- 1957
Johann Schüttinger acquires the company.
- 2003
First certification of the quality management system according to DIN ISO 9001.
Founding of the subsidiary SCHWEIZER OFB GmbH for surface finishing.