Manufacture of extrusion and stretch blow molds for plastics blow molding technology – from product development to assembly
Wefo Werkzeug- und Formenbau GmbH
Inden (52459), GermanyNew on Amplifa
About Wefo
Wefo Werkzeug- und Formenbau GmbH, founded in 1983, is a family-owned company headquartered in Inden (Rhineland) specializing in the development and manufacture of extrusion blow molds and stretch blow molds for plastics blow molding technology. Its range of services covers product development, tool design in Siemens NX, machining, tool assembly and quality assurance – all from a single source. Production is mainly in aluminum, complemented by additional services such as additive manufacturing of 3D models in ABS and metal, 3D scanning, laser marking, thermography as well as repair and maintenance of third-party tools. On an industrial floor space of 2100 m², 35 employees work at ten CNC milling stations (including 5-axis technology), lathes, grinding, EDM and deep-hole drilling machines. Customers come from the Beauty Care, House Hold and pharmaceutical industries. The company has been certified to DIN ISO 9001 since 1998 and has been involved since 2019 in the project-accompanying committee of the IKV at RWTH Aachen University.
- Site
- Inden
- Processes
- Extrusion blow molds (manufacture of blow molds), Stretch blow molds, Product development, Tool design (Siemens NX), CNC turning, CNC milling (incl. 5-axis), Surface grinding, Sinker EDM
- Materials
- ABS, Aluminum (tools), Aluminum, Wefo Quicktool
- Certificates
- DIN ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1983
- Employees
- 35
- Industries
- Plastics blow molding technology, Beauty Care, House Hold, Pharmaceuticals
- 01
Product development
- 02
Tool design
- 03
Machining (CNC turning, CNC milling, surface grinding, sinker EDM,
- 04
Tool assembly
- 05
Quality assurance
- 06
Additional services (3D printing, thermography, laser processing)
Materials & Processes
Aluminum
Material for blow molds; standard equipment with sacrificial anodes to increase durability.
ABS
Plastic for additive manufacturing of 3D models to test appearance and handling.
Wefo Quicktool
Rapid tooling for short-term production of plastic bottles for haptic, visual and line tests, also including sample validation.
Locations
Inden
DEHeadquarters, production, design and assembly
- Part weight / size
- Workpieces up to 7500 kg (sinker EDM)
- Materials
- Aluminum, ABS
- 2 CNC lathes (turned parts up to 728 mm length, Ø 268 mm)
- 10 CNC milling stations incl. DMG MORI DMF 260L 5-axis (travel up to 2600 × 1100 × 900 mm, rotary table Ø 1050 mm, 80 bar internal cooling)
- Surface grinding machine (1600 × 450 × 600 mm)
- Sinker EDM machine with Erowa quick-change chuck (table load 7500 kg)
- Deep-hole drilling machine (1300 × 600 × 1000 mm, 360° table adjustment)
- 2 FDM 3D printers
Components & Tools
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion blow molds (manufacture of blow molds)Toolmaking | – | – | – | – | Aluminum |
| Stretch blow moldsToolmaking | – | – | – | – | – |
| Product developmentEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tool design (Siemens NX)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| CNC turningMachining | – | 728 mm × Ø 268 mm | – | – | – |
| CNC milling (incl. 5-axis)Machining | – | 2600 mm × 1100 mm × 900 mm | – | – | Aluminum |
| Surface grindingMachining | – | 1600 mm × 450 mm × 600 mm | 1200 kg | – | – |
| Sinker EDMMachining | – | 1000 mm × 1510 mm × 700 mm | 7500 kg | – | – |
| Deep-hole drillingMachining | – | 1300 mm × 600 mm × 1000 mm | 5000 kg | – | – |
| Tool assemblyAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Quality assurance (60-point inspection checklist, 8-10 bar pressure test, cold/hot test)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Additive manufacturing of 3D models (FDM) in ABSAdditive | – | – | – | – | ABS |
| Additive manufacturing of 3D models in metal (partner service)Additive | – | – | – | – | Metal |
| 3D scanning service / digitalization of tool cavities (partner service)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser welding (partner service)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser markingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser structuring (partner service)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Repair and maintenance of third-party toolsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wefo Quicktool (rapid tooling incl. sample validation)Toolmaking | – | – | – | – | Plastic |
| Thermography (heat distribution measurement with thermal camera)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
7 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC lathe (12-position turret, driven tools) | – | 2 | Turned parts up to 728 mm length, 268 mm diameter | – | Inden |
| 5-axis machining center | DMG MORI DMF 260 (DMF 260L 5-axis) | – | Travels up to 2600x1100x900 mm, rotary table Ø 1050 mm, 60 tool changer slots | – | Inden |
| CNC milling machines (stations total) | – | 10 | Travels up to 2600x1100x900 mm | – | Inden |
| Surface grinding machine | – | – | Clamping area 1600x450x600 mm, table load 1200 kg | – | Inden |
| Sinker EDM machine | – | – | Travel 1000x1510x700 mm plus C-axis, table load 7500 kg, Erowa quick-change chuck | – | Inden |
| Deep-hole drilling machine | – | – | Travel 1300x600x1000 mm, 4000 rpm, table load 5000 kg, 360° table adjustment | – | Inden |
| 3D printer (FDM) | – | 2 | – | – | Inden |
Additional services
Quality
The quality management system has been certified to DIN ISO 9001 since 1998 and is an integral part of all workflows. Quality assurance includes a 60-point inspection checklist including an 8–10 bar pressure test and cold/hot test, documented on request with a thermal camera.
| Evidence | Inden |
|---|---|
| DIN ISO 9001 |
History
- 1983
Company founded as a garage-based business with 3 employees
- 1987
Relocation to the current site
- 1998
First certified to DIN ISO 9001
- 2001
Expansion I: annex for final production, assembly and office space
- 2007
Expansion II: annex with 5 additional milling machines, industrial floor space increased to 2100 m²
- 2013
Introduction of Wefo Quicktools
- 2018
Wefo Quicktools also offered as a complete package incl. sample validation
- 2019
Involvement in the project-accompanying committee of the IKV at RWTH Aachen University
- 2021
Participation in the EcoVadis assessment
- 2023
Installation of a photovoltaic system (100 kWp, 242 modules)
- 2023
99 kWp photovoltaic system commissioned (December)