Our system has noticed that you are based in , but the current country setting is . Select country
Going all in for silicone elastomers –
the Process Technology Center Burghausen
Some 2,000 silicone products for unlimited application areas – does anyone really know their way around all of that? You bet! Our colleagues at the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers are rock stars in the world of silicone elastomer processing. Over the past few years, the Tech Center has been modernized and developed under new leadership.
Its staff’s comprehensive expertise and profound understanding of materials, processes, molds and machines make the Process Technology Center Burghausen a global leader when it comes to developing, testing, optimizing and processing solid and liquid silicone rubber.
When it comes to processing LSR and HCR materials, the five-person team at the Tech Center has a combined experience of over 70 years. Their bundled expertise is valued throughout the entire silicone elastomer industry – and our customers around the world are only too happy to tap into that resource when launching new products or optimizing their existing processes. Or when they suddenly find themselves stuck – in those situations, our colleagues will also step up to the plate to offer their help with troubleshooting.
Developing, testing, optimizing – always with our customers in mind
The primary mission of the Tech Center is to subject the processing properties of WACKER’s silicone elastomer products to rigorous testing and to use the results for optimizing our customer’s production processes – a strategy that increases efficiency and quality while reducing costs. Another focus is on supporting internal product development for existing and new applications.
Whereas our applications laboratory colleagues are primarily concerned with making sure the chemistry’s right, the Tech Center team takes a much broader approach: “We do more than just provide one-on-one advice on the right material for specialized applications – our consulting services also encompass processes, machines and the right molds. That holistic consulting philosophy sets us apart from the competition and wouldn’t be possible without the wide array of experience that we have here at the Tech Center,” says Tech Center Director Michael Kalchauer describing the team’s exciting work.
“We do more than just provide one-on-one advice on the right material for specialized applications – our consulting services also encompass processes, machines and the right molds. That holistic consulting philosophy sets us apart from the competition and wouldn’t be possible without the wide array of experience that we have here at the Process Technology Center Burghausen.”
Simulating molds and processes improves efficiency, productivity and part quality in real-world production.
Simulations for a deeper understanding of the materials
The Tech Center is often involved in the early processes of selecting materials and designing parts. That’s why our Center colleagues have also taken a deep dive into simulation technology and work with all of the key software manufacturers. They work especially closely with Sigmasoft, whose database now contains material data for virtually all of our LSR and some of our HCR products. Data from here can then be fed into simulations for any injection molding process with different molds. Work with the simulation tool provides a deeper understanding of how the material behaves during processing and allows the team to compare the results to real processes.
These comparisons are particularly interesting when they involve injection molds that the team knows like the back of their hands. One of the primary uses for studies like these is to compare standard products as part of the quality assurance process. When developing new and existing materials, this allows the team to perform side-by-side comparisons of the processing quality. The blend of new materials and years of equipment expertise is a unique combination that benefits more than just our in-house development and troubleshooting work – it is extremely valuable for our customers too.
The heart of the Tech Center: the machine shop
The Process Technology Center Burghausen is about more than just expertise, of course: it also has machines, molds and other equipment at its disposal. The heart of the Tech Center is its extensive machine shop. A tour here quickly becomes a stroll through a who’s-who of prestigious manufacturers: the leading providers of molds and equipment that you’ll find here include big names like Arburg, Engel and Sumitomo-Demag. And that makes perfect sense: after all, most of the Center’s customers work with the same machines and molds and with identical equipment.
Customized machines: the latest additions
Staff at the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers are in regular contact with many machine manufacturers – that’s how they make sure they’re always up to date and can keep pace with their customers.
That’s also why we’re currently working with machine, mold and equipment manufacturers to make major investments in the Tech Center’s machine shop.
An overview of the machine shop
Using our own molds for a deeper understanding
When commonly available molds reach their limits, the Tech Center team also sometimes develops its own molds, equipping them with monitoring devices of every kind. That helps the team better understand customers’ injection molding processes and challenges. Colleagues at the Center, for example, can determine the demolding force required to release a component and use that information to draw conclusions about challenges that could arise when automating the entire process.
They equipped another mold – one with different layer thicknesses and surfaces – with 10 pressure and temperature sensors. The upgrade allowed them to do more than just observe the material injection process in real time: the parameters also provided important data on material properties during crosslinking itself – data gathered under actual production conditions.
Extrusion: a new perspective on a traditional technology
Because many of our customers process HCR materials via extrusion, the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers is taking another look at that technology as well: the team is currently conducting exhaustive testing of all of our standard grades on our extrusion machine and studying the processing quality. At the same time, our colleagues are also in discussions with leading equipment manufacturers so that our testing options will always be state of the art.
After all, even though extrusion has been an established technology for years, interesting developments are still possible, especially in the subsequent crosslinking step. Depending on the processing profile, for example, the furnace can be positioned either vertically or horizontally; plus, highly efficient technologies other than hot-air furnaces, such as IR emitters or microwaves, are currently making inroads. Harnessing these developments for our materials and crosslinking systems means continuously expanding our expertise and test equipment.
Talk to our experts
Do you have questions or concerns that you would like to discuss with the experts at the Tech Center? Michael Kalchauer, head of the Process Technology Center Burghausen, will be happy to help you.
Over 70 years of experience – and new leadership
When it comes to processing LSR and HCR materials, the five-person team at the Tech Center has a combined experience of over 70 years. The core team consisting of Alexander Niedermeier, Gerhard Hainthaler, Stefan May and Manfred Winterer has, in some cases, been working together continuously since the Tech Center was founded in 2000. After 24 years, there are few challenges that the Center’s team hasn’t encountered – and resolved together.
Michael Kalchauer has headed up the Process Technology Center Burghausen since 2023, when he stepped into the leadership role vacated by Klaus Wenzeis after many years of dedicated work. Prior to this, he had spent five years gathering extensive experience in materials development. In addition to coordinating collaboration between the Tech Center, Materials Development and Production, Michael is also the first point of contact for customer inquiries.
Alexander Niedermeier is an absolute specialist in injection molding. After 24 years with the Tech Center, there are few challenges that he has not faced. On the basis of that expertise, he supports our customers with their questions on anything and everything and conducts internal material testing.
Gerhard Hainthaler has also been a member of the Tech Center for many years. A master of every possible injection molding application, he brings his comprehensive expertise to the table when helping our customers. Gerhard is also responsible for the machine shop and our equipment. Our team owes many of its new testing practices (such as measuring demolding force) to his ingenuity.
Stefan May spent the last 10 years gathering a wide range of silicone processing experience, from manufacturing an ultrathin precision silicone film to many different injection molding applications. At the Tech Center, he is responsible for the entire extrusion area and is the contact person for our customers in southeast Asia.
Manfred Winterer has been with the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers since the very beginning. He, too, has a treasure trove of experience in processing silicones using both injection molding and extrusion.
Step-by-step guide to collaborating with the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers
Contacting us
First contact the sales manager, who will forward your case to the process specialists.
Defining the problem
We will meet with you online to discuss and precisely define the problem.
Reproducing the problem
We will simulate and reproduce the challenge at the Burghausen Tech Center.
Troubleshooting
For complex problems, our specialists will go to your site to troubleshoot the problem.
FAQs about the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers
What are the goals of the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers?
The primary goal of the Tech Center is to conduct rigorous studies of the processing characteristics of WACKER’s silicone elastomer products and to channel that expertise into optimizing our customers’ production processes, making their products more efficient and production more economical.
Another focus is on supporting internal product development for existing and new applications – either with an eye to specific customer demands or in collaboration with our Application Technology labs.
What questions do people typically have?
The Tech Center provides support on any questions related to silicone elastomer processing, and our customers’ requirements and applications are as diverse as our over 2,000 silicone products.
Whether the questions involve material selection, component design or simulation, the choice of machines and molds or optimizing processes, no challenge is beyond Tech Center team. When problems arise, our colleagues will take on the troubleshooting – in most cases resolving the issue within a few hours.
What's the difference between Application Technology and the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers?
The Tech Center works hand in hand with Application Technology. Yet whereas Application Technology focuses on product development, development is just the starting point for the Tech Center, which takes a much broader approach: the Center models complex customer processes and can work with customers and partners to test and optimize products and processing methods. When customers have problems with their processes, the Tech Center can simulate those problems.
What are the steps involved in collaborating with the Tech Center for Silicone Elastomers?
Here are some possible collaboration scenarios:
The first point of contact for our customers is the sales manager handling their case – this is the individual who will initiate contact with the Tech Center. Discussing problems and identifying solutions can often be done virtually in an online meeting.
In cases where the challenge is more complex, however, our colleagues will work with customers on site to develop a suitable processing profile using the machine in question.
What should I be aware of when starting to work with silicones?
For new customers and/or customers working with silicones for the first time, the Tech Center provides support and comprehensive consulting services tailored to your process. That reduces time to market and secures important competitive advantages for our customers.
Does the Tech Center also give talks and offer training?
Upon request we offer technical presentations and training sessions on the subject of silicones for our customers’ tech days and in-house exhibitions. Depending on the size and character of the event, we can gear our offerings to either an internal audience or one consisting of outside guests. We use these as opportunities for introducing new products, strengthening existing cooperative ventures, offering a networking platform for other companies on the market, and more.
Talk to our experts
Do you have any questions about the Process Technology Center Burghausen, would you like advice and support on developing new products or are you hoping to optimize your existing processes? Then we look forward to hearing from you!
Related: