Mikron: Swiss precision and quality in large quantities

The Mikron Group develops and markets machining and automation solutions for high-precision manufacturing processes, thus enabling its customers to enhance productivity and quality. 

It is all about making the ideal solution available to customers, says Bruno Cathomen, CEO of the Mikron Group. "Our customers always demand the highest quality combined with the highest productivity. This is one of Mikron's core competencies as a company." 

However, it must be clarified that Mikron is not simply a company specialising in delivering products and services. The company consists of two divisions, each with its own specialists who work on different, highly specialised products to serve its distinct markets.

First, there is the Mikron Machining division. "This division comes into play when customers are looking to optimise their high-volume machining processes," says Axel Warth, Mikron Machining's head of marketing and business development. Mikron Machining is the leading supplier of customised, highly productive machining solutions for the manufacturing of complex high-precision components made of metal. The high-performance cutting tools required for optimal work are also engineered and produced in-house by Mikron Machining. 

For example, a customer operating in a typical machining factory and making precision metal components would need 10 machining centres for production. "These can be replaced by one highly productive system from Mikron Machining," Warth says. What previously required 18 people working on a three-shift system in a 200-square-metre space can now be achieved by three employees in a space of just under 100 square metres. The customer saves money, works more efficiently and, thanks to the solution from Mikron, does so with maximised precision and the highest possible output. Approximately 8 million vehicle components are produced per day on high-performance Mikron systems around the world.

"We work with our five standard base machines," Warth adds. "The company then builds on this foundation to create exactly the manufacturing solution the customer needs, complete with the right high-precision cutting tools. We obviously need a great deal of engineering expertise to build these machines." 

The level of precision at which these manufacturing solutions operate is shown by the performance figures for the writing instruments market. Stainless steel ballpoint pen tips are produced at speeds of 80 units per minute for single-cycle operation, and up to 300 units per minute are possible for nickel silver or brass in double-cycle operation. These items are manufactured to an accuracy of ±0.002mm. This quality has won the industry's long-term loyalty - 95 per cent of all ballpoint pen tips produced worldwide, or approximately 145 million each day, are manufactured using a Mikron high-performance system. "That makes Mikron the undisputed market leader in this field," Warth says.