LÖMI, a market leader in solvent debinding furnaces for the Powder Injection Moulding industry based in Aschaffenburg, Germany, has invested €2.5 million in new facilities, more than doubling its capacity for R&D and equipment production. Christian Ferreira Marques, Managing Partner at LÖMI, told PIM International, “The company has made this investment in order to meet the increasing demand for new technologies and processes as many PIM parts producers follow an ongoing trend in the industry of changing from conventional debinding technologies to organic solvent debinding.”

An impression of LÖMI’s new manufacturing and R&D facilities facilities close to Aschaffenburg

The company has only moved 10 km from its previous location to new larger premises which will allow for further expansion. “The decision to relocate has even at this early stage proved to be the right decision. Whilst construction of the new facilities was still under way it became clear that further expansion would be necessary and as a result we have already constructed a second manufacturing hall,” stated Ferreira Marques.

The new buildings were designed to achieve a high level of energy efficiency with all heating generated by heat pump technology. LÖMI also invested in state-of-the-art technology for design engineering and production. “To optimise our material flow, we purchased a fully automatic vertical storage lift by SSI Schäfer to gain 170 m² of storage space for small parts alone. By integrating this into our enterprise resource planning, we are able to reduce response and lead times for our customers,” stated Ferreira Marques.

Since its formation in 1991, LÖMI, an owner-managed company, has been a pioneer in environmental technology. Its PIM solvent debinding furnaces are recognised as being environmentally friendly as the solvent used for extracting the binder systems is operated in a closed system. The solvent is completely recycled in an integrated or attached LÖMI solvent recovery system. The company also offers these solvent recovery units as stand-alone systems for numerous industrial sectors including automotive, aerospace, chemical, optical, electronics, printing, medical and pharmaceutical.

One of the company’s traditional strengths has been research and development as a third of its staff are engineers. It is frequently approached by German universities and numerous institutes, including several Fraunhofer institutes, to develop various research projects. Most recently, LÖMI has met current challenges in technology and developed new processes and plants for plastics recycling. The company’s innovation and environmental research was recognised by the regional German government through the granting of money for the company’s investments in its new larger facilities.

With regard to the PIM industry, the company will increase the number of its rental debinding furnaces so that customers can perform in-house testing at their own facilities. The company offers comprehensive know-how along the entire PIM process chain, from research and development to design engineering, production, commissioning and after-sales-service. “Over the years, we have set many standards in the industry, and with these new facilities we will be able to meet our customers’ requirements in yet even higher quality,” concluded Ferreira Marques.

www.loemi.com