IBC mould production Portal milling enables faster, more flexible tool manufacturing at Schütz

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With the investment in two new portal milling machines from Zimmermann, industrial packaging specialist Schütz has modernised its in-house toolmaking for IBC production, achieving higher precision, greater flexibility in cooling channel design and significantly shorter machining and rework times for large blow moulding tools.

Since 1958, Schütz has focused on the processing of metal and plastic materials. The company headquarters in Selters, Germany not only makes new products but also develops and builds various machines and production lines in-house, employing 7,000 people across 55 production and service locations worldwide. Recognized as a leading international producer of industrial packaging for liquid filling products, the Schütz portfolio includes Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC’s), canisters and drums.

“Almost everyone knows it, the Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC),” explains Eduard Tom, machining specialist at Schütz. “With the invention of the IBC, our company founder revolutionized liquid packaging and the transport sector. Today, there are many variants of IBC’s and we are the world leader in their production.” A typical Schütz IBC consists of a multi-layer inner container and a robust steel cage with a pallet base, now used worldwide in the chemical and food industries. The inner container is made from HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene). “The container is produced by blow moulding,” says Tom. “For that process, we manufacture all our moulds and tools in-house. Even the smallest deviations can lead to material defects later,” Tom adds. “We’re working in the thousandth dimension range.”

The previously used machines were increasingly reaching their limits: failures, quality deviations and extensive reworking processes had led to significant delays. Looking for a solution, Schütz connected with Zimmermann, the portal milling machine builder, at a trade show.

After extensive testing, the company finally selected two machines: an FZP42 for rough machining and an FZP37 for precision finishing. Both offer motion ranges of 4,000 x 3,500 x 1,500 mm. The FZP42 is equipped with the powerful dual-axis fork head VH60 and a 63-kW spindle, while the FZP37 features a slim VH30 head and a 70-kW spindle, ensuring optimum accessibility when machining fine structures. The result? Increased dynamics, shorter machining times, and outstanding surface quality.

The special construction concept, a thermo-symmetrical box-in-box design, ensures maximum stability. “This construction minimizes thermal influences and the machine geometry remains constant,” explains Rüdiger Hellwig, Sales Manager at Zimmermann. “This keeps the tool precisely positioned at all times, which is reflected in long-term accuracy and stability.” In addition to this unique construction, the machine’s dynamics were also compelling for Schütz. Due to a lower moving mass, it can operate faster and with greater precision, according to Hellwig.

Thanks to the 5-axis technology, cooling channels can be drilled flexibly and with perfect contour accuracy into the moulds. This enhances tool cooling, reduces cycle times and significantly boosts long-term process reliability.

This technology was on display when Schütz used the FZP42 to rough one half of the mould from a 2.2-ton aluminum block, while the FZP37 performed the finishing and drilling operations. This opens up new possibilities in tool manufacturing as cooling channels can now be positioned more flexibly and closer to the contour. The system is no longer limited to fixed angles, enabling bores with an inclination of 0.6 degrees over 1.4 meters. Consequently, part quality is improved and cycle times are noticeably reduced. As Tom noted, “With the new Zimmermann machines, we now have entirely new options for adapting the cooling channels in the tool, so we’re significantly more flexible now.”

The configuration features a combined cooling and lubrication system, high-pressure pumps for deep-hole drilling, minimum-quantity lubrication, chip conveyor and air cooling, as well as a 121-position tool changer. The machines operate almost around the clock, says Tom. Thanks to significantly reduced rework, processing times and overall effort in tool manufacturing have dropped substantially, he notes.

To simplify service, each Zimmermann machine is equipped with a QR code. Scanning the code automatically generates a service email with all relevant machine data, enabling the Zimmermann support hotline to respond quickly and efficiently.

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