Pioneers with experience
Uncompromising insulation solutions due to the holistic approach adopted by KUVAG
Core competencies
Developing superior insulation products has been a core KUVAG competence since our founding. We are passionate about advancing innovation for our customers and repeatedly push the limits of what is technically feasible.
Our activities range from developing new materials and manufacturing processes to product design and optimization of production. We are a strong solutions partner to global market leaders – particularly in specialized, application-oriented projects. Our technicians frequently work closely with our customers, who count on us to be pioneers in our fields of expertise. Our many years of experience from numerous international projects and stringent project management mean we can guarantee the reliable and timely completion of even complex projects.
5 phases to project success
A typical development project is divided into the following phases:
Clarification of technical specifications/product design
Do you have a vision for a new product in mind but have not yet found a solution? Or do you already know exactly what function or geometry your product should have but still need support in selecting materials or adapting to manufacturing requirements? Then you will receive the right advice from KUVAG Product Development.
Our Product Development team has extensive knowledge of materials and processes relating to all aspects of insulation materials with a clear focus on the applications and their requirements. Many years of experience from numerous projects enables us to assure short development phases. KUVAG is actively involved in various international standardization bodies (EN, CENELEC, IEC) and can therefore be certain that its solutions also reflect state-of-the-art.
We assist in the entire path from rough concept to the final 3D model of your product using design-to-cost and manufacturing optimization approaches – that is our design principle. After all, a product’s quality and competitiveness are based to a significant extent on product design.
Tool development and production
We attach great importance to optimal design and the highest quality of tools and manufacturing equipment. The end product is ultimately only as good as the production process used and the respective tool. That is why we rely on in-house development of virtually all of the pressure gelation, vacuum casting and pressing tools we use, and we also manufacture a large proportion of these tools ourselves. Our in-house toolmaking workshop enables close interdisciplinary exchange between our development, toolmaking, quality and production divisions. That ensures numerous advantages, such as short and resilient development times, high flexibility in the event of modifications, continuous further development and, last but not least, the protection of intellectual property rights.
Selected tool steels and special alloys, as well as special coatings, mean we can guarantee long tool life and high output rates. We take care of maintenance intervals and can also easily implement the design adjustments that occur during a service lifetime. That is how we ensure your product’s cost efficiency over the product life cycle.
Sampling and type testing
Our project work includes a sampling of the tools we use. That includes all process parameters being defined and documented in the form of work instructions. The aim is to determine the ideal productivity and waste avoidance settings under conditions that are as close to series production as possible. We naturally also conduct a comprehensive qualitative assessment of the sampled products. Therefore, we have extensive internal test facilities like X-ray, electrical testing, 3D measurement, thermal cycling or mechanical testing, etc.
Should it be necessary and requested, we also collaborate with renowned external testing institutes and can issue independent and standard-compliant type testing certificates. Our customers thus receive fully tested insulators, including detailed initial sample test reports for evaluation and for conducting further internal test routines. A smooth start to series production of accepted products is therefore guaranteed once approval has been given.
Logistics planning
Planning is half the battle – this also applies to the acceptability and series start-up of products. That is why comprehensive planning of all logistics processes assumes an important role at KUVAG.
We select suitable suppliers from our global supplier network regarding primary materials like metallic inserts and ensure that the logistics chain is perfectly coordinated during sampling, series start-up, and ongoing series production. We develop flexible warehousing concepts and packaging solutions in close cooperation with our customers to ensure a smooth and cost-efficient supply chain.
If required, we use our production network to offer simultaneous production at several of our sites in Europe and China. That ensures short and efficient delivery routes for your products and guarantees the redundancy of critical components.
We can also develop a customized solution for your specific requirements!
Industrialization
Our experience from many interdisciplinary product development projects shows that it is worthwhile thinking about industrialization as early as the product development stage. Industrializing a product cannot be merely reduced to ramping up production. The product is then designed for unit production and production methods, and quality, costs and time-to-market are considered. That is how we direct focus to the decisive points at the right time and can work out the best solution for our customers – be it in the choice of the right production process, the potential for partial automation or even the most suitable production site.
We develop stable, efficient processes that meet the requirements of modern manufacturing routines. You, too, can benefit from our decades of experience and the ongoing development of our production system!
