Only a few years ago, plastics and metals competed as materials: Plastics are usually cheaper, lighter, more chemically resistant, more versatile in shaping, and electrically insulating, while metals impressed with their ductile material behaviour, electrical and thermal conductivity, and high level of surface hardness. However, energy and resource efficiency, economical lightweight construction, and functional integrations are best achieved by combining the materials. At OKE, we manufacture components for structural applications in the automotive sector, for electrical engineering and electronics applications, for locking systems, and medical engineering.
When it comes to metal-plastic hybrids, our Schröder and Alhorn sites, with their experience in the automotive and electrical industries, are the experts of the OKE Group. While Alhorn also supplies the electronics industry with complex connectors, Schröder is also a supplier of visible parts for medical engineering. At KKF in Goslar, we additionally integrate various metal components into large vehicle parts.
Smaller inserts are usually automatically inserted into the injection molding tool and overmolded. We often use screw sleeves, but we also use stamped parts manufactured in-house as inserts.
In outsert technology, we create a larger stamped metal part to which we add functional elements in injection molding. Part of our product portfolio is then (semi-)automatically assembled into small subassemblies.
In the reel-to-reel process, we feed our stamped strips directly from a spool to the injection molding tool. After the plastic elements have been added, we wind the stamped strip back onto the spool. We can also integrate upstream and downstream cutting and bending processes into this process. We use this very efficient but not frequently applicable technology for large product series.
We are familiar with both material classes and have our own unit for stamping with press forces of up to 400 tons. We support our customers from the initial design phase and consider the entire value chain of both material classes.
Together with our own toolmaking and mechanical engineering department, we develop tooling and system technologies suitable for series production, even for complex process combinations and automations.
Many of our customers benefit from our worldwide logistics. With twelve production sites in Europe, Asia, Brazil, and South Africa, as well as a network of wholesalers and service points, we are there for them all over the world.
Metal-plastic hybrids are popular across industries. Around 60 percent of all metal stamped parts are now connected directly or indirectly with plastic. And there are good reasons for this! By taking into account value-adding ideas or conducting a detailed value potential analysis, intelligent metal-plastic hybrids are created, from which our customers benefit:
Employees
Locations worldwide
Sole proprietorship
million euros turnover
Injection molding machines
Extrusion lines
Mechanical engineering
Quality of processes and products
