With the support of EU-funding, Polish wire mesh and steel filter manufacturer Niltech upgraded its production process to include clinching-based manufacturing. By placing new, high-quality products on the market, the company has increased its revenue and its competitive ranking on the national and world markets.
Polish metal company increases competitiveness with clinching-based manufacturing
- 26 February 2019
By introducing this innovative method for joining together wire mesh, filters, and casings, we have decreased our energy use and increased our productivity. With clinching, our products look better than ever, and our customer satisfaction has benefited because of it.
Niltech’s customised products have a wide range of industrial applications. Since its founding in 2002, the company has enjoyed steady growth and a continuous expansion of its product portfolio. But as the market became increasingly competitive, Niltech began exploring the possibility of producing screens and filters in larger dimensions. However, doing so required significant investments in new technology and a shift towards more sustainable and cost-efficient production processes.
Thanks to EU-funding, Niltech purchased such state-of-the-art machinery as a press brake, eccentric press, guillotine shears, roll-rolling machine, clinching presses, 3D printer, and production management software. With this new equipment, the company strategically expanded its welding-based assembly process to also include clinching-based manufacturing.
The clinching advantage
Clinching, also known as press-joining, is a bulk-sheet metal forming process. Unlike welding, which joins metal pieces by heating their surfaces to the melting point and then uniting them via pressing, clinching does not require any additional components. Instead, it uses special tools that creates an interlock between two or more metal sheets.
The process has numerous advantages, including reduced time needed to join parts. Because clinching does not need additional elements like screws and rivets, the overall weight – and cost – of the final product is reduced. Clinching machines not only cost less than other joining machines, they can also be easily adapted to join non-metal parts, including polymers and composite materials. Without the need for solvents, acids, and other hazardous liquids commonly used in other joining processes, clinching is generally considered to be an environmentally friendly alternative.
A key differentiator
As one of the first companies to use clinching in the screen and filter sector, Niltech is already enjoying a competitive advantage. For example, with clinching, the company can now fill custom orders manufactured in accordance with a customer’s exact specifications.
This is a key differentiator, and one that has quickly increased the company’s business and market share. Niltech reports that clients are enthusiastic about the new capability, and that several orders and samples of clinching-made screens, filters, and protective shields have already been placed.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Clinching – innovation in the production of screens and filters” is EUR 216 307 (PLN 937 686), with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 140 107 (PLN 607 365) through the “Regional Operational Programme for Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Support to SMEs”.