Passionate grinder Randy Gevers, founder of GRT-Tech, enjoyed years of success in motorcycle racing. However, his success story does not begin with him, but with his father, Antoon Gevers. Anton not only instilled in his son a passion for engines and technology, but also for metalworking, particularly grinding.

After years of working together as grinding machine operators, the Gevers family took the plunge in 2016 – with their father’s early retirement – ​​and went into business for themselves. The first machine Randy purchased was a conventional grinder, with others following quickly. Fittingly, the first customers came from the racing world. Their former employers soon began offering contract manufacturing orders as well.

Today, customers from the aerospace, medical technology, toolmaking, marine and packaging industries have total confidence in GRT-Tech. Antoon often manufactures special parts for motorcycles and vintage cars, which customers entrust to him based on his experience.

Randy quickly realised that machining complex workpieces, such as those used in tool and mould making or medical technology, quickly reached its limits with a conventional grinding machine. So, after moving to the current location in 2018, he purchased a powerful pre-owned Kellenberger Kel-Varia CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine.

Due to the positive experience, another Kellenberger grinding machine quickly found its way to GRT-Tech, a Kellenberger K100 universal internal and external cylindrical grinding machine.

“I’m fascinated by the machine’s high, reliable accuracy,” says Randy. “Added to that are my years of experience, which ultimately makes the difference for the customer.”

More information www.kellenberger.com

Over the past 50 years, Wandel CNC-Technik GmbH has developed into an established supplier with its own product portfolio. The Swabian family business, which is now managed by the second generation, has continuously expanded its production spectrum: from milling to turning and grinding. By investing in an EMAG WPG 7 angular plunge-cut grinding machine, the company has expanded its grinding capacities in a targeted manner.

Wandel has 23 employees and produces between 15,000 and 20,000 components per month. The product range includes forged blanks, drive shafts and intermediate flanges for the commercial vehicle industry, as well as classic machine components such as worm shafts. In the grinding area, the company concentrates on symmetrical or round components with diameters ranging from 10 to 150 mm, and lengths of up to 1,000 mm.

The WPG 7 is the fourth grinding machine to be added to the company’s machine park. It was purchased specifically for the machining of flange nuts, for which angular plunge-cut grinding is a technological requirement. The machine is designed for batches of between 20 and 200 pieces and is re-tooled up to twice a day at high capacity.

The decision for a dedicated angular plunge-cut grinding machine was based on several factors: Wandel already had a straight plunge-cut grinding machine for long and larger components. The compact design of the WPG 7 enables short travel distances and fast movements – a significant advantage over larger universal machines. The limited space at the site also spoke in favour of the compact solution.

One particular advantage of the WPG 7 is its thermal stability. The compact design reduces heat transfer, which means that the machine works with precision immediately after switch-on.

More information www.emag.com