Anniversary – Toolmakers

Anniversary

‘Toolmakers’, detail enthusiasts and precision processing

In Mladá Boleslav, the carmaker has been creating some of its own tools for 120 years 

he making of tools and instruments stretches back to the old days of the carmaker, and the first written documents are from 1900. The great expansion of the art of toolmaking came after passenger cars started being manufactured. It also brought us the plumbing work discipline, where body parts are made by hand-tapping sheet metal and for which the craftsmen need several special tools. “The carmaker started intensively producing its own tools in the 1920s. Actually, the toolmakers at the company did everything, from files to lathes and other machine tools”, says Jan Hoffman, head of PSW – Tool Manufacturing. According to him, at that time in Mladá Boleslav, technically oriented experts not only produced the tools but also invented them.

The proportion of demanding and precise manual work in the Tool Shop is high, as there are some details that even the most modern machines can’t handle.

JAN HOFFMAN

Head of PSW – Tool Production

Technology hatchery

The Tool Shop’s portfolio has changed over the years. The basis of its current form took shape during the interwar period. In addition to machine tools, the carmaker bought presses that were used to modify body parts for the ŠKODA 422. Press tool manufacturing became an important undertaking for the Tool Shop. Production also started using clever solutions, for example when the ŠKODA 440 SPARTAK had to have four separate mouldings welded together. This was a new task for the Tool Shop, and another section was established – jig manufacture. The third of the current pillars relates to the engine block production of the ŠKODA 1000 MB model, when the carmaker chose the die-casting aluminium method and a metallurgical line began operation at ŠKODA AUTO. Of course, over time, the importance of individual operations has changed. The importance of welding lines increased when the VW Group arrived on the scene. At present, the Tool Shop consists of three separate operations: casting tool production, press tool manufacture and jig manufacture, all of which are located in Hall V17.

Innovation

People and their thoughts on how to do things better is the most valuable part of a company. A number of projects to increase efficiency include, for example the use of metal-3D printing in optimizing the cooling channels of metallurgical molds or testing robotic grinding for finishing stamping tools as a substitute for manual work. New ideas, their verification and possible introduction into production processes are essential for Tool Shop to maintain competitiveness and the importance of the ability to improve will grow in the future. 

Electric future 

The coming era of electromobility will pose a special challenge for the Tool Shop. “The Tool Shop has always been lived and breathed for the carmaker. Some industries have grown, others have been downscaled. This is a natural development that awaits us now as well”, comments Hoffman, who heads the Tool Shop. Under his leadership, the department will participate in the construction of lines to assemble batteries for electric cars. The Tool Shop is currently preparing mechanical constructions for a new line in Mladá Boleslav. “We intend to focus more on software and programming”, says Hoffman, outlining possible further developments. “Our task has always been to enable an area of expertise to grow, to open up new, complex and previously undeveloped areas and to introduce technologies that we would otherwise have to buy at great expense”, he describes. Thanks to the Tool Shop, ŠKODA AUTO has the opportunity to acquire entirely new skills and technologies. Luděk Vokáč

Tool Shop product recipients

Audi

Germany

Ingolstadt

Hungary

Győr

VW

Germany

Wolfsburg

Hannover

USA

Chattanooga

Russia

Nizhny Novgorod Kaluga

Slovensko

Stúpava

China

Changchun (FAW-VW)

Seat

Spain

Barcelona

ŠKODA

Czech Republic

Mladá Boleslav

Kvasiny

Vrchlabí

India

Pune

High demand for skills is unchanged

Interview with Vladimír Horáček from PSW-P/1 – Production of Pressing Tools

 ladimír has been working as a toolmaker in the production of ŠKODA AUTO dies since 1977. Although his work has changed a lot during the more than 40 years of his career, he believes that traditional practices, skills and experience are still extremely important.

In which way has your work, specifically in relation to die production, changed over the decades?

At the beginning of my career, I was still producing dummy copies, which were used to make dies – or, rather, tools. Today, all of this is being phased out, and models are being made with computer data. The sequence of some works has also changed slightly. For example, in the past, cutting tools for a die were produced last, whereas today, they are prepared in parallel with the tool itself. Plus, more machines, lathes and milling machines were used in production, but with the advent of digital data, there are much fewer.

By contrast, what has remained unchanged?

A significant part of our work is still the so-called shredding, that is, manually grinding the punch into a smooth shape. Although production differs a bit, we carry out this activity as in the past and use a grinder to smooth out any unevenness and traces of the tool with which the punch is machined. No machines have been able to replace this procedure. Thanks to this meticulous manual work, the body panels are indeed smooth. In this sense, the skill that is required and the physical demands have not changed.

How big is the risk of mistakes when doing such work?

It always requires experienced people and hands, but it is impossible to have an absolutely impeccable result. When we grind a part too much, we fix this by boiling, or we simply copy the given part of the tool again on a copy machine. In other words, we sometimes also replace parts when renovating or repairing tools. Luděk Vokáč