Wapproached the subject very critically, when we were invited to be involved in the development of the SHERPA Sonus”, says Holger Schneider, Sales Manager of the Acoustics Division of “REGUPOL Germany GmbH & Co. KG”, looking back. “We were already involved in multiple projects for various manufacturers. Yet the results did not all meet our expectations, and had often soberingly low efficiency; many too low to take them to market.” But it was diametrically different: “The result really impressed us.” It was a real quantum leap.
Headquartered in Bad Berleburg and with around 750 employees at sites worldwide, REGUPOL has been dedicated to the processing of reclaimed elastomers since 1954. These are used in high-performance sports and cushioning mats, anti-slip mats for securing loads, products for impact sound protection and vibration insulation as well as protective and separating layers for use in construction. REGUPOL has a special focus on optimisation approaches in sound insulation in wood construction.
For the SHERPA Sonus, REGUPOL provides the elastomer bearing surface and REGUFORM pads: key components for the acoustic protection effect that must be produced without any material contaminations to enable later adhesion to the metal components.
And these metal components for sound insulation come from Ybbsitz in the Amstetten district. This has been the home of metal competency for centuries. The history and tradition of the owner-run “Fuchs Metalltechnik GmbH”, in its seventh generation, reach back to 1780. With a high-performance machine fleet, with punching technology at the fore, the 65 employees mainly produce limited and special series in small to medium part counts for customers all over Europe, including their own products. The performance spectrum ranges from feasibility testing to engineering to production, explains Markus Felber, managing director of Fuchs Metalltechnik GmbH.
“The requirements for our expertise in development and production were very complex with the SHERPA Sonus”, says Felber. In addition to the high static resilience and selection of the materials suitable for it also depended on the purity of the notches. In terms of safe use, we also had to avoid sharp edges and burrs. And finally, it was necessary to set up tools and the production process so that economic efficiency and the highest product quality would go hand in hand. You need a particular know-how, and not everyone is up to the job.”
But it was two tailor-made components without a third that connected them - the adhesive. In 2021 four experience experts responsible for the development of the high-tech interiors of rail vehicles at leading industry suppliers, including our contact Reinhard Entner, founded their own company in Amstetten, “BEEP Mobility GmbH". Its customers now include a who's who of international rail mobility.
One of the key components of BEEP Mobility is the adhesive. Still a young jointing technology in the industrial manufacturing process, as Entner explains, “in the use of which one must have durability, reliability, safety and stability under respective ambient and environmental conditions and strain. It is also important to be able to certainly prove these quality characteristics. And ultimately also being able to continually guarantee the highest quality level of the adhesive in the manufacturing process.” The expertise of BEEP Mobility also rests on the rail vehicle industry, where adhesive of components exposed to the highest strains is already state of the art.
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