Freudenberg lands contract for power tool bumpers at Ohio plant

WEINHEIM, Germany—Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH and Co. K.G. has secured a contract to produce 1.3 million electric nail gun bumpers for a major American power tool producer.

The bumpers, to be constructed with Freudenberg's patented polyurethane material Disogrin 9250, will be made at the firm's Troy, Ohio, facility.

The new sales contract represents a major step forward for Freudenberg in the North American market, specifically as it relates to non-metric components power tool manufacturing, where "opportunities have been scarce."

"This is a terrific win for us, and it's important for our employees to understand how their work contributes to the success of the plant and the success of the customer," said Jay White, Troy's Competence Center director for the Fluid Power Division. "We demonstrated total competence to the customer in areas such as engineering, design, materials, production, and service.

"As a result, the customer recognized our market leadership, and we were able to replace an existing supplier and secure the business."

The bumpers, which keep the piston in the power tool from banging against the bottom of the cylinder, will measure 1.5 inches. The polyurethane material boasts heat, fluid and abrasion resistance characteristics.

Employees at the Troy plant were able to use one of the nail guns for which they will be constructing the bumper.

"In the past, we didn't get many power tool inquiries, and when they did come in, they were for metric seals made of rubber," White said. "Troy doesn't process rubber, so the work was sent to our lead center in Schwalmstadt, Germany."

What did set the Troy plant apart for the customer was its abilities to injection mold bumpers and work with premium polyurethanes.

Disogrin 9250 maintains a service temperature range of -75°F to 300°F (-59°C to 149°C), and can be used with petroleum-based, biodegradable, synthetic and natural and ester-based fluids.

As Freudenberg Sealing Technologies pushes toward Industry 4.0, automation has been implemented on the specially-adapted production line for the bumpers, with no employees as part of the process.

Ultimately the bumpers fall into bins for shipping.

"We have high labor dependency that we have been unable to rectify and solve," said White. "So, it's important, as we bring in new business, to focus on new projects that are not as labor intensive as our existing processes. The bumper cell is our kickoff to more autonomy. We are starting with these two machines but will replicate and build on this approach by applying it to other new business and cells. We want to use our people where we really need them by increasing automation that does not require a full-time attendant."

White added that the bumper contract has led to other opportunities in North America.