Development and manufacture of large-format CNC machines and systems with carbon fiber structure

Anker-Tec GmbH

KielNew on Amplifa

1979Founded

Over 100Machines produced and installed

Over 30Countries supplied

Over 80 m × 15 m × 10 mMax. working area (X/Y/Z)

About Anker-Tec

Anker-Tec GmbH, based in Kiel, develops and manufactures large-format CNC machines, production cells and positioning systems whose structure is made of carbon fiber instead of steel. The carbon fiber components for the machine structures are produced in-house. Thanks to the lightweight yet stiff material, the machines achieve high dynamics with accelerations of up to 20 m/s², jerk values up to 100 m/s³ and speeds of over 150 m/min; even on very large systems, precision in the range of a few micrometers is possible. The company has already built and installed systems with working ranges of over 80 m in X, around 14–15 m in Y and 9–10 m in Z. Reference projects include a CNC production cell with two cooperating 6-axis gantries at Fraunhofer IWES as well as the traverse system for Volkswagen's wind tunnel efficiency center in Wolfsburg. Anker-Tec supplies industries such as automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, foundry and wind energy and, according to its own statements, has delivered more than 100 machines to more than 30 countries.

Site: Kiel
Processes: CNC machining with carbon fiber machines (large format), Carbon fiber part manufacturing (self-declared: own production technology), Plug making (single-piece large-format solution), Gantry systems / positioning systems (wind tunnel traverse system), CNC-controlled production cell with two cooperating 6-axis gantries, Development and manufacture of CNC machines with carbon fiber structure, In-house production of carbon fiber components, Customized precision adjustment (down to a few micrometers)
Materials: Carbon fiber, Steel (reference comparison for machine structure), Steel (reference)
Certificates: In-house production of CFRP components
Founded: 1979
Industries: Automotive, Aerospace, Shipbuilding, Foundry, Wind energy, Foundry (Casting)

01
Engineering and design
02
In-house production of carbon fiber components
03
Machine and plant engineering
04
Installation and commissioning at the customer

Materials & Processes

CFK

Carbon fiber

Structural material of the machines: significantly lighter than steel, with high stiffness (elastic modulus approx. 450 GPa), better damping and lower thermal expansion.

Stahl

Steel (reference)

Mentioned as the reference material of conventional machine structures; Anker-Tec replaces it with carbon fiber.

Locations

Kiel

Headquarters, development and manufacturing

Materials: Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber CNC machines (large format)
6-axis gantry systems

Machines & Systems

**Carbon fiber component (infusion process)**In-house CFRP production · Mechanical engineering

**Rotor blade manufacturing**Large-format CNC · Wind energy

**Large-format system**Carbon fiber CNC · Mechanical engineering

**Automotive application**Positioning system · Automotive

**Foundry application**Large-format CNC · Foundry

Inside the production

Industries

AutomotiveAerospaceShipbuildingFoundryWind energyFoundry (Casting)

Processes & technical limits

Processes	Tolerance	Max. part	Weight	Lot size	Materials
CNC machining with carbon fiber machines (large format)Machining	a few microns (on large systems)	over 80 m (X) × 14–15 m (Y) × 9–10 m (Z)	–	–	Carbon fiber (own components)
Carbon fiber part manufacturing (self-declared: own production technology)Plastics	–	–	–	–	Carbon fiber
Plug making (single-piece large-format solution)Engineering	–	–	–	–	–
Gantry systems / positioning systems (wind tunnel traverse system)Engineering	–	12 m × 9 m × 3.75 m	–	–	–
CNC-controlled production cell with two cooperating 6-axis gantriesAssembly	–	5 m × 2 m × 2.5 m	400 kg (end-effector payload)	–	–

3 Anlagen & Maschinen

Machine	Manufacturer / model	Quantity	Working area	Year built	Site
Carbon fiber CNC machine (large format)	Anker-Tec	over 100	up to over 80 m X, ~14–15 m Y, ~9–10 m Z	–	Kiel
6-axis gantry	Anker-Tec	2	5 x 2 x 2.5 m, payload 400 kg	–	Fraunhofer IWES Demo Center
Traverse system (wind tunnel)	Anker-Tec	1	12 m x 9 m x 3.75 m	–	Volkswagen Wind Tunnel, Wolfsburg

Additional services

Development and manufacture of CNC machines with carbon fiber structureIn-house production of carbon fiber componentsCustomized precision adjustment (down to a few micrometers)Large-format systems (over 80 m in X, approx. 14–15 m in Y, approx. 9–10 m in Z)Production cells with multiple cooperating 6-axis gantry systemsPositioning systems (e.g. traverse systems for wind tunnels)Plug and mold making (plug construction, including integrated process steps)

Reference customers

Fraunhofer IWES (Demo Center)Volkswagen (Wind Tunnel Efficiency Center Wolfsburg)

Quality

The carbon fiber components are manufactured entirely in-house; the precision of each machine is tailored to requirements, down to accuracies of a few microns even on large-scale systems.

Evidence	Kiel
In-house production of CFRP components

History

1979
Company origins; according to the website, the company's history dates back to 1979.
Heute
Over 100 machines produced and installed, delivered to more than 30 countries.