Development and manufacturing of flexible gripping and handling systems (EOAT), toolmaking, and laser processes for the automotive and aerospace industries.
BILSING AUTOMATION GmbH
Attendorn (HQ) · Iserlohn (Bilsing Werkzeugbau) · Grugliasco · Benátky nad Jizerou · Famars · Sabadell · Walsall · Kunshan · Bursa · Puebla · Buenos Aires (representation)New on Amplifa
About Bilsing Automation
Bilsing Automation develops, manufactures and integrates flexible gripping and handling systems (End-of-Arm Tooling, EOAT) based on a modular kit, especially for press plants and body-in-white of the automotive industry as well as for injection molding, packaging, hydroforming and other industries. The product range includes robot grippers, hot-stamp grippers made of high-strength aluminum (rated up to 1000 °C), Carbon Fiber Tooling, Modular Tooling, vacuum cups and tooling carts. The group includes Bilsing Werkzeugbau GmbH in Iserlohn (design and manufacturing of complex tools such as heat and acoustic shields) and an innovation center in Bursa (Turkey) with laser hardening, EHLA Laser Cladding, LMD repair and 3D Tape Laying (AFP/ATL). Digital services complement the offering: 3D design, 3D digitalization, 3D simulation and robot programming, plus assembly, commissioning and field support. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Attendorn, the company operates subsidiaries in Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
- Site
- Attendorn
- Processes
- EOAT gripping systems (robot tools / End-of-Arm Tooling), Hot Stamp Grippers (grippers for hot forming), Carbon Fiber Tooling, Modular Tooling System, Vacuum Cups & Venturis, Grippers (robot grippers, various jaw styles, from miniature to massive), Tooling Carts, Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) repair of aerospace components and automotive press/cast tools
- Materials
- High Strength Aluminum (Hot Stamp Gripper, rated for 1000°C), Carbon Fiber (High Modulus Graphite), Steel (≥0.2 % C, for laser hardening), Titanium (LMD aerospace components), Aluminum alloys (EHLA base material), Cast iron (EHLA base material), Thermoplastic prepreg, Thermoset prepreg
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, EASA Part-145 (Bilsing Automation Turkey, aerospace), FAA 14 CFR 145/43 (Bilsing Automation Turkey, aerospace), GACAR Part 145/43 (Bilsing Automation Turkey, aerospace), SHY Part 145 (Bilsing Automation Turkey, aerospace), EASA Part-145, FAA 14 CFR 145/43
- Founded
- 1982
- Industries
- Automotive Press Plant / Stamping, Automotive Body Shop, Plastics Injection Molding, Packaging, Hydroforming, Aviation / Aerospace
- 01
3D Design / Digitalization / Simulation
- 02
Design of modular tooling systems
- 03
Manufacturing (Toolmaking Iserlohn, Carbon/Aluminum)
- 04
Laser processes (Hardening, EHLA, LMD, Tape Laying)
- 05
Tooling Assembly
- 06
On-Site Commissioning
- 07
Robot Programming
- 08
Field Support
Materials and Processes
High Strength Aluminium
High-strength aluminum for hot-stamp grippers, rated for 1000 °C.
Carbon Fiber (High Modulus Graphite)
Lightweight, stiff and dimensionally stable tools for high cycle speeds.
Steel (≥0.2 % C)
For laser hardening of forming and stamping tools up to 5000 cm and 30 t.
Titanium
Base material for LMD repairs of aerospace components.
Cast Iron
Base material for EHLA coatings, e.g. press tools.
Thermoplastic/Thermoset Prepreg
Prepregs and dry fiber for 3D Tape Laying (AFP/ATL) in aerospace.
EHLA Laser Cladding
High-speed laser coating with 25–250 µm layers up to 500 m/min, also on aluminum and cast iron.
Laser Heat Treating (LHT)
Distortion-minimized laser hardening of press and forming tools without hard milling.
Laser Metal Deposition (LMD)
Additive repair and modification of aerospace parts and automotive tools in the mm to m range.
3D Tape Laying (Conbility PrePro)
Automated tape laying with tape widths up to 50 mm for structural and tube components.
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EOAT gripping systems (robot tools / End-of-Arm Tooling)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Aluminum, Carbon Fiber |
| Hot Stamp Grippers (grippers for hot forming)Assembly | – | – | – | – | High Strength Aluminum (rated for 1000°C) |
| Carbon Fiber ToolingAssembly | – | – | – | – | High Modulus Graphite Carbon Fiber |
| Modular Tooling SystemAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Vacuum Cups & VenturisAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Grippers (robot grippers, various jaw styles, from miniature to massive)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tooling CartsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Surface | – | – | – | – | Aluminum alloys (base), Cast iron (base), Metal powder, Titanium (from earlier LMD projects) |
| Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) repair of aerospace components and automotive press/cast toolsAdditive | – | Meter range (scalable mm to m) | – | – | Titanium, Metal powder (LMD) |
| Laser Hardening / Laser Heat Treating (LHT) for press and forming toolsHeat Treatment | – | 5000 cm | 30 t | – | Steel with ≥0.2 % carbon content |
| 3D Tape Laying / Automated Tape Placement (AFP/ATL) with Conbility PreProPlastics | – | – | – | – | Thermoplastic prepreg, Thermoset prepreg, Dry Fiber |
| Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D DesignEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D Digitalization / ScanningEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3D SimulationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Robot Programming (incl. offline robot programming)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tooling AssemblyAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| On-Site CommissioningAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Field Support / Field ServiceAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cold Sheet Forming EOATAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hot Sheet Forming EOATAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Material Handling Solutions for Injection Molding, Fabrication, Packaging, HydroformingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Fraunhofer ILT / Harald Dicker (HighNo nozzle) | – | – | – | Bursa, Turkey (Bilsing Automation Tic. Ltd. Sti.) |
| Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) system | – | – | – | – | Bursa, Turkey |
| Laser Heat Treating (LHT) system, tool sizes 1 cm–5000 cm, up to 30 t | – | – | Die sizes 1 cm to 5000 cm | – | Bursa, Turkey |
| Automated Tape Placement / 3D Tape Laying machine (AFP/ATL) | Conbility Pre-Pro 3D (PrePro) | 1 | Prepreg tape with tension control up to 50 mm | – | Bursa, Turkey |
| Cobot | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certifications
The facilities are certified to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015; the aerospace innovation center in Bursa also holds EASA Part-145, FAA 14 CFR 145/43, GACAR Part 145/43 and SHY Part 145.
| Evidence | Attendorn |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 | |
| EASA Part-145 | |
| FAA 14 CFR 145/43 |
History
- 1982
Founded as Bilsing Robot Systeme: development and sale of hydraulic robots, among others to Ford and Chrysler; first flexible aluminum gripping systems
- 1992
Strategic shift toward engineering, development, manufacturing and sale of flexible gripping and handling systems for the automotive industry; renamed Bilsing Automation
- 1996
Establishment of subsidiaries in Italy (Grugliasco) and the UK
- 2000
Establishment of subsidiaries in China (Kunshan) and Mexico
- 2016
Acquisition of toolmaker Behr Fertigungstechnik by Bilsing Automation GmbH; renamed Bilsing Werkzeugbau GmbH
- 2018
Relocation of Bilsing Werkzeugbau to a new plant in Iserlohn (>1000 m² production, 250 m² office, 20 employees)
- 2021
Delivery of tooling and storage carts for a new Schuler PXL stamping press at an automotive OEM; expansion of aerospace composites capability with a Conbility Pre-Pro 3D tape-laying system
- 2021
News: New EOAT installation on a Schuler PXL press at an automotive OEM