„Exponential growth“

Rosenberger: Coaxial plug-in connectors as pure stamped and formed parts

The demand for plug-in connectors for automotive communications technology at Rosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Fridolfing, Germany, has rocketed in recent times. The company is responding by using new RM and MC systems. With servo-controlled NC machines and the Bihler Leantool concept, it may well be possible to successfully open up further growth potential in the future.

With some 10,000 employees and 19 sites worldwide, Rosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik GmbH & Co. KG, which is headquartered in the Bavarian town of Fridolfing is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of connector solutions for high-frequency and fiber-optic technology. It has a range of some fourteen thousand products which are used in the fields of mobile communications, telecommunications, industrial measurement technology, vehicle electronics and medical and industrial electronics. “What is special about our products is their outstandingly high, frequently tested quality with zero fault tolerance,” explains Rudolf Gropper, Head of Production at Rosenberger. “At the same time, however, we can supply our products quickly and at particularly economic prices because we permanently optimize our process chains and manufacturing structures.”

The success story continues

This is particularly true of the coaxial plug-in connectors, which were previously manufactured in a time-consuming multistage cutting and machining process – and whose production was moved over to mechanical Bihler stamping and bending machines some time ago. “It took a lot of development work to be able to manufacture this product as a pure stamped/bended part”, says Gropper looking back. “At that time, Bihler was the only supplier of efficient, reliable solutions that could output finished products at an impressive level of throughput.” Even though the plug-in connector, which is used for transporting signals in the automotive sector, has naturally since been further developed, its manufacture as a pure stamped/bended part is still a success story – and one that will be continued into the future. The reason for this is the massive leap in demand for coaxial plug-in connectors that are needed in order to meet increasingly complex onboard network demands in terms of installation space, transmission speed and toughness, for example for camera monitoring, infotainment applications or in-vehicle Internet. According to Gropper: “We are currently experiencing exponential growth, in particular in the field of stamped/bended parts.” “And further developments, for example in the field of assistance and safety systems for autonomous driving and electromobility, could dramatically boost demand even more in the future.”

Prepared for future challenges

“We continue to be enthusiastic about Bihler’s stamping and bending technology and the high technical performance delivered by the multicenter systems, in particular. What is more, unlike progressive tool solutions, these are open systems in which we can easily integrate all the different process steps, including all the optical and mechanical test operations,” continues Gropper. Cooperation with Bihler and the support it provides in ensuring reliable, highly efficient day-today manufacturing operations also plays an important role. Gropper concludes: “The new concepts presented at the Bihler Support Event are extremely interesting, in particular with regard to monitoring and methods of intervening in order to improve the productivity of systems and tools. In this area, we exchange experience and ideas constructively, and openly on a basis of mutual trust and support.” To sum up, the company is ideally equipped to face every challenge. With Bihler, we can perform automated manufacturing without outsourcing and consequently keep all our production inhouse. We also intend to make use of the latest Bihler developments, for example servo-controlled NC systems and the Leantool concept for tool manufacture.”