F&W Frey & Winkler GmbH
About us
As a driving force for innovation, we form an equal partnership with our clients to develop and produce premium liquid silicone (LSR), thermoplastic and multi-component (2K) assemblies. We relish challenges, we are focused on our goals and we are committed to overcoming every technical challenge that comes our way. It is our sense of ambition and passion that sets us on new technical paths to actively develop and fine-tune our clients' products. We play an integral role in product safety and comfort for the end user. It is a source of great pride to us that our silicone and thermoplastic components add value to the end user's experience.
Products & services
Exceptional advice
Do you have a vision or concept for a new product? Call on our help sooner rather than later and your idea can become a production-ready reality. You will benefit from our in-depth knowledge, our extensive experience and a consistent and comprehensive project management approach. To ensure clear communication, you are appointed a dedicated project manager from start to finish of your project. Your contact person is on hand to discuss all technical and organisational matters – from the initial tool development through to mould construction, overmoulding, CNC milling all the way to delivery of serial production. We provide professional advice on project management, choosing the right thermoplastics, materials and material combinations, defining Shore hardnesses, coatings, tempering processes, tool systems, economical production techniques and cleanroom production.
Design and development
From conception to a design ready for production At the concept stage, we use 3D design techniques to test whether our concepts can be replicated in a tool, and we achieve innovative results by pooling together all our knowledge of development, tool construction and production. If necessary, this will involve prototypes or small trial series using STL models and aluminium tools. This gives us valuable insights into subsequent series production. Our design department consists of five modern CAD workstations – this is where product designs and the corresponding injection moulding tool designs take shape. A further three CAM workstations are available to convert the CAD files into programmes for the tool machines.
Design and in-house tool construction
From the idea to the finished injection-moulded part. Right from the initial development phase of a project, our team is working hard creating a production-ready design for your component, selecting the optimum material and developing the perfect tool design for your component. A uniform CAD-CAM system gives our designers and programmers the ideal platform for designing and constructing your tool. From day one, you have a contact partner who will see your project through from concept stage right through to series delivery.
Our manufacturing technologies
High level of vertical integration and high degree of automation in the processing of silicone, 2K and thermoplastics. We are pioneers in the silicone processing for more than 30 years. Our client contract covers everything from initial development and injection-moulded tool construction to production-ready prototypes and on to series production – if required, this can even include custom packaging and labelling of individual products, ready for sale. Using cutting-edge injection-moulding technologies, which cover both manual small-scale series production and fully automated production cells with robotic handling for unit volumes in the millions, we can achieve maximum flexibility for a wide range of client requirements.
Silicone injection moulding
Liquid silicone (Liquid Silicone Rubber, LSR) is a high-performance, thermally crosslinking elastomer that combines flexibility, resistance and biocompatibility. Holding up to extreme temperatures from –50 °C to +250 °C and high chemical resistance, LSR is the perfect choice for demanding applications in medical technology and eyewear. These outstanding properties make it an indispensable material for your innovative products. The silicone injection moulding process is an advanced technology for manufacturing silicone components that combines maximum precision, flexibility and efficiency. Especially in the field of liquid silicone rubber (LSR), this process enables the series production of complex, delicate and functionally integrated parts also in high quantities.
2-shot injection moulding
The two-shot injection moulding process combines two different materials in a single automated cycle that can also include colouring. This results in highly functional components with specifically combined properties – such as hardness and elasticity, transparency and strength, or media resistance and flexibility. Common use-cases include silicone with thermoplastic, silicone metal combinations, or silicone components made from different Shore hardnesses. Hard-soft combinations with TPE are also among the frequently used material pairings. The materials are injected sequentially or simultaneously into a specially designed mould and subsequently form a permanent bond – mechanically, chemically, or thermally anchored. Compared to the single-component process, two-shot injection moulding reduces the risk of assembly errors – a crucial advantage in complex components.
Thermoplastic processing
The thermoplastic injection moulding process melts the granulate and, using the appropriate injection pressure, injects it into a cooled tool. Thermoplastics have the advantage that they bind particularly well with multi-component parts. Our product portfolio incorporates a wide spectrum, from purely technical components to transparent visible components with high-quality surfaces (e.g. spectacle frame temples). A fleet of modern machinery with semi- and fully automated systems, central material supply, hot runner tools, automated removal processes and an experienced team of injection moulding specialists are ready to meet your needs. Material properties - PC - PA6 - PA6.6 - Phthalate-free PVC - PMMA - POM - PP - PEEK - PEI - PBT
