In 2016, Paul Walczok Jr. founded his company, PAWA-Tech GmbH, based in Essenbach in the Lower Bavarian district of Landshut. "Almost a garage company," he recounts. One room, a C 250 U, a tiny office. The business was doing well, and in 2019 the need for a second HERMLE arose. The company moved. With friends, a forklift, and a cordless screwdriver, the new hall was prepared, the floor poured, machines relocated – including the C 250 U. "Two weeks later, the crane came a second time to set up the new C 32 U. After a few days, it was running productively," recalls the managing director.
PAWA-Tech is broadly positioned and manufactures for the automotive industry as well as for the hydraulics sector, the aerospace industry, and medical technology. "However, most of our workpieces go into motorsport," reveals Paul Walczok. The company machines aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and plastics.
Implemented calmly and with a plan
Automation has been a topic from the very beginning. "I built my first automation for the C 250 U myself," says Paul Walczok proudly. "A lightweight robot, a bit of control, it all had a youth-research charm." It worked – somehow. "I learned what matters: chip removal, coolant supply, and of course, above all, process reliability." In 2023, he took the big step: a C 22 U with adapted robot system RS 05-2 from HERMLE.
This time, therefore, professionally and from a single source. "We took our time for planning and carefully considered how the machine should be equipped and what tasks the robot system should take over," reports the entrepreneur. For this, he completely remodeled the hall, expanded the production area, and added an office wing.
For about a year now, the automation has been running in the night hours without personnel. During the day, skilled workers operate the three machining centers in two-shift operation. At night, colleague robot takes over at the C 22 U. PAWA-Tech now manufactures fully automatically from batch size ten. "This has proven especially effective for workpieces with long running times. This keeps the machine busy all night," says the company founder.
Compact solution, big impact
A 6-axis industrial robot handles blanks weighing up to ten kilograms, changing various grippers fully automatically and can thus flexibly move different components. PAWA-Tech uses a five-fold drawer storage system that can hold 50 to 90 workpieces on each level. The universal matrices can be quickly adapted to changing components.
The robot system RS 05-2 is built very compactly and requires only about two square meters of installation space; operators have free access to the work area and storage. It is fully integrated into the HERMLE environment and can be operated via a touchpad. The HERMLE Automation Control System (HACS) shows, for example, an overview of the orders, the schedule, as well as tool data and prioritization. Thanks to long-stroke clamping and the drawer system, different component sizes can be clamped without retooling.
None of the 13 employees were afraid of automation. "I communicated clearly what I want to achieve. My staff should be able to apply their professional skills, such as programming the machines and optimizing processes; the simple loading tasks are taken over by the robot," emphasizes Paul Walczok. "All colleagues can operate the system and take on standard tasks. Anyone who thinks a little can quickly master the control," he knows from experience.
Two of the skilled workers have now specialized in the automated system and built up a lot of know-how.
More milling time, more possibilities
Since the introduction of the robot, spindle running time has doubled. While the conventional machines operate in two shifts, the C 22 U with RS 05-2 also mills overnight. "24/7 today only works with automation," Paul Walczok is sure. "If a customer orders ten parts over the weekend on Friday evening, we can deliver thanks to the robot system." This great flexibility is especially helpful in times when order books do not fill themselves.
Why does Paul Walczok consistently rely on HERMLE? He doesn't think long. "Because it works. The machines are very reliable. And if we do report a malfunction, a replacement is there the next day. That is crucial for our everyday life and our delivery reliability." He knows the industry and understands how much time he could lose if no one feels responsible.
"That's the beauty of HERMLE. Machine, robot, service – there is a single phone number and a contact person for everything who solves the problem promptly."
The second reason is the high precision of the machining centers. "In the motorsport industry, we work with tight tolerances and mill complete cylinder heads on the C 32 U – including channels and fittings," explains the managing director. Depending on the component, this can sometimes take a day. "Accuracy on five axes – that is our business."
PAWA-Tech shows how manufacturing works today: precise, flexible, and well-organized. The combination of machining center, robot system, and reliable service from HERMLE makes the difference. Paul Walczok and his team can rely on that. For the motorsport industry and other demanding customers, this counts more than big words. It's about components that must fit, processes that must run, and machines that don't give up at night.
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