ACH Solution GmbH, Hafeld (A), manufactures injection molding tools for silicone components used in life-critical products such as insulin pumps. There is no room for negligence in quality. Not least for this reason, the toolmaking specialist invested again in 2026. This time in the high-end five-axis machining center Kern Micro HD+. This not only increases the accuracy and surface quality of complex components but also reduces the lead time by an average of 30 percent.
Anyone entering the toolmaking hall at ACH Solution could almost confuse it with an operating room or clean room: immaculate cleanliness and organized workflows. This is no coincidence, as a leading turnkey partner for silicone elastomer injection molding tools (short: silicone tools) working over 50 percent for the medical technology and healthcare sector must meet the high demands of its customers in every respect.
Toolmaking manager Maximilian Riedl and his team see cleanliness as an important detail for success. With a smile, he says: 'We don't clean extra because visitors come. A clean working environment is more of a credo for us. We are convinced that the highest precision can only be achieved in a clean environment.'
Silicone tools for life-critical end products
Although ACH Solution's customers come not only from the fields of medical technology and healthcare but also from other demanding industries such as electronics, automotive, and consumer goods, the focus remains on supplying medical technology products. And these particularly set the direction in terms of quality demands, reports the toolmaking manager: 'The seals, plugs, and many other silicone products produced on our silicone tools are used in numerous life-critical end products such as insulin pumps or ventilator masks. The quality must be guaranteed one hundred percent.'
To achieve this, ACH Solution relies on a holistic approach that accompanies customers from the product idea to the commissioning of the turnkey liquid silicone injection molding tool – always with the same contact person. A central component of this overall process is toolmaking. Here, about 80 percent of the value-added revenue is generated. Accordingly, the machine park is extensive and high-quality.
In addition to 15 milling centers of varying sizes and equipment, the company has three turning centers, seven sinker EDM machines, three wire EDM machines, and five grinding machines. 'All our machines are highly precise. Although I usually avoid superlatives, I must use them here. Because only in this way can the five-axis Kern machining centers be described compared to our other milling machines. They are highly precise, and repeatably accurate and durable,' says Maximilian Riedl with satisfaction.
Since 2015, also the highest precision in surface technology – thanks to Kern Microtechnik
The first contact with Kern Microtechnik was made by the toolmaking manager in 2015. At that time, orders for high-gloss milling of aluminum cores for optical fibers were on the table. The first components for this potential customer were produced by the Fraunhofer Institute. After a visit there, Maximilian Riedl was sure that the Kern Pyramid Nano in use here was perfect for this task:
'Shortly thereafter, I was at the Kern demonstration center in Eschenlohe. Here I was finally convinced, and we simultaneously received the offer to purchase the demonstration machine at a slightly lower price. We couldn't refuse that. By the way, we still have this machine in operation today, as it still produces its components with absolutely unchanged high accuracy and surface quality.'
Since then, machining centers from Kern Microtechnik have always been the first choice at ACH Solution when it comes to the highest customer requirements regarding precision and surface of small components. These are usually pre-machined on other machines with a dimension of about three-tenths of a millimeter and then come to a Kern machine. There are now four in toolmaking: in addition to the Pyramid Nano, a Kern Micro, a Kern Micro Vario, and since May 2026, the fully automated top model Kern Micro HD+ with grinding function.
Machine operators with a clear eye for detail
The decision for the last, not insignificant investment was significantly influenced by the toolmaking manager as well as the machine operator Jakob Leeb. The trained tool technician had previously dealt intensively with the customer needs of his area of activity and was ultimately convinced that no other five-axis center could meet them in a comparable way.
From today's perspective, he sees his assessment more than confirmed: 'Numerous fits and sealing surfaces that we need for shaping components for the silicone tools could previously only be produced with much time and tool usage. Particularly thanks to the integrated grinding option, many tasks are now almost trivial. At this point, I also want to highlight the Haefeli Diamond Tool Factory AG. Their grinding pins and their advice have also significantly contributed to the fast, positive results. And still. What the HD+ can do is incredible. It repeatedly exceeds my expectations and those of my boss.'
Kern Micro HD+ produces For this, Jakob Leeb and Maximilian Riedl have several examples ready. They report, among other things, on the extremely high demands that silicone injection molders today place on the flatness of various sealing surfaces of silicone tools. Riedl states: "A small burr on the silicone end product, which our customers accepted a few years ago, is now considered a no-go. This means: The deviations of our sealing surfaces must be less than 3 µm and surface qualities of flat surfaces must be less than Ra = 0.03 µm. With the Kern Micro HD+, this works with repeat accuracy – fully automated." Another case that gets the toolmaking professionals really excited is the introduction of fitting holes with an accuracy of < 3 µm: "We were able to produce more than 100 fitting holes with a single grinding tool – without readjusting," says Jakob Leeb. Leeb and Riedl have similarly amazing experiences with the five-axis milling of the HD+. Even over longer operating times and multiple components, this machining center exceeds the required precision values of < 3 µm in space. ACH Solution manages to produce even complex components with conical sealing surfaces and undercuts perfectly on the first attempt. Maximilian Riedl finds this incredible: "As they say in injection molding – first shot, good part." 30 percent faster to the finished tool
Speaking of goals: ACH Solution continuously redefines these, both in small and large ways. The Kern HD+ contributes significantly to their fulfillment in a short time. For example, the lead time for various shaping components for the silicone tools could be reduced by around 30 percent, as many products are now manufactured in a single setup. Thanks to the simultaneously improved quality of the manufactured products, Maximilian Riedl is also getting closer to his goal of needing one less correction loop for the entire silicone tool in the medium term. Kern's regional sales manager Thomas Mauer is also impressed by the results achieved at ACH Solution, although he is not particularly surprised by the capabilities of the Micro HD+: "When it comes to the data and facts in our brochures, we are rather conservative with the figures mentioned. Moreover, I regularly see how meticulously our engineers and application technicians work to continuously improve our machining centers." Decisive, in addition to the general machine design with extreme rigidity and thermal stability, is also the bearing technology developed by Kern, which is based on patented micro-gap hydrostatics. "In addition, there are many other innovative details that I cannot name all here," adds Thomas Mauer, highlighting only two that are also important for Jakob Leeb for perfect accuracy on the first shot: the scratch block for grinding tool measurement and the integrated warm-up cycle. At ACH Solution, all responsible parties agree that they have made the right decision with the fully automated Kern Micro HD+. In line with the other Kern Micros, it runs 24/7 with a 100 percent good part rate. Thus, the solution combines the highest manufacturing quality with efficient production and attractive working conditions for the employees. Contact:
