At EMO Hannover 2019, visitors to GF Machining Solutions’ booth will be among the first in the world to get a glimpse of a new, modular design for its machines. Nearly two years in the making, the design update enhances the products’ visual appearance and will help customers immediately identify the GF Machining Solutions brand. Attendees can see the evolution of the GF Machining Solutions’ product design at Hall 27, Stand B26.
Since GF Machining Solutions showcased the first electrical discharge machining (EDM) solution for commercial use at EMO Milan 1955, the GF division has continually innovated and expanded its technology portfolio to better serve customers’ needs. Over the past 20 years, milling, spindles, tooling and automation have been added to that portfolio and, in the last decade alone, laser texturing, laser micromachining, additive manufacturing, software and digital solutions have been integrated. Now, all of these technologies will be instantly recognizable as part of the GF Machining Solutions brand.
“GF Machining Solutions is unique”
“This machine design update will bring a cohesive appearance to all of our many products across all of these technologies,” said Fabio Ferraro, GF Machining Solutions machine design and standardization manager. “GF Machining Solutions is unique today in that we have so many technologies under a single brand. We want customers to see our machines and immediately know they are looking at a GF Machining Solutions product.”
In late 2017, GF Machining Solutions invited a number of industrial designers to pitch their concepts for a new product design, giving them only two requirements: Concepts must include both the GF logo and the applicable technology logo. The firm that was selected to lead the design update focused on modularity, delivering a smart, cube-based concept that emphasizes the flexibility, utility and advanced capabilities of GF Machining Solutions’ products.
Three phases
“At EMO Hannover 2019, our guests will see the evolution to our new design because all of our machines at EMO will be in one of three design phases: updated with only minor changes, a new design featuring some adaptations in terms of colors and other design elements, or in a dedicated design made specifically for our products we developed with a partner,” Ferraro explained. “In the updated design phase, for example, our products will feature subtle changes such as the addition of an LED-lit GF logo, the technology identifier and two orange stripes.”
Products with the new design fully applied will have the LED-lit logo and technology identifier as well as additional harmonized features. These include:
- Cohesive machine colors in white, gray, and black.
- A cubic shape and a winged black design element at the top of the machine whenever possible.
- A black handle on a gray operator door.
- Horizontal orange unifying stripes above and below the machine panels.
- A homogenous approach to the design of the operator console and its supporting arm.
For products developed with partners and dedicated products, the design includes a white operator door with unifying orange stripes running vertically along each side as well as the LED-lit GF logo, the partner’s logo in white LED lighting and the technology identifier.
“This is an ambitious undertaking because we have so many different technologies, products, and production sites around the world,” Ferraro added. “As our new machine design becomes visible, customers will recognize all machines across our portfolio as coming from one source: GF Machining Solutions.”
EMO Hannover 2019 takes place September 16-21 at the Hannover Fairground.
About GF Machining Solutions
GF Machining Solutions is the world’s leading provider of machine tools, diverse technical solutions and services to manufacturers of precision molds and tooling and of tight-tolerance, precision-machined components. The key segments we serve include the aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, information and communications technology (ICT) and electronics industries. Our extensive portfolio ranges from Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) solutions, three- and five-axis Milling machines and Spindles, Laser texturing machines, Additive Manufacturing and machines for Laser micromachining to solutions for Tooling, Automation, Software and Digitalization—all backed by unrivaled Customer Services and support. GF Machining Solutions is a globally acting Division of the Georg Fischer Group (Switzerland) and maintains a presence at 50 locations worldwide. Its 3,394 employees generated sales of CHF 1,066 million in 2018.
