elumatec duo make their mark at Castel Alu

Two profile machining centres cover all applications

Castel Alu has invested in the SBZ 628 and the SBZ 122/75, two elumatec profile machining centres that meet the French company’s needs as a specialist in building exteriors and aluminium glass façades. The Castel Alu workshop has been expanded to accommodate the new arrivals.

A duo or nothing

The customised solution is the result of close cooperation between the teams at elumatec France and Castel Alu, complemented by the intelligent technology of the German machine manufacturer. When Castel Alu Production Manager Christophe Vidal contacted Yvon Wirz (elumatec France Managing Director) and Cyril Benoist (Technical Sales Consultant for elumatec machines and services) to ask for their advice, it quickly became clear that two machining centres would provide the greatest benefit for the technically demanding construction projects delivered by Castel Alu.

Vidal explains the context: “We’re responding to major projects in areas where we’re already very well positioned, such as in the education and hospital sectors, but also to general trends in the public and private sectors, where our expertise is also in demand. We have approval for bonded external glazing too, and as our business is growing rapidly, it was essential to increase performance and productivity with new equipment while being able to meet more complex market demands.”

Christophe Vidal (Castel Alu Production Manager), Karl Lebegue (Castel Alu Team Leader), Serge Bour (elumatec) and Cyril Benoist (elumatec)

The “crown” and the “Swiss army knife”

A subsidiary of the Fayat Group, Castel Alu has made a name for itself over 20 years in Fleurance, in the Gers region, as a partner for delivering challenging and customised projects with its teams of technicians and engineers. The wide range of profile machining the company offers is in just as high demand as its flexibility and fast output. 

       Office complex in Montrouge, Paris, a Castel Alu project with architects Brénac & Gonzalez

Picture credit: Castel Alu, Fleurance, France

Eventually, Castel Alu found two machines which, in Benoist’s own words, “both know exactly what they have to do” and met their requirements. This solution from elumatec sounds so self-evident and lives up to Castel Alu’s two main expectations: it combines the capabilities of the exceptionally versatile and highly productive SBZ 628 profile machining centre with the sophisticated technology of the SBZ 122/75 profile machining centre, a real Swiss army knife designed for complex machining operations that makes the word “impossible” a thing of the past. Or, as Benoist puts it, “It’s a large-scale machine on the one hand and the fine art of a goldsmith on the other”.

Polyclinic in Reims-Bezannes, a Castel Alu project with architect Jean Michel Jacquet

Picture credit: Castel Alu, Fleurance, France

The SBZ 122/75 is smaller and simultaneously more precise, and it is the only 5-axis system in its class that offers as many potential applications in such a compact space. It can accommodate more tools, and acquiring the machine means Castel Alu no longer has to rely on subcontractors.

As both machines were installed at the same time, the production hall needed to be enlarged by 800m2. This is part of a total investment of €1 million, including the costs of workshop renovations and machinery, to open up new fields of expansion for Castel Alu and enhance the company’s range of services.

The SBZ 628, the “queen” of the elumatec profile machining centres, takes centre stage: equipped with a sawing station, saw blades and a rotation module fitted with eight different milling and drilling spindles like a movable crown, it can machine profiles from a wide range of angles. 

Vidal is a particular fan of this feature, and he’s enthusiastic about everything the new machine has to offer: “This highly ergonomic machine keeps the operator safe and ensures accurate profile machining, but it’s also quiet – I had explicitly insisted on good acoustic properties.”

Lysian Monfort (Castel Alu Machining Technician) and Cyril Benoist (elumatec)

Picture credit: elumatec AG, Mühlacker, Germany

The Castel Alu Production Manager continues: “I love how easy it is to use the two new elumatec machines, and they have revolutionised our workshop. Our two young machining technicians are very happy, and the easy-to-use eluCad software can communicate with our LogiKal and WICTOP business software from Orgadata and WICONA respectively.” He identifies the 3-week training provided by elumatec – as a Qualiopi-certified business – and its after-sales service as further strengths.

And the icing on the cake for a delighted Vidal is that elumatec technician Serge Bour has moved in just a stone’s throw away from the company.