Perfectly welded – millions of times
New production technologies in Langenfeld
The Geberit Mapress plant in Langenfeld (DE) has undergone significant modernisation in recent years. Today, automated laser welding systems are part of the manufacturing process for complex fittings.
Two robotic arms precisely pick components from the conveyor belts and place them onto a turntable, which swiftly rotates into a shielded area. Just a few seconds later, another robot retrieves the finished workpiece: a Geberit Mapress stainless steel adapter, designed for pressing on one side and threading on the other.
“Inside the system, a high-precision laser welds the two individual parts together,” explains Derya Kara. The 36-year-old engineer played a key role in developing the laser welding technology at the Geberit Mapress plant in Langenfeld.
Exclusively refined
For almost six decades, fittings for the Mapress supply system have been produced in Langenfeld. Since 2021, laser welding systems have supported this process – particularly for complex fittings such as T-pieces and adapters. Four systems, developed specifically for Geberit in collaboration with the manufacturer, operate around the clock. Today, roughly 100 different products are manufactured in Langenfeld using laser welding technology, resulting in nearly six million welds each year.
No chemicals thanks to lasers
The laser works with a fine, concentrated beam of light that melts the metal with pinpoint accuracy. The weld seam is extremely narrow and cools immediately. This largely prevents the formation of oxide layers that could promote corrosion. When working with conventional welding technology, these layers have to be removed with aggressive chemicals – a costly and risky process that requires energy-intensive wastewater treatment and hazardous waste disposal. “With laser welding, we can do without all of that,” says Derya Kara. “So not only do we work faster and more precisely, we also make a contribution to the environment.”
Langenfeld heading for the future
In 2004, Geberit acquired the plant in Langenfeld (DE) and launched a comprehensive modernisation programme with the construction of a new production and administration building starting in 2017. Even before laser welding was introduced, the manufacturing of Mapress bends had already been automated and the throughput time from raw material to fitting had been reduced by almost 75 per cent.
