What is behind the term Applications Engineering? – Sascha Weber who has been working at Licharz for seven years, puts it in a nutshell: "Our main task is essentially to find the right solution for the customer's specific application. To be precise, this means: The customer would like to replace, for example, a sheave made of metal with a plastic sheave. We come into play at this point, first checking the feasibility and analysing the application in detail: We clarify what requirements the sheave or the component must meet, what forces will act upon it or what weather and temperature conditions the material must withstand."

From the idea to the finished component

The two Licharz Applications Engineers are in a sense part of the technical sales: Directly on site they serve customers and those interested in finding the appropriate solution. "Only when we know and understand the customer's application thoroughly can we offer our company's best possible solution", says Sascha Weber. His colleague Manfred Eberweiser added: "We work very closely with our customers and design the finished and ready-to-use component together." Ultimately, the objective is a ready-to-use product that satisfies the required properties in operation with minimal weight use. Therefore, Eberweiser and Weber calculate load options, select the appropriate plastic and create the design drawings for the customer, for series or special production of the component. "The benefits for the customer lie in the experience and competence in the field of engineering plastics, including a product tailored to its application", summarizes Weber.

Important interface at Licharz

Also due to these core tasks, the two Applications Engineers are an important interface within the company: As "first contact" for technical questions, they are available for their colleagues across departments: They answer any particular open questions about material properties or create drawings for Sales, they are available to advise on individual production steps, and support their colleagues technically at trade fairs as well as in marketing and administration. Moreover, the Applications Engineering department is an important part of research and development at Licharz.

An experienced team

"Each of us has his particular strengths, so the division of tasks actually happens quite naturally", says Manfred Eberweiser. The qualified mechanical engineer is the "number juggler" in the team and performs calculations to estimate the approximate capacity of the component in operation. In addition to the dimensioning Eberweiser must take into account a variety of ambient and operating conditions: "One can say that every new application is always a challenge", says Eberweiser. He is convinced that engineering plastics will continue to conquer new areas of application in the future. "That makes my job particularly interesting."

Thoroughly know the application

Formerly employed in the Sales department at Licharz, Sascha Weber is passionately dedicated to the customer. He is particularly interested in the details of the application and knows many regular customers’ requirements and products inside and out. In his work, Weber is particularly fascinated about the diversity of plastic material: "The behaviour of this organic material in the application is never 100% predictable. Therefore, as strange as it sounds, a feeling for the plastic plays an essential role in selecting the right material. In order to develop a suitable solution, for me it is extremely helpful to be able to look back over many years of experience."

Do you have a special application for which you need a plastic solution? Then contact our "Applications Engineering" department directly. We look forward to every new challenge for our LiNNOTAM cast polyamides.