A Celebratory Start to the Meeting
The gathering began with an informal evening meet-up on 09 April 2025. A special reason to celebrate: the Working Group was founded in 1970 and is now marking its 55^th anniversary – a milestone that was duly recognised by the participants.

Well-Prepared for a Productive Day
The meeting was hosted by HME Copper Germany GmbH. The team around Mr. Eugen Liebich ensured smooth organization and offered a well-structured tour of the plant. In total, 20 professionals took part, including new members interested in actively contributing to the group's work.

Technical Presentations with Practical Depth
A core element of the meeting was the introduction of HME Copper Germany, followed by four technical presentations:

• Christoph Rammelmann gave an overview of HME Copper Germany and its integration into the international Hailiang Group.
• Dr.-Ing. Axel Jörg presented a newly developed bridge die for the extrusion of hollow brass profiles – from simulation to industrial application.
• Martin Siegmund, M.Sc., introduced Kupferschlüssel 2.0, a free online tool for systematic material selection, demonstrated through practical case studies.
• Ralf Böhl, M.Sc., discussed the capabilities of the QForm simulation software in forming processes – covering everything from material flow analysis to tool load assessment.
• Dr.-Ing. Olaf Schwedler concluded with a presentation on Conform® technology, a continuous extrusion process for copper profiles with high energy efficiency.

A Look into Production
A highlight of the day was the in-depth tour of HME’s production facilities. The group gained a detailed understanding of the manufacturing steps and machinery used in copper tube production. Particularly impressive were the extrusion process itself and the subsequent cold-forming operations such as pilgering and mandrel-based drawing of pre-tubes (billets).

New Impulses and Strategic Outlooks
Alongside the technical talks, the session also provided space for strategic discussions on the group’s future direction. Dr.-Ing. Sören Müller announced a presentation for the upcoming meeting on “Boronizing of Extrusion Dies” and is currently assessing the potential for launching a publicly funded research project on this topic. The collaboration with the Working Group “Light Metal” is also set to be intensified. In coordination with Horst Gers, Chair of the Expert Committee on Extrusion, the group is exploring ways to better align the biannual meeting schedules in order to create more synergies. Another key topic was the declining involvement of industry representatives – a concern that will be addressed through targeted personal outreach.

Looking Ahead
The next meeting of the Working Group “Heavy Metal Extrusion Products” will take place on 26 – 27 November 2025 at cunova GmbH in Osnabrück. For the first half of 2026, Otto Fuchs KG has already expressed interest in hosting – a strong sign of the continuity and ongoing relevance of this long-standing group.

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