MASCHINENFABRIK

ALFING KESSLER GMBH

AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS
LARGE CRANKSHAFTS

ALFING Automotive Crankshafts

HARDENING EQUIPMENT

Crankshafts for series production,

sports and Formula 1

PASSION FOR PERFORMANCE

 Crankshafts: Thats our business!

Karl Kessler on the 25th anniversary

of the company in 1936

As an engineer I travelled to different coun-

With the ambitious aim ... of developing In the beginning, large crankshafts were We are experts in the manufacture and harde-
tries in Europe and North America and I be- ALFINGs main focus: ning of crankshafts for automotive, racing and
and manufacturing more robust and wear
resistant crankshafts ..., Karl Kessler foun- came aware that a high-quality product such large engines for almost every conceivable
For example the aircraft engines in the Zep-
ded his own company in 1911. as an internal combustion engine crankshaft application and major engine manufacturer
pelin airships made ALFINGs name known
worldwide.
This remains our ambition still today. would be a suitable product for manufacture all over the world.
ALFING is the partner for its customers
In the meantime the company is a leader in in my German homeland. With this in mind I As early as 1932 ALFING became closely in-
crankshafts over the entire life of the engine:
technology and with over 1350 employees returned from North America. volved in car racing:
one of the largest independent specialist 6 cylinders, 300 HP and more than 235 km/h. From planning, optimisation, project manage-
manufacturers of high-quality crankshafts > Mercedes-Benz SSKL ment, process development, logistics, quality
and induction hardening machines world- > Auto-Union assurance, material procurement, forging,
wide. Crankshafts for more power ... and others were soon to follow. heat treatment, mechanical machining,
surface treatment, assembly, testing through
But thats not all. And in their engines:
to after-sales service and support.
We are continuing to expand. The worlds first racing crankshafts ...
This is how we have become global market
With crankshafts ranging from 300 to 8000 ... from ALFING.
leader in high-performance crankshafts and
mm in length, ALFING covers a very wide
Ever since, one can hardly think of car engi- hardening equipment.
engine spectrum.
nes without thinking of ALFING crankshafts.

Karl Kessler Auguste Kessler

 At home in engines
MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

worldwide
AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS
LARGE CRANKSHAFTS
HARDENING EQUIPMENT

History of the
Maschinenfabrik ALFING Kessler

1911 Founding of the Maschinenfabrik ALFING Kessler GmbH by Karl Kessler (1880-1946)
1913 Delivery of the first case-hardened crankshafts
1932 Focus on the production of crankshafts for aircraft engines for airships
and transport planes
1935 Establishment of the special-purpose forge for crankshaft forgings
1946 Death of company founder Karl Kessler
1947 Auguste Kessler takes charge of the company
1951 Manufacture of the one millionth crankshaft
1952 First induction hardening machine for crankshafts
1960 Death of Auguste Kessler
1970 New production shops for large crankshafts
1990 Expansion of the production facilities for automotive crankshafts
1995 Establishment of a separate production department for motor sports and
prototype crankshafts
2003 Reorganisation and targeted market segmentation of the company
2004 Expansion of automotive crankshaft production
2005 Expansion of large crankshaft production
2006 Manufacture of the seven millionth crankshaft
2007 ALFING again invests in further expansion of crankshaft manufacture

3
 Whatever the make of the engine ...
ALFING is usually inside

Energy and mobility are fundamental cor- The continuously increasing demand for Whether powerful diesels for Sports Utility
nerstones of business and the economy. greater engine performance and efficiency Vehicles (SUV), high-speed engines for
calls for higher performance components Formula 1, stationary engines for power
Worldwide.
starting with the crankshaft. generation or ship diesels:
This calls for high-performance engines on
That is why ALFING has become a specialist Optimal continuous power is what our
land, on sea and in the air.
in the surface treatment of crankshafts to customers demand from their crankshafts.
And high-performance crankshafts ... increase performance.
To achieve this we offer:
... thats our job.
> development support
> process reliability
> high-quality manufacturing
> fatigue strength
> low wear
> performance enhancement ...
... because thats what our customers
expect.

4
 MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

ALFING: AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

LARGE CRANKSHAFTS

Partner ...
HARDENING EQUIPMENT

for perfect
mobility

5
 Crankshafts: Thats what we know about

LARGE CRANKSHAFTS
DIVISION
HARDENING
DIVISION

Almost from the beginning of motoring,

Karl Kessler was involved in the manufac- Manufacture of large crankshafts ready for Development and production of
ture of crankshafts. assembly. induction hardening equipment.
This is what ALFINGs almost one hundred Lengths up to approx. 8000 mm Lengths
years of experience is based on. Swing diameter up to approx. 900 mm up to approx. 1500 mm
And from where all our fields of activity and Performance up to approx. 12 000 kW Cylinders up to 24
divisions have developed. Speeds up to approx. 3000 rpm Engine types In-line engines
V-engines (with or
without split-pins)
Our core competences: boxer engines
Technological development, project and
quality management and logistics. Our core competences:
One-off and series production. Individual and modular machine concepts.
Forging and heat treatment of crankshafts. Design and integration of hardening equip-
ment in the customers production line.
Rough machining, surface treatment, finish
machining, manufacture of accessories and Consequent application of ALFINGs harde-
crankshaft assembly. ning experience gained in our own crank-
shaft production to customers productions.
Fastest hardening process technology in
From project planning the world.
to crankshafts ready to install.
Hardening machines based on
modular machine components

6
 ALFING
AUTOMOTIVE
Competence MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS
CRANKSHAFTS LARGE CRANKSHAFTS
DIVISION HARDENING EQUIPMENT

Manufacture of crankshafts ready to install

in automotive and industrial engines.
Lengths up to approx. 1000 mm
Performance up to approx. 850 kW
Speeds up to approx. 20 000 rpm

Our core competences:

Technological development,
project and quality manage-
ment and logistics.
All the necessary
manufacturing processes,
perfect surface treatment
and mounting of auxiliary components ready
for installation of the crankshaft.

From prototype to series manufacture ...

... all on one site.

7
 Overall competence is our strength

OVERALL COMPETENCE is written large at

ALFING and means:
One partner ... from the customer require-
ment, to process development, to delivery Component testing:
of the crankshafts ready to be installed. Prototype fatigue strength,
manufacture torsion, bending
Material testing
&optimisation
OVERALL COMPETENCE is also synonymous
Process development
with: highly skilled personnel.
for increased
productivity

CAD-FEM-
simulation
SIMULTANEOUS ENGINEERING
This is why ALFING places great emphasis
on having well trained personnel through Customer drawing
its own apprentice training workshops and Specification,
systematic personnel development. Functional
requirements
Logistics
Was
Just-in-time delivery
Residual d

ALFING COMPETENCE: More than just crankshafts

Within the scope of Simultaneous Engi- Needless to say we are experts in the Rough machining, surface treatment/
neering together we can help optimise whole logistics chain, process develop- hardening, finish machining and as-
your crankshafts from the point of view of ment, tool and jig design and of course sembly ... ALFING offers you the whole
performance, cost and design. the machining processes too: value-added chain at a single site.

8
 All ... MASCHINENFABRIK

... under one roof

ALFING KESSLER GMBH

AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

www.alfing.de

Preparation of drawings,
optimisation, design
CAD/CAM

MANUFACTURING PROCESS Materials

testing

Rough machining

Surface treatment
& hardening

Finish machining
shing Assembly
dirt analysis QM/QS

Crankshaft production at ALFING 9

using our own induction hardening machines
 Automotive Crankshafts
The pillars of the division

PROTOTYPES

From prototype development via Whether cast or forged crankshafts, one- We provide optimal manufacturing facilities for Thanks to our flexible manufacturing facili-
pre-series production to series production, off or large batch production, crankshafts almost any batch sizes. ties, we are able to produce crankshafts in
we are your confidential, reliable and for combustion engines or pumps and the smallest batch series even one-offs
We offer our customers a dependable
competent partner. compressors, for single cylinder or 16-cylinder for almost any kind of engine.
crankshaft manufacturing process, assuring
engines:
highly precise geometry and excellent surface
ALFING supports its customers with finishes. Such requirements often concern the la-
comprehensive expertise during the whole test engine developments with correspon-
One of our outstanding qualities is ALFINGs
development of a new engine. dingly new demands on the crankshaft.
versatility and know-how concerning surface
treatment.
The overall crankshaft development pro-
Here ALFING is able to offer all the well known
cess at ALFING is routinely carried out un-
surface treatment processes in-house.
der the utmost secrecy in isolated, access-
controlled departments.

Even top racing leagues such as

Formula 1, NASCAR and the DTM are
pleased to take advantage of our exper-
tise and our discretion.
We would be pleased to tell you more
in person naturally in confidence.

AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS: Comprehensiv

10
 From prototypes
to series production
MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

SERIES AND www.alfing.de

FLEXIBLE
MANUFACTURING

ALFING has various highly automated

production lines for different series requi-
rements.
On these we produce crankshafts ...
completely finished, ready for installation
and with all the accessories.
We also have production lines designed
for quantities exceeding 100 000 cranks-
hafts of one type per year.
Of course in consistent quality. This is
maintained by our universal quality assu-
rance process.
Series and flexible manufacture at
ALFING ... based on:
> State-of-the-art manufacturing
technology,
> State-of-the-art measurement
technology,
> State-of-the-art measuring machines,
> State-of-the-art testing laboratories.

ve range

11
 ALFING Automotive Crankshafts:
Prototypes

Both in motor sports and in prototype > CAD data transfer between all > Development of new processes to > Test benches for fatigue strength,
development, the demands as to flexibility customer systems improve crankshaft performance torsion and bending
and quality are on the increase. > CAD & FEM simulation > Material testing & analysis, e.g. to > Advice on materials & alternative
> CAD balancing analysis, e.g. concer- investigate the effect of the different materials.
At the development stage of a new
ning lightening holes and web shapes surface treatment processes > Advice on design, e.g. fillet radii of
crankshaft, being able to draw on ALFINGs
main & pin bearing, web shapes
overall experience gives you a decisive
competitive advantage.
ENGINEERING PRE- & INTERME- SURFACE
Every customer requirement can be taken LOGISTICS DIATE MACHINING TREATMENT
into account here.

AUTOMOTIVE crankshafts: PROTOTYPE manufacture - the ultimate level in ALFING flexibility

Even where the customer has not yet got Also for the required manufacturing ALFINGs support of its customers with
a forging, ALFING can still deliver the processes, ALFING is able to test and crankshafts over the whole development
finished crankshaft. optimise tools, cutters, etc. in cooperation process of the new engine is
In this case we can make the blank from with the customers. > highly competent
solid material a so-called free-form shaft. > highly confidential
> very flexible
12
> and very fast
 Want to build MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

a new engine? AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

www.alfing.de

The results of customers engine trials

usually need to be quickly implemented
in modified crankshafts. This not only calls
for great flexibility but also tight project
management with integrated logistics.

FINISH ASSEMBLY
MACHINING

As soon as the customer has perfected Should the customer wish to produce the
and tested his engine, we also support crankshafts on his own production lines
him flexibly with the series production. ... ALFING will provide the crankshafts
required for start-up: appropriately
machined for every stage in the process
and for every station.
13
 ALFING Automotive Crankshafts:
Series and flexible production

ENGINEERING PRE- & INTERME- SURFACE

LOGISTICS
LOGISTIK DIATE MACHINING TREATMENT

> Materials advice The cutting processes are carried > Gas nitriding
> CAD alternatives out on our interlinked high- > Gas nitro-carburising
> FEM simulation performance CNC machines: > Radius rolling
> Preparation and testing of > Turn-milling > Induction hardening and
possible variants > Turn-broaching annealing
Our customers are manufacturers of The ability to produce batch sizes from
> Manufacturing and cost > Drilling These are the surface treatment
series and premium vehicles: approx. 100 parts to over 100 000
optimised design > Deep-hole drilling processes most commonly
crankshafts of each type per year ...
> Balancing analysis on a CAD model > Internal/external requested by our customers.
... those are our batch sizes. > Development of procedures to deburring
High-quality series vehicles with high- For these processes, ALFING has
increase performance > Gear tooth forming
performance engines. its own patented procedures.
> Validation of the results through using the latest tool and cutting
High-performance engines with high- On our production lines we produce fatigue testing means technology. Especially in the case of induction
performance crankshafts. crankshafts for all types of engine: hardening and annealing, ALFING
from one to 16 cylinders ... can offer its customers practical
experience gained over 50 years
... and in a highly flexible way. from its own hardening machine
and inductor manufacture.

To do this we need very efficient logistics: No wish regarding increased

from electronic requests via the whole performance and wear reduction
development and production process is left open.
chain to just-in-time delivery.

Even customers who have not yet used

our expertise for the development of
their prototype crankshaft are pleased to
take advantage of our optimisation and
manufacturing know-how for their series
production. AUTOMOTIVE Crankshafts: The complete infrastructure ... you can depend on.

14
 Passion for MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

FINISH
MACHINING
ASSEMBLY
Performance AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

www.alfing.de

> Corundum grinding > Mounting of accessories

> CBN grinding > Final inspection
> Super-finishing > Classification according to
> Dynamic balancing measuring results
> Automatic washing machines > Laser engraving
> Residual dirt analysis > Preservation and packing

ALFING finish machining is highly ALFING assembly is the final

automated, e.g. through the step in the production process
use of robots and synchronised from forging blank to the finish
conveyor systems. assembled crankshaft ready for
installation.

15
 No compromises ...
the basis of our success

Totale Totale
Compliance with the standards Our multi-layer quality system has proved its
value in practice: Kurbelwellen-
Total Ku
crankshaft competence
ISO/TS 16949:2002 and kompetenz rbelwellenkompetenz
> Quality planning
DIN EN ISO 14001:2004 The world renowned ALFING > CAD-FEM simulation of So that you, too, can benefit
> First part acceptance after each operation competence is continually being crankshaft from these developments, we
has for many years assured that ALFING
satisfies the highest quality and environ- > Constant self-testing by the operator further expanded through our offer you our Competence
> Development of processes to
mental demands. Basic Development. as a service for crankshaft opti-
> Quality assurance based on the inspection increase crankshaft performance
misation.
Furthermore our in-house testing and plan For this ALFING developers have within the given available space
laboratory technology satisfy the most > Final inspection of each individual an extensive array of state-of-the- Where necessary we can even
> Material testing
stringent customer requirements. art laboratory, measuring and test develop special-purpose machi-
crankshaft equipment at their disposal, lea- > Trials for component strength nes to implement the newly de-
All necessary information can be engra- ding to patents which protect our and component optimisation veloped process in practice.
ved on the crankshaft at the customers know-how worldwide:
request, e.g. in dot-matrix code. > Balancing analyses on the CAD
model
> etc.

ALFINGs environmental policy commits the Environmental protection at ALFING is an

company to compliance with all environ- integral part of management and is lived
mental laws and regulations. out in practice. We demand environmental
awareness and commitment from all of our
By proactively taking into account the ef-
employees.
fects on the environment, ALFING aims to
To assure optimal environmental protection,
avoid emissions and make economical use
our procedures are certified at regular inter-
of energy resources.
vals by internal and external audits.
16
Technology assures MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

our quality AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

www.alfing.de

17
 Whats in it for you?

This is what ALFING offers you

Maximum performance, quality and We incorporate the solutions to these Solid tradition, modern management, decades of experience
added value. challenges in the form of research,
+ Know-how about crankshaft technology
development, education & training,
The high demands of our customers + Understanding of how engines are designed and work
technology and productivity ...
keep us on our toes.
+ Competence in crankshaft manufacture
... into our daily work.
This is where our leadership in innovati- + Modern manufacturing technology
on and quality results from.
+ Perfect quality management
+ Comprehensive project planning
That is how it should be ...
+ Know-how in materials technology
... because it is to your advantage.
+ Increased engine performance through surface treatment
+ Complete testing, measurement and laboratory technology
+ Reliable processes, precise logistics
+ Know-how about induction and hardening technology
+ Modular components for hardening machines
+ Services, hotline & support around the clock
+ On-going investment in production facilities
+ Continuous further education and training
______________________________________________
= Leading the field

Competence, technology, quality

18
Win-Win ...
with crankshafts
MASCHINENFABRIK
ALFING KESSLER GMBH

AUTOMOTIVE CRANKSHAFTS

from ALFING www.alfing.de

19
Maschinenfabrik
ALFING KESSLER GmbH
Automotive Crankshafts Division
Auguste-Kessler-Strasse 20
73433 Aalen / Germany
Tel. +49 (0)7361 - 501-4411
Fax +49 (0)7361 - 501-4408
automotive@mafa.alfing.de
www.alfing.de