EMKA Aluminium in profile: lightweight construction in perfection
In a production facility spanning around 5,000 square meters, tailor-made solutions for diverse customer requirements are created using die-casting, forging, and friction welding processes. What makes this site truly unique is the combination of all three manufacturing processes in one location — a clear competitive advantage.
Since 2021, EMKA Aluminium has once again been a fully integrated part of the EMKA Group. The integration has strengthened the site structurally and set the course for the future. Today, the site stands out as a centre for modern aluminium processing – marked by technical diversity, a high level of automation, and a growing customer base. The production facility produces 13.5 million parts a year – around 90 percent of them for external industrial customers. Until just a few years ago, the automotive industry accounted for the majority of production in Wuppertal, particularly with components for chassis.
Today, in addition to the automotive industry, EMKA Aluminium also supplies customers from the railway industry, building technology and the renewable energy sector. One prime example is a cross-group project for a motor used in shading systems: Aluminium components are manufactured in Wuppertal, which are further processed and assembled at the plant in Bosnia – an ideal interplay of production and logistics across site boundaries.
Aluminium plays a key role here: EMKA processes around 3,000 tons of aluminium alloys each year. This material is lightweight, strong, 100% recyclable, and naturally highly resistant to corrosion. Especially in applications where weight, weather resistance, and durability are essential, it proves superior to stainless steel and zinc. Aluminium can also be an interesting alternative in terms of price.
that demand exceptional strength and tightness.
Three processes perfectly combined
EMKA Aluminium relies on three manufacturing processes: aluminium die-casting, forging, and friction welding. The focus is on die casting. Nine machines with clamping forces ranging from 220 to 1,250 tons run in multi-shift operation, automated by robots for removal, deburring and sorting. Subsequent CNC machining is carried out on state-of-the-art machining centres, delivering ready-to-install components. The forging process is used wherever maximum material density and strength are required, for example for safety-critical chassis components.
The manual loading of the forging tool makes this process ideal for small and medium series. Rotary friction welding rounds off the profile.
In this process, for example, forged parts and aluminium tubes are joined together without welding fillers to create pore-free and highly strong connections. The site is one of the few in Germany offering this process. Steel and copper can also be processed on request. Thanks to this technological breadth, EMKA Aluminium is both a dedicated specialist and an integral part of the EMKA Group.
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