The provision of compact and intelligent control cabinet solutions is an indispensable performance component for the successful deployment of internationally competitive automations. At ETP Walther, it is well understood that far more expertise is required today than mere craftsmanship. „The assembly of standard control cabinets, which have already been fully planned by the customer, is no longer sufficient! Today, the design and manufacture of modern control cabinets require comprehensive qualifications – from electrical engineering and software programming to safety and installation technology and far into energy and air-conditioning technology,“ says Benjamin Beck, the technical manager (CTO) at ETP Walther. The company‘s range of expertise is currently in high demand, in particular when complex control cabinet solutions are required for CNC machine tools, profiling machines, machining centers and special manufacturing technology machines. Numerous renowned manufacturers in this industry now rely on the skills of the ETP Walther team. “We have now acquired extensive knowledge of various manufacturing processes and procedures, allowing us to accommodate almost any individual customer request in control cabinet construction. In doing so, we always benefit from knowledge transfer within the TARTLER GROUP,“ emphasizes Benjamin Beck. The medium-sized corporate group surrounding the plant manufacturer Tartler includes the machining technology specialist ZT Odenwald and the special machine manufacturer SOMATA alongside ETP Walther.

Control cabinets also according to UL 508A

ETP Walther‘s range of services includes not only the realization of individual control cabinet systems but also the production of complete control cabinet series with UL 508A certification if required. Regarding the designs, the company adheres to various customer specifications. Sometimes they are stationary floor cabinets or cabinet rows spanning several meters, other times they are mobile units on wheels, compact wall cabinets, or pure mounting plates for installation in existing cabinets produced at the Michelstadt facility. The current portfolio also includes custom solutions in special sizes for various mounting methods, equipped with fans, filter fans, cooling air openings, heat exchangers, cooling units, interior lighting, or special cable management. To improve ergonomics and space utilization, custom-made housing solutions often incorporate support arm systems for the installation of control elements and Human Machine Interfaces (HMI). Delivery and provision can be done in a pre-assembled condition or in modules, depending on the customer requirements.

Preserve and replace

However, manufacturers of machine tools and machining centers do not just rely on ETP Walther‘s expertise when it comes to having completely new control cabinets manufactured. The company is also often involved in modernization projects as well. „Retro-fitting or re-engineering of technically obsolete control cabinets has now reached a considerable scope,“ reports Benjamin Beck. For reasons of cost-eff ectiveness and resource conservation, he and his team typically aim to achieve an ideal solution at the component level, balancing the aspects of preservation and replacement.

Like all companies within the TARTLER GROUP, ETP Walther has access to the company‘s in-house F.E.D. research, development and demonstration center. „All members of the group are located in the immediate vicinity around the main plant in Michelstadt and form a technology cluster in which innovations and synergies quickly take eff ect,“ says Benjamin Beck.

Cooperations and partnerships

ETP Walther operates in a network of partnerships and collaborations with research institutes, material manufacturers and universities. This results time and again in innovative solutions for plant engineering and process automation. In close cooperation with Darmstadt Technical University, ETP Walther is currently driving forward the development of a CNC-controlled 3D printer for additive manufacturing of plastics on an industrial scale, for example.