STIRTEC – our success story as leading FSW company
FSW full-line supplier in the field of Friction Stir Welding, based in Austria.With more than 20 years of experience in welding technology, we are successfully guiding through the process of Friction Stir Welding and customers' applications. Well-known in the automotive market as a FSW full-line supplier, Stirtec is giving its expertise within the product development on weldability with the capability of manufacturing first prototypes over to providing most-productive solutions as FSW centers and complete production lines including automation.
Highlighting our product range from smaller application sizes in the HV inverter segment to large full-EV battery trays, Stirtec offers a broad variety within its machine portfolio to fulfill customers' requirements for high-productive manufacturing systems to the fullest - in line with the highly innovative standards of FSW technology.
History – Founder Thomas Weinberger and Gunter Figner
The founders of Stirtec have been developing and expanding the knowledge within the solid-state welding technique Friction Stir Welding since their early academical studies in year 2005. As part of the research focus, Dr. Weinberger and DI Figner set up an innovative Friction Stir Welding laboratory at the Institute of Materials Science and Welding Technology at Graz University of Technology, Austria. Their scientific research implements the analysis of the FSW technology for different material joints and its applicability for industrial use in the automotive industry. Out of this passion for Friction Stir Welding, the company Stirtec was founded in 2010 as a spin-off of the Graz University of Technology, with multiple patents in the development of the appropriate tooling, typical applications for processing and design of the corresponding machine equipment.
Relocation to enlarged factory building
- FSW engineering and development center in Kalsdorf near Graz, AT
- Triplication of production capacity and shopfloor space
- Provision of additional space for assembly of large gantry machines
- Expansion of FSW machine capacity to support customers with prototype production
Breakthrough patent RapidStir(R) by Stirtec GmbH
- Doubling conventional FSW welding speeds by means of an innovative spindel and machine design by Stirtec GmbH
- Achievement of highest welding speeds up to 5.000mm/min for applications in the PHEV/full-EV battery segment under serial production condition
Market entry into Asian market for major automotive project
Implementation of Stirtec's machine portfolio at major Tier-1 supplier to support leading car manufacturer in the Asian marketDISTRIBUTION OF FSW TURNKEY SYSTEM IN THE US
- Successful installation of linked production cell including multiple FSW machinery and the requested automation in North America, US
- Leading FSW project for innovative FSW technology for die casting battery structures with internal cooling circuit
Distribution of first FSW serial machines for major automotive project​
- Innovate product development in the e-mobility industry​
- Successful installation of the FSW machine equipment for serial production at Tier-1 facilities in Europe
FACTORY EXTENSION TO FSW FULL-LINE SUPPLIER
- Introduction of Stirtec machine portfolio as high-productive manufacturing systems (from smaller HV inverter housings to large full-EV battery trays)
- Additional facilities for prototype production of large battery housings
- Expansion of the customer base (OEM, Tier-1, Tier-2)
Company foundation: Stirtec GmbH
- Spin-Off of the Graz University of Technology for industrial use
- Product development with regard to weldability and prototype manufacturing
- Listing of Stirtec as technology partner company for OEMs in the area of product development and system provider for FSW
FSW industry projects at university of technology in Graz
Realization of multiple innovative projects with leading companies in the industry in terms of implementation of Friction Stir Welding