Wickert UK Ltd - Maplan UK Ltd

About us

WICKERT stands for innovative composite press technology that guarantees maximum precision and quality.

Precision, Innovation, Responsibility
For 125 years, we have been rooted as a family business in the Southern Palatinate - with a clear view to the future.

We develop and manufacture high-precision hydraulic presses, set technological standards and boldly break new ground. Our actions are economical, responsible and sustainable - for our customers, our employees and society.
Our partially and fully automated production systems are specially developed for processing composite materials and enable efficient, reproducible production processes.
With customized process and system solutions, we offer optimal technologies for lightweight construction - individually tailored to your requirements.
Our composite press technology meets the highest standards while ensuring maximum precision. Whether semi- or fully automated production systems for composite materials – we develop solutions tailored precisely to your needs. Our focus is always on customized process and system concepts for lightweight construction technology, combining efficiency, quality, and future viability.

An overview of the advantages for you when using our WICKERT composite presses:
Heating processes up to 500 °C
Heating/cooling rates of 5 K/min
Special vacuum solutions up to 1 mbar final vacuum
Homogeneous temperature distribution using precision hotplates with accuracies up to +/- 0,3 K on the hotplate surface
High parallelism with the option of active parallelism control up to 0,025 mm/m
5-year warranty on all load-bearing parts

Examples:
Multi-stage laminating press for aircraft interior trim
The seven-stage laminating press is used to produce high-quality laminates for aircraft cabin interiors (“aircraft wallpaper”). The fully automated system enables a loading and unloading cycle of less than two minutes, significantly reducing press downtime. The loading and unloading process takes place in a separate room, while the product circulation is carried out via transport trays to ensure a continuous and efficient production process.

Production facility for carbon fibre reinforced carbon components
The production plant is designed for the manufacture of carbon fibre reinforced carbon components (CFC). The stacks are prepared under controlled conditions at a separate packing station to prevent the spread of carbon fibre dust. This is followed by fully automatic feeding to the two-stage press, where the components are consolidated under pressure and temperature. The finished components are automatically removed and fed to the next process step, ensuring a consistently efficient production flow.

Frame press for large-format composite components
The large-format frame press with a pressing force of 1,350 tons and integrated sliding table is designed for the development of novel composite components. Its robust construction and flexible design enable a high degree of process diversity and maximum adaptability when testing innovative material and manufacturing concepts.

Research press for composite applications with active parallelism control
The press has a pressing force of 300 t and active parallelism control with an accuracy of 0.025 mm. In combination with variothermal temperature control, it is optimally designed for the development of innovative composite components in the automotive industry. An integrated extraction system reliably removes vapours generated during the processing of special materials, while a vacuum tank enables rapid evacuation of the mould, thus supporting efficient process flows.

Large-format rotor blades
This press is used to manufacture large-format rotor blades using the RIM process for the production of air-water re-cooling systems for petroleum processing.
For ergonomic operation, the upper part of the tool, measuring up to 5,000 x 1,600 mm, can be swivelled 90° toward the operator.