Many people say that he's a typical
German engineer,
who works very systematically and
has fancy ideas.
Stefan is a very - how would you say
it? - precise guy.
When you ask Stefan something,
he will look like this and frown,
then he will not say anything for a
while
and then he will answer spot on.
Not more, not less.
In my childhood I had these small
pieces of Fischertechnik
where you can build things.
OK, I do the same today -
on a bigger scale.
I cannot tell you when this moment
happens
where you have this idea where
you say,
"OK, this is the direction we have to
go."
Sometimes I have it walking.
Sometimes I have it swimming.
Sometimes it happens if I have a tool
in my hand
and think, "OK, if we modify it like
that it will work."
The tricky thing is you have to note
down these ideas.
I have a yellow book and write down
all my ideas.
September 17, 2010.
Stefan made a note in his yellow
book.
The idea he had was a completely new
way to produce gears.
I made a note in my yellow book
and said, "OK, the main question is
how we can split the cutting forces,"
and then I left it like that.
And after a while I had the idea of,
"OK, we can make it in a turn milling
operation."
But it's not turn milling where you
have a constant centre point.
What we are doing is making a turn
milling process
but we are continuously changing the
centre point
and also the radius of the turn
milling operation.
December 12, 2012.
The method was commercially
introduced.
It was named InvoMilling.
Involute is the name of the curve of
a gear.
Invo for involute and milling for
milling.
So InvoMilling.
It might not sound like some fabulous
invention
but if you enter a regular shop that
makes gears,
especially, say, what we call a job
shop,
making small ones and big ones
and different kinds,
you can have a room that is almost
like the room behind us here
full of gear tools
and some they haven't used in ten
years
but still one day, maybe.
So this invention, if you have the
right machine,
even if you need to buy the right
machine,
and the software and a few of our
tools,
you can replace the whole of that
room with three tools.
I guess it's passion.
It's a passion to develop new things.
And of course it's fun for me because
it's a passion.
I like to develop new things.
