Anyone looking for ultra-precise parts, components or systems ‘on the edge of technology’ ends up at NORMA in Drachten. The former Philips toolmaker is the world's preferred supplier to the high-tech industry and one of the few companies that can guarantee an accuracy of (less than) one thousandth of a millimeter.
By Berend Henk Huizing
Proton irradiation is a new radiation technique to treat cancer. Doctors can use a special pencilbeam to deliver radiation at depth and thus treat a tumor in a very targeted way. With this technique, hardly any radiation is released on tissue other than the tumor, so healthy tissue can be better spared. This form of radiation is not yet given in the Netherlands, but it is given in Germany and Switzerland. ’’For the manufacturer of these irradiators, we make some of the most critical parts,’’ explains Lars de Groot, plant manager of Norma Drachten. ,,We don't need to know so much about how the device works, we do need to know how the function it performs can best look. That is why we work closely with our clients. We only deliver custom work and for that, cooperation with the client is essential.''
,’’A lot of techies really like the candy jar here.''
Norma is a high-tech first-tier supplier that makes high-precision parts with dimensions smaller than a paper clip to the size of a shoebox. In addition, these parts are made from a variety of materials such as stainless steel, aluminum and the exotic materials Molybdenum and Tantalum. Examples include tools for shaver caps at Philips and machine parts and assemblies for chip production at ASML. The high-tech company is one of the few in the world that can guarantee an accuracy of less than one thousandth of a millimeter. ,,Our main markets are defense, optical and consumer parts and the medical industry. These all need precision parts for components of which there is often only one. Moreover, our customers demand very high delivery reliability and we can guarantee that. The letters of our name do not stand for Nie Ohne Richtiges Messen Arbeiten for nothing. We know for sure what we make, the quality of our products is far above all.’’ Norma's customers must be 100 percent confident that what they get is good and can be supplied for a long time. ’’We are able to supply ten products a week for years. You have to be able to do both: help new customers get the best process and also provide the customer with the best parts for a long time.''
Moore
According to De Groot, Norma's strength lies in its extensive experience in ultra-precision operations. ,,Where other suppliers stop we continue, that is what we are known for. We don't sell ‘no’ and together with customers we always look for possible solutions. In this way we try to make the impossible possible. That's in our corporate culture.’’ Norma does not employ physicists who scientifically calculate all materials. Our production employees are technically trained and because they shadow experienced colleagues from the beginning and receive specific professional training, their learning curve is strong. This increases their level of knowledge and the quality and accuracy of our products. Moore's law almost applies to us. We work more and more precisely: ten years ago we were at 10 µm, now it is 1 µm. The parts we make today are much more precise and more difficult to manufacture than last year. And this is true every year. That means we continue to invest in our people and machines.‘’ That Norma is an attractive employer is evidenced by the large number of applications for internships and open applications. ’’People come to work here because of the hardcore engineering, on the edge of the manufacturable, even though we don't make a recognizable product like a car. You work with the best machines here and have the freedom to operate them yourself. Many techies really like the candy jar here.’’
3D printing
To stay ahead, Norma has embarked on a new adventure, 3D printing. The current technology Norma uses removes material to make products. Think, for example, of metal milling. With 3D printing, the production method is the exact opposite: building products bit by bit. ,,That requires a different way of working and therefore a different way of thinking. That is why we are participating in the 3D project of the Innovatiecluster Drachten.’’ The high-tech companies are jointly purchasing an industrial 3D printer. ’’Alone we could never have done this, but together we can raise enough money to buy one or two printers.’’ Norma provides the knowledge of machines and their maintenance in this project. ’’For example, you have to think carefully about keeping the machines clean, the timely replacement of wear parts and the management burden of such a machine. Our knowledge and experience of how materials behave is proving very valuable.’’ Once the machines are in place, the high-tech parts maker will test and try them out. ''We need to learn how materials behave when they are built up rather than milled away. After all, the quality must be excellent for our products to remain reliable. Those tests may show that certain materials are suitable and others are not.'' Small series may be produced within a few months, but De Groot does not expect to have his own 3D printers in production until two years from now. ''So we want to know in time what can and cannot be done with them.'' The expectation is that, because of the high-precision products we make, there will always be a need for post-processing after 3D printing and that for some products 3D printing will take too long or be too expensive, leaving conventional machines usable.''
norma
In 1954, Austrian Georg Blaim founded the company Norma in Hengelo, ‘Nie Ohne Richtiges Messen Arbeiten. Blaim was headstrong, something that still characterizes the company. In 2006, Norma misses out on a sizeable order because it was said to be ’too small. Partly for this reason, the management decides to grow further through acquisitions. Thus in Hengelo the machine factory of electronics group Thales is taken over and in Drachten the machine factory of Philips. In May 2014, Norma acquires engineering firm Mecon. Norma Groep has 400 employees and four branches.