Swiss company Forplan AG and Ecoclean GmbH/UCM AG opened a new technology center in Biel at the end of March 2025. The companies are thus jointly expanding their capacities for process development and optimization as well as contract machining in the areas of mass finishing and fine cleaning of precision parts. For customers from the DACH region and interested parties from the watchmaking industry, medical technology, precision mechanics and general precision parts manufacturing, the combined processing capacities offer a suitable test environment for complementary production steps.
State-of-the-art technology for mass finishing and cleaning
The equipment of the multi-bath ultrasonic cleaning system includes all processes and technologies that are used in the watch industry and by its suppliers for efficient, reliable and ecologically compatible cleaning (Photo: Ecoclean GmbH)Increasing demands on the surface quality and cleanliness of precision parts require customer- and part-specific, economical and sustainable solutions for both mass finishing and component cleaning. It therefore made sense to offer interested customers testing and processing capacities for the complementary production steps under one roof. Biel-based Forplan AG and Ecoclean GmbH/UCM AG have turned this idea into reality with a joint test center. The center at Forplan's headquarters in Biel now covers the entire production chain of precision parts manufacturing. In particular, the focus is on the watch industry, medical technology, precision mechanics and general parts production.
The new center is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and systems technology. Various machines and process technologies are available for mass finishing, as well as a wide range of processing media (grinding and polishing media, powders, compounds, pastes and granulates). This variety makes it possible to design and optimize processes that are precisely adapted to the respective requirements.
For parts cleaning, the UCMWatchLine is an integrated multi-bath ultrasonic cleaning system tailored to the requirements of the watch industry and its suppliers. This cleaning system is equipped with all the processes and technologies used in this industry for efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly cleaning. This allows the technically and economically optimal cleaning solution to be selected for the specific task - for example the removal of grinding and polishing pastes. We also offer trials on systems which, thanks to their equipment and flexibility in process design, meet the high requirements for cleaning components from medical technology and other industries with strict cleanliness specifications. These include, for example, the pulsed pressure cleaning (PPC) process. This ensures that contaminants are reliably removed even from very complex geometries, narrow gaps and fine structures.
Surface treatment and parts cleaning as a service
In addition to tests on the design and optimization of system technology and processes, the companies at the Technology Centre also offer contract processing in the areas of mass finishing and cleaning. This is primarily aimed at companies for which the investment in appropriate equipment for a new series part is not yet worthwhile due to the quantities involved. This service can also be used if new processes need to be developed to meet increased cleanliness requirements or for special parts that require higher cleanliness standards than the rest of the product range. In both cases, customers benefit from the fact that, in contrast to conventional contract machining, the mass finishing or cleaning processes developed can be used immediately when investing in plant technology at a later date.
