THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVES FRESMAK’S F-GRIP PROJECT WITHIN THE H2020 PROGRAMME

The company from Zarauz, FRESMAK, S.A. engaged in the manufacture of clamping solutions, has presented, in the second phase of the H2020 programme, its F-GRIP project, with an innovating clamping system based on a reversible adhesion principle, and which has been approved.

This represents considerable support for the launch of this ambitious project and pride for the company, as approved projects represent less than 5% of those presented.

The support of the European Commission is going to allow FRESMAK to perfect the product, performing tests and demonstrations, and appropriately getting ready for its subsequent manufacture and marketing.

F-GRIP PROJECT

The F-GRIP clamping system is based on the principle of reversible adhesion. The adhesive developed consists of a nanostructured two-phase polymer with different adhesion phases with temperature-based control. Managing the temperature permits gluing and ungluing any type of material with great clamping strength, without affecting the areas to be machined.

It affords endless advantages: clamping any material to be machined, reducing the need for clamping tools, reducing vibrations in machining, reducing the clamping and machining cost, etc. In addition, it is a reversible and recoverable system that is also environmentally-friendly.

This solution is mainly geared towards machining of complex parts with high added value, especially in highly-demanding sectors, such as the aeronautical sector, where large parts with complex geometries require different clamping structures, nowadays, and therefore a lot of time wastes in tool changeovers.

COMMITTING TO R&D&I

The origin of FRESMAK lies in a patent, and over the last 50 years, it has carried out more than twenty. Since the start, its motto has always been: “Innovation is not an option, it is our attitude”.

Moreover, FRESMAK is a company that has historically and occasionally collaborated with different organisations from the Basque Science and Technology Network, as well as with the UPV and Training Centres, supporting all their innovation activities. In 2004, the company created its own R&D unit with a department of three people engaged in developing new innovative products, as well as improving existing ones. This step represents an important change in the company’s mindset and in its budget, bearing in mind its dimension. In people, the company earmarks more than 10% of its resources to R&D&I, with investment/expenditure of around 8.3% the total turnover.

This dedication has taken FRESMAK to participate in many innovation projects, with greater intensity over the last few years, if possible. Noteworthy is a CDTI project in 2008, another project within the VII European Framework Programme called DYNAMILL for machining fine parts together with the German institute, Fraunhofer, and nine European partners. In 2013, and with the collaboration of the Polymat Institute of the University of the Basque Country, a project called “Design and development of a Chemical-Mechanical Complex Part Fastening System”, aimed at the aeronautical sector, which was also supported by CDTI, was developed. And recently, within the sphere of the SME Horizon H2020 programme, the F-Grip project, mentioned above.