For Angst + Pfister, Rubber is Something Special
For Angst + Pfister, Rubber is Something Special
At their Dübendorf site, Angst + Pfister is advancing elastomer research for tomorrow’s challenges.
“The Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich is a project close to our heart,” says Chief Technology Officer Erich Schmid. In the former paint shop of the Dübendorf airfield, the Zurich company’s R&D division runs multiple test benches dedicated to advanced material development.
Their website prominently states, "We’ve already met," and it’s likely true—the chances of encountering Angst + Pfister products multiple times a day are high. "Maybe three or four times a day," estimates Schmid. The company’s specialized elastomer parts are found in a variety of everyday items: water systems, coffee machines, trains, trams, cars, and even agricultural equipment. Their expertise centers on sealing, damping, buffering, storage, and support solutions.
Their most common product is the "O-ring," used for sealing in systems such as tanks, watches, and water dispensers. "There are a thousand different materials—literally, a thousand—for an O-ring," Schmid notes. "Each application requires meeting unique standards and safety regulations, ensuring resistance to corrosive liquids, and guaranteeing a long service life—all while keeping production costs down."
The demand for these specialized materials is immense. Recently, Angst + Pfister has expanded into the semiconductor industry, creating ultra-pure elastomers for computer chip manufacturing. "Across the group, we develop 700 to 1,000 new innovations annually." Many of these have already been developed and tested at their facilities in Dübendorf over the past few months.
Mr. Schmid, what makes Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich unique for your company?
Erich Schmid: Primarily, it’s the inspiring environment and the immediate proximity to universities. The Innovation Park Zurich is a place where science and industry work hand in hand to develop the ideas of tomorrow. This is where a place of the future is being created, an extraordinary community from diverse fields of expertise.
Why is that so important?
We want to be one of the best possible employers—and such an environment is motivating. At the same time, Angst + Pfister continues to grow and places a strong focus on its own research and development. Our need for skilled people, excellent engineers, material scientists, software developers, and other professionals will therefore continue to increase.
What fascinates you personally about this place?
That ideas are generated and implemented, and people motivate each other. For example, it is extremely exciting to see how the ETH student competition teams test their developments on the premises, such as when the Formula Student team takes test laps.
What exactly does the research and development department do?
We develop and test high-performance materials, elastomers for specific applications that can be produced as energy- and cost-efficiently as possible. This requires many tests. About 70 percent are custom solutions, while 30 percent are covered by already developed solutions, the so-called standard products. Our research and development department helps to ensure that future customer needs can also be implemented innovatively.
The current facilities at the Innovation Park have become too small for Angst + Pfister. As a result, a new development laboratory is now in the planning stages.
