Punching machine delivers the right parts for every security door in steel flawlessly

Don't just say door to the doors of Heinen Doors. The Malmedy-based company has made the production of security doors in steel its specialty. Each door is custom finished according to the required classifications and is guaranteed to retain its properties for at least fifteen years. Thanks to its modular structure, the workshop can work particularly efficiently, with the TruPunch 5000 at its heart.

Like so many metalworking companies, Heinen Doors grew out of the local forge. Tucked away, as it were, under the cathedral in Malmedy, but what rolls off the line is to be seen and has since gained international fame. 

"In the 1960s, the business evolved and started delivering more and more metal for building and construction work," says general manager Vincent Sana. When the son Hans-Dieter Heinen also joined the company, from his background as a civil engineer, he looked for a way to distinguish Heinen even more on the market. "With its own unique product that brought added value. From there the idea grew to focus production henceforth on steel security doors. After all, the major fire in the Innovation department store chain in 1967 had also raised awareness about fire safety among the government."

A shot in the arm. In 1973 they signed up for a world first in Malmedy, with the development of their first fire-resistant steel door suitable for intensive use. Heinen Doors can thus celebrate a 50th anniversary in 2023. Today, 4,000 to 5,000 security doors are produced each year, with varying properties: fire-resistant, burglar-resistant, anti-panic, explosion-resistant, bulletproof, air- and smoke-tight, soundproof ... you name it. To the specifications required by the standards and always with quality and longevity in mind. 

Sana: "We guarantee that our steel security doors will maintain their performance for 15 years. But actually they last much longer. With our strict quality requirements at every stage of production, we really make a difference. The basis of every door that leaves here is the modular Metal+ concept. A standard security door that has been tested and still performs after one million cycles of opening and closing. Depending on the requirements of our customer's applications, we then add one or more properties. Always with the necessary certifications. Always with the necessary accessories. Always tailored to the needs and legal requirements."

To build and finish its steel doors to perfection, Heinen Doors works with an internal configurator. "A fully automatic system that immediately controls the machines from the order," Sana explains. "This allows us to easily maintain an overview and proceed without errors in production." 

No easy feat, such an interface. Fortunately, Heinen Doors could count on a strong partner. "We have been working with V.A.C. Machines and TRUMPF for years. We knew we could rely on them for service. And they did not disappoint us with this challenge either. We explained to them what we wanted to accomplish and were very well served." So when an investment in a new punching machine came up, they didn't hesitate where to turn. "The demand for our doors is still growing every year. We wanted to create additional production capacity while adding new capabilities to our production."

A mission in which the TruPunch 5000 succeeds with flying colors. "The interface was there. However, we did go a lot further in the programming. A complex project that still took a year of preparation, but from which we now reap the benefits on a daily basis. Because you have to be able to follow: the machine is so fast, from changing tools to punching. I still marvel at it every time I see it in action. In addition, it can add an extraordinary number of operations, such as forming, tapping, aligning, marking.... 

For us, this was a strategic investment in our future. After all, the machine gives us the capacity to grow again. The emphasis within Heinen Doors is clearly on technology and innovation. Hence our choice of machines that are the cream of the crop. But our employees are also crucial in this story. We automate to ensure complexity and proper performance. But we also count on their expertise to achieve our goal together: a security door that does what it needs to do, when the time comes," concludes Sana.