News The continuous optimisation of manufacturing processes for mechanical components is one of the key success factors of the Swiss watchmaking industry. While traditional machining and stamping processes will continue to play an important role, emerging technologies such as laser machining, 3D printing and plasma etching are pushing the current limits to new heights of quality and performance. In order to capture this outstanding potential, Richemont and EPFL (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) are creating an academic chair in «Multi-scale Manufacturing Technologies». Richemont, a key Swiss player in the watchmaking and jewellery industry, will sponsor the activities of the future professor in EPFL’s Institute of Microengineering from 2015.
Microengineering, and the watchmaking sector in particular, are essential components of the industrial landscape in Western Switzerland. EPFL’s stake in the Microcity Campus in Neuchâtel is a clear sign of its ambition to support innovation and academic research in this field. Richemont is a leading employer with 10,000 employees in Switzerland and a total of 30,000 around the world. This new step is a self-evident continuation of the collaboration between the two institutions.
Multi-scale manufacturing combines disruptive technologies to produce high quality parts on any scale and at any level of precision. The integration of these new technologies in production will reinforce Switzerland’s leadership position in high-precision industries and high-end watchmaking. In particular, it will improve the performance and quality of watches, allowing for the use of new materials and enabling the fabrication of the most complex components.
May 14, 2014
