Focus on Digitalisation
IEF-Werner presented a section of new and proven solutions at the Motek 2018. Among them were exciting advancements such as the new generation of the aiPRESS series: numerous improvements provide even more precise processes. Roland Wertz – manager research & development at IEF-Werner – explains how it started, which demands the clients nowadays have at the assembly technology and how the in-creasing digitalization influences the branch.
1. Mister Wertz, IEF-Werner is a regular guest at the Motek since the very beginning of the fair. What makes the company so interesting?
Roland Wertz: For us, the Motek is clearly the leading fair for assembly and handling technology. Additionally, it is located at the heart of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart, where we, as well as many clients are located. The Motek offers a good opportunity to exchange ideas. We also meet potential clients. I am repeatedly impressed by the quality of the talks. Moreover, we are not the only ones to present our innovations, but we observe the novelties of our competitors with great interest.
2. Which trends recently stir the assembly and handling technology – and are they mirrored at the Motek?
Roland Wertz: Definitely, the Motek is a reflection of the branch. Especially the topic Industry 4.0 plays a role for the production of tomorrow. Thereby not only the production plants are further automatized, but also the components themselves. Producers equip those increasingly with interfaces and software, in order to organise them intelligently and connectedly. A further trend is sustainability. In order to stay competitive, the companies want to reduce total costs and save energy, but also adjust quickly and simply to changed production conditions or performance demands. Concerning IEF-Werner, this means a holistic optimisation of components, plants and systems. This concerns mechanics as well as controls.
3. How many of your systems are constructed modularly?
How much modularity is really needed in assembly and handling technology?
Roland Wertz: Customized and future-proof solutions, which can be adapted quickly and easily to new production processes, can be realised with finely coordinated components. For example, we support the operators with the modular construction of our systems, so that they are able to react economically to smaller batch sizes and increasing variety of variants. We can adapt the plants exactly according to the demands with our modular systems. Thereby the users receive an efficient and sustainable solution. The consistent modularization of hard and software guarantees a flexibility and at the same time, cost and time reduction which was unattained until now.
4. You presented amongst other the evolved servo press series aiPRESS. What was the reason for the optimization?
Roland Wertz: Our DNA contains the urge to develop the systems permanently further, in order to increase the use for the operator consequently. With this goal, we improved the proven aiPRESS in details. The client receives our servo press generation with numerous optimizations in the mechanical and control part. It offers amongst others more force on compact space compared to the predecessor. Furthermore, we built it up modularly – following the recent trend. The client profits additionally from the new software functions such as wear and maintenance display.
5. How do you manage to react to special challenges of the clients?
Roland Wertz: Thereby we cooperate very closely with the users. Concerning joined development projects, this involves feasibility studies, construction demands up to the complete machine. This innovative approach is often unique. The cross-sectoral understanding of the market paired with the different engineering disciplines at the IEF-Werner site enable innovative and at the same time efficient solutions.
6. Topic Industry 4.0: How much can the branch feel the digital change and how much does the digitalization influence the development of IEF-Werner?
Roland Wertz: Industry 4.0 is an unchanging big topic area in the branch. Different companies, that develop machines and components for the production industry, state that they offer products and services for the whole value chain concerning the slogan industry 4.0. Digitalisation is an important part for all of our developments. We develop our products constantly further, together with partners or as part of standardization boards. The aim is to optimize all of our components and systems based on knowledge and information and therefore to generate application specific and user oriented value-added information.
7. Can you name a recent example?
Roland Wertz: We developed an intelligent toothed belt axis within the scope of a joint project supported by the European Union. The intelligence hereby concern the ability to describe itself and state all relevant statistical and dynamic data. These are aggregated and analysed. Such an intelligent component monitors its condition and performance permanently and is able to analyse its own wear. The user gets statements concerning the lifecycle of the component and propositions of the next maintenance date. He can thereby plan punctually service appointments and is immune to unexpected failures.
The toothed belt axis communicates additionally with other components of the system via a cloud connection in order to include further information into the analysis of the own environment; a keyword here is spread sensor networks.
Another example is our assembly system smallFLEX. The flexibly adaptable solution can be converted during running operations. The user is even able to change whole production or assembly modules. The decentral control and the RFID technology of the used work piece carriers render this possible. Moreover, the system components are equipped with self-sufficient control modules, which can be linked with each other via Ethernet. The vision of a “plug and produce” assembly has become reality. This does not only reduce time and costs during the commissioning, but especially when changing the product frequently.