Thirteen nominees for the TechniShow Innovation Awards 2022 announced

A total of thirteen innovations were nominated today for the TechniShow Innovation Awards 2022. The possible winners are divided into three categories:Flexible Manufacturing, Smart Manufacturing and Digital Factory. The jury of the prestigious award is positive about the level of entries and sees a further evolution of digitalization in the manufacturing industry. 

The nominees in the categories follow below in alphabetical order.

Flexible Producing

The largest category is Flexible Manufacturing. In flexible manufacturing, a factory is able to produce different products all the time with the shortest possible lead times, from quotation to delivery and from order to delivery. Here, small series can be delivered as well as single pieces. 

BMO Automation

The BMO Iridium Robot Cell will be presented at the Technishow 2022 in the new HYBRID version.HYBRID Automation is the smart combination of pallet and product loading in one CNC automation. With HYBRID Automation, the machining industry can produce small series and single pieces interchangeably or split large series into several smaller series and produce them interchangeably in order of continuously changing priorities (High Mix -High Volume).

LVD Company 

LVD has submitted the Ulti-Form. Ulti-Form is distinguished from other robotic cells by its automatic programming. Ulti-Form generates its own bending and robotic programs and creates a correctly bent piece from a 3D file in less than 20 minutes. Teaching the robot to the press brake is no longer necessary. Ulti-Form is flexible during production: small or large series,automatic or yet manual, all is possible. The universal gripper automatically adapts to the piece. The size ranges from 50 x 100 mm to 1200 x 800 mm, and these can also be long and complex shapes.

RobWelding

From RobWelding comes a smart mold changing system. The mold changing system is unique in its simplicity and power to quickly and simply perform a mold change. The simplicity lies in the fact that a 'standard' pallet truck can be used to load and unload the manipulator. Because of the pallet truck, you are also free and thus flexible to choose your logistics path. The system is expandable for AGV functionality. The sensors ensure that the mold is automatically recognized and the correct program is started. This reduces the threshold for getting products to the robot. 

LAC Foundation 

The Smart Welding Factory platform comes from the quiver of the LAC Foundation. The Smart Welding Factory platform (SWF platform) is new, unique and distinctive for two reasons. First, it is completely brand-independent. This means that every brand of (welding) robot, (welding) cobot and welding source as well as every welding process is supported. In addition, the platform allows users to automatically generate robot programs, save welding data for reuse and real-time monitoring of welding quality and automates the process of calculating welding costs for quotations. 

All this is made possible by coupling Model Based Definition and Model Based Manufacturing technology with Digital Twin technology.

Teqram

With the EasyGrinder, Teqram is taking a stab at the prizes. Teqram has designed the so-called EasyEye. This camera can scan products by tracing all contours to map the product. This ensures that you do not have to manually program each new product, but can simply have it scanned in by the EasyEye. One application that takes advantage of this is the EasyGrinder. This allows you to place products on a bed and automatically deburr, grind and sand. Without programming. 

Valk Welding

With the Virtual Robot Programming System (VRPS) submitted by Valk Welding, a handheld can make a movement that forms the basis of the program perfected and executed by the robot. VRPS is thus the first system in the market to combine the simplicity of positioning through VR with the high-end technology of an industrial welding robot for controlling and correcting this positioning. With this, VRPS provides a solution within the system for accommodating inaccuracies associated with VR technology and thus distinguishes itself from all other systems in this segment.

Smart Manufacturing

The second category is Smart Produce. Smart Manufacturing is error-free production because every production step is 100 percent controlled. Thanks to flawless products (zero defect), failure costs are minimized. 

The nominees in the Smart Produce category are (in alphabetical order):

CNC Freestechniek B.V.

According to CNC Freestechniek, the Sonic Shark is the ear of a machine. To date, the human ear has been a widely used tool for evaluating the machining process. However, this is person-dependent and therefore relative, as experience is also a factor. With Sonic Shark, the human ear is replaced by digital sensors and analyzed in 3D and thus works even when no people are present (unmanned production). This allows you to monitor the entire machining process and intervene in time if there are deviations. And thisis human-independent. If the sound is constant you know the result is good.

Oude Reimer B.V.

The OR-APH(Old Reimer -Automated Preset Handling) is an in-house developed system for automatic presetting of tools for machine tools. It is a modular system that can be built up using a robot and Haimer presetting devices and can be offered to the customer as a customized system. Hereby, the software used was developed in-house. 

Automatic presetting optimizes, digitizes and simplifies the production process. Where it used to be manual operations to preset tools, a lot of time is now saved with automatic presetting. 

Q-Fin Quality Finishing Machines

The F1200 XL fromQ-Fin is distinguished not only by its striking design and the high speed at which products can be finished. It is the software solutions in combination with seventeen software-controlled motors in the machine that ensure that the machine is completely Industry 4.0 readyis. With four machining stations on barely 2 meters, this compact machine is able to realize deburring, rounding and finishing requirements in one pass and at high speed. With predefined programs, the quality of the product finish can be defined and guaranteed.  

Renishaw Benelux BV 

Renishaw Benelux enters the field of radio transmission probing systems for CNC machines with the QE Series. The QE series of on-machine probing systems comprises an ultra-compact RMI-QE (Radio Machine Interface-Quad Extended) radio interface with a communication protocol that is future-proofed to support a new generation of Renishaw sensors and smart devices. In addition, major updates to the complete range of this QE series of radio transmission probes provide industry-leading battery life. Simplified set-up of this range of products via the compatible smartphone Probe Set-up app enables remote diagnostics.

Van Ommen / Phantom

Phantom simplifies CNC milling with universal VHM cutter and work area icon. Drilling, milling, full slotting and 45 degree plunge, the Phantom HP2 can do it all. With this milling cutter, the Dutch tool manufacturer abandoned the DIN standard and now uses icons for programming without a calculation table. The cutter is coated with an aluminum chrome nitride (AlCrN) coating,suitable for dry and wet machining. The longer tool life means a higher reliability of the cutter, which is important today as more and more companies automate. 

Digital Factory

Finally, there is the Digital Factory category. In a digital factory, all information flows internally are digitally seamlessly and securely connected: from office, design, production, logistics to maintenance and management. 

The nominees in the Digital Factory category are (in alphabetical order):

ECI Software Solutions BV

With Gatewise, ECI Software Solutions hopes to win. Companies within the manufacturing industry are collaborating more and more closely. The exchange of information about purchase and sales orders, order confirmations, delivery times and invoicing is central to this. It ensures that companies have more insight into the logistics chain and can work together more efficiently. An important aspect within this chain integration is the issue of automation. Integrating the various chains and automating the various processes is complex when this has to be realized between multiple companies (customers and suppliers). ECI Gatewise is a platform for the manufacturing industry that connects companies and their IT technologies by automating processes across multiple applications. 

Widenhorn B.V. 

Widenhorn comes up with a logistic scrap module for cutting machines. More and more machines have automation or an automated sheet warehouse, but then the cut parts are still not ready for delivery or for the next operation. And how can the location and status of a product be seen at all times, without having to walk into the factory? That challenge is solved by the Widenhorn Unraveling module, which is integrated with the PROfirst CADCAM, Calculation & Shopfloor software and with any ERP system.Widenhorn's solutions already showed the ERP in real time which products from an order were nested or cut. Now it also provides feedback on how many were picked off. The employees picking out the nesting are shown the nesting on a large screen, and with colors they can clearly see which parts are in it. 

The winners of the three Awards will be announced on Aug. 29 during the Evening of Manufacturing.

TechniShow is the leading trade fair for innovative industrial production technology in the Benelux 

TechniShow will take place from August 30 to September 2, 2022. If you want to visit TechniShow and automatically receive all updates up to the show, register for free at event.technishow.co.uk and you'll get all the ins & outs up to the fair.