move

The magazine for customers and partners of WITTENSTEIN SEMedia Literacy 4.0“Smart” employees for the smart factory

October 2016

move talks to
Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittensteinmove

The magazine for customers and partners of WITTENSTEIN SE

Contents

Masthead
Publisher:
WITTENSTEIN SE
Walter-Wittenstein-Str. 1
97999 Igersheim / Germany
Phone: +49 7931 493-0
www.wittenstein.de
move@wittenstein.de
Editorial content:
Sabine Maier,Manager Press & Public Relations(Responsible under press law)
Issue:
17 / October 2016
Circulation:
German: 3600 copies
English: 1400 copies
Production:
IMMAGIS
Königsbergerstr. 20
97072 Würzburg / Germany
Cover photo: Trainees Christian Betz
(left) and Alexander Zangl at the video
shoot for a digital learning system at
WITTENSTEIN SE
Article on pages 22-23: Content by Claudia Pirotta, freelance journalist
All rights reserved. This document may
not be reprinted
or electronically distributed without
the express permission of the publisher.

2 move4

Interview with
Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein

6

Media Literacy 4.0“Smart” employees for the smart factory8

Two partners devise technologies
WITTENSTEIN alpha GmbH

12

Galaxie® Drive System excites academia and business

14

Packaging at lightning speed
WITTENSTEIN motion control GmbH

16

Flexible control of gripping elements
WITTENSTEIN cyber motor GmbH20

Chipless rack pinning
WITTENSTEIN alpha GmbH

22

Innovative laser cutting
WITTENSTEIN Italy

24

Drive technology for civil protection excavators
WITTENSTEIN Switzerland

26

WITTENSTEIN opens regional office in Turkey

27

Trade fair calendar 2016/17

From left: Dr. Dirk Haft, Erik Roßmeißl, Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein, Dr. Bernd Schimpf

Dear readers,
A headline in the relevant specialized media recently caught the together with you, our customers and business partners – oneye of many observers: “Industry 4.0 needs a new type of em- a geographical, technological and organizational level. Board
ployee”. But have we really got enough qualified people for the Spokeswoman Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein introduces herdigital world? Production in the future will by no means simply self in an interview on pages 4/5.
be a question of how to implement technologies; it will pose aserious challenge for schools, universities and not least voca- “WITTENSTEIN on all axes” – this is our motto for the upcoming
tional and further training concepts in business enterprises. It MOTEK, the International Trade Fair for Assembly and Handlingtherefore seems an obvious strategy to introduce our own next Technology from October 10 to 13, 2016 in Stuttgart. The motto
generation to the subject in a fun way. Our trainees and stu- reflects our aim of exciting our customers with innovative medents have now taken the first step along this exciting path in a chatronic drive solutions. Or, “translated” into products: the serhands-on project. And because the future will belong to “smart” vo worm gearheads in the WITTENSTEIN alpha V-Drive productemployees for the smart factory, we have decided to show two family will be on show for the first time at the exhibition, withof them on the cover of this latest issue of move.
both a new series and a technological upgrade of proven gearhead variants. Secondly – and no less exciting – is our new chipNetworking – that much-cited buzzword in the Industry 4.0 less principle for rack pinning. You can discover how that works
context also demands a response from us, the WITTENSTEIN upfront on pages 20/21 – but we recommend that you also put
Group’s Management Board. Our new team has shared the it to the test live at our booth in Hall 8, Stand 8121.
responsibility for the company since October 1. All four of us
have already been attached to WITTENSTEIN for a very long Last but not least: the former WITTENSTEIN AG will in future optime in various management positions, and we’re now looking erate as WITTENSTEIN SE and is listed as a European Company.
forward to this great opportunity to get our family firm ahead Our legal form now also reflects our globalization strategy.

The WITTENSTEIN SE Management Board
Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein, Dr. Dirk Haft, Erik Roßmeißl, Dr. Bernd Schimpf

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3

move talks to:

Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein

4 moveInterview

Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein, aged 40, has alreadybeen a Member of the WITTENSTEIN Group’s
Management Board since April 1, 2016 and has now
been appointed Board Spokeswoman with effect from
October 1. She has a degree in Business Administration
and a PhD in Engineering. Dr. Manfred Wittenstein’s
eldest daughter joined the family run firm in 2007, andamongst other things has held the position of General
Manager at our Swiss facility in Grüsch as well as
Chairwoman of the Board of the WITTENSTEIN Holding
Corp. in Bartlett / Chicago (USA).

move: You’ve been a Member of the Board
at the company headquarters in Igersheim-Harthausen for a good six months now.
Do you feel like you’ve finally “arrived”?
Dr. Anna-Katharina Wittenstein: No, I wouldn’t
say that. “Arrived” sounds far too much to me
like “goal achieved” or “resting on my laurels”. I
don’t think that’s the right picture, either for me
personally or for WITTENSTEIN. We’re constantly changing and we want to stay on themove the whole time – helping our customers
replace something good with something evenbetter. That's our ambition. Secondly, even in
the narrow sense, I’ve never really been gone –apart from the years when I was a student andmy time as a research assistant at Fraunhofer
IPA (Institute for Manufacturing Engineeringand Automation). The connection has always
been there. I used to love playing in the production shop as a child. The years I spent in
Switzerland and the U.S. were very intensive
and instructive. I was keen to gather broadinternational experience before taking on responsibility for the WITTENSTEIN Group overall. And that’s where I am now.

the future. As a high-performance network,
WITTENSTEIN is continuously evolving on ageographical, technological and organizational level. Our mental starting point is the clearest
possible focus on customers and markets; anagile, highly innovative and extremely effective
organization is our objective. It’s a goal we’recommitted to pursuing – for the benefit of both
our customers and our employees.
Women are still a tiny minority in management
positions. Particularly in the engineering industry, they’re very much the exception. Do you
have a harder time than your male colleagues?
The question doesn’t arise for me. The reasons
why there are fewer women than men in management positions, especially in our industry,
are already well-documented. Beyond that, I
don’t get the impression in my daily work that
I’m perceived first and foremost as a woman,or that I’m judged more or less favourably thana man would be. I believe that anyone is capable of showing at least a minimum of objectivity
and discernment, and what I’ve experienced
so far confirms that. Women and men may
have different abilities, strengths and weaknesses – but that’s something we should understand as an opportunity and leverage as ateam. At the end of the day it’s the results thatcount.

You were appointed Board Spokeswoman tocoincide with Professor Dieter Spath’s departure. As such, you are also the face of the company’s basic strategic direction. What are yourplans in this area? In a nutshell, what can we“Results count” – that’s also the internal motexpect from you?
to for the WITTENSTEIN Group this fiscal year.
For a start, there’s absolutely no reason toquestion everything that’s proved so suc- It’s the benchmark you’ll be judged by as a
Board Member. If you had to sum it up in a
cessful up until now. At the same time, thesingle word, what would you like your individunew Management Board in general – andwe see ourselves as a team spanning differ- al contribution to be measured by? What’s themost important thing for you personally?
ent functions, even though I might be the one
Attitude.
to get most of the limelight – obviously has
its own ideas and intends to develop them in

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5

WITTENSTEIN GroupMedia Literacy 4.0“Smart” employees for the smart factory
Industry 4.0 is not simply a question of how to implement technologies; it’s also a challenge
for employee training, development and qualification. In both technical and commercial
professions, creating media literacy is increasingly important alongside teaching the basic“tools of the trade”, imparting management methods and developing soft skills.

6 move»The ‘smart’ employee in thesmart factory is characterized bya high level of media literacy.«
Dr. KATHRIN HECKNER,
MANAGER PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING AT WITTENSTEIN

The success of the digital learning system is“It’s only logical that the increasingly digitizedpatently visible: the online training tool encourworld of work should be integrated as anages self-learning and is a meaningful support
additional element in vocational and further
training”, says Dr. Kathrin Heckner, Manag- for trainees, or for new staff during the inducer Personnel Development and Training attion phase, when they are being taught how to
WITTENSTEIN. “We wanted to introduce ourassemble the practice gearhead.
own next generation to the subject of Indus- The platform is not only designed to be usedin-house, however; it is also a training channel
try 4.0 in a fun way, which is why we launchedthat will in future be utilized to offer and pro- “Smart” employees convince witha project with trainees and Cooperative State
media literacy and management expertisevide content to WITTENSTEIN customers andUniversity students to promote digital media
literacy, personal initiative, team working abil- sales partners. “Our Customer Service has al- The development of the video portal and thechance to shoot more than twenty videos –ity and the application of new project manage- ready shown a few of the videos to customers
motivated by their affinity with new media andment methods.
– and the initial feedback has been extremelysocial networks – provided the trainees andpositive. They can easily imagine all kinds of
A project with practical relevance:
advantages, for example when it comes to as- students with a successful introduction to
Industry 4.0 and taught them valuable skills
sembling and maintaining gearheads or servo
development of a digital learning system
necessary for innovative management methTo make sure the trainees’ and students’ actuators”, Dr. Kathrin Heckner reports. Apartknowledge of this topic was not purely the- from building up media literacy, the project hasods. “Smart employees in smart factories are
oretical, they were given a mission with clear
also familiarized the trainees and students withcharacterized by a high level of media literacy
practical relevance: they were asked to refash- modern project management methods andand they’re optimally prepared to expand theirknowledge in a self-organized fashion. That
ion a physically existent training kit for assem- how to realize them.
Dr. Kathrin Heckner: “The project participants
combination is a key personal qualification forbling WITTENSTEIN gearheads into a digital
succeeded in implementing and controlling theboth them and us on the way to Industry 4.0”,
learning system with videos they had to shoot
Dr. Kathrin Heckner concludes.
themselves. What originally began as a train- complexity of the task at hand in such a waythat the digital learning system meets the highCreating media literacy is set to become an
ing project turned out to be something much
quality standards that were stipulated for theincreasingly important element of in-company
bigger: “Those young people filled a complete
didactic concept and the media design. Agile
training in the next few years. There are curonline video platform with life”, Dr. Kathrin
project processing techniques were commu- rently around 180 trainees and placement stuHeckner explains. “Just like on YouTube, theynicated in passing, as it were, as part of thedents at WITTENSTEIN, but many more users
can now post homegrown videos online andwill profit equally, both now and in the future.
share them with all staff throughout the Group.” training project.”

The training video can be played by scanning a QR code: it encourages self-learning and supports trainees or
new staff when they are being taught how to assemble the practice gearhead.

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7

Applications

SIG Combibloc and WITTENSTEIN:
Two partners devise technologies
Trust, openness, shared success – these are the crucial pillars of the longstanding
cooperation between SIG Combibloc and WITTENSTEIN. What began in a rather
unusual way nearly twenty years ago is meanwhile a well-established, two-way
technology and innovation partnership.

SIG Combibloc is one of the world’s leading system suppliers of
aseptic carton packaging and filling machines for beverages andfood. With an annual turnover of 1.72 billion euros, the company is
one of the key players in this market. A marked openness to newtechnologies is a crucial aspect here: “Non-conformist thinking, awillingness to try out novel ideas and a desire to test new limits havetraditionally been the doctrine of our developers and engineers”, explains Bernd von Birgelen, Head of Competence Pool Handling &Transfer at SIG Combibloc Systems GmbH. In 1997, the firm’s attention was drawn to a like-minded partner: WITTENSTEIN.

8 moveA joint achievement:
servo actuators in packaging technology
The very first time a WITTENSTEIN gearhead was used in a SIG
Combibloc filling machine, its job wasn’t to transmit a motion but toreduce it. “It was a rather unusual task for a gearhead, but it worked
and it helped cut the costs for the machine”, Bernd von Birgelen recalls. Servo gearheads later made their debut in another application,and the line speed was increased from 2500 to 3000 packs per hour.

Right-angle gearheads on the valve clusterof a Combibloc 612 food packaging machine:
Tappets and valves are moved by transmitting alinear motion“The gradual technology shift to WITTENSTEIN servo gearheads and motor / gearhead units meant SIG
Combibloc was regularly able to announce significant performance improvements by its machines”,
acknowledges Jürgen Blümel of Competence Pool Forming & Sealing at SIG Combibloc Systems GmbH(right) in conversation with Josef Tintrop, Sales Manager at WITTENSTEIN alpha’s Engineering OfficeWest in Dinslaken (left).

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9

»SIG Combibloc sees WITTENSTEIN’s servo
technology as an ‘enabling technology’
that is at least partly responsible for the top
performance delivered by its machines today.«
BERND VON BIRGELEN,
HEAD OF COMPETENCE POOL HANDLING & TRANSFER
AT SIG COMBIBLOC SYSTEMS GMBH

At the interface between the mandrel wheel and chain sections, V-Drive +worm gearheads are used to lift the fold.

The first obstacle had been overcome. The gradual technology shift
from pneumatic to servo technology meant SIG Combibloc was regularly able to announce significant performance improvements by its
machines. “Our gaze has increasingly turned to servo capability witheach new generation of machines”, says Jürgen Blümel of Competence Pool Forming & Sealing at SIG Combibloc Systems looking
back. WITTENSTEIN has continued to provide active support to thefirm’s engineers as a development partner to this day.
WITTENSTEIN on all axes – with good reason
SIG Combibloc currently installs various high-end right-angle gearheads such as HG+, TK+ and V-Drive+ as well as high-end TP+ and SP+
planetary gearheads depending on the specified function, the performance demanded and the space available – all built by WITTENSTEIN alpha and almost all in a corrosion resistant design. There’s nosign anywhere of servo technology from other manufacturers – withgood reason. “WITTENSTEIN alpha products are innovative and perform extremely well; they make our machines more flexible, increase
their throughput and guarantee optimal processing quality in continuous, dynamic operation. What’s more, the support we get from
Sales and Customer Service leaves nothing to be desired and thedevelopers are always very receptive to any new ideas. It’s a partnership on equal terms”, adds Bernd von Birgelen enthusiastically.
From component supplier to expert partner
SIG Combibloc sees WITTENSTEIN’s servo technology as an “enabling technology” that is at least partly responsible for the top performance delivered by its machines today. “It was only possible because our cooperation progressed from a simple supplier-customer
relationship to a two-way innovation and expert partnership”, says
Bernd von Birgelen. “Corrosion resistant servo gearheads and actuators, and more recently also Hygienic Design, are just two instances of projects we’ve undertaken together. WITTENSTEIN has beenable to take advantage of our know-how here regarding the requirements in food processing plants with sterile and wet areas. In the
opposite direction, we profit from WITTENSTEIN’s ability to deliver
appropriately designed components that conform to our rigorous
standards and significantly enhance the efficiency and the value ofour machines.” There are many examples which underline the quality of the collaboration between SIG Combibloc and WITTENSTEIN.
“On top of that, the support provided to key accounts – both technicaland commercial – couldn’t be better”, confirms Stefan Mergel, Headof Downstream and Procurement Engineering Equipment Supply
Chain Management & Procurement at SIG Combibloc. “The present
cooperation takes place within a very close relationship that easily
exceeds preferred supplier status.” In the meantime, it isn’t simply

10 move

restricted to gearheads but also includes complete motor / gearhead
units, such as the compact servo actuators in the TPM+ power series,
which are installed in NewFood machines.
SIG Combibloc has set itself the objective of being more than just a
supplier of first-class technology for its customers. The cooperation
with WITTENSTEIN is evidence that the company also practises thisphilosophy successfully in its dealings with partners.

Applications

The compact TPM+ power and TPM+ dynamic servo actuators are currently proving their worth at SIG Combibloc
on a test facility for the NewFood machine, where they drive the mandrel wheel and the fill nozzles dynamically.

Beverage cartons, large or small, are all manufactured
and filled in the same way

Which WITTENSTEIN solution for whichmachine function? Josef Tintrop (right) inconversation with Christian Turobin of theCompetence Pool PLC & Process Control at SIG
Combibloc Systems (centre) and Christoph
Bremer of the SIG Combibloc Competence Pool
Handling & Transfer (left).

Servo technology has superseded pneumatics
in the ultrasound station, where the anvil andultrasonic sonotrodes are pressed together
by means of coupling elements, because thepacks are no longer transported and sealed
sequentially but simultaneously, which isconsiderably faster.

The basic design of all SIG Combibloc machines always consistsof four modules regardless of the size of the beverage cartons forwhich they are intended: so-called sleeves are folded in the mandrel wheel section, then pushed onto mandrels and heated. As partof the same process, the base of the packaging is first folded andthen sealed by the bottom press. In the downstream chain section,
compressed air blows dust particles out of the packaging, which isstill open at the top; the pre-punched creases and folds in the carton material are broken and pre-folded in preparation for sealing. In
the aseptic zone, the packaging is sterilized with hydrogen peroxide(H 2O2), dried, filled with product and ultrasonically sealed.
Next, a handling module transfers the filled and sealed primary packaging to a conveyor, which takes them away. The folding, filling andsealing processes are completed amazingly fast. A six-lane Combibloc CFA 124, for instance, achieves an output of 24,000 packs anhour, equivalent to sixteen million machine cycles a year for every
lane. The machines have to be capable of keeping up this performance for at least ten years – an incredible 160 million cycles all told.
There are two fundamental reasons why this kind of efficiency andavailability are a reality today: one is the consistent use of servo technology and the other the powerful gearheads and actuators which
do a reliable job every single time.

move 11

Applications

Galaxie ® Drive System
excites academia and business“New gearhead generation revolutionizes highperformance engineering” – this was the tenor of
the headlines last year when the press reported
on the Galaxie® Drive System. It was the vision ofa gearhead that dispenses with gearwheels thatinspired WITTENSTEIN to develop a brand newgearhead generation, with features that would
previously have been inconceivable.
Recent enquiries from textbook authors,
prestigious awards and challenging applications
testify to the status the Galaxie® Drive Systemmeanwhile enjoys in research, academia andindustry.

12 move

Galaxie® writes a new chapter in textbook series
The 8th edition of RWTH Aachen University’s Machine Tools Compendium, published by Springer Vieweg and edited by the University’s Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering, isdue to appear in mid-2017. Aimed at students, engineers and users,
the book covers a wide array of subjects, including the design offeed drives like those used by machine tools to execute highly dynamic drive motions. Chapter 2 “Feed axes in machine tools; feed
gears” now contains an introduction to the principle, mode of operation, potential applications and benefits of the Galaxie® Drive System.
“The editors – Professors Manfred Weck and Christian Brecher ofthe Department of Machine Tools, Laboratory for Machine Tools andProduction Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University – asked
us for information on the Galaxie®, so that they could add it to their
textbook as a new, distinct type of gear”, declares Tobias Röthlingshöfer, a development engineer at WITTENSTEIN. “That proved that
the Galaxie® Drive System is something special – it’s not simply atechnical product but a new technological generation. It’s a genuine

Productivity up
20%

Galaxie® provides fresh impetus:
Enhanced motion precision
when riveting aircraft structures© iStock/ Lisa Klumpp

THOMAS BAYER, MANAGER INNOVATION LAB
AT WITTENSTEIN SE

innovation that creates totally new opportunities for designers inhigh performance engineering.” In short: the Galaxie® is increasingly
coming under the spotlight of research, academia and publications.
Innovation Award of the German Economy 2016
It was none other than Professor Klaus von Klitzing, Nobel Laureate in Physics, who on April 16, 2016 handed this year’s Innovation
Award of the German Economy to Professor Dieter Spath, thenChairman of the Board and CEO WITTENSTEIN AG, and Galaxie® inventor Thomas Bayer. The award in the “Medium-Sized Companies”
category honours the development of the Galaxie® Drive System as
an outstanding scientific, technical, entrepreneurial and intellectual innovation: with its significantly improved efficiency, the Galaxie®
Drive System marks a quantum leap in terms of productivity for the
positioning drive solutions of tomorrow. Thomas Bayer, Manager Innovation Lab at WITTENSTEIN SE, sums up: “Sometimes you reallydo have to reinvent the wheel – or at least the gearwheel”.

Broetje-Automation’s
MPAC machines join
the fuselage parts of allpassenger aircraft madeby the big manufacturers together using
thousands of rivets.

© Broetje-Automation GmbH

»Sometimes you really do haveto reinvent the wheel –or at least the gearwheel.«

A 20% improvement in productivity – that was the outcome
when the Galaxie® was installed in the MPAC (Multi-Panel Assembly Cell) riveting machines at Broetje Automation, where
fuselage sections and aircraft struts are riveted fully automatically. “These machines join the fuselage parts of all passenger
aircraft made by the big manufacturers together using thousands of rivets”, explains Dr. Christian Heyers, Head of Control Systems at Broetje-Automation – one of the very first leadcustomers to choose the WITTENSTEIN Galaxie®.
The Galaxie® is designed as a right-angle gearhead and isused in the axes of the MPAC machines that control the process. “What tipped the scales for us was the enormously improved torsional stiffness of the Galaxie® kinematics and theabsolute freedom from backlash at the zero crossing, evenwith alternating loads”, reports Dr. Axel Peters, Executive Vice
President Fastening at Broetje-Automation. “We profit fromsignificantly more precise motion control – also at reversal
points – and around 30% faster positioning of the MPAC’s
lower tool. That, in turn, has enabled us to increase the riveting rate from 18 to 21 per minute.”

move 13

Applications

From food to screws – bulk goods and pourable products are often
packed in bags. The vertical form, fill and seal machines built by
HASTAMAT, the leading packaging specialist, particularly impress with
their very high speed and precision – due not least to servo actuatorsfrom WITTENSTEIN motion control.

Packaging at lightning speed

Smart drive solutionsfor HASTAMAT vertical form,
fill and seal machines

HASTAMAT Verpackungstechnik GmbH of
per minute. A vertical form, fill and seal maLahnau, about thirty miles north of Frankfurt, chine like the HASTAMAT RM-270 executes
develops and manufactures customized pack- all packaging steps fully automatically: it
aging machines, packaging lines with integrat- first of all unwraps the film from the reel anded weighing and counting technology as wellforms it into a continuous tubular sleeve. “Theas special systems for the food and non-foodbag’s side seam is created to begin with byindustries. From food products through DIY
heat-sealing, PE sealing or ultrasound, deitems to tablets, “non-stop filling, non-stop
pending on the film material”, says Michaelclosing” is what HASTAMAT’s customers tra- Brandt when prompted to explain the process.
ditionally expect. Michael Brandt, Technical “The lower part is then sealed to produce a
Director at HASTAMAT Verpackungstechnikbag. The product is poured into the open end
GmbH, describes the challenges facing theand the bag is sealed at the top.” However, inengineers: “That generally means individuallyorder to achieve the specified packaging perdesigned, intelligently realized packaging solu- formance, servo actuators have to carry out
tions with tailored details”.
these processes with extreme dynamics andprecision. “Conventional motor / gearhead
15,000 bags of biscuits an hourunits are too big, too heavy and – for the most
One HASTAMAT customer, for instance, re- part – not dynamic enough to achieve that
cently ordered a vertical form, fill and seal ma- kind of cycle time”, Michael Brandt confirms.
chine for packing biscuits at a rate of 15,000
HASTAMAT eventually chose WITTENSTEIN
bags an hour – equivalent to more than four
motion control’s TPM+ servo actuators for thisreason.
bags per second and 250 machine cycles

14 move

The vertical form, fill and seal machine in the RM-270
series forms a sheet of film into flexible bags byheat-sealing, PE sealing or ultrasound, depending on
the film material. These bags are then filled with bulk
goods or pourable food or non-food products.

Photos: HASTAMAT Verpackungstechnik GmbHYet another convincing packaging
solution with TPM+ servo actuators:
These actuators are currently usedin more than 55,000 rotary andlinear applications – including
numerous different packaging
machines and pick & placesystems.

The TPM+ is installed in the jaw closer (top)and the jaw stroke (bottom)

Highly dynamic pacesetters
TPM+ dynamic servo actuators
Reliable control of all process steps is vital.
The film must be unwrapped from the reel as
precisely as possible, to make sure the sealed
seams are in exactly the right place later. “Thesecond job for the actuators is to execute thevertical jaw stroke. The sealing and cutting unit
is lowered during the filling process together

with the bag and must then be moved up again
one notch at a time at lightning speed”, states
Siegfried Wallauer, Product Manager at
WITTENSTEIN motion control. The third application is the horizontal movement of the jaw
closer, which seals and cuts the bags. “Wewere able to offer HASTAMAT servo actuatorswith suitable power ratings in our TPM+ dynamic series for all these applications”, Siegfried Wallauer recollects. “The 004, 010, 025
and 050 sizes are used.”
HASTAMAT praises the crucial enabling potential offered by the servo actuators: “The combination of an integration-friendly design, highdynamics and low weight makes it possible toachieve – and control – significantly more than
200 cycles per minute for the first time with the
RM series”, Michael Brandt concludes.

move 15

Applications

Learning from the spider
Flexible control of gripping elements

FILL’s gripper spider is an innovative handling system that enables
automated production of CFRP and
GFRP parts.

16 moveSpiders have eight legs, each of which can be
moved completely independently of the others.
This gives them the ability to grip onto any surface.
The new gripper spider from FILL, the Austrianmechanical engineering and plant construction
company, is every bit as flexible as this arthropod’s
extremities – thanks to servo drive technology
made by WITTENSTEIN.

move 17More than a dozen size
32, industry-standard
brushless DC motors
in the cyber® dynamic
line family enableprecise motions to be
executed steplessly
and independently of
one another.

The gripper spider is part of a system that enables automated production of fibre composites made from CRFP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic) and GFRP (glass fibre reinforced plastic). FILL uses a
total of 19 industry-standard brushless DC motors from the cyber ®
dynamic line in this handling unit, each of which is teamed up witha simco® drive. The main arguments in favour of these brushless
DC motor systems were the compact design and low weight of the
motors and the fact that the servo drives integrate easily into thehandling system’s PROFINET fieldbus environment. “Unlike pneumatics, for instance, the servo technology allows different linear
positions to be approached flexibly without any mechanical retooling. That was an essential advantage for the process”, explains Michael Schneiderbauer of FILL’s Product Development department.
The gripper spider is part of a complex and highly innovative manufacturing process. “One central idea is that the same mould should
be used to build up the layers and cure the CFRP or GFRP parts,
which are used amongst other things as strut bars in the automotive
industry”, says Michael Schneiderbauer. “The gripper system must
be able to pick up composite cuttings and PU cores of different
sizes for this purpose, in some cases preform them and place themdown again.” The prototype for a gripper spider that could meet thisrequirement had already been designed by Tecnalia, the Spanish
research association: the challenge for FILL was to optimize this prototype and bring it up to industry standard in the framework of the EU
funded “LOWFLIP” project (Low Cost Flexible Integrated Composite
Process).
Lightweight, flexible, cost efficient – next-generation
gripping technology
Based in Gurten, Austria, the company employs around 700 staff
and is a leading international manufacturer of machinery and equipment, including composites manufacturing and processing systems.
Composites are used, for example, in the automotive and aerospaceindustries, in the sports and energy sectors and in wood & building.
Apart from generally attaining industrial maturity, the further development work on the gripper spider was undertaken with three main
objectives in mind. Michael Schneiderbauer sums up: “Maximum
gripping flexibility, a substantial weight reduction for the end effector
and optimal cost efficiency as regards the purchase and operation of

18 movethe handling system. By using carbon tubes for the supporting structure together with WITTENSTEIN’s brushless DC motors, we managed to more than halve the weight and slash energy consumption.”
Servo technology provides maximum flexibility
The new gripper spider’s movements could almost be described
as graceful. The lightweight, compact servo motors in WITTENSTEIN’s cyber ® dynamic line not only blend in perfectly; they also
permit ultra-precise motions which can be controlled flexibly and independently of one another. The selection process for the servo motors was supported by WITTENSTEIN cyber motor with on-site consulting as well as load calculations with the cymex® 5 sizing software.
Motors were also made available at short notice for test purposes.
Nine of these brushless DC motors now each position a suction cup
vertically via a spindle drive. These cups enable the gripper spider topick up PU cores of various sizes as well as different composite cuttings which are preformed in preparation for the processing process.
The other cyber ® dynamic line motors position the suction cups horizontally according to the format, also with the help of a spindle drive.
Michael Schneiderbauer summarizes the most important innovation:“The complete structure is built up layer by layer in a single mould.

»Unlike pneumatics, for instance, theservo technology allows different linear
positions to be approached flexibly
without any mechanical retooling.
That was an essential advantage for the process.«
MICHAEL SCHNEIDERBAUER, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AT FILL

The result is a composite part made from fibre reinforced plastics,
where no complicated treatment or laying of the fabrics is necessary
between the individual process steps, as is usually the case.”
The combination of simco® drives and brushless DC motors from thecyber ® dynamic line opens up many new horizons both for machinebuilders like FILL and for integrators and end users.

Applications

An ideal combination: WITTENSTEIN’s
industry-standard brushless DC motor
systemOne half of the comprehensive mechatronic solution for
the gripper spider is comprised of a simco® drive. Several possible options for fieldbus integration are available:
FILL opted for the version with a PROFINET interface because a Siemens controller was already in place.
Part two of the mechatronic “doubles team” is a brushless DC motor in the cyber ® dynamic line family. “Thegripper spider integrates a servo motor with an outer diameter of 32 mm and a rated output of 110 W”,
Michael Schneiderbauer observes. The performancedata couldn't be better: “This motor weighs in at just 220
g, making it far lighter than any other, comparable typeon offer in the market”.
Thanks to the electronic identification plate, there is noneed to parametrize the system, so that the time forcommissioning is significantly shorter.

Motor and controller from a single supplier –a technically optimized solution with nointerface risks.

Brushless DC motor system configurable in the
EPLAN Data Portal
The brushless DC motor system, comprised of simco® drive andcyber ® dynamic line, can now also be configured in the EPLAN Data
Portal. This web based platform from EPLAN Software & Service
GmbH & Co. provides all relevant engineering data and is always
absolutely up to date. Configuring the brushless DC motor systemin the EPLAN Data Portal not only enables a huge time saving andmore reliable project planning for electrical installations – it also ensures that customized drive solutions are optimally engineered.

cyber® dynamic line: multiturn functionality in miniature
makes its debut
The size 32 and 40 industry-standard brushless DC motors in the
cyber ® dynamic line are the first of their kind with a miniature multiturn encoder to dispense with a battery and gearhead. Precise andreliable solutions for complex motion tasks can in future be realized
in an extremely small space envelope. The diameter of the multiturnencoder is twenty percent smaller than the market standard while
the axial height is less than half.

simco® drive: new performance features
The simco® drive series was recently extended with a higher-output
version for up to 50 A nominal current. The door is now open for this
servo drive in new applications requiring output ratings of up to 2.5
kW. WITTENSTEIN has also integrated another interface in the newcontroller in addition to the existing fieldbus interfaces with EtherNet/
IP. This is a particular advantage for engineering firms which operate
in both the European and the American markets. The servo drive ispresently taking UL certification.
The integral – and likewise new –web server allows online accessto the servo drive in mobile applications or out-of-reach installation
positions. Customers can thus call up information on the drive system anywhere at any time, for example overall system load data or
current errors and warnings. Condition monitoring, downsizing andoptimizing the operational process are greatly simplified as a result.

move 19

In addition toassembly training,
Customer Service
also offers rackassembly directlyon site.

Chipless rack pinning
Added value for assembly and servicing

Swarf is always undesirable during assembly work:
it is difficult to control and has a destructive effect.
WITTENSTEIN alpha’s new chipless pinning principle
successfully amends a proven method that was firstestablished in the market several decades ago.

20 moveProducts

Incidentally: The foundation for pinning machine components was laid back in 1918 with the publication of DIN
1, the very first German standard. The new principle forchipless rack pinning proves that even something which
has been tried and tested for many years, indeed almosta century, can still be improved – especially when applications are considered from the customer perspective andthought right through to the end.

Secure pinning in just
1 minute

1 The assembly pin is inserted into the mounted
rack and driven into the pre-drilled hole in themachine bed.

2 The assembly sleeve and pin
are turned in opposite directions, so that thesleeve engages in the hole. The sleeve is thenpressed in half-way by hand.

No drilling, no swarf, no problems with parts that are unfavourably
positioned or otherwise difficult to reach – the new chipless principle for pinning machine components offers enormous time and costbenefits. No special tools are required: the two-piece mounting kit
is comprised of a special pin and sleeve, which are fitted together
using just an Allen key and a hammer.
Pinning: effective rack protection against overload
The main reason why racks are fixed with a positive connection is toprotect them against overload. “Pinning stops the rack from slipping
due to high loads, for instance in the event of a crash or anotheremergency situation”, explains Jochen Endres, Product Manager at
WITTENSTEIN alpha. “That can quickly lead to the failure of the complete rack-and-pinion drive system.” In heavily loaded axes, therefore, pinning the rack is vital in order to rule out the risk of failureor threats to availability. “At the same time, conventional pinning isvery time-consuming”, says Jochen Endres. “What’s more, an awful lot of swarf is produced when the racks and the machine bed
are drilled and reamed together. Our new pinning method enables
a huge time saving; it completely eliminates borings from the assembly process and allows machine components to be replaced

3 Finally, the assembly sleeve
is driven in flush with a hammer.

quickly during servicing.” The new method highlights yet again how
WITTENSTEIN alpha typically thinks outside the box – in terms ofsystems rather than isolated drive solutions.
Thanks to this ergonomic, efficient alternative to screw clamps forrack installation and the rack adjustment tool for aligning the interface precisely, a time economy of up to fifty percent can be achieved.
The new pinning concept is a further example of “efficiency engineering” at WITTENSTEIN alpha. Instead of drilling and reaming the rackand the machine bed together in a time consuming process and thenfitting the pin, this innovative assembly solution facilitates a secureand completely chipless connection! The holes which are required in
the machine bed can be machined to fit exactly when the components are manufactured.
Fixed overload-proof in minimal time
The time saving as a result of this chipless assembly process is quite
substantial: each rack can be securely fixed with a positive connection in less than 60 seconds – compared to 35 or 40 minutes withconventional pinning. Easy dismantling and reusability mean the rackcan be exchanged rapidly in case of repairs or retrofits.

move 21

Innovative laser cuttingwith drive technology made by WITTENSTEIN

Procon laser cutting machines achieve 0.05 millimetre
precision on the cut workpiece.

Lightweight carbon mechanism and parallel
kinematics –these innovative features are helping Italianmanufacturer Procon to tread new paths in
the field of laser cutting machines. Planetary
gearheads with an output flange fromWITTENSTEIN’s TP+ series combine highdynamics and maximum torsional rigidity toenable fast, precise and reliable movements inthe machine’s main axis.

22 move

Laser cutting machines can be employed to work a wide range ofmaterials and material thicknesses – from sheet metal through copper and brass to stainless steel. The FL3015LU model newly developed by Procon has an integrated loading and unloading system
and is suitable for all sheet sizes up to 3 x 1.5 metres; its key hallmarks are high speed and precise movements. The machine uses a
so-called fibre laser to achieve 0.05 millimetre precision on the cut
workpiece. Compared to conventional solid-state or CO2 lasering,
this technology is particularly notable for its excellent beam quality,
high energy efficiency, space saving, robust, maintenance-free design and long service life.
Special kinematics control the movement of the gantry
and laser head
The actual innovation with this laser cutting machine is the special
motion control principle of the movable gantry and the cutting head
which is mounted to it. Procon’s engineers developed and patented a lightweight carbon mechanism with parallel kinematics for thispurpose, which keeps the movement of the gantry separate fromthat of the cutting head and thus reduces inertia to a minimum. The

Applications

Photos: Procon (2)With their high dynamics and torsional
rigidity, the planetary
gearheads in the TP+
series ensure fast,
precise and reliable
movements in themachine’s main axis.

carbon arms guide the cutting head extremely rigidly when a workpiece is machined while the parallel kinematics result in fast, precise
movements in the x and y planes. A rapid, high quality cut is hence
guaranteed, no matter how complex the machining task. To enable
this high machining precision to be controlled safely and reliably, thegantry and the laser cutting head still have to be guided extremely
accurately at the maximum acceleration rate of 5 g, cutting feed
rates of one metre per second and high cutting speeds. “In the end,
it all comes down to the right gearhead”, explains engineer Emanuele Radice, WITTENSTEIN Italy’s Area Manager. “High dynamics are
only possible if both the drives and the machine control system havehigh stiffnesses, so that the axis as a whole has very short reaction
times. The rigidity of the complete drive train is crucial.”
The solution: TP+ planetary gearhead and comprehensive
technical support
With WITTENSTEIN’s technical support, Procon selected and installed TP+ servo gearheads with an output pinion. “In the Procon
FL3015LU laser cutting machine they shine with their high maximum
acceleration torques, minimal torsional backlash and high powerTP+

density, precision and positioning accuracy”, Emanuele Radice adds.
“The TP+ withstands the high kinematic loads and guarantees optimal
bending strength and torsional rigidity throughout the drive train.”
WITTENSTEIN was able to offer Procon several vital advantages –not just technology-related but also from the point of view of technical support and delivery reliability. “We value WITTENSTEIN because of the high quality of their products; the professional service
and short delivery times are equally important. Standard WITTENSTEIN products arrive here configured and ready to install within afortnight”, asserts Yves Dejonckheere, proprietor and Sales Manager at the company headquarters in Schio, Northern Italy. “That's avery important aspect for Procon. After all, we don’t just build laser
cutting machines; we also make punching machines and industrial
automation systems, which we generally ship four months after we
receive the order.”For Procon, WITTENSTEIN is not simply one supplieramong many but a special technology partner for
innovative engineering.

move 23

The excavator can be operated
from a safe distance without any
risk to life and limb.

The telecontrol platform in action

WITTENSTEIN drive technology
controls civil protection excavators

Freeing people trapped under collapsed buildings,
stabilizing steep, landslide-prone slopes, rescue
operations following an avalanche, clearing
landmines, work in zones affected by radioactivity:
these are just a few of the possible scenarios inwhich teleoperated excavators can be used.

24 move

Students at ETH Zurich have developed a telecontrol platform for such vehicles – with vigorous support from WITTENSTEIN AG in Grüsch,Switzerland.
The platform allows excavator operators tocontrol their vehicles from a safe distancewithout any risk to life and limb. It works in asimilar way to a flight or sports car simulator:
the area where the excavator is action is visualized on various screens. The platform is tilted
and rotated, imitating the roll and pitch angleof the excavator, so that the operator “senses”
every movement or change of direction. The
platform’s kinematic performance is truly awesome: with its unique concept of movement,
the actual excavator vehicle – a Menzi Muck
M545 – is one of the most agile of its kind anywhere in the world. This university project was
co-funded by WITTENSTEIN AG of Grüsch,WITTENSTEIN worldwide

With their high dynamics andprecision, the two TPK+ HIGHTORQUE right-angle gearheads
and the TPM+ dynamic servo
actuator enable the telecontrol
platform to simulate the excavator’s movements extremely
agilely and realistically.

TPK+ HIGH TORQUE
Switzerland, as main sponsor. “We initiallyhelped the students in the ibex team, who are
working on the platform as a “focus project” aspart of their Bachelor’s degree at ETZ Zurich,to create motion simulations”, reports Jürg
Riederer, Sales Engineer Eastern Switzerland
at WITTENSTEIN AG in Grüsch. “The motion
data was then imported into cymex®, our sizing tool. Amongst other things, to enable thestudents to realize the computed drive design,
we placed two highly precise, size 050 TPK+HIGH TORQUE right-angle gearheads as wellas one size 025 TPM+ dynamic servo actuatorat their disposal and gave them a number ofvaluable tips.”
Thanks to the high dynamics and precision of
the mechatronic components, the telecontrol
platform can simulate the excavator’s movements extremely agilely and realistically. The
cockpit has an ergonomic seat, adjustablescreens and pedals; it is centrally mounted
and can be turned 360° about its own axis.
The platform can be simultaneously inclined
up to 45° in any position. “This highly dynamic motion simulation provides the user with anexperience similar to a real excavator cockpit”,
says Nicolas Sollich, one of the students involved in the ibex project. “Using the feedback,the operator can also control the excavator intuitively and precisely from a distance in criticalsituations.”
Successful presentation at
Sindex 2016
In the meantime, the nine students of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at ETH Zurich
who developed the platform for the ibex excavator have completed their focus project; theyeach graduated with a Bachelor’s degree inAugust 2016. If you’d like to learn more about

TPM+ dynamic

how the telecontrol platform works, there is afascinating video on the project website:www.ibex.ethz.ch.
“The platform was on show at our booth at the
Sindex automation fair in Berne in September”,
Jürg Riederer adds. “It was a real attractionthat drew considerable attention.” Hopefully,
some of those visitors will also be interested in
implementing the ibex platform on an industrial
scale – so that the students’ vision of a teleoperated excavator for civil protection can soon
become a reality.

move 25

iStock.com/tomch

WITTENSTEIN worldwide

WITTENSTEIN opens regional office in Turkey
A whole series of innovative, and very ambitious, small-scale businesses havebeen established in the Turkish engineering sector over the last few decades.
Dynamic growth will also be a key priority in the short-to-medium term future –the aim is for exports of machinery to rise to one hundred billion dollars by 2023.

Identify opportunities, exploit market potential
Against this background, WITTENSTEIN is investing in a new regional office in the Eastern Mediterranean. “Our Turkish customers seek
close contacts with us because they want to refine their machinery and equipment with our help”, explains Björn Proschinger, Headof Sales Europe at WITTENSTEIN alpha GmbH. “A local presence
there provides us with the means to consolidate our relationships
with firms in Turkey’s aspiring engineering sector and support theirdevelopment activities optimally with mechatronic solutions.”
Stronger customer focus and increased satisfaction with aproven team
The team at the new regional office – General Manager Süha Elbil,
Sales Engineer Ercüment Kanber and Gökhan Yalcin in Commercial
Sales Support – have already demonstrated their abilities in the past.
There is no doubt in their minds: “We need to be present on the spotwith an official regional office in Istanbul in order to get closer to ourcustomers consistently and continuously. That will also enable us tobecome better acquainted with the market and to be aware of important technology or commercial trends in good time.” The number
one priority, though, is customer satisfaction. “We want to offer our
assistance to Turkish machine builders as early as the design phase”,
comments Süha Elbil. “Our customers depend on innovative and26 move

General Manager Süha Elbil (centre) supports customers in Turkey together with
Sales Engineer Ercüment Kanber (left) and Gökhan Yalcin in Commercial Sales
Support.

sustainable solutions to add value to their machines. This increased
proximity will allow them to leverage our know-how in mechatronic
drive solutions more effectively and help us achieve a higher level ofcustomer satisfaction.

Visit us at www.wittenstein.com.tr

Trade fair calendar
2016

Motek
Stuttgart, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
October 10 to 13, 2016

The 6th All in Print China
Shanghai (Pudong), China
WITTENSTEIN (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
October 18 to 22, 2016

Engineering Design Show
Coventry, UK
WITTENSTEIN Ltd.
October 19 to 20, 2016

CITME
Shanghai (Pudong), China
WITTENSTEIN (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
October 21 to 25, 2016

CeMAT Asia
Shanghai (Pudong), China
WITTENSTEIN (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
November 1 to 4, 2016

CIIF
Shanghai (Hongqiao), China
WITTENSTEIN (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
November 1 to 5, 2016

Pack Expo
Chicago (IL), USA
WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp.
November 6 to 9, 2016

Elmia Subcontractor
Jönköping, Sweden
WITTENSTEIN AB
November 8 to 11, 2016

Automation Fair
Atlanta (GA), USA
WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp.
November 9 to 10, 2016

Forum Maschinenbau
Bad Salzuflen, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
November 9 to 11, 2016

WITTENSTEIN is represented at numerous trade fairs
and exhibitions worldwide.
We look forward to meeting you!

Professional MotorSport
World Expo
Cologne, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
November 9 to 11, 2016

Robomatica 2016
Madrid, Spain
WITTENSTEIN S.L.U.
November 16 to 17, 2016

JIMTOFTokyo, JapanWITTENSTEIN Ltd.
November 17 to 22, 2016

LogiMAT
Stuttgart, Germany
WITTENSTEIN motion control GmbH
March 14 to 16, 2017

TIMTOS
Taipeh, Taiwan
WITTENSTEIN Co., Ltd.
March 7 to 12, 2017

WIN Automation
Istanbul, Turkey
WITTENSTEIN alpha GmbH
March 16 to 19, 2017

SPS IPC Drives

Praxisforum
elektrische Antriebstechnik

Nuremberg, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
November 22 to 24, 2016

Würzburg, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
April 5 to 6, 2017

TMTS

Hannover Messe

Taichung, Taiwan
WITTENSTEIN Co., Ltd.
November 23 to 27, 2016

Hanover, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
April 24 to 28, 2017

I/ITSEC
Orlando (FL), USA
WITTENSTEIN Inc.
November 28 to December 2, 2016

ATX West
Anaheim (CA), USA
WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp.
February 7 to 9, 2017

Indumation
Kortrijk, Belgium
WITTENSTEIN bvba
February 8 to 10, 2017

FMB Süd
Augsburg, Germany
WITTENSTEIN Group
February 15 to 16, 2017

Intec
Leipzig, Germany
WITTENSTEIN alpha GmbH
March 7 to 10, 2017

move 27