Laser system manufacturer Trumpf has spun off two start-ups, both of which will offer digital solutions for sheet metal production.
One of the startups, Optimate, develops an AI-based software solution that enables sheet metal workers to improve their components and reduce costs.
The other, ScaleNC, prepares design drawings and takes over the NC programming for sheet metal fabricators. Both companies are based in Stuttgart and operate completely independently.
The ideas for the start-ups were developed as part of Trumpf's 'Internehmertum' programme. Here employees can develop business ideas and start their own company within half of their working hours.
'The offerings of the two companies are an excellent fit for us as a leading user and leading provider of digitally networked solutions in sheet metal processing,' said says Christof Siebert, head of the Internehmertum programme. 'Through the spin-offs, we give the start-ups the entrepreneurial freedom they need, especially in the initial phase.'
Optimate: Cut manufacturing costs
Optimate provides an online platform that enables sheet metal components to be produced more cost-effectively.
Customers can upload the CAD data of their components and an AI then recognises if and how the components can be improved. For example, the start-up shows customers how they can manufacture using less material or where welding seams can be replaced by bends.
The aim is to reduce manufacturing costs in sheet metal processing.
'We want to transfer component design into the online age,' said Jonas Steiling, one of the three Optimate founders. 'This will enable our customers to design more sustainably, reduce costs and manufacture more efficiently.'
Optimate also detects design errors, such as when a hole is too close to a bending edge.
ScaleNC: Machine programming as a service in the cloud
ScaleNC uses a cloud platform to program the machine controls for sheet metal fabricators. Customers can upload raw CAD data, drawings or simple sketches and specify which NC programs they require. ScaleNC prepares the data for production and creates suitable machine programs for laser, punching and bending machines, which customers can use directly in their production.
'We offer our services at a fixed price without any contractual obligation,' said Holger Röder, co-founder of ScaleNC. 'We provide support both in flexibly bridging bottlenecks in work preparation and as a long-term partner.'
The start-up's offer is aimed particularly at small and medium-sized companies.
Story source: Trumpf
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