In mid-November, IEF-Werner opened its doors for the Innovation Days at the Furtwangen location. Around 50 experts from industry, research, and press received a compact overview of current developments in automation, linear technology, and servo press technology – and were able to look behind the factory gates for the first time.
Informative, interesting, and very practical – this summarizes the feedback from participants regarding the two Innovation Days in key terms. The opening presentations were made by Maximilian Rohrer, Product Manager for Servo Presses, and Roland Wertz, Head of Research & Development. They presented the modular series aiPRESS. The servo presses impress with high travel speeds, compact and individually customizable designs, as well as intuitive control. New, in addition to the optional networking for maintenance, is a cost-effective basic version that IEF-Werner will launch at the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Fabian Wald, Product Manager for manual adjustment units, and Thomas Hettich, Product Area Manager for linear axes and motorized rotary tables, provided an overview of the variety of linear drives at IEF and developments over the past years. This includes the new spindle adjustment or linear units in conjunction with robots (7th axis). This linear additional axis allows robots an extended reach and higher efficiency in assembly and handling tasks. Further practical examples illustrated the concrete benefits of linear units and positioning systems in various industrial applications.
Practical reports and digitization
Thomas Ketterer, Key Account Manager at Pematech GmbH, reported on his experiences with the linear technology from IEF-Werner. These are part of the testing and assembly lines for circuit boards and electronic assemblies. Pematech and its customers benefit from lower costs, individual customization options, reliably maintained cycle times, and high availability of the lines.
Subsequently, Sebastian Jonik from Rhein-Nadel Automation GmbH gave a lecture on digitization in feeding technology.
With continuous digital process chains – from simulation to AI-supported knowledge databases to monitoring tools – feeding systems can be planned more efficiently and operated more economically.
The conclusion was a presentation by Ralf Klädtke, Managing Director of Gestalt Automation, together with Roland Wertz. They demonstrated how automation through industrial image processing, up to the use of artificial intelligence in conjunction with hyperspectral imaging, elevates industrial quality assurance to a new level: Chemical compositions, contaminants, and minute defects are detected in real-time, even where traditional testing methods reach their limits.
Factory tour and feedback
The subsequent factory tour with Managing Directors Stefan Deck and Manfred Meyer was also well received by the participants. They praised the demonstration of the practical implementation of automation solutions. The components manufacturing, control cabinet construction, current projects, and special machines, as well as standard palletizers like the varioSTACK series with belt loading and ecoSTACK in various assembly and manufacturing stages, were on display. Processes and work organization were also explained.
The Innovation Days concluded with a discussion and feedback round, where participants could discuss their questions directly with the experts.
Contact:
