The Ranshofen-based aluminum group Amag has invested ten million euros in its new smart factory.
What is happening there is an impressive display of artificial intelligence: Machines produce a wide variety of samples from each batch of aluminum without human help, communicate with each other, carry out tensile tests, store intelligently and in an organized manner, evaluate data and sort the scrap that is produced. The test orders control themselves through the production of a large number of test specimens and independently request the necessary capacities – i.e. machines, robots, means of transport and also people.
250,000 material samples are currently checked in detail every year at Amag before the goods are released. With the Smart Factory, the number will be doubled, i.e. to around half a million samples per year. “The new machines work around the clock, seven days a week and guarantee the highest quality and reliability,” says Gerald Mayer, Amag CEO. Only in the event of a fault does a person have to intervene. The machines also learn how to sort by type, which supports Amag’s comprehensive recycling concept. “Material cycles are closed and the waste produced is recycled in our own foundry,” says Mayer.
Tested flight and vehicle parts
The test specimens created by the machines are then examined in great detail: they are tried to be destroyed, exposed to extreme heat, salt and/or pressure, attempts are made to tear them and their condition is examined using microscopes – depending on what the aluminum will later be used for and what requirements it must meet. The aluminum alloys used in aircraft and vehicles in particular have to deliver maximum performance.
As reported, Amag posted record sales in the first quarter, also due to rising aluminum prices. Mayer remains optimistic, but also emphasizes that the uncertainties associated with the war in Ukraine, especially with regard to the energy supply, the lack of workers and the risk of global supply chain and logistics problems are also challenging for Amag.
Source: Nachrichten
