How One German Company is Building the Future of Automated Manufacturing – One Modular Line at a Time

April 7, 2025  79  79   

Unique machine construction means individual concepts and flexible solutions. For this reason, the company developed the Modular Automation Concept Mak, a modular system consisting of software and hardware. In addition, innovative components are used to make the processes within the systems even more efficient and safer. They enable automated format changes for more precise adjustments during product changes and faster changeover times. 

Manuel S. Gander, M. Sc., Area Manager of Supply Chain Management and Material Management at Braun Sondermaschinen, explained the requirements in special-purpose machine manufacturing: "The automated production lines that we implement are developed according to specific and individual customer requirements – usually as a prototype and then as an adapted replicate. No system is like the other; there are always special requirements." To ensure a certain degree of standardisation, the company provides its modular automation concept: “The Mak system consists of an aluminium crossbeam and a protective enclosure. Depending on customer requirements, the individual processes are connected modularly, and a software package is placed over the entire system. Even after years, processes can be exchanged and changed in this construct without redesigning the entire line from scratch.”

Automated format change via positioning drive
One aspect that is also taken into account in system planning is the increased number of variants that machines must be able to handle with the smallest batch sizes. Compact positioning drives enable automated and fast format adjustment without significant intervention in PLC programs. The AG24positioning drives from SIKO are always used at Braun Sondermaschinen when manual workstations are to be automated that require exact format changes within a line.

One example is balancing systems (assembly and balancing machines) for producing cooling fans for the automotive component supply industry. Previously, balancing was a manual process in which the unique machine manufacturer had already used mechanical position indicators from SIKO for manual format adjustment. With the AG24  positioning drive, this module can be converted quickly and precisely for the increasing model variants. Existing manual workstations can also be retrofitted with a SIKO drive thanks to simple assembly via the hollow shaft.

High power reserve for demanding applications 
The decision favouring the SIKO actuator AG24  is based on its high torque and the associated power reserves. This range of services is not always required for systems. Still, the possibility of reserve plays a significant role; for example, when components become increasingly sluggish due to contamination and stress, the drive can provide more power. This also extends the maintenance intervals if the drive is not constantly running at the load limit.

An alternative to positioning drives are servomotors, which are suitable for most processes but less so when compactness and manual activities are important. All essential functions, such as the brushless DC motor, position sensor, power, and control electronics, are already integrated into the AG24. It can be connected directly to the machine control unit, is compact and does not require wiring like a servomotor, which requires additional components such as frequency converters or inverters. The positioning drive also has an integrated absolute value transmitter that detects the position at any time, even in a de-energized state and does not require referencing.

For Jürgen Schuh, Manager of the Changeover Solutions Business Unit at SIKO, the advantages of a unique machine manufacturer such as Braun are evident: "Each project has a new specification sheet with additional possible variants on the table, which again includes special requirements. With the AG24, Braun Sondermaschinen has a device that can serve a wide range of applications in format adjustment thanks to the functional reserve and thus be a standard tool.”

In addition, the drive includes an additional safety function thanks to the optional spring-loaded brake. Even when the brake is de-energized, it keeps the axis in its defined position; this functionality is interesting for vertically positioned spindles with a certain weight, for example. In the event of a power failure, the weight could be pushed down, and the drive could no longer hold it back without a power supply. In this case, the braking force is activated, and the brake automatically engages and holds the spindle in place when power is switched off.

Manual adjustment directly on the device
Mr Gander is convinced by another aspect of the SIKO AG24, which its customers attach great importance to: the possibility of not only controlling the drive via Fieldbus and the PLC but also of being able to use a manual setting option directly on the display of the device via operating keys. In some applications, it makes sense to manually perform the setting and positioning beforehand using a teach-in, i.e., to gradually reach the appropriate level with the positioning drive and then store these positions as setpoint values in the machine controller. As a result, the finely adjusted positions can be approached directly during commissioning. The AG24 positioning drive combines manual fine adjustment and an automated, efficient process.

"From an electrical design point of view, the integration of the actuator is also very straightforward, including integration into the machine control system," Mr Gander stated. "We generally use Ethernet or EtherCAT, but SIKO also has numerous other interface standards in the field of real-time Ethernet and corresponding software tools." 

Predictive maintenance thanks to diagnostic data 
According to Mr Gander, an aspect that will also gain importance among its customers in the future is collecting and evaluating data on the production lines, which is supported by the smart functionality of the AG24  positioning drive. In addition to position determination, the drive can display additional diagnostic data, such as current consumption or temperature, on the display and provide it via the interface. From this, conclusions can be drawn in the sense of predictive maintenance, and maintenance intervals can be planned. The drive thus also supports requirements concerning Industry 4.0 and data evaluation via AI. 

"Full automation becomes standard." 
Mr Gander sees a lot of potential for the future in this diagnostic capability because his idea of the ideal automation line is "the plant in a dark hall, in which production can take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year without human intervention". This vision is not far off; human judgments are still mandatory for specific processes. However, the more unnecessary, laborious or error-prone process steps can be automated, the more efficient production can occur. For the unique machine manufacturer, it is clear: “Full automation is not only steadily increasing, it is becoming the standard in industrial production.” Intelligent peripheral components such as positioning drives are playing an increasingly important role.