How is Renishaw Spain towards the financial year 2023 and, specifically, what is your expectation in the car business this year and in the short term?
Íñigo Bereterbide – Although the general perception of the economy may create a negative image associated with economic slowdown and growth, our results and business expectations in the automotive sector are outstanding. We expect sales growth to exceed pre-pandemic figures and we have identified growth in the number of new designs with clear commercial potential in the short and medium term.
“Our flexible Equator wind meter enables the highest levels of repeatability in the industry.”
AR.- Renishaw has positioned the concept of repeatability as the cornerstone of maximum quality: what is the approach to achieving results, and what are the benefits of vehicles and automotive manufacturers?
IB-Renishaw has another equipment for process control. Arriving on the market, our flexible EQUIVALENT meter allows for the highest levels of repeatability in the industry. The remastering-based control system is insensitive to changes in the boot temperature. To ensure the stability of the process, the control medium is highly repeatable. The Equator, in addition to guaranteeing the repeatability of said measurement, allows several indicators to be measured with the same instrument, which provides flexibility. Since it is intended to be a part of the equipment for the factory, it is integrated in a flexible way into the wide lines and allows the closing cycle with the profit of the equipment wearing without operator intervention. The quality and productivity of this technology allows vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers to purchase many pieces of equipment at their facilities with ongoing local support from Renishaw. We have received extremely positive feedback from experienced users of Equator based on:
1. Ability to reprogram and change measurement data.
2. The ability to measure the temperature in a certain way in the laboratory.
3. Ability to measure dimensional and geometric dimensions.
4. Automatic measurement eliminates the intervention of operators and their track is placed securely.
5. Easy online integration and communication with CNC for tool exchange.
All this with a lower purchase price and a lower useful life of the equipment than the conventional equipment used.
AR.- What is the tendency of vehicle electrification to assume when to innovate in metrology and smart manufacturing by Renishaw?
IB- The industry is investing a lot of resources and dedicating a lot of effort in the eligification of vehicles within the European framework. The implementation of these new projects opened the door for us to talk with companies in the region about the importance of process control in real time. Manufacturing companies in Europe need to be competitive and for this reason they need to increase their income in manufacturing and control systems. Increase efficiency through advanced automation, high productivity, cost reduction due to inefficiencies, comprehensive process control and intelligent manufacturing.
Renishaw manufactures, on average, more than 1.2 million units per month in its factories, and tries to share this experience with its customers. In electric vehicles, we developed specific applications for these new components and also developed new hardware to solve new measurement needs that were not up to date.
Renishaw designs, manufactures and supplies metal 3D printing machines, a process also known as additive manufacturing. Electric mobility requires more efficient manufacturing technology, which allows designs that were not feasible until now. Additive Manufacturing allows obtaining metal parts that significantly improve the final performance of electric vehicles thanks to increases in efficiency or a decrease in weight.
“Renishaw is the only manufacturer in the world with true 5-axis measurement technology and multi-sensor capability.”
AR.- What is the impact of the development of CMMs from three to five axes?
IB- Bringing process control closer to production is increasingly important to become highly competitive in the global industry. As a result, it is common to see more CMMs being installed and implemented in the factory, and we are convinced that this is a trend that will continue to grow in the coming years. When we talk about the integration of CMM in the production line, it is important;
1. Reduce cycle time, that is, you can measure more and faster, while maintaining accuracy.
2. Reduce the size of the device to accommodate the spaces available online
3. Introduce multi-sensor capability, for example, being able to perform dimensional analysis, fluctuation, and roughness in one operation.
All of this can be done with the use of a 5-axis measurement system. Renishaw is the only manufacturer in the world of true 5-axis measurement technology and multi-sensor capability.
AR.- What is the new level of the passenger company that sustainability, optimization of energy and circular economy?
IB- As we said, a large part of our factories are in Great Britain and Ireland, always in the process of making improvements, aimed not only at increasing productivity, but also at increasing energy efficiency. because the legislation requires it and allows them to become more effective.
Renishaw has created a sustainability committee that looks across the business and implements strategies that allow us to reduce our carbon footprint globally. Different activities such as the study and implementation of solar panels in our buildings are compared around the world. However, our fleet of operating vehicles, air travel and the ability to reschedule meetings with the team are as much as possible. For several years, internal policies have been implemented to print on paper and we encourage all work teams, including our clients, to use files in electronic format, such as order confirmations, invoices, service reports, manuals, technical sheets, promotional materials; etc.
It is also a way of life as a consumer product. In particular, we apply our own metal additive appearance machines to obtain metal parts with optimized machines that reduce material removal, as happens in processes such as machines.
AR.- Smart manufacturing goes through new developments in digitization and data management: How does Renishaw address these trends to respond to different sectors and, of course, the automotive sector?
IB-Smert Manufacturing is a term to describe self-improvement processes that require moments of adjustment, closed-loop feedback, and the ability to measure and make decisions traditionally required in manufacturing.
We are creating solutions that allow our customers to implement intelligent manufacturing: broad, connected and flexible, giving companies the conditions to make automated decision-making more and more.
Products and programs are developed in this ecosystem and incorporate services such as: the ability to communicate and interact with PLCs, numerical controls, send information to networks and specific databases either in neutral formats, or through means of Software that is an interface. who can undertake a number of tasks, including sending instrument corrections to numerical control, based on measurements made on any Renishaw instrument, anywhere in the world.
Renishaw’s implementation of additive manufacturing enables it to produce a whole range of digital parts across multiple industries. Companies that use our 3D metal printing technology benefit from much more efficient data management, which improves control and reduces costs.
