Smart automation for the whole world
15.06.2022 | Petra Rehmet

It all began in 1982, when Josef Neureder founded Josef Neureder Feinmechanik-Maschinenbau GmbH at the age of just 25. He did this out of the conviction that he could "build better robots than his employer at the time". This bold approach proved to be the right one.

The first product was the N 01 linear robot, the great-grandfather of today's KraussMaffei LRX linear robot with MC6 control. In 1985, the IR industrial robot was integrated for the first time. Neureder was Managing Director of what later became KraussMaffei Automation for many years.

In 2002, the products and know-how were incorporated into the newly founded KraussMaffei Automation, a subsidiary of the KraussMaffei Group. The motivation for this was the increasing demand for highly complex system solutions including injection molding technology and automation from a single source. "This means that we are still offering our customers significant added value today," says Martin Strasser, Managing Director of KraussMaffei Automation.

It is not just a matter of designing individual robots, but of integrating them efficiently into overall production together with the peripherals. This applies regardless of whether it is an industrial robot, a linear robot from the LRX series or a sprue picker. At KraussMaffei, this is done via a central control system

Today, KraussMaffei Automation serves a wide range of industries worldwide, including automotive, electrical engineering, medical technology, large-scale equipment, and logistics and packaging.

The best example is the joint development of FiberForm technology. The FiberForm process developed by KraussMaffei combines thermoforming of organic sheets and injection molding in a single process. The result is fiber-reinforced plastic components that are particularly lightweight yet have high strength. They are used primarily in vehicle construction. An intelligent automation concept consisting of two combined LRX linear robots (TwinRobot) optimizes and synchronizes the process sequences and saves valuable cycle time.

KraussMaffei benefits from synchronized assembly at the Schwerin site in the production of LRX linear robots. This ensures shorter delivery times (up to 40 percent), high quality thanks to production from a single source and fast support and retrofit services - such as the stocking of spare parts.

Just a little while ago in 2021, KraussMaffei brought the latest generation of LRX linear robots to the market. Benefits for plastics processors are the wide selection of axis lengths and wrist axes as well as optimal integration of peripherals. The EcoMode function enables energy savings of up to 20 percent—an important argument in light of soaring energy prices.