Sophisticated technologies for managing complexity

Open to new mechatronic scenarios, WITTENSTEIN is constantly committed to developing systems that guarantee greater competitiveness in the market. It brought its new technological developments to SPS Italia, but it also emphasized the potential of its service and circular economy projects.

Milena Bernardi

The launch of the NTP planetary gearbox and the new iTAS^® 2 drive system for automated guided vehicles (AGV) are the two new key developments that characterized WITTENSTEIN ’s participation at the latest edition of SPS Italia. Operating in the Italian market for over 20 years, the company stands out for the excellence of solutions able to handle the growing complexity of production in various industrial sectors. Direct subsidiary of the German WITTENSTEIN SE, based in the north of Stuttgart, in 2022, it reached a turnover of 50.5 million euros against the 500 million achieved by the group as a whole.

A precise and affordable champion

«The new NTP planetary gearbox is the missing link in the Value Line range of alpha flange reducers, much appreciated in the packaging sector as it combines precision and robustness with value for money»

explains Simone Bassani, Chief Operating Officer of WITTENSTEIN.

«The goal - Bassani continues - was to fill the current gap between the entry level flange gearbox and the TO flange gearbox which has historically been one of our strong points». The four sizes available can also be requested running with lubricant for the food sector or with integrated cynapse sensors. «In this way, with IO-Link interface, they become invaluable tools for directly recording significant values for the process, such as temperature, vibrations, acceleration and assembly position».

NTP is also suitable for diverse applications: robotics, automation and handling, food plants and packaging machines, for wood and paper-working, machine tools, for printing and production systems in general. Like the entire WITTENSTEIN line of alpha gearboxes, it can be scaled in an efficient and safe way with the cymex^® 5 computation software, optimizing the productivity of any axis.

A new generation of drive systems

On display at the stand there was also the cyber^® iTAS^® system 2, the new compact drive system for automated guided vehicles (AGV), autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and other mobile platforms, developed by the WITTENSTEIN’s cyber motor division.

In the regard, Bassani points out that «iTAS 2, as the name suggests, is the second generation of a product which we already had in our portfolio. It is composed of a drive that integrates the safety functions and by a motorized wheel with a high load capacity, ideal for applications in production, assembly, storage and intralogistics contexts. Its compact design (30% smaller compared to previous models) guarantees rapid integration and is ideal for those customers with very low AGV vehicles, having platforms up to 180 mm in height from the ground».

The entire system has been designed for weights of between 1 and 3 tonnes and the load supported for each wheel arrives at 750 kg. In addition, the available multi-Ethernet or CANopen interface guarantees a direct connection to different control environments.

Repairability and neutrality: two sides of the same coin WITTENSTEIN ’s sustainable approach embraces different contexts, including the circular economy concept.

«In this sense, the service function becomes strategic - Bassani explains - because with high-resolution endoscopic analysis we can, foe example, carry out specific estimates and help the customer to evaluate the expected life of a component and, if possible, bringing it back to a “semi-new” state, leading to lower consumption of resources like water, energy and transport».

«On the “sustainability front” - adds Alessandra Suriano, WITTENSTEIN Media Relations & Communication Manager - we have decided to carry out a concrete action at the trade fair level. We have, in fact, used the services of the company, ClimatePartner, to quantify the carbon footprint produced by the event, that is, the CO2 emitted for the setting up and operation of the stand for the entire duration of the fair. From the calculation made and certified, a value of 14,000 kg emerged, which we have planned to offset».

To do so, the company has launched two initiatives: the installation of solar panels in India to replace the electricity produced by thermoelectric plants and fossil fuels, as well as the redevelopment and planting of a number of areas in the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park (VA), damaged by a storm in autumn 2020.