Rehm Technology Day: Manufacturing in the Age of Digital Transformation

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Rehm Thermal Systems' Technology Day held last September 29, 2016 was attended by almost 150 guests, which included regional and international clients, distributors and partner firms.

With the theme "Manufacturing in the age of digital transformation", this year's event featured presentations and interesting workshop sessions that took visitors on a journey through the manufacturing of tomorrow and presented the latest in innovative plant technology and the latest software tools. The event highlighted not just advancing digital transformation in electronics manufacturing, but also themes such as Industry 4.0, large data volume handling, optimum line integration and increasing automated plant control.

Company owner Johannes Rehm opened the Technology Day with an overview of the day’s program and a brief outline of the challenges associated with the advancing digital transformation in manufacturing. Next, Alois Mahr of Zollner AG gave a talk on the topic of networked manufacturing in electronics production, stressing the importance of interfaces and data storage for seamless traceability as well as managing large data volumes for a successful future manufacturing concept.

Other presentations dealt with modern line integration in the coating process using the example of Protecto for highly-selective conformal coating and the use of smart sensors in thermal systems to optimize process parameters. Another key focus was the new software interface ViCON, which Rehm has developed for the VisionX series. A live on-site switch-on at Rehm's partner firms Hannusch's plants in Laichingen provided a real-time demo of the remote control tools the new ViCON software offers.

The seminar program was closed by Philipp Oliver from NEPTUNE Information Technologies GmbH, who gave his audience an insight into the world of artificial intelligence and discussed the possibilities of "machine learning" for use in the industry.

The afternoon workshops held at Rehm’s Technology Centre featured experts from Rehm on a Q&A session with participants on all issues associated with different soldering, curing and coating processes and the new ViCON software. Visitors also had the chance at various info points to find out about energy-efficient equipment from Rehm, for example, cooling using liquid nitrogen, the innovative temperature detection tool WPS 2.4 for maximum process supervision, and PULSE line connection from partner Asys.