Japanese Cutting-Edge
Solutions for Metalworking
Japanese Cutting-Edge
Solutions for Metalworking
News
October 11, 2024
AMADA
Location: 200, Ishida, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa, Japan
Contact: +81 (0)463-96-1111
The AMADA Global Innovation Center (AGIC), equipped with showrooms and development labs, is said to be the largest of its kind in the world. Among its impressive features is the “Innovation SITE,” a showroom displaying over 90 new products. However, its greatest asset is the “Innovation LABO,” where users can conduct tests on AMADA’s metalworking machines. The concept behind AGIC is “a place for co-creating the future of metalworking.” What does this co-creation site, now gaining momentum, have to offer?
At Innovation LABO, technological development is carried out under strict confidentiality.
For about a month in early summer, the AMADA Group held a special event at AGIC. This annual event showcases the latest topics in the industry, where visitors can experience cutting-edge machines and technologies, and attend seminars that present optimal solutions.
Among the outstanding exhibits were new products such as the “ALCIS-1008e” 3D laser integrated system. In response to chronic labor shortages in manufacturing, there’s an urgent need for automation and skill-less operations. The event also featured new products addressing diverse needs, including expanded lines of sheet metal machines and automation systems using collaborative robots.
Takaaki Yamanashi, Representative Director and President of AMADA, emphasized, “ AGIC presents the technological innovations of tomorrow. It’s not just about one-sided proposals – we offer proof and concrete evidence of our technologies, giving customers confidence. It is through LABO in particular that we intend to drive further growth.”
AGIC, which opened in February 2023, has already welcomed more than 10,000 visitors from over 5,000 companies worldwide. The LABO, a dedicated research and development facility for customers, handles consultations on various materials, shapes, and processing methods. Key areas of focus include laser and welding technology applications and process innovation for electric vehicle (EV) components.
Representative Director, President Takaaki Yamanashi says: “AGIC presents the technological innovations of tomorrow”.
Manufacturing improvements account for 80% of process innovation topics. Interestingly, about 70% of the projects undertaken in the LABO focus on welding. This reflects the heavy reliance on skilled labor and the lack of automation in the welding process within the sheet metal industry, highlighting the industry’s labor shortage. Large enterprises have been increasingly active in tackling these issues.
One example of a LABO initiative is the conversion of EV motor windings. The material, copper, is difficult to process, requiring 100-250 welding points, but AMADA is working with users in LABO to develop new processing methods.
This is where the ALCIS-1008e comes in. Its 4kW blue laser enables high-speed, spatter-free welding. By leveraging its high-speed scanner control technology, it transforms traditional scanning processing into “on-the-fly” processing, combining table movement and laser processing to cut time in half. Artificial intelligence (AI) sensing technology is also integrated, bringing together three core technologies to address customer challenges.
“The LABO is a flagship facility. We tested the ALCIS-1008e here even before its official release and refined it through practical application. The LABO plays a critical role in product refinement and customization. By combining the seeds (cutting-edge technologies) with market needs, we create differentiated solutions. Over the past year, we’ve tackled about 100 topics, some of which have already achieved their goals,” said President Yamanashi with confidence.
AGIC represents both the present and the future of AMADA’s technological innovation.
By: Takashi Haga
Deputy editor-in-chief, SEISANZAI Japan
Share On :
