BEHIND THE SCENES
World-class scientists as guests in Bad Pyrmont
Professor Suzanne D. Berger from MIT on a research tour through Germany
A delegation of four
scientists from the renowned
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology traveled to Bad
Pyrmont to visit the Phoenix
Contact location and the
Smart Factory located here.
Prof. Suzanne D. Berger
visited Germany to do
research for a new book. In
2013, the study “Making in
America: From Innovation
to Market” was published.
In it, Prof. Berger examines
the question of whether the
US needs to strengthen the
effi ciency of its production
sector in order to create value
from innovations.
Now, she is embarking on
a new project: in the “Work
of the Future” task force,
staff from the various MIT
faculties are working together
to determine what infl uence
new technologies have on
employees.
The MIT team became
aware of Phoenix Contact
when they were looking
for companies that were
on the cutting edge of
new technologies. At the
annual meeting of the World
Economic Forum at the end
of 2018 in Tianjing (China),
Phoenix Contact was named
as one of the world’s nine
New GM
in South Africa
The newcomer relies on teamwork
Shortly before the end
of 2019, the Springbok
state on the Cape
of Africa got a new
general manager in
Carl Kleynhans. The
graduate business
manager has more
than 18 years of pro-
fessional experience
in the IT and electron-
ics industry, including
in German electronics companies.
According to his own statement, teamwork
is his means on the path to further success.
phoenixcontact.com
leading smart factories that
already use IIoT technologies
in practice.
A guided tour of the
production area showed how
machines and systems can be
converted to the production of
new products within a short
space of time. Based on a
digital twin, the products to be
manufactured are so smart,
they can fi nd their way through
the processing stations
themselves. In this way, even
small series and special
productions can be realized
that would be uneconomical in
a pure mass production.
Prof. D. Berger
(middle) with
her team and
Production
Manager
Dr. Tilman
Potente (right)
Innovation from the printer
Protiq prints pure copper
With 3D printing of pure copper,
Protiq has achieved a breakthrough
in additive manufacturing. At the
specialist trade fair formnext in late
November 2019 in Frankfurt, the
team surrounding General Manager
Dr. Ralf Gärtner presented the global-
ly unique process.
Until now, printing pure copper
was not considered possible, be-
cause the metal refl ects the rays of
the melting laser until it is destroyed.
Due to its excellent electrical
conductivity, copper is used to make
inductors for the partial hardening
of components, among other things.
The production is complex and
time-consuming, usually taking
weeks.
With the new process, it’s
possible to reduce the conventional
processing time to a few hours. In
addition, the manufacturing data of
the component can be uploaded,
confi gured, and ordered directly on
the Protiq online platform.
protiq.com
The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine
UPDATE 4/20
49