CPT International 02/2019

COMPANY
production parameters stored in the
RFID chips – form the interface between
production, climatized storage,
and the core depot at the BMW works.
The production cycles and the associated
data can be called up in real time
using a computer or tablet, and can be
compared with old data. This is the
finest side of digitalization, delighting
the Inacore partners and Managing
Directors Udo Dinglreiter and Andreas
Mössner, and spurring them on to
make bold plans: “We are working
with the Chair of Mathematics at the
University of Passau on a multi-parameter
system controlled by artificial intelligence
(AI). We are right at the start
here, our long-term objective, however,
is that the AI learns to derive conclusions
from the data and will ultimately
prevent defects,” ex plains Udo Dinglreiter,
and Andreas Mössner adds:
“Machine and plant constructors have
to take Industry 4.0 into their own
hands.” Other technical possibilities
such as augmented reality (i.e. the computer-supported
expansion of perception)
and virtual reality could one day
be used for maintenance and servicing.
Training of the employees began
after the joint company was founded in
April 2017, parallel to construction of
the works in the industrial area of
Ergoldsbach. Intensive training was
undertaken at BMW because the personnel
had no specific core shop experience
at all. Laempe Mössner Sinto had
already started working on digitalization
in collaboration with the Pragmatic
Industries start-up in January 2017.
In view of the short time window
until production started, the partners
followed the principle of ‘learning by
doing’. The declared aim was to build a
core shop as a sector benchmark, and
thus uncover hidden potentials. The
tools for this were to be the possibilities
of consistent digitalization offering
transparency, networking and traceability.
“It is still uncharted territory,”
admits Andreas Mössner.
But in addition to the technology-driven
aspiration, a great deal of
expertise is necessary. Scheuchl exploited
its many years of experience in the
construction of the works infrastructure,
the air-conditioning and the project
management, while Laempe used
theirs for the machinery – from the
core-shooting plant, through the sand
mixer, to the sand conveyor system. The
partners installed the necessary plants
in two halls, to start with. Hall 1 accommodates
production with the six
Fully automated core production:
industrial robots take over
practically all the work steps
carried out after core shooting.
A finished core leaves the
core-shooting machine, in front
of which a robot is already
waiting.
core-shooting machines and the manipulators.
Hall 2 has the climatized storage
plant and the server, the raw
material depot, and the two sand silos
from the company FAT, in Niederfischbach,
Germany. A third hall is being
planned.
IT security is essential with so much
high-tech, otherwise the system would
face the risk of Trojans, hacking or overloading
attacks initiated by cybercriminals.
The partners invested about
100,000 euros on data security for the
server, and for a doubly protected security
system. Regarding IT security, Udo
Dinglreiter and Andreas Mössner are
confident that the data is not so easy to
interpret.
Sustainable air-conditioning
technology
Climate control is the sticking point in
the production of inorganic cores, and
determines their durability and functional
capability. The two family-run
companies selected a sustainable
approach: they use the waste heat
from the compressors to drive the sorption
rotors that regulate the temperature
in the climatized room. “The cores
harden in the core-shooting machine
and are then put in the climatized
room that is air-conditioned by the
waste heat,” explains Udo Dinglreiter.
In order to ensure transport from the
works to the BMW depot with an air
humidity of a few grams per cubic
meter, Inacore works with a special for-
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