Mechatronic magic

A focus on digital transformation, Industry 5.0 and AI are putting the mechatronic components specialist, Hiteco, at the forefront of CNC development.

Hiteco is a company you might know of but probably don’t deal with directly. Nevertheless, the technological advances made by Hiteco and its focus on digital transformation, Industry 5.0 and AI have far-reaching implications for the latest generation of CNC machines – and the company is moving fast to encapsulate them in products you can benefit from.

On 14th June 2024, Hiteco, and SCM Group company specialising in the development and production of hi-tech mechatronic components for machine tool manufacturers, inaugurated its new premises in Rimini. Established in Villa Verucchio (Rimini) in 1977 as an in-house department providing electro-spindles, bi-rotational heads, drilling heads and aggregates for the group’s woodworking, metal, stone, glass, plastic and composite machines, Hiteco has grown steadily, aided by a constant growth in exports. Now with a turnover of around 40 million Euros, Hiteco has become one of the main global manufacturers in the high-tech components sector for numerically controlled machines.

The new headquarters in Rimini covers an overall area of 9,000 square metres compared with the previous 3,000 at the plant in Villa Verucchio, and more than 7,000 square metres have been set aside for production. The investment will allow Hiteco to increase its workforce, as well as improve its production efficiency (100% Made in Italy) and its R&D work. The projects specifically concentrate on the development of new digital services, IoT services and intelligent products complete with AI algorithms, as well as an expansion of the range in the stone, glass and metal machining sectors and Industry 5.0.

More space and greater competitiveness on Italian and foreign markets also translate into more steadfast collaborations with schools, universities and professional training organisations and greater opportunities for growth for its co-workers, thanks in part to the training provided by SCM Group’s Campus for Hiteco and all the companies in the group.

“This investment is the crowning achievement of the continuous progress recorded over the years, as well as a new starting point for continuing to increase the innovative level of our products and services,” commented the director of Hiteco, Massimo Benvenuti.

“Our industrial components are the added value, the technological heart of any machine that defines its quality in terms of performance, power, precision and reliability over time – yet another reason for adding increased quality to the solutions produced which, in the case of Hiteco, are continually evolving to meet the wide range of demands from its customers.”

From a technological innovation point of view, all Hiteco’s products make their mark by using sensors (in line with Industry 4.0) and by maintaining a strong focus on reducing electricity consumed by machines.

“Our woodworking spindles have had a good reputation for reliability and cost effectiveness for many years,” confirmed Luca Dürr, whose job it is to advise customers on the correct type of spindle for the application they have in mind. “We have improved our spindles further by digitalising them with sensors in order to allow the machine to understand the health of the spindle. Our spindles are now able to communicate with a CNC machine, providing a predictive maintenance system that tells the machine if there is something wrong so it can be shut down. We supply spindles to many machinery producers. Not all are ready for this but SCM is and they have implemented these new features on their machines in order to offer an efficient preventive maintenance system through the SCM Control Room.

“In the last year, we have introduced new protocols for communication between the spindle and the CNC machine and improved the software to enable third party customers to benefit from smart spindles. This is a new development that will enable a spindle to communicate directly with a CNC through a WiFi ether card. We have a spindle board that is able to communicate externally with the end customer, but CNC producers have to develop the software so they can use that data. In the SCM control room, they can already read the spindle.”

Industry 5.0, ERS (Energy Recovery System) is a new applied system that allows for the recovery of 14.5% of the energy generated by the component. This can then be used for subsequent machining work.

In terms of digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence, Hiteco has developed new digital services linked to the Hiteco Connect IoT system. Intelligent sensors applied to the electro-spindles make it possible, in real time and at any time, to monitor their state of health and performance, as well as subsequently analyse all the data from the same component to optimise its use and required maintenance. “Sensors are added at the end of the spindle assembly line because they are really fragile,” explained Luca. “We have four sensors in the rear of the spindle and one in the front for sensing vibration, but not every customer needs this. Some customers don’t require sensors at all. It depends which kind of spindle has been ordered. Generally, spindles that have four sensors in the rear are for the woodworking industry where there is an automatic tool release system on the machine. The sensors enable the spindle to pick up the tool automatically and reject it automatically. You can imagine what kind of damage can result if the machine is working and the tool is not correctly locked. It can be dangerous for the operator as well as detrimental to spindle life. We put a really high focus on these sensors. The last sensor we put on each of our spindles is the rotating sensor. It checks if the spindle is rotating or not, in order to prohibit opening of the cabin.

“In the last year, we also developed a system that is able to control the temperature of the spindle via the electric fan that cools it. One of the biggest noise areas in some electric spindles is the electric fan. The sensor will adapt the speed of the fan, reducing the current and cutting the noise level to make a more comfortable environment to work in. More customers are asking for this.”

Research and development have been Hiteco’s jewel in the crown for many years and that tradition continues: “We have a specific team within the company that deals with R&D, aimed at creating flexible, state-ofthe-art technological solutions in continuous evolution,” said Massimo Benvenuti. “The entire production path is rigorously controlled during key stages of the process. All the controls and end testing are done using the most advanced instruments that have been properly certified and are constantly updated. All our investments focus on increasing the quality and durability of our products and, as a result, the performance of the customers’ machinery.”

Powered by its own 350kWp photovoltaic plant, and with its own water treatment system, the new factory is a showpiece of modern manufacturing where all the most important parts of the spindle are manufactured. “To ensure the quality, we produce the shafts and the rotors internally,” explained Luca. “These are the core, the heart of the spindle. We machine them on one of six grinding machines to tolerances of 23 microns on some shafts. Then we have different lines where the parts are assembled.

We also do the balancing because spindles that run at up to 24,000rpm have to be balanced to perfection in order to ensure the lifespan. Assembly starts with the bearings on the front nose, then the shaft goes into the housing of the motor before the rear bearings are fitted. After the assembly of the motor, each unit is tested in a running-in station for two and a half hours, depending on which kind of spindles we are assembling. We do this to ensure the bearings are working properly and the quality of the spindle meets our standards. After that, we carry out fine balancing to ensure there are absolutely no vibrations. And at the end we carry out final tests, checking to make sure the sensors are working properly before the finished spindle is boxed and delivered.” Every one of Hiteco’s products is conveyor belt assembled, ensuring complete control over all the assembly work and guaranteeing quality. Together with extensive availability in the warehouse, this dramatically cuts delivery times.

“The real strength behind our products,” concludes Massimo, “Lies in the people who passionately dedicate themselves each day to development and production. This is the added value of important, steady growth that we continue to see year after year and this is the spirit with which we look to the future, focusing on further updating our range and in winning over new markets.”

For more information on Hiteco and the products it manufactures, call +39 0541 674940 or visit www.hiteco.net/en To find out how your company could benefit from Hiteco technology in SCM Group’s machinery, call 0115 977 0044 or visit www.scmgroup.com/en_GB/scmwood