Premiere with a good response

The editorial team counted more than 7,700 votes cast online when the reader voting closed at the end of January. In fall 2022, INDUSTRIAL Production asked its readers and companies from a wide range of industries for the first time to submit suggestions for their Product of the Year 2023. 38 nominees were then presented at the end of the year.

On the evening of March 30, the awards were presented to the winners in a ceremony in Haar near Munich. You can find out who came out on top in the categories of additive manufacturing, drive technology and automation, robotics, handling, assembly and production, design, simulation and digital twin as well as metalworking in the article below and also here in the picture gallery.

"Congratulations on the great performance"

"We would like to congratulate all the winners on their awards and their contribution to the industry. The special thing about this award is that the nominated products are evaluated by the readers of INDUSTRIAL Production. This means that their evaluation, opinion and experience flow directly into the result. With this in mind, congratulations to the respective company teams," comments Peter Eberhard, Publishing Director/Prokurist WEKA Business Medien.

By the way: After the competition is before the competition and the editorial team will once again be calling on its readers to submit suggestions this year - then for the INDUSTRIAL Production products of the year 2024.

The winners of the competition for the INDUSTRIAL Production Product of the Year 2023

Category 1: Additive manufacturing

1st place: ARBURG - Freeformer 750-3X
The Freeformer 750-3X is the latest machine for Arburg Plastic Freeforming (APF) and is designed to meet the requirements of the 3D printing industry. The component carrier is around 2.5 times larger - with the same external dimensions. At the same time, the process is faster and more economical. The Freeformer 750-3X can produce larger components or several items in a single operation. The Gestica control system has also been optimized in terms of process stability, component quality and build time.

2nd place: iFactory3D - One Pro
The 3D conveyor belt printer can print objects around the clock and in series without supervision thanks to the built-in conveyor belt and remote control.

3rd place: AIM3D - ExAM 510
The pellet printer offers an enlarged installation space. It can build up to three materials in parallel.

Category 2: Drive technology and automation

1st place: SEW-EURODRIVE - Energy-efficient IE5 solutions with DR2C synchronous motors
Reducing energy consumption in solutions is significantly more efficient than individual components. Solutions with IE5 synchronous motors contribute to this.

2nd place: Harting Electronics GmbH - Mini PushPull ix Industrial
A compact GBit Ethernet data interface for industrial applications, protected to IP protection class 65/67.

3rd place: NTI LinMot & MagSpring - LinMot PR02
LinMot linear rotary motors combine two servomotors and offer a combination of linear and rotary movements for highly complex movements.

Category 3: Robotics

1st place: SEW-EURODRIVE - MOVIKIT Power and Energy Solutions Add-On "Predictive Charge Control"
The software module regulates the state of charge of the energy storage system of a drive system depending on the positional, rotational and kinetic energy of the application.

2nd place: Bosch Rexroth - SMART FLEX EFFECTOR
The sensor-supported Smart Flex Effector compensation module increases the precision of robots - for completely new areas of application in factory automation.

3rd place: Phoenix Contact - NearFi coupler
With NearFi couplers, energy and real-time Ethernet data can be transmitted over an air gap of a few centimeters.

Category 4: Handling, assembly and production

1st place: Zimmer Group - MATCH end-of-arm ecosystem
The MATCH end-of-arm ecosystem from handling specialists Zimmer Group and Schmalz is compatible with every standard lightweight robot on the market.

2nd place: SSI SCHAEFER AUTOMATION - Advanced Pick Station one-level
Semi-automated workstation based on the goods-to-person principle for ergonomic handling of heavy or fragile items that cannot be thrown.

3rd place: Piab Vakuum GmbH - piCOBOT L
The piCOBOT L from Piab is a powerful vacuum pump unit with a quick-change system for cobots and small industrial robots.

Category 5: Design, simulation, digital twin

1st place: Heidenhain - TNC7
In addition to the graphical setup of the clamping devices, the control level offers the option of graphically measuring any workpieces up to complex free-form parts with the aid of new probing cycles.

2nd place: Hoffmann Group - Connected Manufacturing
The software offers tool management for tracking all tools in production in real time. Orders can be managed digitally, including a work process overview that provides the status of manual and external work.

3rd place: Plan systems - HoloDesk
Virtual 3D models that are projected into the room as holograms make it possible to work together on prototype design development in real time, regardless of location and in individual teams.

Category 6: Metalworking

1st place: ultraTEC innovation - ultrasonic deburring system A25
The digitally controlled system can remove unwanted burrs or fibers from metal or plastic parts automatically and without contact.

2nd place: Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen - BA 711 space
Flexible single-station machine for small and medium batch production of precision parts made of cast iron, cast steel or steel. The new design eliminates the partition wall in the interior of the machine, allowing the space available in the machine to be increased enormously.

3rd place: CERATIZIT Germany - Slot milling system MaxiMill - Slot-SX
High-performance side milling cutter that offers maximum process reliability and optimum performance for grooving, slotting and parting off thanks to internal cooling - up to 250 mm diameter.