SCOPE: Mr. Förster, the last few years have been record-breaking for AMF. What does 2017 look like?

Jürgen Förster: We did indeed achieve record sales every year from 2013 to 2016. We will continue on our growth path in 2017 and exceed the 44 million euros of 2016 once again. On the one hand, this is due to the high demand for high-quality clamping devices. On the other hand, we adjusted to this demand at an early stage and set up our entire team to meet it. In addition, we already have precisely the innovative products that the market needs in the course of increased automation in the context of Industry 4.0 as quickly deliverable catalog goods. That's where we hit the bull's eye.

SCOPE: It is obvious that automation makes a significant contribution to success. At the same time, however, it also brings with it new challenges, such as new materials, ever smaller batch sizes and cost-effective automation solutions. How do you meet these challenges as a clamping device manufacturer?

Förster: Of course, we have been keeping a close eye on market growth due to increasing automation for a long time. So we were quick to develop exactly the right products to help users be more productive. And not special solutions, but stock items that are quickly available and ready for use. Our customers frequently face the challenge of producing individual, rapidly changing orders, often in small quantities and with short delivery times, economically. In addition to innovative clamping devices, such as products with sensors for interrogation technology, we also supply grippers, markers or cleaning tools that can be automatically inserted into the machine. This enables our customers to automate quickly and flexibly.

SCOPE: What significance do you attribute to additive manufacturing for clamping devices?

Förster: Many people believe that 3D printing with metal powder has great potential for the future. We have already developed AMF zero-point clamping modules specifically for this purpose, which meet the very special requirements. It will be particularly interesting if other machining processes follow, because set-up processes are considerably faster. Manufacturers of 3D printed products who "carry over" the zero point to subsequent operations such as milling, drilling or sawing processes or to cleaning and measuring machines reduce their overall set-up times by up to 90 percent. Often even more important for many: the entire production process is highly standardized and creates the basis for full automation with robots.

SCOPE: What role will clamping devices play in digitally networked production and how will clamping devices become smart?

Förster: For us at AMF, this is not a question of "becoming", but of "being". We already have products for digital networking in our range. Clamping devices that can be integrated into the machine with their entire functionality and report information about their current status. We have been in close contact with machine manufacturers and fixture builders for a long time.