Technology Development

PI Ceramic and Corporate Advanced Research Explore Potentials for Collaboration

November 23, 2022
Dr. Sebastian Kuntz, Jörg Gebhardt, Dr. Harry Marth, Dr. Stefan Krebs, Dr. Stefan Schulz, Dr. Michael Hohmann, Dr. Rainer Gloess, Otto Markus, Dr. Steffen Scheiber and Niklas Berliner (from left)

At the beginning of November, 2022, the Corporate Advanced Research (CAR) group, which is part of Global Research & Platforms, visited PI Ceramic in Lederhose, Thuringia.

CAR is responsible for scouting, transferring, and developing new technologies for PI. The timeframe for these developments is between two to five years. When scouting for new technologies, the timeframe can extend to up to ten years.

Dr. Steffen Schreiber's team currently deals with impressive topics, such as high-precision positioning sensor technology used for free movement in space, magnetically guided direct drives, and machine learning from data sets generated by PI positioning systems.

In the past few years, PIC supported CAR by setting up functional samples with various services, such as high-precision cutting and grinding, in the Tech Center.

The CAR colleagues used the visit at PIC as an opportunity to better get to know the technological possibilities and so intensify the collaboration and explore new potentials. The central development of PIC is integrated in the organizational structure of GRP, so that the team of Dr. Franz Schubert, Head of Central Development, is the closest link to PIC.

The visit started with a two-hour tour of the production areas at PIC with Dr. Patrick Pertsch as a guide. Afterwards, there was a meeting with the Heads of Product Division, the plant manager Daniel Völkel as well as Dr. Franz Schubert, Peter Ditas, Florian Baumgardt, and Dr. Frank Müller.

Subsequently, a professional exchange took place in individual meetings with the respective PIC specialists and managers. Among other things, it was discussed how CAR could offer their support in finding the parameters for the process control of the PIC production by means of Machine Learning. In turn, the extended possibilities of the PIC Tech Center were discussed with which CAR could be supported in developing technology and functional samples. For this purpose, technologies were discussed, such as Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), used to coat surfaces extremely thinly, and the machining of workpieces with focused ultrasound.

You can find further information on the Global Research & Platforms CAR group on the Pinboard page.

Both, the CAR team and PI Ceramic are convinced that in the future synergies will be more strongly used in order to influence and push the technological development of the PI Group in a pioneering way.

Contact persons:

  • Dr. Patrick Pertsch, CEO PIC
  • Dr. Steffen Schreiber, Director Advance Development – Global
Written by Laura Früh on November 23, 2022