Remote engineering at Walter
Walter specialists develop and optimise individual machining processes or complete machining strategies for new components or materials in conjunction with customers. Since March 2020, customers have increasingly been using this service without being on-site themselves. To virtually integrate customers into process development (remote engineering), Walter has equipped machining equipment with cameras and microphones, and transmits images, sound and all machining parameters via Livestream to the respective customers.
"The demand for remote engineering is currently particularly high due to the travel and contact restrictions. We virtually interconnect those responsible on the customer side and all required Walter technology experts, allowing us to jointly evaluate processes directly on the machining equipment, discuss results and answer questions. This enables us to continue to implement complex component designs for and with our customers," says Dr Vikki Franke, manager of the Walter Technology Center. "The customer feedback is very positive. I imagine that remote engineering will also become more important in the future – also because it saves time-consuming and cost-intensive journeys and is therefore environmentally friendly as well."
The Walter Technology Center is equipped with modern machining and communication technology. Procedures and machining processes are tested and further developed under real production conditions – which is how Walter unburdens the customer's fleet of machinery. Usually, those responsible for the project on the customer side are closely integrated into the development of their machining solutions. With remote engineering, if participation on-site is not possible, the customer is connected live with the Technology Center via secure access. Based on the Comara appCom production assistance system, which is installed on all machines in the Walter Technology Center, they can see all machine figures in real time. Via the cameras and microphones, the customer can evaluate the reliable machining, tool wear and the machining result.