Trumpf and SiMa. ai collaboration to develop AI laser

Recently, Trumpf Group, a leading global provider of machine tools and laser technology solutions, announced that it has partnered with software company SiMa AI has signed a partnership agreement to develop lasers with artificial intelligence (AI).

It is reported that SiMa. ai is a software centric embedded edge machine learning chip system company, and the goal of both parties is to equip Trumpf's multiple laser systems with artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the near future, including systems for welding, cutting, and marking, as well as metal 3D printers.

Richard Bannmler, Chief Technology Officer of Trumpf Laser Technology, said, "Artificial intelligence (AI) has high strategic significance for Trumpf. Our laser process and manufacturing expertise help us develop intelligent software for production. SiMa.ai is our ideal partner for the next big step towards intelligent industrial solutions.

The two companies will each leverage their professional strengths in cooperation: Trumpf has expertise in laser applications, and SiMa.ai has machine learning system chip (MLSoC) technology.

The rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence innovation is reshaping the way humans utilize emerging technologies. AI's powerful MLSoC and flexible software, as well as Trumpf's highest level of process understanding, are driving the industry forward with AI solutions. Combining Trumpf's advanced artificial intelligence software SiMa.

Harald Kr, Sales Director and President of Automotive Business at SiMa.ai? GER stated, "AI provides a software centric platform for all edge artificial intelligence that can adapt to any framework, network, model, sensor, or pattern, potentially reaching the next level of AI assisted laser technology.

It is reported that SiMa.ai is headquartered in San Jose, California, USA and has an office in Stuttgart, Germany, with approximately 200 employees.

Currently, edge machine learning (ML) applications running entirely on SiMa.ai machine learning system chips have improved their performance and energy efficiency tenfold, bringing higher precision intelligence into machine learning applications ranging from computer vision to generative AI in just a few minutes.

At Trumpf, there are approximately 90 employees from around the world dedicated to AI work in the field of product development.

Accelerate the production of electric vehicles
This collaboration aims to accelerate the processing of complex materials. During this process, powerful, compact, and energy-efficient artificial intelligence chips will be directly integrated into the laser system.

The sensor technology optimized by artificial intelligence can monitor the quality of laser welding process in real time, and can evaluate more than 3000 images per second.

Taking electric vehicle production as an example, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), real-time quality inspection during laser welding is expected to replace separate and complex testing programs. In addition, battery manufacturers will be able to improve product quality in real time, reduce scrap rates, and ultimately lower the price for consumers to purchase electric vehicles.

AI will change Trumpf's business model
Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence (AI) will change Trumpf's business model, transforming it from a mere equipment supplier to a solution provider responsible for producing results.

From April 9th to 12th this year, Trumpf held its annual internal exhibition - INTECH Technology Open Day event - at its headquarters in Diqin, Germany. About 1000 companies participated in experiencing new solutions combining the machine tool industry and artificial intelligence.
At the INTECH online press conference held at the same time, Trumpf Machine Tool CEO Stephan Mayer and three other hosts discussed this important future topic with approximately 70 international journalists.

Stephan Mayer, CEO of Trumpf's Machine Tool Division, stated that in the next five years, Trumpf aims to become a leading provider of artificial intelligence solutions in the industry. To this end, we are further expanding our activities in this field and bundling them into a capability center. The purpose is to use artificial intelligence to make our internal processes more efficient, such as in software development, management, or services.

As a solution provider, Trumpf will also bring more and more artificial intelligence to market customers, enabling them to further improve productivity. Especially during times of economic hardship, investing in future themes such as artificial intelligence has become crucial for Trumpf. We can't waste any more time.

Today, we have the first batch of AI driven products. Therefore, artificial intelligence is not far away - the future is here.
Digitization and artificial intelligence go hand in hand. For our customers, this means an increase in productivity and efficiency throughout the entire sheet metal process chain - regardless of the size of the company.

At this year's internal INTECH exhibition, Trumpf showcased the "Operability Guide" - an initial version of a new AI based solution that can help production employees run faster and easier on the high-performance TruMatic 5000 fully automated punch press.

At present, when using machines to produce new orders with new geometries or materials, users must test the machine program separately - which leads to a rapid increase in idle time of the machine, especially for fully automated machines that produce many different parts.

With Trumpf's support for AI software Runability Guide, users can avoid up to 20 minutes of idle time during system operation. Based on various evaluation models, the new running in assistant displays for each new job whether TruMatic 5000 can directly produce parts or whether manual intervention is required.

Jonathan Eberle, the project leader of Trumpf Development Department, explained, "Our operability guidelines provide enterprises with advantages in productivity and competitiveness. This not only saves their time, but also means they can use employees' skills for other value creating tasks or train new employees.

The main benefits of the operability guide are:
-Time saving machine settings
-Reduce the workload of production employees
-Part identification in night shift production environment
-Quickly analyze potential issues
-Accelerate the evaluation process through AI

Hagen Zimer, CEO of Laser Technology, said, "This will change the business model. We are not just selling equipment, but sharing responsibility for the production process with our customers. If we provide these tools, we are responsible for the results of the production workshop equipment.

Zimer believes that Trumpf will see more technological differentiation, but not just in the hardware aspect of laser technology - there are currently many companies, including Chinese competitors, that can manufacture laser light sources. He said, "I firmly believe that our vision is to use digital tools, secure data access, and AI to aggregate this data and generate meaningful KPIs, and then achieve quality assurance at customer sites. To achieve this, we need sensors, artificial intelligence, and secure data.

He pointed out that Trumpf currently has two key goals related to the introduction of artificial intelligence: on the one hand, striving to improve customer processes (increasing the normal running time of customer machines, ensuring that customer processes are more stable, faster, and more efficient). On the other hand, improving the efficiency of internal processes, including addressing management issues or enhancing research and development efficiency.

Zimer also elaborated on the application of artificial intelligence in laser welding, citing that if a customer has a laser welding application, it will generate laser input data. For example, in battery welding for electric vehicle applications, customers need to ensure that the last seam of the prismatic battery is 100% tightly connected so that the electrolyte does not leak.

He explained, "Typical laser processes do not yet have such functional effects, but if you observe this process, perform closed-loop control with the laser, and obtain better processes from these data to control, you can help customers improve efficiency.

Source: OFweek