Moulding Machines VR
Moulding Machines division enters virtual territory
As a company that leads the way in technology, Kurtz Ersa constantly strives to enhance its customers’ experience. To ensure that it presents its users with ever newer, smarter features and an optimum customer journey, the Moulding Machines division has decided to enter the virtual realm. At the in-house exhibition by Moulding Machines in November, the division for the first time presented its particle foam and foundry machines not only by means of real exhibits in the factory, but also with virtual applications.
At first, handling through a VR headset may seem unfamiliar, but it soon becomes intuitive. There is much to be discovered, including aspects that are often not so easily perceived in the real world. Every detail can be explored, and every stage of the process examined at close hand. It is also useful for actual turnkey projects, for which physical distance is no longer a barrier to tours and inspections. Whether observing a tool change behind the light barrier, an otherwise inaccessible space, furnace change-over with shuttle during non-productive time, or even emergency stop situations, in the virtual world the process continues uninterrupted.
Great demand for VR solutions
Our work with a regional partner from the Spessart region will ensure that, in future, we will include many more machines and processes, enabling customers to experience our smart solutions for themselves before implementing them. Further applications are planned, once they have been input into the CAD system, reduced in size and animated. Fixed stations in the Kurtz GmbH premises have been set aside for both divisions and will be opened soon. This means that even customers who visit at short notice will be able to gain access to our systems, either with a presentation or hands-on practical experience. The demand at other Kurtz Ersa locations is already high – enquiries have been received from China, Mexico and the USA. Virtual reality applications could be used, for example, to promote the exchange of information on special machinery between Kurtz Ersa branches and representatives worldwide, in order to optimise products and adapt them to the requirements of specific markets.
In future, it is also likely that virtual reality will be used for customer advice meetings, at trade fairs, and as an intelligent expansion of our service provision. For example, VR applications with desktop sharing could be used for remote maintenance and repair, depending on complexity and level of detail. There is a lot still to be learned about the virtual world, but this step into the unknown is already proving worthwhile!