On the aconium GmbH journey into the future, we meet people for whom digitalization is more than just a buzzword. Mathias Rechel is Managing Director of MIP Technology GmbH, a spin-off from the Institute of Microproduction Technology at Leibniz Universität Hannover.
MIP Technology manufactures the MIP magnetic information platform: particularly robust ID tags that can be used where RFID and optical identification technologies reach their limits. This makes them a building block for the digital factory of tomorrow.
Mr. Rechel, the Lower Saxony Innovation Award 2022 was presented again at the beginning of July. You won in this category two years ago. What has happened to you since then?
We have developed the magnetic ID tag for recording production equipment to series production readiness. The outstanding properties of such a magnetic ID are its thermal resistance up to 300°C and its robustness against influences in the production environment. In addition to thermal influences, these can also be abrasion or chemical attack. We also received very positive feedback at this year’s Hannover Messe and were able to launch our first pilot projects. At the trade fair, we received the Hermes Award in the start-up category.
This year, we are also planning to validate the technology in the injection moulding and vulcanization industries. Once these market segments have been launched, we plan to develop a magnetic data matrix code as a security feature. This can be used both in the fight against counterfeiting and as a security feature for official documents.
What role does digital technology play in your work?
Of course, it plays an important role in mobile working, whether for networking the team or developing the product. In our mission to implement the digital factory, we are constantly thinking outside the box. In the case of magnetic ID, this means that in addition to developing our platform, we are also considering aspects such as the networking of factories. For example, we recently established the connectivity of our software via MQTT to planning interfaces such as manufacturing execution systems (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools.
Digital twins in industry and logistics use ID tags to digitally record physical objects and processes. What can MIP Technology do that conventional identification technologies cannot?
We are convinced that the Magnetic Information Platform (MIP) is a game changer in Industry 4.0. There are many areas where existing identification solutions are reaching their limits. In injection moulding, vulcanization or machining tools, optical codes and RFIDs are not able to ensure reliable and long-term stable automated detection of production equipment. This is due to process environments such as temperature, abrasion and wear. In these industries, magnetic identification is a real alternative for implementing a fully automated factory.