ITK Precisioning GmbH in Germany has developed a high-precision linear magnetization system for writing magnetic scales with lengths of up to five meters to be encoded in one piece with high accuracy and increased productivity. At the same time, the machine serves as a basis for testing new sub-technologies, such as optimized machine structures, magnetization heads for new writing processes, and improved machine control.
Completion of the project was announced in late June, not long after the developer of positioning and magnetizing systems celebrated its new headquarters building along with its recent change to a new corporate identity. ITK is located in Dorlar, about 70 km north of Stuttgart.
The new magnetization system was developed as a demonstrator machine under the ELM2 project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) which provides funding for a wide range of research projects, educational initiatives and innovation. The successful completion significantly expands the application possibilities of these measuring devices in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, industrial automation, and general mechanical engineering.
Current market trends are leading to ever-increasing demands on measuring systems. In many areas of application for magnetic measuring systems, scales with a length of several meters are required. This is the case, for example, in semiconductor manufacturing, where the trend towards larger wafer diameters must be implemented in significantly longer travel paths for inspection and testing machines.
The same applies to optical 3D measuring machines in conventional parts manufacturing, where the surfaces and dimensions of increasingly larger workpieces must also be inspected. This trend goes hand in hand with demands for greater accuracy. In part, this is a result of requirements from the end application, but also of the desire of several users for more robust and economical magnetic length measuring systems as an alternative to optical length measurement systems. Last but not least, manufacturers of magnetic length measurement systems are constantly striving to achieve higher productivity for their systems.
The results of the ELM2 project support ITK in opening up two important areas of application for the manufacturing industry:
- Firstly, positioning systems (Sense Precisioners) for scanning platforms with longer travel distances can be manufactured, thus achieving a significant competitive advantage.
- Secondly, magnetization systems (Pole-Precisioners) for industrial automation can be offered to manufacturers of position measurement systems. These manufacturers can use them to expand or supplement their own product range.
Opening ceremony for new company building
Founded in 1982 by Dr. Folkert Kassen as ITK Dr. Kassen GmbH and since October 2024 changed to its new name, ITK Precisioning GmbH has a workforce of about 60 employees. Due to growth in recent years and a significant increase in the workforce, the company reached the limits of space at its old location nearby. The new three-story building has a total area of 3,642 m2.
“With the move and the extensive investments, we are responding to the positive business development of recent years and the resulting increasing demands on the technical and spatial equipment of all departments of the company,” explained Managing Director Dr. Ingolf Schaefer. “It is important for us to be perceived as a secure and attractive employer and provider of ideas in the local region. Only then can we continue to grow and expand our target markets despite the currently rather weak overall economic situation in Germany,” he said.
DIN Spec 91411 standardizes magnetic measurement terminology
Another recent technical focus at ITK has been to help craft the DIN Spec 91411 which standardizes certain magnetic measurement terminology, and subsequently to apply it to the company’s equipment development.
In medical technology, pharmacy and forensics, it is the movement of microscope stages, in the semiconductor industry it is precise positioning during wafer testing: precise positioning for razor-sharp images — those are fundamental needs addressed by ITK’s systems.
The new DIN SPEC 91411 for magnetic measurement scales in design drawings addresses a problem known to many users: when it comes to measurement scales, there was no uniform terminology until now. Everyone described magnetic dimensional standards in engineering drawings differently. In the absence of uniform terminology or common drawing rules – neither for mechanical nor for magnetic parameters – misunderstandings or even errors in engineering drawings were commonplace. Manufacturers of magnets, measuring standards and sensors as well as machine or equipment manufacturers are particularly affected by this.
As a manufacturer of magnetizing equipment, ITK participated in the drafting of DIN SPEC 91411 for the characterization of magnetic scales and has since applied it to its magnetizing systems, for example, in its “Pole Positioner” family.
The new standard serves as a basis in the programming of ITK’s circular and linear systems. By using the standardized terminology, errors in the implementation of scale drawings are avoided. In addition, the software is very user-friendly and offers an appropriate mode for setting up and operating the system. This means that nothing stands in the way of fast programming of new scales with a variety of pole patterns and pole tracks. With the DIN SPEC 91411-compliant magnetizing systems, manufacturers of sensors and encoders obtain the desired flexibility and reliability in the generation of measuring scales.
For more info, see www.itknet.de.
