Smart tooling procesindustrie

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In the process industry machinery is running nonstop. That is why maintenance is an important part of business, especially because of increasingly stringent regulations on safety and environment. ‘Smart Tooling’ puts a particular focus on automation: the development of prototypes of robots and maintenance tools can be safer, cheaper, cleaner and more efficient. Thus, the productivity of the industrial maintenance is enhanced. An example can be robots who clean and inspect locations that are dangerous or inaccessible for people. In Europe robot technology is seen as a major opportunity for development in the field of maintenance. Because robotic technology is still embryonic, there are many uncertainties and possibilities that have not yet been explored. This project gives a boost to SMEs in the border-region to develop robotic innovations. Research will be done to inspection and cleaning robotics and drones. This latter type, ‘the flying robot’ is not yet widely used for inspections in the process industry. Due to this development the safety can be greatly improved by – for example – the inspection inside tanks. Thanks to the active involvement of knowledge institutions such as the University of Twente, a leading institute in the field of robotics, a direct incentive for technological development of SMEs will be in order. Multinationals BASF and Dow Benelux act as test sites. The cross-border cooperation gives companies access to a wide range of expertise and infrastructure that otherwise is not or difficult to access.

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