Altmann Fördertechnik takes third place at the Purity Technology Award ceremony "REINER"

Am 19. April fand die Preisverleihung des REINER auf der Messe Lounges in Karlsruhe statt. Geschäftsführer Achim Altmann (links) und Robert Altmann nahmen den Preis für den dritten Platz entgegen. Alle zwei Jahre zeichnet eine unabhängige Jury Innovationen aus, die das Potenzial haben, die Reinraumbranche zu revolutionieren. (Foto: Altmann Fördertechnik) / On 19 April, the REINER awards ceremony took place at the Lounges trade fair in Karlsruhe. Managing directors Robert Altmann (left) and Achim Altmann received the award for third place. Every two years, an independent jury awards innovations that have the potential to revolutionise the cleanroom industry. (Picture: Altmann Fördertechnik)

(Foto: Altmann Fördertechnik) / (Picture: Altmann Fördertechnik)

Der Reinraumkran mit Halbautomatik und Pendeldämpfung von Altmann kombiniert bewährte Technologien für einen neuen Anwendungsbereich. Sein Einsatz beschleunigt Prozesse im Reinraum und macht sie sicherer. (Foto: Altmann Fördertechnik) / The cleanroom crane with semi-automatic system and pendulum damping from Altmann combines proven technologies for a new area of application. Its use speeds up processes in the cleanroom and makes them safer. (Picture: Altmann Fördertechnik)

At the Lounges trade fair in Karlsruhe, the trade fair for cleanroom and pharmaceutical process technology, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) presented the "REINER" purity technology award yesterday. The cleanroom crane with semi-automatic system and pendulum damping from Altmann Fördertechnik was awarded third place by the jury.

Managing Director Achim Altmann was delighted with the award, which he expressed in his acceptance speech. He described to the audience how the designers had succeeded in creating a disruptive innovation by implementing existing technologies and elements in new areas of application - namely for use in the class 5 cleanroom. For the development of the new cleanroom crane with semi-automatic system and pendulum damping, the employees of Altmann Fördertechnik combined the already widely developed technology of pendulum damping with a highly complex semi-automatic crane control. The result is a genuine innovation for extremely precise load transport within a cleanroom. For this technological innovation, the manufacturer from Albaching has been awarded third place in the renowned REINER Purity Award ceremony of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA).

Neutral jury of experts selects best purity innovations

In 2023, the Fraunhofer purity technology award REINER celebrates its 10th birthday. Every two years, the Fraunhofer IPA awards innovations that have the potential to revolutionise the industry. In addition to Dr.-Ing. Udo Gommel, head of the "Intelligent Automation and Purity Technology" department at the Fraunhofer IPA, the neutral jury includes the experts Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Arnold Brunner, senior consultant at Brunner Consulting, Andreas Großmann, expert for technical purity, Dr. Gerhard Kminek, Mars Sample Return Lead Scientist at the European Space Agency, and Dipl.-Phys. Thomas Wollstein, VDI e.V. The submitted products are evaluated in terms of innovative leap, sustainability and industrial feasibility.

With millimetre precision and vibration-free due to pendulum damping

The pendulum damping integrated in the semi-automatic crane ensures that no vibrations caused by inertia occur and that the load does not sway during the transport process. The crane operator does not have to make any compensating movements - neither when accelerating nor when braking. As a result, he/she is able to guide the load to the target position more quickly. Managing Director Achim Altmann: "Even at a speed of 60 metres per minute, the load can be positioned with millimetre precision." Robert Altmann adds: "Without pendulum damping, the exact positioning of the object takes a lot of time, requires both calmness and skill and makes the daily work routine much more difficult. Thanks to the electronic pendulum damping, the crane hits the desired target coordinates with pinpoint accuracy."  

Since the load does not swing back and forth, the risk of accidents is reduced and increased wear and abrasion are avoided. As a consequence, particle release is reduced, and this is particularly important in cleanroom environments. Compliance with the requirements of ISO class 5 is guaranteed.

Why a semi-automatic crane is the better choice

A semi-automatic crane is the right choice for cleanrooms because it supports the operator in an ideal way. The crane operator remains in control at all times because he gives the go-ahead before each process step. Thanks to the following features, the operator is able to transport loads in the cleanroom precisely and faultlessly:

– Millimetre-precise positioning of the crane in all axes, independent of load capacity, span and travel speed
– Picking up and setting down loads with pinpoint accuracy
– Control of the semi-automatic crane by means of programmable logic controller (PLC)
– Travel speeds up to 63 m/min
– Accelerations up to 1 m/s² due to friction-type drives
– Transfer of the attached load or other process variables to a higher-level control system
– High-precision load measurements

The use of the semi-automatic crane from Altmann helps to speed up processes in the cleanroom and to make them safer.

Exchange with Fraunhofer experts

Even after the award ceremony, the Bavarian company and the other award winners will be supported by the Fraunhofer IPA. In addition to participating in a workshop, they are invited to visit the laboratories in Stuttgart. "We look forward to exchanging ideas with the Fraunhofer experts in the 'cleanest cleanroom in the world'", says Achim Altmann. Robert Altmann adds:  "Above all, we appreciate the opportunity to discuss the potential areas of application for our crane with the scientists and possibly get suggestions on what we can still optimise technically. In any case, the winning of this award confirms that we are developing cutting-edge technologies in our company. We're quite a bit proud of that."