During Hittech Expert Day, we unite our top technical specialists in assembly, parts manufacturing, and development to promote collaboration and innovation. For the first of five expert interviews, our Director of Technology, Pieter Kappelhof, spoke with two of our measurement specialists to enable you to benefit from their expertise.
Pieter Kappelhof: “The current industry trend involves achieving higher precision, moving from 5-10 micrometres to below 5 micrometres. We aim for 1 micrometre accuracy in future applications. Reaching this level of precision is a significant step for us and is only possible with the right experts who understand their field and the machines. And we do. As part of the Beethoven programme, we are currently running a precision engineering course where temperature sensitivity is an issue, necessitating climate-controlled measurement rooms for A-thermal measurement.”
Dennis Hulleman is a 3D Measurement Technician at Hittech Landes and recognises a demand for higher precision.
Dennis: “To meet these rising client expectations, we operate three high-precision coordinate measuring machines that enable us to verify even the most critical dimensions. And as Pieter says, keeping our knowledge up to date is just as important as investing in equipment. That is why we regularly attend training courses and stay informed about the latest developments in 3D metrology and measurement technology.”
Hittech Landes is also leading in process automation, right?
Dennis Hulleman: “Yes, not only regarding data but also robotisation. Recently, we enhanced one of our measuring machines with a Doosan collaborative robot, enabling automated measurements outside regular working hours and increasing our overall capacity. We turn CMM inspection data into valuable Statistical Process Control data, providing deeper insights into process performance and supporting continuous quality improvement.”
Nick Ferl, the Head of Quality Management at Hittech Prontor GmbH, also sees changes in measurement technology, particularly in the medical technology and semiconductor sectors.
Nick: “Our metrology laboratory is increasingly transforming from a traditional testing space into a key part of modern process control and continuous improvement. That is why we also invest in Measurement System Analysis and Statistical Process Control. For our client Zeiss, for instance, we work with their data-driven process-monitoring platform, ZEISS PiWeb. This journey is far from complete, but it makes our work very exciting.”
The Hittech Expert Day on July 2 is an internal event for our leading technical experts.
In the photo: Dennis Hulleman with one of the three high-precision coordinate measuring machines at Hittech Landes.
Trends in high-precision measuring
