Die Welt – AI also helps at the workbench
- Press review
If Germany wants to hold its own in global competition, cooperation between humans and artificial intelligence must be expanded
Andreas Neufeld still remembers the carpenter who suddenly had tears in his eyes. Neufeld, head of control technology at sliding table saw manufacturer Altendorf in Minden, had just explained the functionality of HAND GUARD, the world first from Altendorf, at the Ligna 2022 tool and machine show in Hanover. “The carpenter told me about a serious accident in his workshop – which most likely would not have happened if he had had our safety assistance system,” says Neufeld. It was a long way before HAND GUARD was the first safety assistance system for sliding table saws to be approved by the German Employers’ Liability Insurance Association for Wood and Metal.
The team in Altendorf’s research and development department set out early on to develop a machine safety system that would enable a hazardous situation to be recognised much sooner than with the saws currently available on the market. In addition, expertise was sought from outside, from Fraunhofer and other research institutes. But it was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) that brought the breakthrough.
“Many accidents happen when someone slips while sawing. Reacting in time is only possible with visual and predictive technology – with AI as an elementary part of it.”
Andreas Neufeld
head of control technology at Altendorf Group
Read the complete article from “DIE WELT”. (DE)
About the Altendorf Group
The Altendorf Group is the world market leader for the manufacture of premium sliding table saws and edgebanding machines and is one of the hidden champions of the German SME sector. The company was founded in 1906 and has a strong brand recognition worldwide. Its most successful product is the F 45 sliding table saw, also known as “The Altendorf”. It is internationally synonymous with the sliding table saw product category. The latest innovation is HAND GUARD. A globally unique early detection system with two cameras that protects man, machine and material. Since 2018, the Hebrock company with its high-quality Hebrock edgebanders has been part of the Altendorf Group. With subsidiaries in Australia, China, India and the USA, it employs more than 400 people worldwide.
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