After approval by the General Assembly of the association, Aitiip technology centre joins the Aragon Agricultural Machinery Cluster (CAMPAG).
With this integration Aitiip aims to consolidate its participation in the automotive sector by offering advanced technological services and R&D also for large vehicles such as those used in the agricultural sector (tractors, harvesters).
This sector, which is in the process of digital modernization, makes a high demand for advanced polymers for different elements of the machinery in order to improve resistance, reduce weights and use sustainable materials. The experience of the center in these materials is fundamental to offer an excellent and close response.
In the same way, the sector is known for the large size of its machines, having said that it is important to highlight the different number of plastic injectors available at Aitiip, among which is the Krauss Maffei 4000MX, with a clamping force of 4000 tonnes and capable of injecting parts up to 2.3m x 2.2m with an injection volume of 21,651m3.
This large part manufacturing capability will also be available in 3D printing. The centre is equipped with the latest technology for additive manufacturing with certified plastic materials even for the aeronautical sector (such as ULTEM 9085 and ULTEM 1010), being able to produce parts up to almost one metre long.
In addition to the plastic Aitiip has the Kraken manufacturing system, which prints on metal and resin parts of several meters. The system, which has been developed by the centre and the Kraken project partners and presented publicly in September, was tested in two cases in the automotive sector in both resin and metal manufacturing, offering totally satisfactory results.
"This system, the result of a European R&D project and which has Aragonese DNA, now has to start offering results to Aragonese companies and we are sure that this cluster will be able to benefit from it"
Berta Gonzalvo, research director at Aitiip
These technologies make it possible to manufacture custom-made parts, reducing waiting times, which in the agricultural sector are decisive between being able to carry out a harvest at its optimum moment or not being able to, for example, due to an unexpected storm.
In addition to custom manufacturing, the system is also available for the repair high added-value parts whose replacement involves high investments and high manufacturing times, as the system is able to work directly on damaged areas and rebuild them without the need for infrastructure or additional elements.
This cluster represents 1.21% of Aragon's GDP and its partners account for 41.86% of the sector's turnover with more than 15% of the sector's companies. The Aragon Agricultural Machinery Cluster is made up of 50 partners, of which 41 are companies from the three Aragonese provinces with a turnover of more than €200 million and 1,000 workers, and 9 are R&D centres.
Aitiip Technology Center has been recognized by the Government of Aragon as a digital facilitator to provide solutions and technological applications with the aim of advancing the industry in the implementation of digital processes industry 4.0. In addition, the Aragonese centre is a leader in circular economy and bio-economy, coordinating several strategic projects such as the Barbara project or the Mandala project.