Sacmi RobotCasting pressure casting technology makes a strong impact at Duravit France. Two AVI machines controlled by robots are the focal point of a casting cell recently installed and started up at the plant located in Bischwiller, Alsace, following a strategic investment by the Duravit Group to expand production in Europe.
In particular, Duravit chose the AVI Concept, which has already had great success over recent years at Hornberg, Germany, headquarters of this multinational manufacturer of quality design sanitaryware. Since it was first launched on the market several years ago, AVI has quickly won over market leaders in the sector for the groundbreaking opportunities that the platform offers in terms of production versatility, thanks to rapid changeover facilitated by automatic handling (robot-controlled) of all parts of the mold.
The result is the possibility to control complex WC bowls with maximum efficiency, thus eliminating time waste and manual operations with little added value. At the same time the technology offers an increase in the quality of working conditions and improved safety for operators. The same robot controls the demolding operations after casting as well as deposit in the pre-dryer for the ageing phase before the pieces are handled again.
With the AVI Concept, Sacmi has also been able to attract customer investment since it can guarantee maximum compatibility with existing equipment installed. In the case of Duravit France this means compatibility with molds supplied for the Sacmi AVM and AVE machines, the last of which was supplied to the company back in 2009.
The recent investment at the Bischwiller plant is part of a carefully-planned strategy of the Duravit Group –already one of Sacmi’s foremost partners around the globe- to integrate latest generation technologies into all its production plants. The objective is to ensure top quality production for developed markets by achieving maximum versatility and automation, thus improving production capacity and output, quality, and production flow efficiency.
