At the end of our seminar last Friday, we had the opportunity to visit Hatebur Umformmaschinen AG at its Birsfelden site near Basel.

We kicked off with lunch together, which provided an opportunity for initial discussions and getting to know each other. This was followed by an intensive technical exchange between Hatebur and the PtU, during which current challenges and developments in forming technology were discussed. In particular, the focus was on the topics of process flexibility, the targeted use of artificial intelligence to optimise complex manufacturing processes and modern approaches to process monitoring for quality assurance and increased efficiency.

The visit was rounded off with impressive live demonstrations on ultra-modern forming presses, where participants were able to experience the precision and speed with which today's systems work – and how technological developments flow directly into the machine concepts.

We would like to thank Hatebur and in particular Klaus Schreiner, Christoph Pergher and Martin Fünfgeld for their hospitality, the open discussion and the in-depth insight into current issues in industrial forming technology.