Bosch Rexroth has entered the semicondutor and medical markets with a range of services and products, including vacuum compatible transport systems and wafer lifts. Rexroth has positioned itself as a key problem-solver and design partner in these markets. The company can offer solutions not just as individual components, but also as combined products all from one source to help OEMs streamline their design, engineering, supply chain and assembly needs. This allows them to concentrate more on differentiating high-value products for their customers.
Rexroth has done its own studies of the potential of the semiconductor and medical industries, and believes that these sectors will continue to grow at high rates. The company also sees that the pressure on equipment builders in these industries to increase productivity and reliability while keeping a technological edge is also growing, increasing the reliance on automation suppliers. Rexroth with its vast experience as a solution provider in many industries has successfully started to offer solutions also for these high-tech industries. From best in class components to specialized motion controls up to complete mechatronic subsystems Rexroth offers solutions that help equipment builders to successfully compete in the market place.
Rexroth's product offering for these markets is built on individual products, full motion systems, and complete mechatronic solutions. Examples include a vacuum compatible linear motion system, able to provide carriers for the likes of solar cell and flat panel manufacturing in vacuum. The transport system is scalable to carry loads from 1kg up to 500kg, and is modular to provide anything up to 25 carriers. A key benefit is that all the electronics are outside the vacuum. Further products include wafer lifts for use in semiconductor manufacturing: delivered as complete sub-assemblies, these typically reduce costs by as much as 30 percent compared with buying discrete components, and provide high reliability, proven over as many as five million cycles.
The company's services for the semiconductor and medical industries are built around mechanical system engineering, software engineering, and mechatronic engineering. Much of that systems expertise is also local to the key players in the semiconductor market: Rexroth recently opened its Technical Center West in the heart of Silicon Valley in Northern California. The service offering also leverages motion systems design expertise of Nyquist, following Rexroth's acquisition of the Dutch specialist company in 2006.
Dr Wolfgang Sperling, director of Technical Center West, comments: "The continuous growth of the chip industry is fueled by an ever growing number of applications like computers, mobile devices, consumer products, automotive and industrial electronics. At the same time new technologies like the solar industry gain momentum. Also in the medical industry and life science new solutions - for example for laboratory automation or patient care - require increasingly complex automation solutions. More and more equipment builders, therefore, are looking for global suppliers that can provide more system responsibility."
Rexroth's Technical Center West was established as a global competence center for the industry with application specialists who jointly develop solutions with equipment builders. Ultimately, the center is a direct link to Rexroth's technology groups including electric drives and controls, linear motion and assembly, and pneumatics.
