Challenge
Successful industrialization of sensors
CONTAKT GmbH, based in Amstetten, Austria, has made it its mission to intelligently drive digitization in the construction sector. In search of a specialist for the professional industrialization of a newly developed wireless sensor for digital construction site planning, CONTAKT Gmbh was referred to Ginzinger electronic systems.
Anyone who is a house builder can imagine what it means to plan and coordinate a large construction site in such a way that all trades work together as efficiently as possible and all required materials are on site on time. Such complex construction projects place high demands on coordination and planning in the timely provision of formwork systems and components.
Construction projects
About the customer
CONTAKT GmbH
CONTAKT GmbH, based in Amstetten, Austria, has been in existence since January 2019 and is part of Umdasch Group Ventures GmbH. Since its foundation in 2019, CONTAKT has stood for the revolution in the construction industry. As a specialist for intelligent construction documentation, the company offers its customers a smart and digital tool for increasing productivity on the construction site with the CONTAKT solution. With a targeted construction site planning and with the collection of field data by means of IoT and apps, a seamless handling and documentation of the construction project from planning to execution can be guaranteed.
Weblink: https://www.contakt.com/de
App & sensor for optimized processes
CONTAKT Sensor L1.0
The "CONTAKT Sensor L1.0" was developed by CONTAKT GmbH to simplify processes. CONTAKT GmbH has developed an innovative solution for planning, measuring and optimizing construction sites. "CONTAKT" is an important tool for this purpose for smart control, optimization and documentation of construction projects. The L1.0 sensor was developed as a physical counterpart to the app. It is a wireless sensor for concrete construction and was developed to monitor the construction process of concrete walls and ceilings by measuring several process parameters. The sensor is attached to the concrete formwork with easy-to-use magnets.
The goal
Industrialization, manufacturing transition and series production
Once attached, an internal GPS receiver enables easy localization of the formwork element, while an internal accelerometer monitors the current position. In addition to geolocation of the formwork element, the CONTAKT Sensor L1.0 also enables measurement of concrete maturity. This is achieved with an external sensor element connected via a cable. Subsequently, the data is sent to the cloud.
In its search for a partner for industrialization, manufacturing transition and series production of the L1.0, CONTAKT GmbH was referred to Ginzinger electronic systems as a reliable industrialization and EMS partner by one of its development service providers after development was completed.
Individually tailored
The industrialization process for CONTAKT
Ginzinger electronic systems takes over the production of the assemblies, the final assembly, the testing and the shipment of the fully assembled sensors in a customer-specific packaging for CONTAKT. The repair service and refurbishment are also handled by Ginzinger.
A comprehensive assembly and testing concept was also developed. The sensor electronics are tested during a board pre-test, then installed in the housing and checked again during the final test. The serial number of the sensors is registered in the IoT or in the cloud. The serial number is uploaded to the cloud via a gateway. A subsequent connection test checks whether a connection has actually been established. The leak test of the IP68+ sealed housing of the L1.0 is also carried out at Ginzinger using a leak tester developed specifically for the customer.
"The challenge was to make an almost finished development suitable for series production. In addition to robust, yet inexpensive packaging, the end-of-line test and the leak test had already been considered in principle, but had not yet been fully thought through.
Overcome challenges
After production and assembly, Ginzinger electronic systems delivers the sensors to its customers in packaging that is ready for installation. The customer-specific packaging was a very important issue in the industrialization process. These have to meet the high requirements in terms of storage on construction sites, where they can be exposed to environmental influences such as water, dust, gasoline, oil, cement and also falls. At the same time, attention had to be paid to the simplest possible handling in order to manage their use on the construction site efficiently.
"In many projects, the transport, storage conditions or labeling of the packaging are underestimated or completely forgotten for the time being. We address our customers on this as early as possible in order to consider all requirements at an early stage. Very often, recirculating packaging is also used due to environmental requirements," says Siegfried Ruhri.
Together with a proven manufacturer of customer-specific packaging, Ginzinger electronic systems was able to solve the task. After use on site, defective sensors can be returned directly to Ginzinger electronic systems in a predefined refurbishing process in order to repair them and make them usable again.
"For us, there were several electronics partners to choose from. Important decision criteria for us were reliability and quality, and these were fully met by Ginzinger," says Martin Brandl, Head of Expertise Center Hardware at Umdasch Group Ventures.
Industrialization of products
What does end-of-line testing mean?
End-of-line testers (EoL) are responsible for checking the entire functionalities of the product in the manufacturing process. Under the harsh manufacturing conditions, test systems must simulate all relevant states on the one hand and record the reactions of the DUT on the other.
What is refurbishment?
Refurbishing refers to the quality-assured overhaul and repair of products for the purpose of reuse and remarketing.
Tightness according to IP68+
The IP68 certification defines on the one hand that the device is dust-proof, and on the other hand the protection against permanent submersion up to a maximum water depth of 1.5 meters for a maximum of 30 minutes.
