Fluidics Specialist Bürkert Expands Collaboration with Ascon Systems

They increase flexibility and efficiency in various applications of Bürkert’s customers because they store, provide and reuse process data in a contextualised manner independently of hardware, therefore optimising the control of the often complex fluidics technology.

Fluidics technology is precision work. It is used as a key technology in many sectors of industry whenever the flow of liquids or gases needs to be controlled. Applications can be found in the pharmaceutical, chemical, consumer goods and food industries and are increasingly common in areas of green engineering, such as fuel cell technology or bioreactors. The challenge in these systems is to deliver the exact amount of fluid in a precisely defined time and speed. Both the hardware, in the form of sensors, actuators and pumps, and the software must be able to meet these high standards of precision.

Bürkert is one of the world’s leading suppliers capable of providing such precision technology. In cooperation with Ascon Systems, Bürkert has so far transferred duties from hardware to software – in other words, IT goes OT. This has already enabled Bürkert to create a hardware-independent description of functions, model data flows and network data across systems and locations.

The two companies are now expanding their collaboration and taking the next step in software-defined production with the introduction of digital twins. The digital twins from Ascon Systems enable Bürkert to store, provide and reuse data in a contextualised manner. This means Bürkert can help its customers to configure and control applications. This enables them to leverage software to make hardware usable for multiple applications and to implement changing requirements, such as those arising from demand, product changes or new product launches, more quickly. This has a positive effect on time-to-market, while also increasing sustainability and improving the CO2 footprint.

Dr Anne März, Head of Digital Tool Chain at Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, says: “Digital twins are becoming increasingly popular for optimising production processes. Now, they are also becoming a reality in fluid technology. Ascon Systems technology helps to significantly simplify the creation and scaling of digital twins and their networking to the real world. This approach enables us to realise our customers’ requirements faster and more flexibly. Customers can think about and describe the desired application from their own perspective, while we translate it into a hardware-neutral solution using digital twin technology. Once a solution has been found, it is transferred to the real world and can be replicated for other locations and customised with other components on the hardware side. By expanding our collaboration with Ascon Systems, we are now in a position to rethink digital solutions. We also see great potential in this for the future.”

Jens Mueller, CEO from Ascon Systems, added: “Since we started establishing digital twins in industrial applications in 2017, the possibilities for deployment scenarios and applications in all industries have increased enormously. We are delighted that we can now extend our long-standing, trusting cooperation with Bürkert to the area of digital twins. Together, we can show how software-defined precision technology can lead to greater efficiency, sustainability and cost reductions in hardware too. We believe this transformation is one of the most important opportunities for companies to position themselves resiliently for the future in global competition.”