Automation unleashes potential. The most compelling evidence of this thesis is a project developed at NOI, in a collaboration between the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (unibz) and GKN Sinter Metals, an AES (Automotive Excellence Südtirol) member company GKN Sinter Metals manufactures automotive components, such as gear wheels, bushes and piston rods, using metal powder. The components are first pressed into shape and, then sintered in a kiln. The powder pressing phase is highly complex and requires continual fine-tuning of the machine parameters. All processed parts must exhibit identical weight and length, regardless of fluctuations in temperature, humidity or powder quality. With the support of several research teams at unibz and the Laboratory for Human-Centred Technologies and Machine Intelligence, the Pusteria-based company developed a smart automation system to manage these adjustments during the pressing phase. Find out more in the video: