TRUMPF spins off the start-ups Optimate and ScaleNC

Ditzingen, September 22, 2020 – The high-tech company TRUMPF spun off two start-ups, Optimate and ScaleNC. The companies offer digital solutions for sheet metal production. Optimate develops an AI-based software solution that enables sheet metal workers to improve their components and reduce costs. ScaleNC prepares design drawings and takes over the NC programming for sheet metal fabricators. Both companies are based in Stuttgart and operate completely independently. The ideas for the start-ups were developed as part of TRUMPF's “Internehmertum” program. Here employees can develop business ideas and start their own company within half of their working hours. "The offerings of the two companies are an excellent fit for us as a leading user and leading provider of digitally networked solutions in sheet metal processing. Through the spin-offs, we give the start-ups the entrepreneurial freedom they need, especially in the initial phase," says Christof Siebert, Head of the Internehmertum program at TRUMPF.

Optimate: Cut manufacturing costs

Optimate is an online platform that enables sheet metal components to be produced more cost-effectively. Here customers can upload the CAD data of their components and an AI then recognizes if and how the components can be improved. For example, the start-up shows customers how they can manufacture using less material or where welding seams can be replaced by bends. The aim is to reduce manufacturing costs in sheet metal processing. "We want to transfer component design into the online age. This will enable our customers to design more sustainably, reduce costs and manufacture more efficiently", says Jonas Steiling, one of the three Optimate founders. Optimate also detects design errors, such as when a hole is too close to a bending edge.

ScaleNC: Machine programming as a service in the cloud

The start-Up ScaleNC uses a cloud platform to program the machine controls for sheet metal fabricators. Customers can upload raw CAD data, drawings or simple sketches and specify which NC programs they require. ScaleNC prepares the data for production and creates suitable machine programs for laser, punching and bending machines, which customers can use directly in their production. "We offer our services at a fixed price without any contractual obligation. We provide support both in flexibly bridging bottlenecks in work preparation and as a long-term partner," says Holger Röder, co-founder of ScaleNC. The start-up's offer is aimed particularly at small and medium-sized companies.

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