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Process-safe and efficient machining

The reliable sensor and monitoring systems of BK Mikro® guarantee the safe surveillance of production processes to prevent production damages or unnecessary machine standstills. In 2020, the globally established product brand by Schubert System Elektronik GmbH celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Modern production facilities in the machine building industry are only profitable if they work properly and allow for trouble-free production. Under high pressure to fill capacities and with an ever increasing market dynamics, scrap and downtime in production quickly cause huge consequential damages. The reason may well be an unnoticed tool breakage or faulty tool. Today more than ever, production reliability resp. traceability are decisive factors for safe and efficient production processes. Thus, it is about more than “just” tool monitoring.

Reliable Monitoring, even with Finest Tools



In most industry sectors, the quality of workpieces enjoys top priority. In case of valuable materials or complex products, the fault tolerance is usually particularly low. With the monitoring systems of BK Mikro®, the people responsible guarantee the safe monitoring of their production processes. The system consists of a control unit for top-rail assembly and a tactile sensor resp. probe precisely attuned to the respective process situation.

Presence, correct position and freedom from breakage are identified and slightest deviations from the defined normal condition are quickly detected. If a fault occurs, an instantaneous machine stop can be initiated to prevent further damages or defective products. Ideally, a fully-automatic process ensures that the defective part is sorted out, an alternative tool is replaced and the production is immediately taken up again without faulty parts remaining in the production chain.

Patented processes allow for the monitoring of finest drills with diameters of up to 0.1 mm or of tools with polycrystalline diamonds (PCD) without damaging them. Due to their tactile scanning, the systems are particularly reliable and can be used in a variety of application scenarios. With protection class IP68 they are also resistant to water, oils, coolants and fine dust. In this way, not only productivity and manufacturing quality are increased, but scrap is minimized and machine operators are supported by this helpful relief.

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Lowering Process Costs with Condition Monitoring



It is easy to equip new and retrofit existing facilities with the systems of BK Mikro® so that companies quickly profit from the economic effects. With the increasing automation and digitization of production processes, machines often work unattended. BK Mikro® permanently monitors the tool condition, reports faults at an early stage and so helps to avoid tool breakages and clamping resp. ejection faults even in fully-automated production processes.

By its preventive use the system becomes part of the condition monitoring in order to always keep an eye on all important technical parameters of a machine. Furthermore, as a quality assurance tool BK Mikro® can significantly reduce the process resp. tool and machine costs.

“BK Mikro stands for drill monitoring controlled by a micro-controller which was an absolute novelty 40 years ago. Our customers from the machine tool industry such as GROB, Hyundai WIA and MAZAK appreciate in particular the possibility to map even complex machinings quite easily in BK Mikro® - always following the motto ‘It simply works’. We are proud to be the number 1!”
Manfred Mankowski, Business Unit Manager of Schubert System Elektronik GmbH

Process Monitoring for Innnovative Industrial Sectors


Meanwhile, the sensor systems for tool and process monitoring have been established worldwide. The global distribution and service network ensures an optimum customer proximity. The well-founded specialization in process monitoring - by which BK Mikro® orients itself towards the future and further fields of application - has developed from the decades of expertise built-up in the machine tool industry.

Due to their precision the tactile sensors meet the special requirements in the production of electric vehicles and of innovative air conditioning systems and facade engineering.

„In 2020, BK Mikro® celebrates its 40th anniversary and a long success story. For the future, we see great potential in the field of sensor systems, even beyond tactile detection. Then, the functions of monitoring and inspection can also be deducted from ‘BK’.”



Matthias Klein, Managing Director of Schubert System Elektronik GmbH

Find out more about products such as sensors, control units and complete systems of BK Mikro®:


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