After a decade of successful collaboration with the world's leading company in the design of shaping and cutting lines, its Koniker R&D Unit and the Basque University have signed a new agreement to join forces to carry out research projects and exchange knowledge. The partnership will encourage the development of intelligent systems for the transformation of steel sheet, aluminum and composite materials, including remote monitoring services. Specifically, they will work with the following technologies, including Fagor Arrasate, a specialist in all areas: flattening, folding, cutting, forming, profiling, robotics and automation for the automotive and steel sectors.

The partnership will focus on the development of Industry 4.0 with solutions for remote inspection and data analysis. Research on cyber-physical systems will also be promoted to improve the efficiency, reliability, robustness, intelligence, autonomy and interaction performance of Fagor Arrasate's products. All this will be done without neglecting the development of advanced technologies and processes for the transformation of metals for new applications and sectors.

These developments will be included in the stamping and processing systems, cutting lines and steel equipment offered by Fagor Arrasate. "In this way, our products will become more and more technological and, above all, they will continue to be globally competitive," said Unai Lopez, the company's manager.

The key to the success of this alliance between academia and the business world is the transfer of knowledge to research, according to Carlos Garcia, Director of the Higher Polytechnic School at Mondragon University. “This agreement allows us to take what our researchers are researching to the real world, as well as the opportunity to conduct higher-level research,” so the results are “very rewarding” for both parties. The partnership attracts qualified staff and also includes training activities for researchers.

After 10 years of successful collaboration between the company and the academic institution, the agreement has been renewed, "because research projects are yielding results," said David Chico, director of Konikerre. More than 50 research projects have been carried out this decade, including 11 European ones. In addition, 4 theses have been read, another 4 are underway, and more than 20 papers have been published in international conferences and JCR journals. “This shows that the research team is fully aligned and with this new agreement we will be able to provide a solution to future challenges,” Chico believes.

The agreement also includes the commitment of both parties to work together to promote the use of Basque. In this way, the guarantee of knowledge of Basque in human resources for the development of projects will be promoted, encouraging the use of Basque in the thesis and final projects specified in the agreement.

About Fagor Mondragón

Fagor Mondragón is a world leader in the design and manufacture of tailor-made solutions for steel, aluminum and stainless steel forming; and makes complete systems for the manufacture of presses, coil cutting and processing lines, and complex metal parts. He is also an expert in composite forming, hot and cold forging systems and Press Hardening.

It operates globally, and its customers include OEMs, Tier-1s, and automotive and aerospace service centers, as well as companies in the forging, steel, home appliances, and metal furniture industries.