History

2022

HEITEC PTS celebrates its 25th anniversary. In October, employees, families, friends, customers and suppliers celebrate a quarter of a century of automation, robotics, X-ray and CT.

With Michael Frieß, HEITEC AG fills a board position with a Swabian and a person who has shaped PTS for decades.

Finally AlbExtrem again: After a 2-year break and restrictions, HEITEC becomes a sponsor at the traditional Ottenbach event and a highlight of the cycling scene.

2021

First large detector machine (HDFX Inline CT) with 430x860mm detector is delivered.
Heading for new industries and new markets: 
With two new developments, HEITEC PTS now offers highly flexible and cross-industry solutions:
The first HDLV is delivered. It is a flexible laboratory and production machine.
The first HDV is delivered. This is a cost-effective DR and CT laboratory machine for small components.

2020

The business field of electromobility is expanding in the direction of battery trays. Flexible, robot-based X-ray testing systems are supplied to well-known German automotive manufacturers. In addition to the high flexibility, self-loading capability and automated component rotation are implemented.

The fast InlineCT HDFX is awarded the Innovation Prize of the district of Göppingen.

In addition to the in-house products known under the name HeiDetect, X-ray testing systems are now also developed and supplied in end customer or OEM design. Thus, further market segments can be opened up and served by industry specialists.

2019

BMW receives the first InlineCT for complex cast housings featuring very challenging cycle time. In addition to a pore and shrink hole analysis developed by EZRT, a complete VGinLINE is integrated. 

For all-over product tracing, the HDWR wheel testing machine can now be supplied with a supplementary module for fast laser labelling. Space requirements and interfaces are thus minimalistic.

The subsidiary North is founded in Sarstedt near to Hannover. In this way, service and sales are brought closer to the customers based in northern and central Germany.

2018

Erhardt + Abt Automatisierungstechnik GmbH is transferred to HEITEC PTS GmbH. After 8 years of group membership, the market presence is now being unified.

The first InlineCT for racing rims is put into operation. This installation is also the first system for HEITEC PTS on the Australian continent.

The first fully automatic test machine for chassis parts is delivered and integrated. In contrast to competitive products, the HDFR is based on a flexible modular system enabling customized solutions to be created.

Another development site is founded in Fürth. This minimises the distances to the metropolitan region of Nuremberg-Erlangen-Fürth.

HEITEC PTS becomes VG Partner and integrates Volume Graphics products in the future.

2017

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to our customers, partners, suppliers, friends of the company and, of course, and especially to our employees for the numerous felicitations and congratulations, for the respectful gestures and words as well as for the appreciation of our achievements over the past 20 years.

It was a special pleasure for us to experience so much encouragement and recognition, to celebrate what we have achieved and to toast together to the next 20 years.

2016

In 2016, two technology leaders (Erhardt+Abt and VJ Technologies) in automation and industrial X-ray technology joined forces to even better serve the international market. Through the cooperation with VJ Technologies, one of the world's leading providers of non-destructive workpiece testing with a worldwide network of subsidiaries, Erhardt + Abt's standards now gain global market access.

2015

The concept of the HeiDetect Wheel system from Erhardt + Abt was upgraded. The wheel testing machine is also offered to customers with an integrated industrial robot now. The new system is distributed under the name HeiDetect Wheel Robot. First customer orders confirm the success of this novel technology. 

2012

Together with Fraunhofer IIS, Erhardt + Abt is developing the world's fastest system for X-ray testing light alloy wheels. With the HeiDetect Wheel machine, wheels can be tested fully automatically in a very short time. The wheel testing machine has been successfully integrated into the production of several German market leaders in the wheel industry. This is also the start of X-ray technology for Erhardt + Abt.

2011

Digital engineering on the advance. The introduction of VIRTUOS leads to significantly shorter commissioning times with optimised software quality. First projects in China make profit of this condition.

2010

2008

With the Adept Quattro, a fast picker kinematic system with a high payload is establishing itself on the market. Fast handling applications are realised for numerous pharmaceutical customers.

2007

Erhardt + Abt expands the office and production space to a total of 3,500 square metres. 50 employees assemble facilities up to a length of 25 metres in the production halls. 

Among others, a major order from the medical technology sector worth 3.5 million is being processed, too. The order includes 28 robots with associated peripherals for the automation of a factory in the USA under cleanroom conditions. 

2005

Dialysis provider Gambro (now BAXTER) becomes the biggest customer in a short time. The automation of the fibre winding machines creates one of the most impressive and difficult automation solutions under sterile room conditions. FDA-compliant software and documentation are basic requirements for this.

Fist applications with ABB Flexpickers are installed. For handling complex geometries, Erhardt + Abt is developing an optional 5th axis for deltakinematics. In this way, the speed of the picker can be combined with the flexibility of articulated arm kinematics. 

Erhardt + Abt establishes the LaserLab robotic measurement system from Wiest AG with the major customer Daimler. Numerous crash-prone robot applications are equipped with the system.

2003

Erhardt + Abt develops the SSR-steriproof, a 4-axis robot for use in isolator machines. Pharmaceutical products are filled inside the encapsulated isolator machines. Due to the fumigation of the machine interior with hydrogen peroxide, the robot has to be resistant to extreme requirements.

For the development of the world's first gas-tight and sterilisable robot, Erhardt + Abt receives the Innovation Award of the district of Göppingen in 2005. Many systems from this period are still in use in 2020.

2001

The company moves to the neighbouring town of Kuchen. With the newly occupied premises, Erhardt + Abt now covers an area of 950 square metres. 13 employees manufacture robot systems that are particularly applied for handling in the automotive, pharmaceutical and packaging technology sectors.

VARTA becomes a customer and procures numerous automations for the production of the brand new lithium-ion batteries for the rapidly growing mobile radio market.

2000

Development and realisation of first testing applications for local automotive suppliers. One application is still in use in 2019 and has tested over 1,000,000,000 parts by then.

Harro Höfliger can be won as a key customer for the entry into packaging technology. Fast SCARA applications for international groups such as TEVA, Ethicon and Roche link feeding and packaging. The first battery cell production processes are automated.

1999

Erhardt + Abt receives the Innovation Award of the district of Göppingen for the development of a kinematic system for cleaning road gullies. A short time later, the office space and the production hall are expanded with a total area of 300 square metres.

For the perforation of high-performance brake discs, Erhardt + Abt develops with KUKA the sensitive feeding-to-stop system SoftTouch. This system compensates casting tolerances. For the first time, brake discs are clamped freely and not clamped in a defined position by mechanical fixtures.

1998

Erhardt + Abt becomes system integrator for the manufacturers KUKA, Stäubli and Adept. It was already at this time that the decision was taken in favour of the modern engineering tools EPLAN and Autodesk Mechanical Desktop (today INVENTOR).

Realisation of a fully automated production for aluminium wheel carriers for the customer DaimlerChrysler in cooperation with Hüller Hille. A first prototype cell produces wheel carriers for the then current Mercedes SL. The cells are completely controlled on the KUKA KRC1.

1997

Foundation of Erhardt + Abt Automatisierungstechnik GmbH by Stefan Erhardt and Christian Abt with headquarters in Geislingen an der Steige.