After receiving the SMAU Innovation Award last year for the digital project ‘Solutions Library’, SCM Group is again competing for the coveted recognition with Smart Spindle.
This is an exclusive system applied to a key component of manufacturing machinery: the electrospindle. Thanks to sensors, software, and artificial intelligence, this component traditionally perceived as a passive element of the machine becomes a predictive device, thereby reducing costs and production downtime.
“With Smart Spindle, we have changed the paradigm,” says Luca Bergantini, BU Manager, CNC Machining Centres at SCM. “We don’t wait for a failure to happen, we anticipate it before the customer even notices. This enables us to provide new services to make production more efficient.”
According to SCM Group estimates, this system can reduce machine downtime by 30%.
But how does it work?
The electrospindle becomes an intelligent asset, equipped with sensors, embedded software, and wireless connectivity, capable of communicating real-time data to the central system. All this is enabled by an intelligent control unit developed in collaboration with Hiteco, a Group company, which collects and analyzes data from internal sensors that monitor temperature, vibrations, tool-change cycles, and other physical parameters. This information is sent both to the machine’s PLC and to the network, enabling constant, real-time monitoring of operating conditions.
“The real step change comes with integration with the Control Room system,” explains Antonio Latella, the Group’s Product Owner for Smart Sensors and Devices. “Here, artificial intelligence comes into play, processing the data and, thanks to predictive models, anticipating anomalies or potential failures. If irregular behavior is detected, the system automatically opens a ticket in SCM’s CRM platform, routing it to the appropriate branch based on the region.”
The operator in the Control Room is alerted even before the customer notices the issue, enabling timely and targeted intervention. All this is achieved without compromising privacy: the data remains the property of the customer, is anonymized, and is used exclusively to improve performance and services.
A decisive paradigm shift toward an industry that is closer to the customer, and also more sustainable and efficient.
For more information: Smau - Smau
The next edition of SMAU will be held in Milan on 5–6 November: SMAU Milano 2025
