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KEBA KeWheel powered by XeelTech

The future of machine tool HMI starts now

KEBA is one of the leading manufacturers of mobile and stationary operating devices for industrial machinery. With the KeWheel, KEBA combines years of experience and innovative technology to bring adaptive haptic feedback, powered by XeelTech, to particularly demanding applications.

Highest quality, robustness and safety, operating efficiency and ergonomics – these are the values and standards that characterize the partnership between KEBA and XeelTech.

This is KeWheel

The KEBA KeWheel is a fully adaptive rotary push button. Using the KeWheel as the main operating element, items such as overrides, hand wheels, mode-selection switches, axis travel buttons, and user interface inputs can be combined in a single device. The KeWheel provides the operator with additional information about the condition of the machine through a broad range of haptic feedback.

Due to the magnetorheological material (MRM) used in the KEBA KeWheel, several sensory effects and holding torques can be generated instantly. The use of this MRM allows the implementation of improved use cases on the HMI. The response speed of the MRM technology makes various feedback patterns, such as ripples, blocking, or torque levels possible. As a result, different mechanical properties can be combined in just one operating element.

KEBA KeWheel functions

Adaptive hand wheel

  • Different haptic feedback
  • Force feedback function
  • Blocking at critical positions
  • Can be combined with a push function

Dynamic override

  • Change rapid traverse / forward feed / spindle
  • Set override position
  • Rest of end stops
  • Can be combined with push function

User interface selector

  • Operating mode selection
  • Scroll through / select NC programs
  • Scroll through alarm list
  • Can be combined with push functions

Customer voices

Find out how the machine tool builders Pfiffner and Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen incorporated KeWheel into their HMI solutions and how they were able to solve their pain points with the help of the KEBA KeWheel and haptic powered by XeelTech.

Success Story – Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen

Success Story – Pfiffner

About our partnership

Several years ago, both KEBA and Inventus Development (XeelTech parent company) were working intensively on their own haptic feedback HMI solutions.

The belief that haptics is the future of modern machine operation brought the two companies together by chance at the patent office. KEBA quickly recognized the great potential of Inventus, and so in 2015, the foundation stone was laid for the collaboration between the two companies.

The machine tool industry, in which KEBA was already active with several projects, proved to be a promising sales channel, thanks to the great added value of haptic feedback on the machine tool. Together, the two companies developed the technology precisely adapted to this specific industry.

The founding of XeelTech in 2019 paved the way for bringing the KeWheel into large-scale production. The positive feedback from customers finally confirmed the cooperation, which has since grown into a long-standing and trustful partnership between KEBA and XeelTech.

Within the partnership, both companies combine their know-how to make machine tool HMI operation simple, safe, and intuitive.

XeelTech combines 20 years of experience in MR technologies and haptic feedback actuators in its HAPTICORE technology, the basis also for the KeWheel. As a haptics expert, they not only provide the haptic actuator but also ensure the ideal communication between hardware and software, allowing for various haptic feedback patterns.

As an automation expert, KEBA builds on the potential of XeelTech’s haptics technology and creates complex user-specific haptic feedback modes for the KeWheel from it. At the same time, KEBA facilitates the integration via standard interfaces and provides the necessary support for the implementation of customer-specific haptic modes.

This is KEBA

About KEBA Industrial Automation

KEBA, founded in 1968, with headquarters in Linz (Austria) and subsidiaries worldwide, operates in three business areas: Industrial Automation, Handover Automation, and Energy Automation. Controls and safety technology, drive technology for machines and robots, ATMs and parcel and transfer machines, as well as power charging stations for e-cars and heating controls, for example, are all part of the product portfolio of the automation expert, which employs around 2000 people.

In the area of industrial automation, in line with the guiding principle “Automation by innovation”, KEBA develops and produces innovative and high-quality automation solutions for general machine and tool construction as well as for Intralogistics, robotics, plastics, wind energy, turbo systems, and sheet metal processing. Whether hardware or software, individual components, or complete solutions – the Austrian technology expert offers powerful, modular, and safe solutions for all industrial requirements.

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GET IN TOUCH WITH US

Email: mail@xeeltech.com
Phone: +43 5552 93081-0
Fax: +43 5552 93081-9300

XeelTech Headquarter
Montafonerstraße 68
6771 St. Anton im Montafon
Austria

XeelTech Engineering Office
Technologiepark 10
4851 Gampern
Austria

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