Steinbichler presents Intact tyre testing system

German firm Steinbichler Optotechnik GmbH of Neubeuern has been engaged in the supply of high-precision optical measuring and sensor technology for quarter of a century and the tyre industry, along with the automotive and aviation industries, is a main beneficiary of its solutions. The company reports a successful week at June’s Reifen 2012 trade show and says this year’s show delivered even better results than previous events. The show also offered Steinbichler an excellent opportunity to present its new ‘Steinbichler Intact’ tyre testing systems to existing and prospective customers.

The new Intact system joins an arsenal of Steinbichler products utilised by the tyre industry. The company applied for its first patent in 1990 and this product, an interferometer with temporal phase shift, formed an important basis for Steinbichler’s subsequent work, particularly in the field of shearography-based tyre testing. The patents cover a method for determining the displacement of beams, most notably light beams, and a facility for performing this method. The new technology initiated the development of what would one day become the Intact tyre testing system.

Today Steinbichler has a staff of 200 and operates a global dealer network plus sales subsidiaries in the UK, France, Portugal, Russia, USA, Brazil, China and India. The company’s main manufacturing sites are in Germany, where it operates four plants. Steinbichler reports the continued growth in sales of its products and, as a result, its production units – especially the production hall for tyre inspection systems – are “bursting at the seams.” The firm is now in the process of physically expanding and is building a brand new facility; this site will integrate Steinbichler’s administrative and research & development operations under the one roof.

However, as the necessary measures will not be completed before September 2013, the company has temporarily relocated its production site for OTR-Inspection-Systems (Intact 2800 and Intact 4300) into the nearby Austria. This strategic decision is based upon the need for additional resources and space for the production of passenger and truck systems. The OTR systems unit will be re-integrated into the new building once it is complete.