Manufacturing Processes and Automation Systems | SMD

Processes and systems

SMD Special Machinery Division designs and manufactures systems and equipment for key industrial processes, integrating diverse technological processes into reliable, customized, automated solutions.

Our solutions range from welding and thermal cutting, to induction heat treatments, wear-resistant coatings, inserting and handling, to assembly, mechanical processing, and testing systems. Each system is designed based on the product’s characteristics and the customer’s production needs, ensuring consistent quality, precision, repeatability, and optimized cycle times.

Thanks to our ability to develop multi-process systems, we can integrate different technologies into a single automated line, reducing intermediate movements, improving efficiency and traceability, and offering turnkey solutions that meet even the most complex industrial applications.

Welding

SMD Special Machinery Division develops automated systems and dedicated equipment for welding processes, designed based on the product’s characteristics and the customer’s production needs.

Thanks to our in-depth knowledge of welding processes, we create highly reliable automated solutions that guarantee consistent quality, repeatability, and optimized production times.

The systems can be designed as dedicated stations, special machines, or robotic cells, integrated with handling, positioning, and process control systems.

Welding processes

Our solutions can integrate various technological processes, including:

MIG/MAG welding
TIG welding
Resistance welding
Laser welding
Projection welding
Orbital welding
Brazing

Thermal Cut

SMD Special Machinery Division creates automation systems dedicated to thermal cutting processes, designed to ensure precision, repeatability, and integration within industrial production cycles.

The solutions we develop are tailored to material characteristics, thicknesses, and production requirements, with the goal of optimizing cutting quality and reducing processing times.

Our systems can integrate various thermal cutting technologies, including:

Plasma cutting
Laser cutting
Oxyfuel cutting
Thermal cutting systems integrated into automated lines

Solutions can be implemented as dedicated stations, special machines, or systems integrated into automated lines, complete with handling, part positioning, and process control systems.

This approach achieves high machining precision, cutting edge quality, and production continuity, while minimizing manual intervention.

Induction

SMD Special Machinery Division designs and manufactures automated systems for processes based on electromagnetic induction heating, a technology widely used in industrial production cycles to ensure localized, rapid, and highly controlled heating.

The main applications include:

Localized heat treatments
Braze welding
Heating of components for assembly or controlled deformation operations

The systems developed by SMD integrate induction generators, dedicated inductors, and advanced process control systems, designed to ensure precision and repeatability of the production cycle.

Component temperature control is performed using optical pyrometers, which enable real-time process monitoring and maintain consistent and reliable operating conditions.

The solutions can be implemented as dedicated automated stations or integrated into automated production lines, complete with handling systems, component positioning, and production cycle management.

Anti-wear coatings

SMD Special Machinery Division develops automated systems for wear-resistant coating processes, used to improve the surface properties of components subjected to particularly harsh operating conditions.

These processes deposit high-strength materials on specific component surfaces, increasing their service life and resistance to wear, abrasion, corrosion, or mechanical stress.

The solutions designed by SMD automate and precisely control the coating process, ensuring:

Control of process parameters
Uniformity of material deposit
Quality and repeatability of processes

The systems can integrate deposition technologies based on welding processes or metallurgical coatings, with automatic component handling and processing cycle control.

The solutions are implemented as dedicated stations or systems integrated into automated lines, complete with part handling and positioning systems, with the aim of improving process reliability and reducing maintenance and component replacement costs.

Insertion

SMD Special Machinery Division designs and manufactures automated systems for inserting and fastening connecting elements, used in industrial assembly processes to ensure reliable and repeatable mechanical connections.

Applications include operations such as:

Blind riveting
Insertion of threaded inserts
Automatic installation of fasteners

The systems are designed to ensure precise component positioning, force control, and insertion stroke, as well as proper fastener deformation based on the material characteristics and part geometry.

The solutions developed by SMD can integrate automatic insert feeding systems, controlled insertion units, and devices to verify correct assembly, ensuring high process repeatability and consistent fastener quality.

The systems can be built as dedicated automatic stations or integrated into automated assembly lines, complete with component handling and production cycle management.

Manipulation and Enslavement

SMD Special Machinery Division designs and manufactures component handling and serving systems, essential for ensuring the continuity and efficiency of automated production processes.

These systems are designed to precisely and controlledly manage the transfer, positioning, and orientation of parts between different processing stations, ensuring proper machine feeding and synchronization with the production cycle.

The solutions developed by SMD may include:

Automatic component loading and unloading systems
Manipulators and positioners for correct part orientation
Automatic transfer and handling systems
Servo systems for robotic cells and specialty machines

Systems are designed based on component characteristics and production process requirements, with the goal of ensuring positioning precision, operational reliability, and reduced cycle times.

Solutions can be built as standalone modules or integrated into automated production lines, complete with component flow control and management systems.

Assembly

SMD Special Machinery Division designs and manufactures automated stations and systems for industrial assembly operations, optimized to ensure high productivity, precision, and repeatable final product quality.

The solutions can integrate various operations, including:

Automatic component insertion with belt or vibrating feed
Mechanical fastening with torque and stroke control
Pressing and coupling operations with applied force monitoring
In-line dimensional and functional inspections using sensors and artificial vision systems

The systems can be built as standalone stations, robotic lines, or integrated multi-station systems, with the option of programming and cycle management via PLC/SCADA, designed based on product characteristics and production process requirements.

Mechanical Machining

SMD Special Machinery Division develops systems and equipment for mechanical processing integrated into automated processes, enabling operations to be performed directly within production lines with high precision and repeatability.

Main applications include:

Drilling and tapping with depth and torque control
Sheet metal punching for precise cuts and openings
Pressing for controlled shaping and bending
Flattening for leveling or controlled deformation of components
High-precision blanking of metal parts
Notching for creating complex angles and profiles

The systems are designed to ensure process stability, control of processing parameters, and integration with automatic part handling and positioning systems, improving the overall efficiency of the production cycle and ensuring consistent quality and repeatability of processing.

Testing Systems

SMD Special Machinery Division creates automated testing systems designed to verify the quality, functionality, and conformity of components or finished products directly within the production process.

Solutions include:

Mechanical strength testing through the application of static or dynamic loads:

Static loads to verify deformation, settlement, or compressive, tensile, or flexural strength.
Dynamic loads to test resistance to vibration, fatigue cycles, and variable stresses over time, ensuring component integrity and reliability.

Leak testing for pressure vessels:

Use of digital pressure gauges to measure any pressure losses over time.
Helium gas checks to detect micro-leaks and ensure tightness even in critical applications.

Dimensional and tolerance checks using optical sensors or integrated measuring instruments

Real-time data collection and traceability of test cycles

The systems can be integrated directly into automatic lines or created as dedicated quality control stations, ensuring high reliability, repeatability and compliance with industrial standards.

Multi-Process Systems

One of the key strengths of the SMD Special Machinery Division is its ability to design and implement highly integrated multi-process systems, combining multiple processing technologies within a single machine or automated line, with full control of process parameters and centralized management via PLC/SCADA.

These systems optimize the entire production cycle, reducing intermediate movements, minimizing downtime, and significantly increasing productivity, repeatability, and final product quality.

Multi-process solutions can integrate various in-line operations, for example:

Automated welding with complete control of current, voltage, and speed
Mechanical and sheet metal processing, such as drilling, punching, shearing, and pressing, integrated directly into the production cycle
Localized heat treatments, with temperature monitoring via pyrometers and precise control of exposure time
Assembly and fastening operations, including riveting, inserting, and controlled pressing
In-line quality control, including mechanical testing, leak testing, and automated dimensional measurements

Thanks to its design flexibility, SMD creates customized multi-process systems based on specific production needs, ensuring the ability to manage different components, variable configurations, and complex processes within the same line.

Advanced process integration allows for maximum efficiency, precision, and traceability, making each system a true turnkey facility, ready to meet the most sophisticated needs of industrial customers.

Want to know more?

We’re excited to introduce ourselves to new customers and offer solutions that go beyond simple supply, but that address specific and complex needs. Our passion for designing special machines is what drives us and makes us a reliable partner in the world of industrial automation.