Bonding - More than materials | Herrmann Ultraschall

studied at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), doing her masters in Electronics. She has been part of the Herrmann family since 2017 and forms a special team in the generator development laboratory together with Gerhard Gnad. “I greatly appreciate the fact that you can try and test out so much here – and it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman!” The fact that a brilliant mind such as Paola Calero has found her way to the small and rather quiet town of Karlsbad is no coincidence to Gerhard Gnad. “It’s very simple: Southern Germany is home to many creative minds. This is the heart of high-performance mechanical engi- neering – worldwide. There is also a concentration of business working in mechanical engineering in north Italy around Modena and Bologna and in Japan, but that’s pretty much it,” says Gnad, knowingly. And he adds: “Additionally, if you look at the history, it becomes clear that many famous craftspeople and inventors come from the region or worked here: Carl Benz, Robert Bosch, Heinrich Hertz, to name a few. Apparently, the Black Forest is also a reason why Herrmann Ultraschall is so successful and people like to work in Karlsbad.” Working and living where others go on vacation. “We may not have a beach or the very high mountains, but living here is simply amazing,” says Gerhard Gnad, with Paola Calero nodding in agreement. Karlsbad, the cradle of ultrasonics. Herrmann Ultraschall is not the only one to have made the Karlsbad industrial area its home; a number of competitors have also decided to settle there. This too is no accident. “I always say: Herrmann Ultraschall is the mother and all the others are the children,” continues Gerhard Gnad. He is sure that some of the compa- nies that offer devices for ultrasonic welding here were started by employ- ees of Walter Herrmann. “It cannot be prevented, when colleagues leave they take ideas and expertise with them,” says Gnad. He and his colleague Paola Calero, as well as the entire development team, work to ensure that Herrmann Ultra- schall remains the technological leader. A completely new generator, the 8th generation in the company’s 60-year history, is also already in the pipeline, and will become the new heart of the Karlsbad weld systems. The “young guns” have turned the existing system completely on its head and are work- ing on upgrading it to something new and better. “We have left no stone, or electronic component, unturned,” says Paola Calero, “to ensure that we continue to be strong in the market. The new generator is based on the digital generator developed by Gerhard back then.” The device distinguishes itself from products of the competition 1 Today, Walter Herrmann’s “ baby ” is fully digital. 2 The generator produces the ultrasonic vibrations. 3 Gerhard Gnad was a pivot- al figure in the generator’s development. 4 Paola Calero works on the new generation. 1 3 2 1 4 by the new control technology and communication possibilities. Resting on our laurels does not work at Herrmann Ultraschall. “Many do not see the need to do something new, but what will tomorrow bring? The customers always want new func- tions. And we make them possible,” says Calero. Always being one step ahead, making technical advances that are useful to the customer – that is what Paola Calero enjoys most in her work. “It’s cool when we see that we are delivering good results. Then, once we are finished with one innovation, we immediately look for the next task, try out something new,” says Calero. Moving more in the direction of research – that is the goal of the developer team at Herrmann. Team – that is, in fact, a good key word at the Karlsbad company. “A big group made up of lone wolves won’t get anywhere,” says Gnad with cer- GERHARD GNAD , A PROUD NATIVE OF THE REGION OF BADEN, IS A LEARNED ELEC- TRONICS ENGINEER, AND HAS BEEN AT HERRMANN IN THE ELECTRONICS DEVEL- OPMENT DEPARTMENT SINCE 1982. HE CON- TRIBUTED GREATLY TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MILESTONES SUCH AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACTIVE CONTROL AND DIGITAL CONTROL GENERATOR PRODUCT LINE. HE IS HAPPY TO PASS THE TORCH TO THE “YOUNG GUNS” AND CONTINUES TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH HIS EXPERIENCE. PAOLA CALERO , BORN IN ECUADOR, HAS A GREAT PASSION FOR ELECTRONIC ENGI- NEERING. SHE COM- PLETED HER MASTERS AT THE KARLSRUHE IN- STITUTE OF TECHNOL- OGY. SINCE 2017, SHE HAS BEEN IN THE DE- VELOPMENT DEPART- MENT AT HERRMANN. SHE IS WORKING ON A NEW GENERATION OF GENERATORS. tainty. “We are closely connected with our team and all the colleagues from the other disciplines, such as soft- ware, acoustics, mechanical system, electrical engineering, and, of course, application development. With six different disciplines, it certainly is very diverse here.” This holistic approach to ultrasonic welding makes Herrmann Ultraschall unique: “That is the Herrmann bonus. Many build ma- chines or systems that can weld, but that’s it. The constant further devel- opment, always coming up with new applications with and for the custom- ers, that sets us apart, that is our rep- utation in the market. The Herrmann thinking, the Herrmann philosophy in mind,” says Gerhard Gnad. And Paola Calero adds: “Listening to the custom- er, presenting the best solution and helping to implement it, and drawing conclusions for future problems that could crop up.” Finding new inspiration, researching, revolutionizing ultrasonic technology – both of them have even had ideas for this come to them in dreams. “Well, not quite, but when I’m really stuck on something, it does occupy me 24 hours in the day. So it can happen that the flash of inspiration you need hits you in the most unlikely places,” laughs Gerhard Gnad. It is similar for his young colleague. “When I have a problem and go home, I go about my day just like I normally would, go jog- ging, talk to my family in Ecuador on the phone in Spanish, and after a day or two the flash of inspiration comes.” With these brilliant minds, Herrmann Ultraschall, with its headquarters in Karlsbad, continues to secure its position as technological leader – and makes the Karlsbad Ultrasonic Valley known worldwide. 43 42