SCM Group’s Smart Spindle: turning machine components into intelligent services

Thanks to advanced sensors, software and artificial intelligence, SCM Group has transformed the machining centre’s electrospindle into a predictive monitoring and maintenance system, capable of reducing costs and downtime while optimising the machine’s entire lifecycle.

Innovation Award being presented to Antonio Latella, Smart Sensors Product Owner and Luca Bergantini, Business Unit Manager of CNC Machining Centres at SCM Group

Predicting faults before they occur, increasing production efficiency and turning maintenance into a proactive service: this is the vision behind SCM Group’s innovative Smart Spindle, which has been recognised at the 19th edition of SMAU, held in Milan from 5–6 November.

A world leader in technologies for processing a wide range of materials and in industrial components, SCM Group has reimagined one of the key elements of its CNC machines – the electrospindle – turning it into an intelligent node within a broader ecosystem of smart services.

From connected component to intelligent ecosystem

Developed in collaboration with Hiteco, a Group company, the electrospindle is equipped with a smart control unit that collects and interprets data from sensors that monitor critical parameters such as temperature, vibration and tool-change cycles.

This data is processed in real time and shared with SCM Group’s Control Room, where AI models analyse trends and detect anomalies. The system can anticipate faults, automatically open service tickets and trigger predictive interventions – often before the customer is even aware of a problem.

All of this takes place in full compliance with data governance and transparency principles: data remains the customer's property, is anonymised and used exclusively to optimise performance and service quality.

From machine to service – a new business model

Smart Spindle represents not only a technological evolution but also a strategic milestone in SCM Group’s digital transformation and servitisation journey. Moving from a traditional machine manufacturer to a provider of an ecosystem of intelligent services, the company is embracing a model based on data sharing, collaboration with industrial partners and continuous value creation throughout the product lifecycle.

The result is up to a 30% reduction in downtime, improved machining quality and a significant decrease in operating costs.

The Smart Spindle project reflects SCM Group’s vision of an increasingly connected, data-driven, sustainable and customer-oriented industry, where collaboration among companies, technologies and end users generates shared and lasting value.

The SMAU Innovation Award was collected on 5 November by Antonio Latella – Product Owner Smart Sensors – and Luca Bergantini, Business Manager for CNC Machining and Drilling Centers at SCM Group.

For further information, see www.scmgroup.com/en_GB.