Many firms now offer flexible working patterns and remote access to crucial parts of the business. Digital connectivity provides the possibility to access an abundance of information at a time to suit you and your project.
Recognising this, precision motion specialist IKO has gone far beyond just digitising the hundreds of pages of its catalogues.
For those that wish to do so, IKO has made its extensive suite of technical data and support systems available via technical support which can be found across various web pages.
A key requirement of any part is that it will fit inside a planned assembly. IKO has developed a comprehensive search interface to call up and download 2D and 3D CAD product models. These files, available in a wide variety of formats, can be dropped directly into digital CAD/CAM software, to verify fit and function within their design, without relying on guesswork or interpretations of line drawings or tables of measurements from the catalogues.
Alongside these drawings, IKO has made available calculators that produce data which can often provide the simplest way to understand whether a chosen product/solution will be able to meet key performance criteria, such as an application’s safety factor, or, alternatively, whether or not a different variant may be more appropriate.
Technical Information such as the following can be sought and found with relative ease:
- load (for linear ways)
- lifetime (for linear ways and linear motion tables)
- motor torque (for positioning tables)
- effective thrust (for linear motor tables)
With designs changing quickly and on short notice, many engineers like to research their designs as much as possible in their own time, and on a schedule to suit them. Having the ability to be able to produce calculations based upon a given selection of data and operating conditions is an invaluable tool.
IKO’s online system allows for such conditions, giving clear and concise requirements along the way, resulting in comprehensive reports generated that can be shared with colleagues in PDF format and/or saved for future changes.
In addition, the site also offers operation manuals for positioning tables (stages/actuators), so users can understand maintenance requirements such as the greasing regime, as well as a configurator tool which allows users to select the most appropriate criteria for their application, which will then provide suggestions and part numbers based upon this information. A virtual showroom provides a complementary view of the product range, giving details on product capabilities and design specifications along with product catalogues. Click here to see a summary.
Once customers complete a simple registration process to create a free account, all these resources are then free to access and available 24/7 to all. An email address is required at registration, so that should you require additional support or direct contact with your local technical sales engineer, you can indicate your request for further contact.
With a wealth of knowledge and information, the IKO technical pages are a useful tool for design engineers, specifiers or indeed anyone that requires that little bit extra. Contents are provided as a reference point only, and it is recommended that before any final decisions are made that contacting IKO directly is advised.
The IKO digital presence favours finding technical solutions over salesmanship. The full suite of calculators and selection tools are provided in a no-pressure environment, with no obligation to make a purchase. It’s the same ethos with the company’s customer service staff. Sales engineers are interested only in supporting customers to choose the right part. As one member of staff puts it: “Our job is not to try to sell the most expensive product; it’s to help customers select the most appropriate product for their application.”
Once a product has been selected and chosen using the online systems, IKO engages with customers to confirm selections, make alternative suggestions where needed and to confirm the projects requirements. Checking of global stock availability, pricing and order placement is handled by IKO’s experienced UK-based customer services team, to ensure that clients get an accurate, detailed response in the shortest possible time.
IKO also offers customers a quick-turnaround custom rail cutting service, which can trim either or both ends of rail product to millimetre precision. With over £5m worth of product stockholding, IKO can respond and supply on the tightest of requirements and schedules. A large proportion of its stock can be dispatched to customers on a next-day delivery basis.
Before customers finish the design process and place their order, they are advised to engage with staff. Says one sales engineer: “While users are encouraged to go online, specify and select the product that they would like, it is recommended that they check with us first before signing off their designs. We can help to make sure availability is within their required timescales or offer alternative solutions that may not have been considered during the design process. Crucially, we will always consider UK stock combinations and additional works that can reduce lead times further, and consider any commercial impacts that product selection tools cannot.”
The online world can be an easy route to source and supply products, but does not necessarily substitute for a free consultation with a technical expert. As an IKO employee pointed out: “At IKO, we believe in an honest, open and transparent dialogue with our clients. The human connection with positive conversations can lead to exciting applications and genuine, long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.”
