6D, EDUCATION, AND TABLE FOOTBALL: INTRODUCING THE NEW INNOVATION LAB
In September 2025, something new happened in our Innovation Lab. While the ideas behind it are not new, the upgraded facilities mark a significant step up in our ambition. Innovation Manager, Jakob Nors, has been in charge of the Innovation Lab since 2020, and he is more than happy to share this enthusiasm.
THE MELTING POT
Our Innovation Lab in Faarevejle is a melting pot of ideas. Depending on the nature and scale of the project, almost all kinds of expertise can potentially come into play. “We can take on everything from small student projects to large-scale tests involving everyone from mechanical engineers, assembly specialists, software programmers, and hardware designers,” Jakob Nors explains.
The crown jewel in the new facilities is our state-of-the-art 6D setup, where magnetic shuttles levitate above the base plate, resembling a beautiful choreography. The shuttles can be controlled with great precision in every direction – on the x/y/z-axis – and this setup offers a new range of possibilities, where tests and simulations are concerned.
“It was one of the first things we got up and running in the new Lab. We use it for tests and Proof of Concept, as it’s way more flexible than a conventional machine as all movements are controlled by software only,” Jakob Nors explains and mentions visual inspection and high-precision motion as one of the areas where the 6D technology is a game changer.
TIME, RESOURCES, AND SECURITY
Developing the optimum automation solution is a team effort. The collaboration between us and our customer can lead to exiting new innovations:
“Sometimes, when we start a new project, they include processes that we haven’t dealt with before. Then we’re able to do test runs of the critical process steps before the machine is assembled and ready perhaps six months later. Every party involved can be more at ease, and we’ve potentially saved a lot of time and rework later on, by testing in the initial phase, too.”
That goes for projects that are already in progress, but that is not all. As Nors explains: “When a customer submits a request for a project, it’s sometimes surrounded with so many variables that it’s hard to make a realistic price or performance estimate. Then we can make a concept design and gain a clearer understanding of how long a given process takes and how much equipment is needed.”
For our customers, the Innovation Lab offers two main advantages: In the first case, we can run tests while simultaneously developing and assembling the machine; in the latter, we are able to give a more precise price estimate. In either case, time is saved, and risks are minimised.
THE EDUCATIONAL EDGE
We have always prioritised our interns, and making PJM an attractive place to learn the ropes is part and parcel of the Innovation Lab. Our interns enjoy a huge amount of creative freedom, and they are at liberty to conduct their own project. “During their internship, they gain hands-on experience of what the job is really like,” Jakob Nors is happy to declare.
When their final project comes around during their education, the Innovation Lab is the place to be. “We’re very open to their ideas, and we want to encourage them to devote themselves to something that they are deeply interested in. And if it’s a question of sourcing materials, we’re all ears. We really want to help them and to be the place where all the best interns want to go. That’s no secret.”
PLAYFUL APPROACH
The dust is still settling in our new surroundings. Though we have been working and experimenting in our Lab for years, our ambitions are clear. In the words of Jakob Nors: “Of course, I’d like to see more and more people involved across the organisation – both those developing ideas and those putting them into practice,” Nors says. “I would love to see the Innovation Lab become an integral part of the workflow, making sure that all the best ideas and solutions are taken into consideration.”
But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and a playful approach is crucial in the new Lab. “I’ve seen Innovation Labs employed in a lot of different ways. I’ve even seen someone connecting motors and a camera to a table football table, controlling the players. Of course, it was just developed for fun, but it’s a way of igniting that passionate and creative spark. We are not quite there yet, so for now, our employees must handle the football table manually. But you never know where that sort of creativity can lead you.”
Table football or not, our Innovation Lab will no doubt bring about ideas and creativity, elevating automation to new heights.
If you want to know more about our Innovation Lab, click here for further reading.