The challenges at Kugel- und Rollenlagerwerk Leipzig

Kugel- und Rollenlagerwerk Leipzig (KRW Leipzig) is a long-established rolling-bearing manufacturer based in Leipzig. The company develops and produces high-precision ball and roller bearings for industries including mechanical engineering, energy, and railway technology. With a strong focus on quality and innovation, KRW uses advanced materials testing and manufacturing technologies to meet increasing requirements for precision and durability.

To deliver high-quality analyses for its customers, the KRW team spent considerable time discussing complex cases, such as differentiating martensite from bainite and assessing borderline results. Reducing subjectivity required substantial effort.

KRW's main challenge was therefore the subjectivity of the analyses:

• Differences in employee experience led to varying results.
• For complex microstructures such as martensite or bainite, several employees had to be involved to achieve a reliable result.
• Manual analysis was time-consuming and reduced efficiency.

The solution

MiViA provided an AI-based solution for automated microstructure analysis that enables more objective evaluation. The software was tested and integrated into the process to reduce subjectivity and increase analysis speed.

The results

• Faster analysis: Instead of spending substantial time on each sample manually, MiViA analyzed three samples in 3-5 minutes, up to 15 times more efficiently than the manual process.
• Greater objectivity: The AI-supported analysis results were comparable to those of an experienced metallographer and considerably more consistent.
• Easy to use: Trainees also benefited from the software's intuitive operation.
• Future potential: The company plans to continue using MiViA and contribute to the development of new models and features.

• Fast, objective analyses at the touch of a button

  “With MiViA, we achieved objective and consistent analysis quality while drastically reducing the time required for each sample to approximately one minute.”

  Philipp Wehnert - Head of Heat Treatment, Materials Laboratory and NDT

The results

By using MiViA, Kugel- und Rollenlagerwerk Leipzig significantly increased the efficiency and reproducibility of its microstructure analyses. Especially for complex microstructures and borderline cases, the team now needs less discussion to reach a reliable result. This saves time and increases confidence in the outcome.

Looking ahead, KRW wants to develop additional models together with MiViA and is confident about the continued collaboration. Its goal is software that automatically recognizes microstructures and quickly provides the appropriate analyses. This closely aligns with our vision for the future of microstructure analysis.

Philipp Wehnert particularly recommends MiViA for metalworking companies that need fast, consistent results. He also sees considerable future potential for companies such as suppliers to the semiconductor industry.