Knuffingen Airport: a Million Flights and Not One Delay Linear Motion Technology Ensures Precision and Punctuality at the Airport of Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg

PRESS RELEASE PI 026/19 2019-05-16

Knuffingen Airport: A million flights and not one delay Linear Motion Technology ensures precision and punctuality at the airport of Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg.

Precision landing at Knuffingen Airport at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg. (Image source: Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg)

Last month, Knuffingen Airport celebrated one million flights. The replica aircraft are accurate down to the tiniest detail and look almost real when taking off and landing. Bosch Rexroth’s highly reliable Linear Motion and Assembly Technology plays a key role in ensuring that the ambitious project operates smoothly. Miniatur Wunderland is home to the world’s biggest model railway and is located in the historical Speicherstadt of Hamburg.

Knuffingen Airport opened on May 4, 2011: after six years’ construction and development, 150,000 hours of work and around 50,000 lines of programming code. 15,000 mini figures bring the airport to life. The 52 model aircraft, all individually produced and costing up to €20,000, are a particular highlight. They are identical to the originals in all but size and look almost real when taking off and landing. And just like full-sized airports, the miniature airport is open to visitors 365 days a year. To ensure that the airport operates smoothly, all components have to work with maximum precision. Even after a million flights, there has never been a single delay at Knuffingen Airport.

Contact for Journalists: Bosch Rexroth AG Manuela Kessler 97816 Lohr a. Main Tel.: +49 9352 18-4145 Bosch Rexroth AG, Trade Press Communications, 97816 Lohr a. Main, Germany, www.boschrexroth.com [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE PI 026/19 2019-05-16

In order to make this possible, the airport constructors used components from the field of factory automation. The aircrafts’ approach begins with these components behind the scenes. From its waiting position on one of three levels, the model aircraft rolls automatically towards a lift platform. The CKR linear axes used must position the platform exactly. After all, the wheels of the aircraft must not get stuck when moving onto the platform. The lift brings the aircraft onto the airport level where it is skewered by the take-off system. This too happens behind the scenes. The take-off system consists of two thin rods which are each mounted on the carriages of two CKK Compact Modules. This way, it is possible to tilt the model aircraft forwards for the landing. In order to do this, the rods move into two openings in the rear of the aircraft and lift the aircraft until it reaches approach altitude. The Compact Modules are connected to a linear axis underneath the runway which moves the aircraft forwards. Once the window has been moved to the corresponding approach altitude, the aircraft can begin its approach.

Rexroth’s Linear Motion Technology was chosen for its long operating life and precision in combination with the wide range of products on offer. After all, the components from the drive and control specialist are not being used in an industrial setting as they normally would be. Friedrich-Wilhelm Dülm, sales representive for Linear Motion Technology in the north of Germany, is delighted with the result: “The biggest challenge during this project was finding the right components for this extraordinary application. Thanks to the excellent working relationship with the Technical Manager at Miniatur Wunderland, the right products could be selected quickly and easily.”

After more than a million take-offs and landings, the operators and Friedrich- Wilhelm Dülm are not the only ones who appreciate the trouble-free air traffic over Knuffingen: “The high precision and long operating life of our components allow these aircraft to take off and land 365 days a year – much to the delight of the numerous visitors.”

As one of the world’s leading suppliers of drive and control technologies, Bosch Rexroth ensures efficient, powerful and safe movement in machines and systems of any size. The company bundles global application experience in the market segments of Mobile Applications, Machinery Applications and Engineering, and Factory Automation. With its intelligent components, customized system solutions and services, Bosch Rexroth is creating the

PRESS RELEASE PI 026/19 2019-05-16

necessary environment for fully connected applications. Bosch Rexroth offers its customers hydraulics, electric drive and control technology, gear technology and linear motion and assembly technology, including software and interfaces to the Internet of Things. With locations in over 80 countries, more than 32,300 associates generated sales revenue of roughly 6.2 billion euros in 2018. To learn more, please visit www.boschrexroth.com

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 410,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2018). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales from operations of 77.9 billion euros in 2018. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected mobility, and connected manufacturing. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 125 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 69,500 associates in research and development. Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch- press.com, www.twitter.com/BoschPresse.