Infratec’s pin contact lamp demonstrates versatile applicability at K 2025: a key role in the 3K IMD process with strong signaling effect
The requirements placed on industrial infrared technology are multifaceted. Especially in innovative application fields, the focus is on precision. With its pin contact lamp, Infratec offers a solution that is both highly flexible and effective as well as efficient for complex applications. Thanks to its specific properties, the compact IR lamp continues to open up new perspectives, as demonstrated at K 2025 in Düsseldorf. In the 3K IMD process developed by Kurz and KraussMaffei, Infratec’s pin contact lamp shows how pinpoint heat actively advances innovative plastics processing.
The 3K IMD process was developed by Kurz Automotive in cooperation with machinery manufacturer KraussMaffei and was presented live in action at K 2025. One element is impossible to miss in the practical operation of the industrial robot: the infrared heater used to warm the components directly within the process. It consists of Infratec pin contact lamps, which play a key role in the targeted, process-reliable heating of individual functional areas.
When working with highly integrated components, decorative surfaces and functional layer systems, conventional heating concepts quickly reach their limits. This is precisely where the pin contact lamp from Infratec Infrarot Strahler GmbH truly comes into its own. As a miniaturised infrared heater in an LED-like format, it enables direct, pinpoint heat input—exactly where it is actually required, depending on the process step.
Precision infrared heat tailored for the innovative 3K IMD process
With the 3K IMD process, Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG and KraussMaffei combine several key processing steps and different materials into a highly efficient production method. The process integrates three different plastic components in a precise sequence of injection moulding, thermoforming and decoration.
A decisive factor for implementing this innovation is the provision of exact heat at the right position at the right time. This is where Infratec’s pin contact lamp comes into play. Its compact design and technical properties allow the heat source to be integrated directly on the gripper, enabling precisely defined areas to be selectively heated at each process step. The result is maximum process control with minimal energy input.
Pinpoint infrared heat for flexible manufacturing processes
The specific characteristics of the pin contact lamp bring simplicity and flexibility to complex application requirements. The particular strength of this versatile heat source lies in its compact design combined with high power density. Unlike conventional heating systems, the Infratec solution does not require heating large surrounding areas. Instead, the pin contact lamp can be integrated into a wide variety of machines and systems according to individual requirements—flexibly, space-efficiently and highly effectively.
Energy is applied exactly where it is needed, offering significant advantages in complex, automated manufacturing processes. Especially in multi-stage procedures such as the 3K IMD process, these characteristics make a decisive contribution to reproducibility, cycle time stability and energy efficiency. At the same time, integration directly on the gripper provides considerable freedom in both system layout and process control. In this way, the compact yet powerful IR lamp is not only a component of innovation, but a process-critical element.
Innovative impulses, far-reaching perspectives
For Infratec, involvement in the 3K IMD process represents more than a successful project: the application of the pin infrared lamp demonstrated here is emblematic of its industrial innovation potential. “Miniaturised infrared technology offers diverse benefits and a wide range of applications in highly automated production environments,” emphasises Infratec Managing Director Anika Pfeiffer.
With the pin contact lamp, Infratec GmbH once again demonstrates its strength in developing customised, practical infrared solutions. Its application in the 3K IMD process highlights how proven IR technology, combined with innovative thinking and solution expertise, can create real added value and open up new perspectives for future industrial applications.
