Remodeling your old system is a great way to upgrade and adapt the system to your specific application. If a cost-effective solution is just as important as the integration of state-of-the-art vacuum technology innovations, our team of experts will help you bring your vacuum coating system up to date with the latest technology.

As we also produce new vacuum coating systems, our team of experts will provide you with the optimal, competitive solution tailored to your application.

By retrofit we mean the modernization or expansion of existing (mostly older and no longer produced) vacuum systems and equipment.

Objectives

• Increased life span
• Increase in production volume
• Increase in product quality
• Higher efficiency of the system, for example, by conserving energy
• Compliance with legal requirements
• Ensuring the supply of spare parts
• Providing of the feasibility to embed old machines in a modern IT environment

Reasons

For existing systems, a retrofit can make more sense than a replacement by new construction. The replacement of obsolete components and the addition of new, state-of-the-art technological developments will bring existing facilities up to date. The advantage for our customers lies in the modernization of the plant and the associated increase in productivity at significantly lower costs in relation to the procurement of a corresponding new system. The stable basic substance of the machine is retained, and for large machines, the high replacement investment for the production of the new machine’s foundation is eliminated. Existing property protection for a system—that would probably no longer receive a new approval—can be preserved by a retrofit.

Actions to be taken

• Replacement of assemblies for which spare parts are no longer available
• Retrofitting of automation technology, for example, programmable logic controllers and process visualization
• Replacing materials by materials with improved properties
• Use of frequency converters in electrical drives to increase efficiency, for example, energy savings

Advantages of a retrofit

• Lower investment costs compared to the installing a new machine/system
• No new foundation costs
• Aged stable machine base can be adopted
• Less staff training required because the machine is known for the most part
• Further time savings since only certain parts require replacement

HS-Group GmbH is your partner for the most demanding retrofit projects. We are the world leader in the modernization (retrofitting) of vacuum film and optical coating systems, regardless of the systems’ brand.