New smart reel tower complements widely adopted smart racking solutions

Altus Group is showcasing the latest development from Scienscope as the company extends its component management portfolio with a new Smart Reel Tower.

The new product can be configured with or without humidity control and complements Scienscope’s widely adopted smart racking solutions. With several OEMs stepping away from this market in recent years, the company brings proven expertise and a strong track record to storage tower technology.

Adding to a portfolio that already includes goods-in scanning, X-ray counting, and smart racking for reels, stencils and feeders, the new system completes its offering and gives manufacturers access to the most comprehensive component management ecosystem available. As with all Scienscope solutions, integration is a core strength. With thousands of global installations, the company has extensive experience connecting to ERP and MES systems, ensuring seamless machine-to-machine communication and reliable process control.

Anthony Oh, technical project manager at Altus, said: “This is really exciting for us in the UK because we often get requests where humidity control is important for the customer, and smart racking cannot scratch that itch. With this new Scienscope Smart Reel Tower solution, we can immediately become a preferred supplier to many customers who are familiar with how well Scienscope performs in the other component management processes. Given our history of integrating across a whole manner of pick and place and MES solutions, we should be the most flexible integrator in the market.”

The product combines high capacity and throughput with a compact footprint, making it appropriate for SMT line-side and warehouse environments. Its dual-deck storage design accommodates up to 2,000 reels, while the dual-channel entry and exit system processes a minimum of 600 reels per hour with six-second cycle times. The unit is also AGV-compatible, making it fully Industry 4.0-ready.

Adrian Radu, European sales manager at Scienscope, said: “This unit has been a long time coming, but I am really pleased that it has arrived. We have been very successful with smart racking, but the Smart Reel Tower adds another string to our bow and completes our product offering. It means we can meet more customer needs without limitation, even when humidity control is a priority. I am looking forward to showcasing the unit in Europe later this year and seeing the first installations.”

The new Smart Reel Tower will be unveiled at Productronica 2025, with demonstrations also planned in the UK and Europe.