Being a cutting‑edge engineering company means working with partners who can keep up
Carpano Equipment is a dynamic, constantly evolving company — one of those that embody the excellence of Made in Italy. Based in Bologna and founded thirty years ago by a father-and-son team, it is a leader in metal welding automation. Within its 3,500‑square‑meter facility, the company builds innovative machines designed to ensure ease of use, precise process repeatability, spare‑parts availability, and a rapid return on investment. Innovation is part of the company’s DNA: in the 1990s it produced its first aluminum manipulators, while today it offers state‑of‑the‑art welding solutions powered by cobots and fully ready for Industry 4.0.
Carpano Equipment is also one of Eoptis’ partners, leveraging its expertise in machine vision and production quality‑control processes. To learn more about this outstanding Italian company, we spoke with its co‑founder and CEO, Massimiliano Carpano.
The conversation
Tell us a bit about Carpano Equipment.
The company was founded in 1992 by my father and me. Until then, my father had specialized in building welding machines, but with the creation of Carpano Equipment we decided to move into the field of metal‑welding automation. I’ll admit, the early days were not easy. We started out in a very small — I’d even say cramped — workshop, and there were only three of us. Over the past thirty years, however, we’ve managed to grow steadily. The market has increasingly embraced process automation — especially in welding — and today our company has a team of twenty‑five people. We are leaders in the Italian market, but a growing share of our revenue now comes from abroad. About 50% of our turnover is generated in Italy, 35% in European markets, and the remaining 15% outside Europe. Foreign demand is strategic for us, and fortunately, high‑quality Made in Italy products are highly appreciated worldwide.
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What do you think of the synergy between Carpano Equipment and Eoptis?
This collaboration began more than five years ago. We asked Eoptis to develop a new camera for monitoring the welding process, and the project was a success — so much so that the resulting product has become one of our standard solutions. Since everything went as we had hoped, we decided to work with Eoptis again to develop this new laser seam tracker. A similar product already existed on the market, but it had been developed by non‑Italian companies.
Thanks to Eoptis, we are the first (and only) Italian company to have developed the control system and to offer a laser seam‑tracking solution capable of correcting the torch position in real time during the welding path. I should add that the product is still in the engineering phase, but we have high expectations for it and are confident it will be very well received by the market. It is, without a doubt, an extremely advanced piece of technology.
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What do you appreciate most about the partnership with Eoptis?
Definitely their willingness to tackle the challenges that inevitably arise when you’re doing something new — when you’re innovating. We also see a strong desire to collaborate and grow together: they share in the results and stay fully engaged, and that makes the partnership genuine and truly meaningful.
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