PRESS RELEASE
FromSylke Becker
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EMO Hannover 2017 – supporting events address trends for production technology
India, 23 – 25 January 2017. – From 18 to 23 September 2017, the EMO Hannover, the world’s premier trade fair for the metalworking sector, will once again be opening its doors. It’s the biggest internationalmeeting point themed around metal. Manufacturers from all over the world will, under the motto of “Connecting systems for intelligent production”,be showcasing their products, solutions and services for mastering the challenges involved in industrial production operations duringthe ongoing decade.
“The EMO Hannover is not only the most important meetingpoint for all players in the metalworking sector, both manufacturers and users. It’s traditionally also an innovation forum and a trend-setter,” saysChristoph Miller, Trade Fair Director at the EMO’s organiser, the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), Frankfurt am Main, Germany, speaking at the EMO’s press conference in Pune on 23 January 2017. And headds: “This is why it addresses the important issues in the world of metalworking, and drives them forward.” Awide andvaried supporting programme will in 2017 once again be addressing both technical and commercial issues.
Special show on Industry 4.0
The megatrend of networking is the major focus at the EMO Hannover 2017, not least in a special show called the “Industry 4.0 Area”, organised by the German Konradin Media Group. The Industry4.0 Area sees itself as a platform for mutual professional feedback between expertswithin the international community, and builds bridges between the academic world and the people on the shop floor. University and Fraunhofer institutesspecialising in production technology will be presenting the status of their researches, while representatives of the industrial sector will be showing solutions for how to implement these in practice.
The programme includes bothinitiativesof the German states and international activities, such as the German Industry 4.0 Platform, the Industrial Internet Consortium from the USA, the Alliance Industrie du Futurfrom France, Made in China 2025, the Industrial-Value-Chain-Initiative from Japan and others. The initiatives are currently putting together their work programmes, and are looking for cooperation partners.The German Industry 4.0 Platform, for instance, has already got together with the Americans, the French, the Chinese and the Japanese. The special show is rounded off by a lecture forum, in which eminent academics can present their latest findings and firms can showcase their corporate capabilities.
Increasing presence of additive processes in production operations
Not only Industry 4.0, but also additive manufacturing (AM) is meanwhile on everyone’s lips among international production specialists. A recent study commissioned by the VDW shows that 3D printing is admittedly still a niche phenomenon in production operations at present, but the sector is nonetheless growing exponentially. Experts expect this to continue in the years ahead. In the mechanical engineering and automotive industries, particularly, in medical technology, and in the aerospace industry, this technology is alreadybeing used. In these sectors, there are meanwhile some initial standard products that are being manufactured using additive processes.
The EMO Hannover 2017 will be showcasing the very latest developments in additive manufacturingfor the metalworking sector, and will be a source of ideas for visitors as to which applications can be utilisedwith particular cost-efficiency using additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing as aproduction process intermeshes with other major elements in the value-added chain, principally CAD and simulation, reworking, production metrologyand quality assurance. Besides additive manufacturing systems pure and simple, hybrid machines are also being created. Many classical machinery manufacturers are already involved in this field, and are integrating the process intotheir machines. “This is for some user sectors a very interesting solutional approach,”says Christoph Miller.
Because of the limited surface quality, support structures and functional surface areas, which are removed, most additively manufactured components have to be reworked if they are to satisfy stringent expectations. A study commissioned by the VDW predicts a corresponding rise in demand forprecision machining equipment.
Together with the EuropeanAssociation of the Machine Tool Industries(CECIMO) and the Additive ManufacturingWorking Group in the VDMA (German Engineering Federation), a conference on this subject is planned at the EMO Hannover.
Trends in metal-cutting – WGP Symposium “Production for tomorrow”
The German Academic Society for Production Engineering (WGP) will on 21 September 2017 at the EMO Hannover be hosting a symposium entitled “Production for tomorrow”. The WGP’s members comprise 35 institutes for production technology at German universities and Fraunhofer institutes,which means the entire spectrum of academic expertise in production technology can be tapped here.
“The symposium at the EMO Hannover will render this knowledge accessible to the fair’s visitors as well,” says Christoph Miller. Six path-breaking innovation projects featuring topics relating to production technology will be presented.
For example, academics at the Institute for Production Management, Technology and Machine Tools atDarmstadt University of Applied Science have developed a hybridprocess for handling difficult-to-machine materials. In the aerospace industry, manufacturers are increasing their use of alloys based on titanium and nickel, because they exhibit higher mechanical strengthand are resistant to corrosion. This, however, leads to rapid wear and tear on the tools involved. In the hybrid high-performance process developed in Darmstadt, the component concerned is heated up by induction in the process at defined points, and thus becomes less mechanically strong. Simultaneously, the tool is cooled by a cryogenic medium, and then becomes more robust. Wear-and-tear studies have established that the tool life for tangential millingmachines is extended by more than 100 per cent compared to conventional machining.
A second project from Bremen University shows how an efficient feed of liquid during metal-cuttingimproves chip removal. Thermodynamic stresses on the component can thus be reduced and productivity increased. Optimised nozzle systems ensure a minimised flow of liquid, so that energy consumption is downsized,with concomitant gains in the cost-efficiency of the process.
Special stand for aerospace technology showcases the process chain used in metal-cutting
The MachiningInnovations Network is an alliance of companies and research institutes that have created a shared integration and partner platform in the technological field of metal-cutting. At theEMO Hannover 2017, the network will be organisinga special stand showcasing a process chain for manufacturing a component from the aerospace industry.The idea is to show all the steps involved, from initial planning all the way through to follow-up processing. This will include the aspects of simulation, tools, process monitoring, machine control systems, and much more.
“The special show is, of course, directed particularly at customers from the aerospace industry,” explains ChristophMiller of the VDW. The individual solutions, however, can also be transferred to other process chains, and are thus of equal interest to trade visitors from other branches of industry.
Seminar on machine safety at the EMO Hannover
The safety of machine tools isalways a prioritised concern inthe sector. The avoidance of accidents and protection of staff are the principal focuses here. Despite the substantially greater complexity of the machine technology involved, the absolute accident figures have exhibited a significant decline over recent years. This shows that the machinery manufacturers are embracing their responsibilities. Machines designed in conformity with contemporary standards are safe – that is unquestioned. A further improvement can be achieved only in a dialogue with machine owners and the occupational safety authorities.
International experts from all three fields will at the “EMO Safety Day for Machine Tools” be spotlighting the current status of development work, and reporting on the most recent changes, in terms of standardisation, for example, which is currently being revised. Another important aspect is the skills and knowledge of the staff at market regulatory agencies. They have to be able to recognise machines that do not conform to the present-day state of the art, and to take these out of circulation for everyone’s benefit. This is why the European Associationof the Machine Tool Industries(CECIMO) is issuing another new volume from a series of CE Guides, this time on the safety of milling machines. It describes in simple terms the most important safety features involved, so as to provide practical assistance not only to the market regulators but also to prospective purchasers. Because only those machine tools are really safe that are in conformity with the relevant standards andare being used for their intended purpose.
India Day at the EMO Hannover 2017
At the EMO Hannover, it is not only technical trends that are showcased, but particularly interesting markets as well. India, for example,is currently the only BRIC nation to again be reporting significant growth in industrial production output and capital investment. In the machine tool industry, the country ranks 8th among the world’s largest markets, with a volume of most recently 1.6 billion euros in 2015, which corresponds to a growth rate of seven per cent when calculated in euros. India imports almost all of its machine tools, with deliveries in 2015 worth a total of around 1.1 billion euros. Which is why the EMO Hannover 2017 will be focusing once again on this attractive, high-potential market.
The “India Day” on 20 September 2017 will feature reports exclusively from Indian experts, including representatives of the machine tool federation IATMA. Representativesfrom Indian user sectors will be addressing technical and commercial trends from the automotive and aviation industries. The resultant requirements in India for production technology will also be covered. Anyone interested in setting up a sales or even a production subsidiary in India will also find information on staff training and strategies for recruiting and bonding suitable employees.
Recruitment: “Do something with a future! Your opportunities in mechanical engineering”
Employees in the machine tool industry and the relevant user sectors are facing radical transformations. New technologies and changes to existing processes in the production operations involved are altering the role of the skilled worker. A challenge that first of all needs to be met and mastered by instructors and teachers.It is theywho have to be methodically and expertly skilled, so that they can pass on their knowledge to the newly recruited staff, and assure fit-for-purpose training.
In line with a long-standing tradition, the VDW’s Youth Foundation, renamed as the “Mechanical Engineering Youth Foundation” at the beginning of 2017,is organising the special stand for young people at the EMO Hannover 2017. Under the motto of “Do something with a future! Your opportunities in mechanical engineering”, it is aimed at instructors, teachers and schoolchildren alike. The goal is to heighten awareness among these groupings that they will have to keep pace with the increasing speed of innovation in the field of production technology,by means of individualised advice and specific assistance. Future specialists need to be properly prepared both at school and in the companies involved to cope with the new requirements concerned. For this purpose, all those participating in the training process, including ministries, schools, teachers andsectoral associations, should work fruitfully together.
“Recruitment initiatives are a traditional element at the EMO Hannover,”reports ChristophMiller. They concentrate on awakening interest amongfuture skilled recruits. Since 2001, schoolchildren seeking to choose a career have been invited to the EMO Hannover. At the special stand for young people, they can learn everything they need to know about metal-related professions, training contents, and opportunities for advanced training, career-building and earnings. Since then, more than 40,000 young people have gained the information they wanted at the EMO Hannover.
Finding the right personnel at the recruiting platform of the EMO Hannover 2017
Companies are looking not only for newcomers, but also for well-trained young professionals, if possible multilingual and with international experience. This applies to staff in both technical and commercial departments. A recruiting platform at the EMO Hannover matches up the requirement profiles of the companies concerned and the qualifications of the applicants involved.
“Start-ups for intelligent production”at the EMO Hannover 2017
The rapid pace of technical change means that new firms are being set up. Young entrepreneurs, for example, are developing software for networking machines and processes, or are building 3D printers for metal components. They base their start-ups on research projects at the universities, or open a company on a greenfield site.
It is these firms, with a turnover of up to 10 million euros, that the EMO Hannover 2017 aims to offer a platform under the motto of “Start-ups for intelligent production”. The aim is to assist young companies in marketing their innovations. With fresh ideas and new products or services, they are much-sought-after business associates for many established vendors. “The special stand devoted to “Start-ups for intelligent production”is designed to assist newly founded companies who want to showcase their capabilities in an innovative business environment and penetrate the international market,”explains Christoph Miller of the VDW. It picks up on the EMO’s motto of “Connecting systems for intelligent production” and provides a live demonstration, as it were, of the opportunities offered by networking, and how it is generating new ideas and business models.
Inside the special stand, an area is reserved for the “Innovations made in Germany” project. This is aimed at German firms that have been recently founded, and is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Enterprise Europe Network
Once again, the Enterprise Europe Network will be organising meetings for entrepreneurs at the EMO Hannover 2017. During the run-up to the fair, the online platform will already be brokering suitable discussion partnersfor defined topics. Thanks to the mutual interests involved, these meetings are fruitful and efficient. This, at least, was the verdict of the participants in the entrepreneur meetings held in 2013. Back then, 315 participants from 287 firms and 28 different countries attended more than 600meetings brokered by the Enterprise Europe Network. They anticipated numerous alliances and orders as a result.
Trendsetter for international production technology
“For the EMO Hannover, there will once again be an interesting and comprehensive programme of supporting events,”Christoph Miller promises. “It will offer many visitors and exhibitors relevant tie-ins with the ongoing topics and discussions in their own companies,”he adds. The EMO sets the trends for production technology in the years ahead, he continues.This applies both for machine tool technology and for developments in terms of strategies and markets. Topics and trends initiated at the EMO Hannover will still be subjects for detailed discussion many weeks and months after the event’s conclusion.
EMO Hannover 2017 – the world’s premier trade fair for the metalworking sector
From 18 to 23 September 2017, international manufacturers of production technology will be spotlighting “Connecting systems for intelligent production” at the EMO Hannover 2017. The world’s premier trade fair for the metalworking industry will be showcasing the entire bandwidth of today’s most sophisticated metalworking technology, which is the heart of every industrial production process. The fair will be presenting the latest machines, plus efficient technical solutions, product-supportive services, sustainability in the production process, and much, much more. The principal focus of the EMO Hannover is on metal-cutting and forming machine tools, production systems, high-precision tools, automated material flows, computer technology, industrial electronics and accessories. The trade visitors to the EMO come from all major sectors of industry, such as machinery and plant manufacturers, the automotive industry and its component suppliers, the aerospace sector, precision mechanics and optics, shipbuilding, medical technology, tool and die manufacture, steel and lightweight construction. The EMO Hannover is the world’s most important international meeting point for production technology specialists from all over the planet. In 2013, the fair attracted more than 2,130 exhibitors, and around 143,000 trade visitors from more than 100 different countries. EMO is a registered trademark of the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries CECIMO.
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